sMashed Potatoes (#24)

Thanksgiving Eve.

Just got off work, heading to the store for the items I forgot when I was pre-planning. Haha. I am doing a lot of firsts this go around. I don't do pies and I am making a low-fat Chocolate Cream pie and a Gluten Free Sweet Potato pie for my little sister-in-law. :) (And an apple pie!) Thinking I will head to the store in the morning, and try my hand at a Strawberry pie - kind of in a pie mood.

But the magic happened in my Crockpot. My in-laws are the masters of instant mashed potatoes. They are good, but this gal grew up with boiled, peeled and mashed deliciousness of homemade smashed potatoes. Crockpot mashed potato recipes are all over the Internet, but most start with boiling on the stove. I consider it a CP recipe if I cook it ALL in my partner in crime, Sir Crockpot.

Finally, I found one. I didn't add all the extra ingredients that the author of the recipe did. I just needed to know how long they needed to cook in the CP. I like potatoes enough to know they don't need all the bells and whistles.

What you need:

*5 pounds of potatoes (I used russet this time, but Red and Yukon's work great too!)
*2 cups of chicken broth (or 2 cups of water and a bullion cube)
*Milk
*Fat Free Cream Cheese

The How:

1)Quarter the potatoes and toss into the Crockpot.
***You can peel or leave the skins on. I am a fan of the skins and I use the excuse with others who don't like them, that they are where you get the good stuff from. You can also cut them smaller if you need them to cook quicker. Add your chicken broth, or water if you prefer.

2)Cook on high for 4-5 hours, low for 7-8 hours - and then mash. (Depending on the amount of liquid left in the potatoes, you might want to drain. I had very little, and left most in for flavor)

3)The rest is really to taste. Everyone has a preference with smashed potatoes: fluffy, thick, chunky, etc. You add 1/2 block of FF cream cheese, and blend. (More or less to your taste) And then slowly add milk until you reach the consistency that you love.

I have to tell you, these taste incredible. And plus, it left a spot on the stove top open and allowed me to nap while I was waiting for the oven to open up for my bird. I love turkey. :) I hope everyone has an incredible holiday. Make sure you thank God, not only today - but everyday, for all he has and will continue to bless you with. My pastor said something that has stuck with me all week:

"If you woke up this morning with only what you gave thanks to God for yesterday, what would you be left with?"

Now, that is food for thought! Till next time...

How Do I Feel About Food?

That is a BIG question for me.

 

In the last several years I have realized this is how my Mother showed me her love, as well as my Grandmother. Being raised in a Mexican household, this love consisted of tons of lardy tortillas and plates that large enough to feed a small army. Even when combating diabetes and other health problems, my family never budged on their style of eating.

 

When I entered adulthood and moved to Mississippi, not much changed. In the South - love = food in the form of fried chicken and just about fried everything. I found that I one of the ways I show Michael I care is making sure I cook dinner every night. The kids and I love to cook together. It is one of my favorite times with them. Yum! In 2010, I began the fight. And I was very successful. And proud of how I looked and felt.

 

During the last year, I have slipped quite a bit. Not in the weight department so much, but on how I was eating and feeding my family. The result was a sluggish feeling throughout the day, and feeling tired after a full night of sleep. I woke up this morning, and realized that is how I used to feel. And I did not like it then, and I certainly do not like it now, especially since I am well aware of how awesome the extra energy and less pounds feel.

 

11/18/12

marks the day that I make the permanent change in our lives. Yes, there will be some things I cut out completely that I will not expect my husband to cut out, like soda. Although, since I do the majority of the cooking, this change will be for everyone in my house. I am very excited to begin again, and I look forward to the extra energy.

 

A few things that will become staples in my life will be:

 

1) No soda. I don't particularly like soda. I am a social drinker. (Haha, sounds funny - but true) I genuinely love ice cold water, and I will just get used to the crazy looks I get when I order just water.

 

2) 3 miles of walking or running - 3 days a week. I am going to work my Netflix workouts back in too, but the little ones make it difficult to commit to a certain amount each week.

 

3) Pack my lunch EVERY day.

 

I look forward to updating my blog with my success that I am sure will be incredible. :)

 

4) - Positive thinking.

Loaded Baked Potato Soup (#23)

On nights when Michael works, the kids and I can indulge in soup. My hubby is not much for soup eating. I, on the other hand, LOVE soup! And tonight, we have Loaded Baked Potato Soup in the Crockpot!

The finished soup, garnished with basil
from my kitchen herb garden!

The Ingredients

2.5 Pounds of Russet Potatoes

2 Cloves of chopped Garlic

1/2 Chopped Yellow Onion

32 Ounces of Chicken Stock (low sodium)

1 Block of Cream Cheese (fat free)

Bacon (low sodium Turkey bacon)

Parmesan Cheese

 

 

Chop up your potatoes, we like bite-size chunks in our soup, so ours are a little bigger than we see at the restaurants. It is really what you prefer. I also leave the skins on because it is the good for ya part of the potato, and they are YUM. Toss in your garlic, onion and chicken stock and cook on low for 8 hours.

 

The first time I made this, I followed the recipe to a tee. They instructed to puree the cream cheese in the soup. It was more dishes to transfer the soup to puree it, and I found that having the cream cheese sit for about 30 minutes, and adding it to the Crockpot works wonders. It does require a little attention with the stirring, but I prefer to keep the large chunks of potatoes. Makes the meal seem more filling that way.

 

On to the garnish. :-) My favorite part. I substitute pork bacon for Turkey bacon, our local store has an amazing low sodium Turkey bacon that is to die for. My kids don't really know pork bacon, so they don't taste a difference. I chop up the bacon, cook it and stir it in the soup. True, that doesn't make it a garnish really, but I like bacon throughout. Low-fat Parmesan cheese is sprinkled on top and served.

 

This is one of my favorite soups, and GREAT for those cold winter days. I do hope you enjoy this version of Loaded Baked Potato Soup. So happy for it to be winter and the soup making to commence! Until next time...

 



Beer Chicken!!! (#22)

I have been in a rut! I have resorted to a good 10 to 12 Crockpot meals that are a guaranteed win for this family, and have not really ventured out of my comfort bubble. While watching all the morning shows that I do not normally get to watch with work - I heard someone talk about their 'go-to' meal of Beer Chicken.

Hmmm.... Can I do this in the Crockpot?

Yes I can, according to a fellow blogger at http://www.mydailydish.com/.

The Ingredients!!!

Ingredients

4-6 Chicken Breasts (You can use a whole chicken also, fresh or frozen.)
1/2 tsp Basil
1/2 tsp Pepper
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
1/2 tsp Crushed Red Pepper
1 bottle Beer






Toss it all in your Crockpot and walk away. How long do you ask? It depends:

FRESH CHICKEN
3-4 hours - HIGH
7-8 - LOW

FROZEN CHICKEN
4-5 - HIGH
8-10 - LOW

The recipe I found used Garlic Powder, Basil, Paprika, Salt and Pepper. She also stated, she used those because that is what she had. :-) Good deal, because I was out of Paprika, and we LOVE LOVE LOVE Crushed Red Pepper in the Crockpot! So please, take chances with the spices you and your loved ones enjoy! You know your taste buds best!!!

The finished product!
 

The Verdict:

YUM! Kids ate it with Mac & Cheese, Hubs ate it with Beans and Rice, and I ate my wrapped up in a corn tortilla. Totally a new one in the Crook Family rotation!!!

Crock Pot Pie (#21)

Hello Birthday Bucket List! #15 - COMPLETE!!!

Amanda will be proud, I finally made a Pot pie, and it was AMAZING.

The Ingredients

Ingredients

Chicken - 2 skinless, boneless breasts

Corn - 1/2 cup frozen

Peas - 1/2 cup frozen

Onion Powder - dash

Milk - 1/2 cup

Basil - dash

Butter - 2 Tablespoons

Flour - 3 Tablespoons

Chicken Broth - 1/2 cup

Salt - dash

Pepper - dash

Canned Biscuits - 1 can

 

 

I didn't have Cream of ANYTHING soup, so I had to improvise, and that is where a lot of the ingredients came from.

 

{1 Tablespoon of butter and  3 Tablespoons of flour to make a base. Ass the 1/2 cup of milk, 1/2 cup of Chicken Broth, salt and pepper and ta-da  - you have a substitute.}

 

The Finished Crust <3

First, you want to spray your Crockpot, and toss in cut up chunks of chicken. [I read in several recipes that many prefer dark meat, but we only had breasts] Next I added the frozen corn and peas. Again, every recipe had different veggies, and most had celery. This is what I had on hand. Add the spices of your choosing to the pot as well. Finally, you add your soup or soup substitute and mix well. Several different recipes had awesome dough recipes, and options to take your Crockpot liner out and toss the biscuits on and toss in the oven. I didn't have the time or the oven. I took a can of biscuits, and placed them on top of the filling. Added some honey to sweeten the "crust." Placed the lid on top and put a knife between the lid and pot to eliminate the condensation on the crust. Times varied from 3-4 hours on high to 6-hours on low. I choose 3-4 hours on high. At 3 1/2 hours the filling was smelling delicious and the crust was perfect.

 

I really did enjoy this recipe, and with the weather finally feeling like Fall - it was a perfect warm feeling meal. The kids loved the chicken and sauce. I loved the biscuits. Overall, a win for this family and I cannot wait to play with other substitutions with veggies and adding potatoes.

 



The Finished Plate

As you can see, I made a small portion. I was not confident in this recipe. It is something I was never made or ate in my life. You can just adjust the amounts accordingly. This was enough for 4 servings with a side of mashed potatoes.

 

Enjoy Y'all!

 

 

Lord of the Flies (#2)

Lord of the Flies

Made it through 1984, and I am very eager to start...

 Lord of the Flies.

We are having our first Book Club get together today... doubling as a BBQ for my birthday. 7 kids, 4 adults = I think we have NO chance. :-) But, 3 Crockpots going (2 at my house, one at Kristyn's) and the men are BBQ'ing - life is good!

Crockpot Honey Cola Ham (#20)

As a mother of 3, I face struggles daily with picky eaters. I make shaped sandwiches, foods have silly names, and there are rewards systems for trying new foods. (Sue me! I know there are not supposed to be rewards attached to foods, but it works!) My biggest struggles right now are Malakai and his inability to try new things. At 7, he thinks he knows what he likes and that it that. And he knows he DOES NOT eat ham. (Sheesh, that is a harsh thing to hear for a Thanksgiving Dinner loving gal like myself) And then my sweet diva-like daughter, Alannah doesn't want to eat meat unless it is turkey bacon or grilled chicken bites.

While Malakai is at school today, and the kids and I have a play date, my Crockpot will be slaving over a Cola Ham. Let's see how this turns out.

 

Ingredients

These is how it looks PRE-Crockpot! <3 (Brown Sugar
is in the Cupcake)

Boneless Ham (size accordingly to what you need)

2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

4 Tablespoons of Honey

I Tablespoon of Mustard

2 (8oz.) cans of Cola

 

You are going to want to make a paste out of the brown sugar, honey and the mustard. This will be rubbed on the sides of the ham that have been scored. (Keep in mind, you can score both sides - just don't go any deeper than an 1/8 of an inch.) Put that rubbed on ham into your Crockpot and pour the 2 cans of cola into the pot. Be careful not to pour directly onto your ham, otherwise all that rubbing will have been a waste. Toss the lid on, turn that knob to low and ENJOY your day for the next 7-8 hours. Alannah, Kal'El and myself are off to the park for a play date while our partner in crime, Crockpot, slaves over the ham.

When this is done, Alannah and I will whip up a quick bowl of Honey Mashed Potatoes. (Regular Mashed Potatoes with honey swirled in. The kids ADORE them!)

***SIDENOTE: I do use a lot of honey. And if you are curious as  to why - here goes. I grew up in a family with very little allergies. When we moved to the South, my little family's allergies exploded. And I was told a teaspoon of local honey will help fight the allergies. And honestly it does. I give them a straight up teaspoon sometimes, but cooking with it is fun. Now, the honey bear - Alannah and Kal'El love Sir Honeybear, so I pour the local honey into a cleaned out Kroger Honey Bear container, and they know to grab honey bear. :-) I love my kiddos!

THE VERDICT:
We all loved it!!! I used a pre-sliced ham, so that was even less work that I needed to do. :-)