black & white chicken chili (slow cooker)

i'm starting to realize that i have a bit of a type when it comes to recipes: crockpot, chicken, and usually a soup/stew of some kind.

but i'm okay with that. 

because this is good.

and honestly, it's hard to come up with other types of recipes that dont include lots of tomatoes and/or a ton of dairy. so, life goes on (in the form of lots of chicken and soup).

slow cooker black & white chicken chili 

serves 6

ingredients

five chicken breasts (I used frozen but thawed mine a little since it was a bit crunched on time)

4 cups chicken broth + 2 cups water

1 can great northern beans, rinsed and drained

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

15 ounces salsa verde, plus more for serving

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

salt to taste 

sour cream

shredded sharp white cheddar

diced avocados

tortilla chips

directions

combine first 8 ingredients in slow cooker and cook on medium for 5 hours. 

garnish with sour cream, cheese, and avocados and serve.

hurray for easy! 

you're welcome. 

happy fall.

love.

love.

meals for the week: vol.13

I think fall has finally found its way to north Carolina, and I'm pretty excited about it. my goal this week is to not consume ridiculous amounts of coffee & hot chocolate. and maybe to actually get to all the things on the menu. 

menu for 10/21-10/28

monday: slow cooker chicken salad sandwiches, tater tot things, sautéed squash  

tuesday: slow cooker beef stroganoff over egg noodles, green beans

wednesday: fish taco bowls (& salads), slow cooker berry cobbler

thursday: leftovers 

friday: one pot chicken lo mein

saturday: breakfast for dinner

sunday: slow cooker mexican chicken & lime soup, cornbread

breakfasts: cereal bars, oatmeal, yogurt, eggs, slow cooker berry cobbler

lunches: smoothies (with kale, shh!), chicken salad, tuna salads, leftovers, baked potatoes (loaded/leftovers)

snacks: cheese, fruit, popcorn, yogurt, veggie straws

happy planning!

love.

meals for the week: vol. 12

the last few weeks of posting late or not at all has left my meal execution pretty terrible. so here's to long-awaited fall weather, crockpots, and on-time menus.

happy planning, friends!

menu for 10/14-10/20

monday: fish taco bowls (& salads), slow cooker berry cobbler

tuesday: leftovers

wednesday: slow cooker beef stroganoff over egg noodles, green beans

thursday: loaded baked potatoes with turkey bacon & sautéed spinach, asparagus

friday: slow cooker breakfast casserole for dinner

saturday: out of town

sunday: one pot chicken lo mein

breakfasts: cereal bars, pumpkin chocolate chip oat bars, yogurt, eggs, berry cobbler

lunches: smoothies (with kale, shh!), leftovers, salads, tuna salads, carrots, leftovers, baked potatoes (loaded/leftovers)

snacks: seaweed, cheese, fruit, popcorn, yogurt

what's on your menu?

love.

meals for the week: vol. 11

yes, it's thursday. and it's not pretty. i'm sorry.

but at least it's something. and i needed to get my brain together to have the weekend at least semi-planned out. this week has been something, for sure.

help a mama out and share some meal ideas? thanks, guys.

meals :: 9/23-9/29

monday: slow cooker pesto ranch chicken, baked potatoes, asparagus

tuesday: nope.

wednesday: i don't remember (seriously.)

thursday: slow cooker shoulder roast, baked potatoes, sautéed okra, peppers & onions, cornbread

friday: slow cooker chicken & dumplings

saturday: bacon cheeseburgers, sweet potato fries, veggie 

sunday: slow cooker beef stroganoff and egg noodles (or something with chicken? help!)

breakfasts: protein shakes, granola, bagels, yogurt, eggs, berry crisp

lunches: smoothies (with kale, shh!), leftovers, salads, tuna salads, carrots, leftovers, baked potatoes (loaded/leftovers)

snacks: seaweed, cheese, trail mix, fruit, popcorn, granola, kale chips

meals for the week: vol. 7

oh, hey tuesday. better late than never, right?

i hope your meal planning is going well these days--if you have any great recipes to share, please do!

meals :: 8/26-9/1

monday: chicken & veggie stir fry

tuesday: fish something (any ideas?) 

wednesday: chicken &rice bake, green beans

thursday: shepherd's pie (i mean it this time)

friday: tbd

saturday: out to dinner!

sunday: chicken, bacon & green beans (modified for slow cooker), easy baked potatoes

breakfasts: protein shakes, fruit, cliff & luna bars, berry crisp, egg muffins

lunches: smoothies, leftovers, tuna salads, veggies & homemade ranch, lunchmeat & sandwiches, baked potatoes (loaded/leftovers)

snacks: seaweed, veggies, cheese sticks, cinnamon almonds, trail mix, fruit, popcorn

happy planning!

love.

meals for the week: vol. 6

so after a month of cutting out wheat, we've added some back in. so far we haven't noticed a difference, but we're still limiting it a bit. honestly, i feel better without it. 

meals :: 8/19-8/25

monday: leftover stew (slow cooker) 

tuesday: summer vegetables with sausage & potatoes 

wednesday: chickpea potato curry & rice

thursday: shepherd's pie (i am determined to finally make this. haha)

friday: chicken, bacon & green beans (modified for slow cooker), easy baked potatoes

saturday: 

sunday: girls' night! (finger foods & appetizers)

breakfasts: yogurt and granola, fruit, cliff & luna bars, berry crisp, egg muffins, smoothies

lunches: leftovers, tuna salads, veggies & homemade ranch, lunchmeat & sandwiches, baked potatoes (loaded/leftovers)

snacks: seaweed, veggies & homemade ranch, cheese sticks, cinnamon almonds, trail mix, fruit, popcorn

what are you eating this week? i'd love to hear!

love.

meals for the week: vol. 5

i'm pretty sure i can just say "ditto" to all the things of last week's post. 

so, i will (new recipe coming soon, i hope).

also, have you noticed i've gotten into a bit of a rut with my meals? yes, many have just had to keep carrying over from not getting to them, but there are quite a few repeats as well. any suggestion for me? i'm all ears. :)

meals :: 8/12-8/18

monday: chicken stir-fry

tuesday: korean beef bowls (with rice noodles)

wednesday: farmhouse beef & bacon stew (slow cooker)

thursday: chicken curry and rice

friday: fish tacos, guacamole & chips

saturday: shepherd's pie

sunday: chicken, bacon & green beans (modified for slow cooker)

breakfasts: yogurt and granola, fruit, cliff & luna bars, berry crisp, egg muffins, smoothies

lunches: veggies & homemade ranch, tuna salads, leftovers, baked potatoes (loaded/leftovers)

snacks: seaweed, veggies & homemade ranch, cheese sticks, cinnamon almonds, fruit, popcorn

hope you have a great week!

love.

chicken salad (with a slow cooker).

hurray for a recipe post!

something about actually getting to share a recipe with you, makes me feel like maybe I'm getting a hang of this mother-of-two thing after all.

once the weather starts to warm, chicken salad quickly becomes a staple--for both lunch and dinner. and don't mind my odd title of this post, I just didn't want to call it a "slow cooler recipe" because sometimes I don't use it. but really, I mostly do. haha. 

also, this recipe makes a lot. but it's perfect to make the beginning of the week for a fresh, summer dinner, then having a whole week's worth of lunches. 

slow cooker chicken salad

serves a bunch

1 2.5lb bag of frozen chicken tenderloins, rinsed

1 1/2 tsp garlic powder, divided

1 tsp onion powder, divided

splash of olive oil, or other non-stick spray (such as coconut)

1/3 cup water

2-3 handfuls of red grapes, halved

3/4 cup mayonnaise, plus a bit more

2 tsp lemon juice

salt & pepper generously, to taste

directions

spray crockpot with non-stick spray (or swirl some olive oil around the bottom and sides). dump frozen chicken in, and season with about half of the garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. pour water on top, and cook on medium/high for 5 hours.

once chicken is cooked, remove from liquid. chop/shred chicken and place in large mixing bowl. add grapes, remaining spices and lemon juice. then, add mayonnaise and mix well. at this point, you might need to add additional mayo and mix it again, just to make sure all the chicken is wet and sticking together well.

serve chilled on toasted bread, a bed of spinach, salad or just eat it. :)

love.

slow cooker chicken & dumplings.

last night, something wonderful happened in my crock pot.

after reading a few different recipes, and throwing things in the crockpot (though half of the time, it was more like yelling directions into the kitchen while i fed the baby--thanks, ash!), we had a pretty fantastic dinner. oh, and did i mention? no condensed soup.

it's definitely a keeper.

slow cooker chicken & dumplings
serves 6

ingredients
3 chicken breasts (mine were frozen)
4 cups of chicken stock
2/3 cup lowfat milk
3 tsp flour
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 carrots, peeled and diced
3 medium potatoes, cubed
1 can simply refrigerated buttermilk biscuits, quartered
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp onion powder (or substitute chopped onion)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
dash of ground thyme
salt & pepper to taste

directions
1. spray crockpot with nonstick spray. add in carrots and chicken breasts, and half of the spices. pour in half of the chicken stock.
2. in a small saucepan whisk together milk and flour on high heat. once it begins to boil, turn off heat and whisk continually until it thickens. then mix with remaining stock and pour into the crockpot. cook mixture on high for 5 hours.
3. add potatoes halfway through cooking.
4. when done, shred chicken with a fork and add quartered biscuits and peas. cook an additional 30 minutes.

serve, and enjoy!

love.

slow cooker orange cranberry turkey.

You guys, I'm on a roll. Consider this me making up for lost time.

And thank you so much for your suggestions and prayers for me during my struggle with getting a handle on life. It's helped, for sure. And for the first time in a long time, I feel like I am keeping up with life. I've even gotten better with meal planning and feeding my family. And showering.

So it's only fair that food would be a topic of this post. With Thanksgiving so close, I wanted to share one of my favorite crockpot recipes with you. I take no credit for this one, though. It comes from my fantastic friend Lindsey. And when I say "fantastic," I mean it.

I mean, just look at her.

She is such a dear friend. We can't imagine life without her--she serves us so faithfully and loves our little family so well. It's people like her that make you thankful for the blessing of friendship and community.

We love her. And we love when she feeds us (and cleans my kitchen for me). Thanks, L.

Slow cooker orange cranberry turkey
serves a lot.

Ingredients
4-5 lb. turkey breast (thawed if frozen)
1/2 cup orange juice
one can of whole cranberry sauce
one packet of onion soup mix

Directions
Plop turkey breast into crockpot. In a separate bowl, mix orange juice and soup mix together. Add cranberry sauce and mix well. Pour over turkey breast and cook for six hours. Carve and serve with mashed potatoes and a veggie. Oh, and the broth makes crazy good gravy.

*note: I usually end up getting a turkey breast that barely fits in the crockpot, so it ends up going in sideways. I don't have a baster (that would be nice), so every few hours I flip the turkey onto the opposite side to make sure it stays moist.

Enjoy!

love.

slow cooker pot roast

I love fall. Every year it comes around, I'm freshly reminded of how glorious the crisp air and bright colors are.  And how comforting the feel of walking into your warm house can be. Oh, and of course how close Christmas is (I might love Christmas too much).

I also am reminded of how much I love cooking in the fall.

Summer is best for produce and freshness--something I miss in the other months. But oh, I love comfort food. And so does this baby. So I've been thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to pull out my slow cooker more often than not and make something rich and savory for dinner.

Last night, I made pot roast. And Nick commented multiple times on how good the house smelled, and how tasty it was. That's a win in my book.

Slow Cooker Pot Roast
Adapted from the Pioneer Woman's (found here)

Ingredients
3-5 lb. chuck roast
2 large onions, halved
1/2 bag of baby carrots
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 packet onion soup mix
2-3 cups beef broth
salt & pepper to taste

Directions
Heat olive oil in large, nonstick pan. Season meat with salt, pepper and garlic powder, and brown chuck roast on both sides (about 2 minutes each). Remove from pan and put in slow cooker. In the same pan, brown onion halves, and place on plate. Do the same with the carrots.

With the heat still on, pour a little bit of beef broth into pan to deglaze it. I use a whisk to make sure all the flavorful stuff on the bottom comes up. Pour liquid into the slow cooker.

Empty the onion soup mix packet onto the roast, spreading as evenly as possible. Dump veggies in, and add salt & pepper. Then pour enough beef broth in to cover the roast about halfway or so.

Cover and cook on medium for 6 hours.

Serve with mashed potatoes & bread.

slow cooker chicken & green bean casserole

Here is fair warning: this is not a healthy recipe. I rarely used condensed soup while cooking, if ever. But I found two lonely cans in the back of my pantry that needed to be used, so I went for it. I'm sure I'll try to recreate this recipe without using condensed soup eventually. But until then, I had to share this.

Because it's good. So good.

Slow Cooker Chicken & Green Bean Casserole
serves 4

Ingredients
1 1/2-2 lbs. chicken breasts, cut into bite size pieces
1 can of reduced sodium condensed cream of chicken soup
1 can of condensed cream of mushroom soup
1/3 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
1/3 tsp. garlic powder
1/3 tsp. onion powder
salt & pepper to taste
1 can of fried onions
frozen green beans
2 cups rice, cooked separately

Directions
Spray or coat your slow cooker with olive oil to prevent sticking. Place chicken in bottom. Sprinkle a layer of fried onions over the chicken.

In a separate bowl, whisk together both cans of soups, soy sauce and spices. Pour over chicken and onions. Repeat with another layer of fried onions. Cook on high for 4 hours, low for 6-8. An hour or so before serving, pour frozen green beans on top.

Serve over rice, with fried onions on top.

This is comfort food done right, for sure. I may have eaten the rest of it for lunch today.

The baby wanted it.

love.