Crock Pot

Crockpot Jalapeno Popper Chicken Chili

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I love anything I can put in the crockpot and basically forget about all day. This is one of those recipes. It’s beyond simple. The only real prep work is chopping the jalapenos. You know the appetizer where jalapenos are hollowed out, stuffed with creamy cheeses, wrapped in bacon, and cooked until hot and bubbly? This has all that flavor — but in soup form! It’s not overly spicy since you remove all the seeds and ribs from the jalapenos (that’s where the heat is) but it’s infused with that delicious peppery flavor. Topped with some bacon bits and shredded cheese, I’ve turned the popular popper into a warm bowl of comfort food. So easy, cheesy, and bacon-y.  Yes, that’s a word… at least in my vocabulary. Bacon makes everything better!  ~Erin

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Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breast (frozen in single pieces)
  • 4 oz. Greek or Reduced Fat cream cheese, softened
  • 1 (10.75 oz.) can condensed cheddar cheese soup
  • 4-5 large fresh jalapenos, seeded and chopped
  • 32 oz. fat free chicken stock
  • 1 tsp. onion powder
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1/2 T. salt
  • 3 (15.5 oz.) cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 tsp. black pepper
  • For serving:  real bacon bits (I like to cook mine for a few minutes in a small skillet to crisp them up.), reduced fat shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese, chopped pickled jalapenos, chopped green onions

Instructions:

In the pot of your slow cooker, whisk together softened cream cheese and condensed cheddar cheese soup until well combined.

Whisk chicken stock, salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder into cream cheese/soup mixture.

Add jalapenos and frozen chicken breast. (You can use thawed chicken breast as well but keep in mind, it will cook faster.)

Cook 4-5 hours on high or 7 to 8 hours on low. When 1 hour of cook time is left, remove the chicken breasts from the pot, shred, and return to pot. Add cannellini beans and continue to cook for the last hour of cook time.

To serve, top each bowl with 1 tablespoon real bacon bits, ¼ cup reduced fat cheese, and, if desired, pickled jalapenos and green onions.

WW Freestyle Info.:   

This recipe makes 8 servings.  Each serving is 13 ounces (weight) or about 1 ½ cups.  Each serving is 3 points.

By adding the suggested amount of bacon bits (1 point) and reduced fat cheese (3 points), the total value of each serving would be 7 points/serving.

Busy Day Crock Pot Potato Soup

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It’s county fair season!  My 2 kiddos entered their rabbits this year.  This was their first year to enter so I prepared them, as any momma who has two kids competing against each other would.  You know the dialog… “You may not win anything”… “If your sister wins something and you don’t, I want you to be happy for her – no whining”… that kind of thing.  Well, all that was for naught because they both won prizes!  My daughter’s rabbit, Blueberry, won Best of Show and Champion Fur Rabbit – 2 trophies!  My son’s rabbit, Ninja (love that he named a rabbit ‘Ninja’ – funny boy!), won Reserve Champion Fur Rabbit.

The funny thing is, I have no idea what qualifies as a champion rabbit.  We just thought it would be fun to let the kids enter, and we lucked out, apparently, by getting good quality show rabbits.  Who knew?!

The kids were so proud of their trophies and have shown them to everybody they know, of course.  My daughter must have felt sorry for her brother though, since he only got one, so later she made him this:

bonus trophy

It says “1st Most Improved Brother.”  Ha!  I couldn’t help but chuckle at her handmade consolation prize.  Such a sweet sister!

On this busy fair day, while the kids were readying their rabbits, I threw together our favorite potato soup in the crockpot.  I love potato soup but I used to hate making it simply because it’s time consuming to peel and chop the potatoes and onion, cook bacon for the toppings (gotta have bacon – see my handy tip below!), etc.  I also struggled for a long time to come up with a good potato soup recipe.  I don’t like it brothy (not a word but it works here).  I like a creamy, rich, thick potato soup.  This recipe is all that without all the usual work because it uses frozen hash brown potatoes!  It’s quick and easy to get in the crockpot on a day you are feeling not-so-motivated to make supper (or in a hurry, like today) but need some good comfort food.  With 5 minutes of work, this was prepped and cooking away.  A few hours later, we came home to supper… ready, warm, and waiting.  It was exactly what we were craving!  Hope you enjoy it as much as we do.   ~Erin

Ingredients:

  • 4 oz. Greek cream cheese, softened (This can be found next to the other cream cheeses in the grocery store.  I get it at Walmart.)*
  • 1 (10 ¾ oz.) can Campbell’s Healthy Request condensed cheddar cheese soup
  • 1 (32 oz.) box fat-free chicken broth
  • ½ c. fat-free half & half
  • ½ a medium white or yellow onion, finely chopped
  • 1 (32 ounce) bag frozen “Southern style” diced hash brown potatoes (not shredded!)
  • Salt & pepper
  • Optional toppings:  shredded cheese, bacon bits, chopped green onions

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Instructions:

Whisk softened cream cheese and cheddar soup together in your crockpot.  (Or if you are lazy like me you can use your crockpot to soften the cream cheese as it warms up.)

Whisk while adding chicken broth and half & half until smooth.

Stir in the onion and 2/3 of the bag of frozen hash browns; reserve remainder for the last 30 min of cook-time.

Salt and pepper lightly.

Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours, stirring occasionally.

Add the remaining 1/3 of the hash browns when 30 minutes cook time is left.

Top with shredded cheese, bacon bits, and green onions if desired.

Tip:  Use prepackaged real bacon bits and toss them in a small skillet for 30 seconds or so to crisp them up.  You could also put them on a paper towel lined plate and pop them in the microwave for 30 seconds to crisp them.  They are never crispy enough straight from the package for my liking.

WW Freestyle Info.:  This makes 8 one-cup servings at 5 points per cup, not including optional toppings.  I like to add ½ cup fat-free shredded cheddar for 1 point, 1 T. real bacon bits for 1 point, and chopped green onions.

*If you can’t find Greek cream cheese, you can substitute reduced fat cream cheese but it will increase the Weight Watchers SmartPoints to 6 per cup.

German Pork

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I got this recipe from a woman she worked with several years ago, who assured me that even though the recipe had what seemed to be a strange combination of ingredients (not to mention that it’s served over mashed potatoes), it was wonderful.

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All those things are quite true; the ingredients are unexpected, but it’s full of flavor. The pork stays very moist and tender. If you are not a fan of sauerkraut, bear with me, and give this a try (you won’t be sorry!). All four of us girls make it, and Mom and many of our aunts have added this to their “frequent menu item” lists too. You really must try it for yourself! ~Kathy

Ingredients:

  • 1 package Country Style Pork Ribs (around 2 lbs.)
  • 1 granny smith apple, peeled* and sliced about 1/2” thick
  • 1 medium onion, sliced
  • 1 16-oz. jar sauerkraut
  • Salt & pepper
  • Fresh parsley (optional, for garnish)
German pork in progress (1)

Look at all that goodness piled up!

Instructions:

In a slow cooker, place about a quarter of the sliced onion and apple. Place the ribs on top and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Add the remainder of the apple and onion. Top with the sauerkraut (including the juice from the jar).

Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on low about 8 hours.

Serve over mashed potatoes.  

*If in a hurry, we don’t bother to peel the apples, and it still tastes great!  

Note: We recommend using a slow cooker liner for easy clean-up.    

WW Freestyle Info.:  The ribs are 7 points for 5 ounces.  All the other ingredients are free!  Don’t forget to save some extra points for your favorite mashed potato recipe though…this is best served right on top of them!

Italian Beef Sandwiches

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These sandwiches are the easiest thing you will ever make (even if you’ve never cooked a meal in your life, you can make these) and people will think you slaved in the kitchen.  This beef is fall-apart tender and melt-in-your mouth delicious.  They have a whopping 5 ingredients, and prep time is less than 5 minutes.  Set it and forget it! ~Erin

Ingredients:

  • 3 pounds top round (or similar cut) beef roast
  • 2 or 3 cloves minced garlic
  • 1 (0.6 oz.) packet Good Seasons dry Zesty Italian dressing mix
  • 1 (16 oz.) jar whole or sliced pepperoncini peppers
  • 8 to 10 ounces fat-free Zesty Italian dressing
  • Buns for serving
  • Cheese for sandwiches, optional

Instructions:

Place roast in a slow cooker.

Top with garlic and dry zesty Italian seasoning mix.

Discard all but about a quarter of the juice out of pepperoncini jar; pour remaining juice and all the peppers over the roast.

Pour in liquid zesty Italian dressing.

Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or high for 3-4, or until meat is fully cooked and shreds easily.

Shred the beef & serve it hot on a toasted bun with the cheese of your choice.

WW Freestyle Info.:  The beef/pepper mixture calculates to 5 points per 4 ounce serving.