Crock pot meals. Help

Some of our favorites:
Taco soup- Can of tomato sauce, can of corn, can of black beans, can of kidney beans, taco seasoning, lean ground beef (I think turkey might work, too), small can of green chiles. Throw it in and cook on low 8 hours.

We also like Salsa Chicken (you can find tons of recipes for it online). Hope that helps a little!

One of my friends introduced me to this Facebook page, then I found the actual website and I'm in love with it. If you go to the website, click on recipes, she's got an entire section dedicated to crock pot recipes. Hope that helps!

http://www.skinnytaste.com/

you can bake a chicken in the crock pot. Roasts. chili, taco meat, the possibilities are endless. Love my crock pot and it will help you to have dinner ready when you get home. Consider putting all your ingredients together in the pot and leave it in the fridge and it will be ready to go in the morning if you're running late.

I love doing turkey chili (Carol Shelby's seasoning kit is my favorite)...ground turkey, kidney beans, chopped kale (it's so easy to sneak a ton of veggies into chili!), a few cans of tomatoes, extra cumin and garlic and you're good to go. Suuuuper tasty!

I also love doing curries in the crock pot- Trader Joes' has a ton of jarred curry simmer sauces which are great, but I like making my own too. Throw in some chicken breasts, garlic, coconut, carrots, onions, and squash with a can of chicken broth, a generous helping of curry powder, chili powder and ginger.

Pulled pork or chicken is a great way to go too. Throw in a pork butt with some onions, liquid smoke, a can of coke, a bay leaf, some cumin, garlic, paprika, salt and pepper. Pull it apart with a fork and use it in tacos or fajitas, serve it over bulgur wheat with some of the drippings, throw it in your chili or make soup with it. Also great to throw in a wrap or sandwich for lunch the next day. Yummo!

Here is a recipe I have for "salsa chicken" and my family loves it......


Salsa Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 cup salsa
1 package reduced (low) sodium taco seasoning
1 can reduced fat cream of mushroom soup (condensed)
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream

Place chicken in slow cooker. Sprinkle it with taco seasoning, then pour salsa and soup over the chicken.
Turn heat to low and cook 6-8 hours. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream. Serve over rice. (rice not included in nutritional info below)
Makes 4 servings.


Per serving:
calories 160
total fat 5 grams
saturated fat 3 grams
cholesterol 54 milligrams
sodium 537 milligrams
carbohydrates 9 grams
dietary fiber 1 gram
protein 18 grams

One of my favorite slow cooker recipes (from Allrecipes.com if you want to see the full nutritional info)

Slow-Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup
Ingredients
1 pound shredded, cooked chicken
1 (15 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed
1 (10 ounce) can enchilada sauce
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups water
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 (10 ounce) package frozen corn
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
7 corn tortillas
vegetable oil
Directions
1.Place chicken, tomatoes, enchilada sauce, onion, green chiles, and garlic into a slow cooker. Pour in water and chicken broth, and season with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Stir in corn and cilantro. Cover, and cook on Low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on High setting for 3 to 4 hours.
2.Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
3.Lightly brush both sides of tortillas with oil. Cut tortillas into strips, then spread on a baking sheet.
4.Bake in preheated oven until crisp, about 10 to 15 minutes. To serve, sprinkle tortilla strips over soup.

Makes 8 servings

Nutritional Information
Amount Per Serving Calories: 262 | Total Fat: 10.8g | Cholesterol: 46mg



And Sweet and Tangy Chicken
Makes 8 servings

Ingredients
2 (18 ounce) bottles barbeque sauce
1 (15 ounce) can pineapple chunks
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
Directions
1.In a large bowl, mix together barbecue sauce, pineapple with juice, green bell pepper, onion, and garlic.
2.Arrange 4 of the chicken breasts in the bottom of a slow cooker. Pour half of the barbecue sauce over the chicken. Place remaining chicken in slow cooker, and pour remaining sauce over the top.
3.Cover, and cook on Low for 8 to 9 hours.

Amount Per Serving Calories: 349 | Total Fat: 2.8g | Cholesterol: 61mg

I usually serve this over rice (or brown rice)

I love the recipes on this website: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/02/foil-packet-tilapia-crockpot-recipe.html

They are sorted by main ingredient (clickable list on the left sidebar) so you can find a bunch of ideas for whatever you have in the fridge. My favorites from here so far are the peanut butter pork tenderloin, the hirino psito, and the foil-wrapped tilapia.

I also like this recipe:

Pear/Fennel Chicken Thighs

ingredients
• 1 medium fennel bulb, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges
• 2 6- to 7-ounce jars (drained weight) sliced mushrooms, drained
• 1/2 cup coarsely snipped dried pears
• 2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca, finely ground
• 2-1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 1 cup pear nectar or apple juice (I use white wine, since I think the juice makes this too sweet)
• Hot cooked couscous or rice
• Fennel tops (optional)
directions
1. In a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker, combine sliced fennel, mushrooms, and dried pears. Sprinkle with tapioca. Add chicken thighs; sprinkle with salt, thyme, and pepper. Pour pear nectar (or wine) over mixture in cooker.
2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 7 to 8 hours or on high-heat setting for 3-1/2 to 4 hours.
3. Serve chicken mixture with hot cooked couscous. If desired, garnish with fennel tops. Makes 6 servings.