Crockpot Recipe Question

I'm sure it was actually pretty few calories that actually soaked into the food

You may actually be pretty sure you're wrong. Meat and vegetables can absorb an amazing amount of fats if cooked together.

But what freaks me out is to be honest is the culinary blasphemy you performed here: how on earth does anyone get the idea of using a salad dressing (italian sauce) in a crock pot, cooked into the food? This is just so wrong on many levels. Certain oils are best when cold, some when heated but even withing that range there are major differences. At the same time, how can you make a low cal dish (some chicken, carrots, all below 200 cals) and then soak them in something like a 1000 cal dressing? I don't get the concept at all. Get a proper butter-wine-garlic-basil-sautee for sauce and you will still be way below 1000 cals, i.e. learn how to cook and don't fool yourself into the "but I saw it all stayed at the bottom of the dish" idea. Sorry but this is really not the way to homemade. Search any chicken parmigiana on youtube and you will still be better off (culinary and caloriewise).

chop the onions fine
sautee them on 1 tbsp butter-1 tbsp olive oil until glassy-looking
somewhere halftime, add FRESH thyme leaves, basil leaves, finely chopped chili peppers (no seeds) and minced garlic
add your carrots and celeries chopped fine

*at this point, you can make a million versions of recipees, but let's continue this way

make sure to watch the garlic, you don't want those to turn brown or else everything will turn bitter

now, add 1-2 cups of white wine and watch carefully as it boils away, you want all the alcohol to go away
if you have any homemade chicken broth-chicken stock, add 2 cups, otherwise, add water
add faster cooking vegetables like mushrooms or already cooked beans or corn

this is the perfect base for any dish - you can, at this point, create a creamy sauce to it using half and half, créme fraiche, cheese, philadelphia and serve over rice or pasta, or you can just add more beans, peas, tomato paste, parmesan or have it as it is.

Edit: certainly a good time to add beef, homemade pasta to cook, chicken pieces, or any meat.

Sorry for being "insinuating" my problem was taking the cooking out of the cooking. That is. 1. I know what I am putting in my pot 2. I know my harmony (how I am trying to achieve a certain taste and texture by not going overboard or eccentric in ingredients) so I basically I have a feel for a certain type of balance, it's like being a fashion designer and understanding why corsets are off limits

It must be the root canal treatment I have gotten today making me extra grumpy, I could probably critisize anyone getting in my way

BUT please do not cook up salad dressings, I think I am pretty sure about this one being a no no : ]

I have a similar recipe that calls for a pouch of Italian dressing mix. I use the Club House "salads n dips" powder. You could mix that with a bit of water and use it in place of the oil dressing. It would have a similar taste for way less calories

A lot of time I will throw some chicken breasts, black beans, corn, salsa, sour cream, and cheese into a crock pot and cook it until I can shred the chicken. I work LONG hours and this recipe works so well for me because I can eat it many different ways. Over rice, as a taco, by it's self, etc. Soups are a really really good thing too. And it doesn't have to be always broth items. While chicken soup is amazing you can still do split pea soup and even chicken wild rice soup. I find a lot of stuff on pinterest - that site has been a life saver for me!! Also there's a recipe section in here and a lot of those recipes are really really good. And the one website you will see over and over on here is www.skinnytaste.com