I love the crock pot! I own three. I got a new one this past January. You can only get it at Walmart and it is digital. It also can be removed for serving and has a retractable cord. The lid can be secured so it will not fall off when traveling and I like that you can cook on low, high or just warm and set a timer for your foods.
Here is the crock pot if you want to go check it out. It also is a fairly reasonable price. I looked and looked for a couple of months for this crock pot and could not find it at my Walmart so I ordered it through the Walmart's site to store program and got free shipping!
I use the crockpot a lot with my family. It saves me from having to heat up my house with the oven, especially in the summer. I can also use cheaper cuts of meat and they come out tender and that saves me money! I also like that with most recipes I just put it in and forget it until dinner.
I have several favorite recipes that my family loves and that we cook a lot in my house. All are great if you are doing Weight Watchers or just watching your weight. Here are my favorite crock pot recipes for my kitchen.
Crockpot Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti
Serves 12 ( one cup each)
16 oz. dry spaghetti, cooked
1 lb. Velveeta Light (2%)Cheese
12.5 oz can chicken breast, drained & flaked
1 can 98% FF cream of mushroom soup
1 can 98% FF cream of chicken soup
10 oz. can diced tomatoes & green chilies (Rotel)
4 oz can mushroom stems & pieces, drained
1/2 cup water
1 small onion, diced
1 med. green pepper, diced
salt & pepper to taste
Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and stir to mix well. Cook on LOW for 2-3 hours. Stir again just before serving.
Nutrition Info:286 Cal., 5.7 g Fat, 2.7 g Fiber
To Die For Roast1 envelope of brown gravy seasoning packet
1 envelope ranch dressing seasoning packet
1 envelope good seasons Italian seasoning packet
1/2 c water
Mix all 3 seasoning packets together. Spray crock pot. Place roast in middle and surround with potatoes. Pour in 1/2c water. Sprinkle roast and potatoes with seasoning mixture. Cook on low 7-8 hours. Enjoy!
Unstuffed Green Pepper Soup1 Lb. 96% Lean Ground Beef, cooked
2 (14.5 oz.) Cans Diced Tomatoes seasoned with basil, garlic and oregano
2 (10.5 oz.) Cans Chicken Broth
1 Large Onion, chopped
3 Bell Peppers, chopped
2 (10 3/4 oz.) Cans Condensed Tomato Soup
1 1/2 Cups Cooked Long Grain Rice
Spray crockpot with non-stick cooking spray. Inside the crockpot, Combine the cooked beef, diced tomatoes, chicken broth, onion, bell peppers and tomato soup. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Warm up the rice, stir it into the soup and serve.
Serves: 12 (1 Cup Each)
Per Serving: 141 Calories; 3g Fat (18.2% calories from fat); 11g Protein; 18g Carbohydrate; 2g Dietary Fiber; 22mg Cholesterol; 470mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain (Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 1 Vegetable; 0 Fat.
Crockpot Brown Sugar Chili8 Servings
240 Calories 4 g. Fiber 6 g. Fat
FROM: “Fix it and Forget it Lightly” Cookbook
1 lb. extra-lean ground beef
½ c. brown sugar
2 T. prepared mustard
1medium sized onion, chopped
2 cans (14 oz. each) kidney or red beans
2 c. low-sodium tomato juice
½ t. salt
¼ t. pepper
1 t. chili powder
Brown ground beef and onion in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar and mustard. Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Cover. Cook on HIGH 2-3 hours. If possible, stir several times during cooking.
Mexican Rice Casserole
1/2 pound lean ground beef
2 TB diced onion
1 large green pepper, chopped
16 oz. can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
16 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
8 oz. can tomato sauce
1/4 cup water
1 package taco seasoning
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 cup instant rice, uncooked
In a non stick skillet, brown beef, onions, and peppers. Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker, except rice. Cook on low for 5-6 hours. Stir in rice, cover and cook until rice is tender, about 15 minutes.
Yields: 6 servings (about 1 cup each)
Per Serving: 272 calories, 2g fat, 6g fiber
Smothered Buttermilk Chicken
1 pound boneless chicken thighs (see note, I did that)
3 medium carrots, sliced
1/3 cup onion, chopped
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons light margarine
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 bay leaf
1 package chicken gravy mix
1/3 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons flour
1 cup frozen peas
In a 4 to 6 quart crock pot, combine chicken, carrots, onion, water, butter, salt, pepper and bay leaf; mix well. Cover; cook on low setting for 6 to 8 hours or on high setting for 3 to 4 hours. About 20 minutes before serving, stir gravy mix into crock pot. Remove and discard bay leaf. In a measuring cup, blend buttermilk and flour until smooth. Stir flour mixture and peas into chicken; mix well. Cover, increase heat to high; cover and cook an additional 25-20 minutes or until peas are cooked. Serve with rice or biscuits.
Serves 4 (I served 8 people this meal but added more chicken)
7 points
NOTES: **You can use frozen bone in chicken thighs as well. Just turn up the heat to high for the first hour, then down to low for the remaining 6 hours. Before stirring in gravy mix, remove the skin from the chicken. The chicken will fall apart and meld nicely with the rest of the dish- just be sure to remove the bones before serving.
Crockpot Taco Junk1 lb Lean Ground Beef 90% Lean
Cooked & Drained Or Ground Turkey
15 oz Whole Kernel Corn, Drained
15 oz Kidney Beans, Or Northern, Or Pinto, Drained
1 envelope Ranch dressing powder
1 envelope Taco Seasoning Mix
10 oz Rotel Tomatoes
16 oz Salsa
Brown ground beef, drain if necessary. Mix all ingredients together. Place in crock pot and cook on high for 4 hours.
Makes 5-1 cup servings:
Per Serving: 406 Cal; 11 g Tot Fat; 8 g Fiber
OR
10- 1/2 cup servings:
Per Serving: 203 Cal; 5 g Tot Fat; 4 g Fiber
Crockpot Rotisserie Chicken1 whole chicken
spray olive oil
Lawry's seasoned salt -no substitutes
Aluminum foil
Clean chicken inside and out. Spray with olive oil spray. Sprinkle with Lawry's. Spray inside of crock with Pam. Note: Do not put any water in the crock. Roll 3 or 4 wads of aluminum foil into 2”-3” balls and put them in the bottom of the crock. The chicken is going to sit on these. Place chicken breast side down in crock on top of aluminum balls. (The chicken breast sits on the aluminum balls, for the simple fact that the natural juices drain to the bottom of the pot, so with the breast on the bottom the juices stay in the breast instead of draining from the breast keeping the breast super moist!)
Cook on High (will not come out the same on low), 4-6 hours. (3lb. chicken took 4 hours)
You have to use the aluminum to get the deli taste. This chicken tastes very close to one you would buy, precooked, in the deli section of your supermarket
**NOTE** wrap a potato in foil and place them in the bottom of the crock pot to make the foil balls, then you have both chicken and potatoes cooked to perfection
Crockpot Chicken and Stuffing4 chicken breasts (halves)
1 pkg. Stove Top Stuffing
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 can FF cream of mushroom soup
Spray crockpot with non-stick cooking spray. Place chicken on bottom of crockpot. Pour broth over the chicken. Mix together the stuffing and soup. Place on top of the chicken. Cook on low for 7 hours.
Serves 4
Nutrition Information:403 Cal., 5.1 g. fat, 1.3 g. fiber
Crockpot Sour Cream Salsa Chicken4 skinless, boneless, chicken breast halves
1 package reduced-sodium taco seasoning mix
1 cup salsa
2 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ cup light sour cream
Spray the crockpot with cooking spray. Add the chicken breast. Sprinkle with taco seasoning. Top with salsa. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. When ready to serve, remove the chicken from the pot. Place about 2 tablespoons cornstarch in a small amount of water. Stir well. Stir the cornstarch mixture into salsa sauce. Stir in ¼ cup sour cream.
Serves 4
Per serving: 170 calories, 2g fat, 1g fiber
Crock Pot Lasagna
1 pound uncooked lean ground beef with 7% fat
1 small onion, chopped
1 medium garlic clove, minced
28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
15 oz canned tomato sauce
1 tsp. table salt
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes or to taste
1 c. part-skim ricotta cheese
1 and 1/2 c. part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided
6 dry lasagna noodles, no cook
1/2 c. shredded Parmesan cheese
Heat a large skillet over med. heat. Add beef, onion, and garlic. Cook until meat is done or about 5-7 minutes. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, oregano, basil, and red pepper flakes. Simmer 5 minutes. In med. bowl stir together ricotta and 1c. of mozzarella. Spoon 1/3 of beef mixture into a 5 qt. slow cooker. Break 3 lasagna noodles in half and place over beef mixture. Top noodles with 1/2 of ricotta cheese mixture. Repeat another layer and finish with remaining 1/3 of beef mixture.
Cover slow cooker and cook on low setting 4-6 hours. Remove cover. Turn off heat. Season to taste if desired.
In a small bowl combine remaining 1/2 c. mozzarella and parmesan; sprinkle over beef mixture. Cover and set aside until cheese melts and the lasagna firms up, about 10 minutes.
Serves 6 people.
Nutrition Information (per serving): 425 calories; 16.7 g. fat; 45 mg. cholesterol; 32.2 g. carbohydrate; 5 g. fiber; 39.2 g. protein
Crockpot Cheeseburgers1-1/2 lb. lean ground beef
1/2 t. garlic salt
1/2t. pepper
8 oz. Light Velveeta
2 T. skim milk
1 c. onion, chopped
In skillet, brown ground beef with garlic and pepper. Drain.
Combine cooked meat and remaining ingredients in crock pot.
Mix well and cook on low 2-3 hours.
Serve on buns or over mashed potatoes for additional points.
10 servings (1/2 cup each)
4 points per serving
