Tortilla Soup

 Colleen's take: "I have developed this recipe to be convenient for my schedule, our tuesdays and thursdays are so busy and I don't have time to make meals so slow cooker nights it is! This meal cost me around $10 to make coming out to around $1.20 a serving. It's a perfect mix of spicy and satisfying, put it over rice to make it stretch further or just eat it with some tortilla chips & a slice of avocado either way it will rival any restaurant." 

Ingredients:

•  2 cans rotel 
• 1 medium onion 
• enchilada sauce 
• 14 oz can of chicken broth
• 3 chicken breasts or 1 1/2 lb pork loin (before serving you'll pull these out and shred them) 
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder 
• 1 tsp salt 
• 1/4 tsp pepper 
• bay leaf 
• 2 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 package of frozen corn (10oz) 
• 1/4 cup cilantro 
• lime, juiced & cut

Directions: 

Dump everything but the cilantro and lime into the crockpot or slow cooker plus two cups of water. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 3-4. At the end pull the meat out and let rest for 20 minutes, shred and add back to the slow cooker. Chop up cilantro and juice a half lime into the pot slice up the other side for serving. Serve with tortilla chips, cheese, dollop of sour cream, avocado or a wedge of lime. Enjoy. 

**If you want to make this meal ahead and freeze it in a ziplock bag, omit the chicken broth and water until you cook but this is a perfect make ahead! 

Chicken Taco Soup

Colleen's take: "This is one of my favorite dump and go crock pot recipes, I make it every couple of weeks because it cooks up beautifully and full of mexican flavor as well as plenty of delicious leftovers for us to eat for lunch the next few days. I've also substituted a pork loin to this instead of chicken. It's got so many ingredients that you could exclude the meat making it vegetarian, I haven't tried that yet, let me know if you do! This meal is great for the pocket book too, it costs us around $1.25 a serving!" 

Ingredients: 

1 onion, chopped
1 (16 ounce) can chili beans
1 (15 ounce) can black beans
1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer (or broth)
2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning
3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/4 cup cilantro chopped
shredded Cheddar cheese (optional garnish after cooking)
sour cream (optional garnish after cooking)
crushed tortilla chips (optional garnish after cooking)

Directions: 

Combine all ingredients into a Ziploc bag. Freeze for later if you want a quick make ahead meal. Thaw and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Shred chicken in crock pot once cooking is done (I usually take it out to shred). Serve topped with shredded Cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips, if desired. Served approx. 5-6 people. (I usually get 7-8 servings)

20-Minute Chicken Enchiladas

Colleen's take: "I clipped this Chicken Enchiladas Recipe out of my Cooking Light magazine and it's a good make ahead meal. I've made it earlier in the day, refrigerated it, then just popped it in the oven when it's time for dinner. I've followed the enchilada sauce recipe and i've used canned enchilada sauce, I couldn't really tell a huge difference between the two, so in lue of my laziness problem I choose the canned version. I'd suggest trying this one out, it's tasty and fast."

• 
  
• Ingredients: 
• 1 cup prechopped onion
• 1 cup unsalted chicken stock (such as Swanson)
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 (15-ounce) can unsalted tomato sauce
• 3 cups shredded skinless, boneless rotisserie chicken breast (about 15 ounces)
• 1 (15-ounce) can unsalted black beans, rinsed and drained
• 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
• Cooking spray
• 3 ounces preshredded 4-cheese Mexican blend cheese (about 3/4 cup)
• 1 cup chopped tomato
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 6 tablespoons sour cream
• 
  
• Preperation:
• 1. Preheat broiler to high.
  2. Combine first 9 ingredients in a medium saucepan; stir with a whisk. Bring to a boil over high heat; cook 2 minutes or until thickened. Reserve 1 1/2 cups sauce mixture. Add chicken and beans to pan; cook 2 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly heated.
  3. Stack tortillas; wrap stack in damp paper towels and microwave at HIGH for 25 seconds. Spoon about 1/3 cup chicken mixture in center of each tortilla; roll up. Arrange tortillas, seam sides down, in bottom of a 13 x 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with reserved sauce and cheese. Broil 3 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned and sauce is bubbly. Top with tomato and cilantro. Serve with sour cream.
  
  

  

  
  

Skinny Sour Cream Enchiladas

Colleen: "I was disappointed by this dish. The tortillas gummed up into a mushy mess, I used the carb light flour tortillas, I think corn or whole wheat would have been a better choice. I also used the wrong condensed soup mix, I used cream of mushroom instead of chicken, simply because I thought I had chicken in the pantry and didn't. Maybe I would have liked it better if I had the correct ingredients. I was really looking for that Sour Cream taste and didn't really get it." 

Ingredients

• 16 oz. fat free sour cream
• 1 can fat free cream of chicken soup
• 1 tbls. fresh chopped cilantro (1/2 tbls. dried)
• 2 1/2 cups cooked shredded chicken breast
• 1 can Mexican Rotel
• 1 cup chopped onions (optional)
• 8 low carb tortillas
• 1 cup shredded pepper jack and colby cheese blend

• 1 can diced green chilies  

Directions

In a saucepan, mix together sour cream, soup and cilantro. Heat through and set aside.

Combine the chicken, rotel, onions and green chiles in a pan sprayed with cooking spray. Heat until onions are transparent. Or if you omit onions like I have done, for a few minutes to blend the flavors and juices.

Warm the tortillas until flexible. (I microwave them for 10 seconds sandwiched between two dam paper towels.)

Fill each tortilla with about 2 tbls. of the chicken mixture.

Roll the tortilla up and place seam side down (or they will unravel and you will be annoyed.) in a 8×11 dish sprayed with cooking spray.

Pour/Spread the sour cream sauce over enchiladas

Top with the remaining cheese

Bake at 350°F for 25-30 minutes until bubbly and cheese is melted.

Recipe sourced from skinnymom.com

Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes, my turn!

Colleen: "Earlier this month my friend Chandra guest posted for us cooking Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes, after she told me about it I couldn't wait to try it for myself! Taking her advice I didn't make the cheese sauce opting for provolone cheese as well as using ground turkey instead of ground beef. It was a complete success that I will be making again. Not to mention I only used 5 ingredients!! Thanks again for this gem Chandra."

 For ingredient list & directions please reference Chandra's guest post here

Corn & Tomato Pasta Salad; my turn!

"When I saw the ingredient list for this recipe that Annah did, I knew it was right up our alley. It seemed perfect for my exploding tomato garden and my kids who are in love with pasta, corn, chicken & tomatoes. It's also a perfect make ahead meal since our schedule is so busy durning dinner time, I just cooked it up 3 hours before dinner while the kids were napping & by the time I got home at 6 dinner was ready to go! Something that I might change in the future is the amount of oil, I thought it was super healthy until I kept adding olive oil!" 

Reference Annah's post here for all the information. 

Rosemary Chicken with Wild Rice

Colleen: "My husband just thinks the world of this recipe. I think it's the slight sweetness from the marmalade & spiciness from the Dijon mustard. But either way it's always being requested in our home."

Ingridents:

1 cup wild rice
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/4 pounds skinless boneless chicken breasts, cubed
2 carrots
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary, or 1 tablespoon dried
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons orange marmalade
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1. Cook the wild rice according to the package directions. 
2. In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the garlic and saute until golden, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken and carrots and saute, stirring frequently, 3-4 minutes. Stir in the rosemary; cook until chicken is cooked through, 3-4 minutes longer. 
3. Stir in the marmalade, mustard, and pepper; cook, stirring frequently, until heated through, about 3 minutes. Add the rice; toss to combine. 

Creole Poached Chicken Breasts

Colleen: "I have been making this recipe for years, we love the Weight Watchers cookbook and after I feel fat I always whip it open to locate some of my favorites. This recipe is so hearty with vegetables you don't need pasta or rice, plus it's got a good kick ya in the pants spice." 

Ingridents:
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded & chopped
1 celery stick, finely chopped
1/2 carrot, chopped (I usually use the whole thing if not two)
1 can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons fresh parsley (I always use dried)
1 teaspoon ground thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
4 (4oz) skinless boneless chicken breasts

1. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat; saute the onions, bell pepper, celery, and carrot until tender, 4-5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, broth, parsley, thyme, salt, and cayenn; add the chicken and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and poach, partially covered, until the chicken is cooked through, 8-10 minutes. 
2. With a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a platter, Simmer the sauce, uncovered, until reduced by half, 4-5 minutes. Spoon the sauce over the chicken. 

Recipe courtesy of Weight Watcher New Complete Cookbook

Italian Chicken with Sausage & Peppers

Colleen: "Now here I go again making a crock pot dish that requires cooking before hand. In case you haven't been keeping up, I think it's stupid.. That's right STUPID. Cooking something before its supposed to go into the crock pot to be cooked all day makes absolutely zero sense! What's the point of a lazy crock pot dinner if you have to do a lot of work?? But I did and I liked it, I added rice & corn, so it kinda seemed like Jambalaya to me (that's a southern dish for those of you who don't know) it was a lot of extra work but I guess it was worth it, I don't know if I will add this recipe to my normal routine but maybe a few times a year."

this is one of the ugliest pictures i've taken! 

2 1/2 lbs chicken pieces (I used breasts with bone in & skin)
2 tbls olive oil
1/2 to 3/4 lbs sweet italian sausage
2 green bell peppers, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
1 can (19 oz) condensed tomato soup, undiluted
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried basil (was out of, so didn't use)
1 bay leaf
salt & pepper

1. Rinse chicken; pat dry. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, skin side down. Cook about 10 minutes, turning to brown both side. Remove and reserve. 
2. Add sausage to skillet and cook 4 to 5 minutes or until browned. Remove and cut into 1-inch pieces; reserve. Drain off all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet. 
3. Add bell peppers, onion, carrot and garlic to skillet. Cook 4 to 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. 
4. Add tomato sauce, tomato soup, oregano, basil, and bay leaf; stir well. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to slow cooker. 
5. Add chicken and sausage to slow cooker. Cover; cook on Low 6 to 8 hours or on High 4 to 6 hours. Remove and discard bay leaf before serving. 

Recipe sourced from Rival Crock Pot Slow Cooker Recipes

Easy Parmesan Chicken

Colleen: "I don't like having to do any cooking before I put food in the crock pot, I think that its stupid. But for this recipe I made an exception & it was worth it. I threw this dish over some penne & my little boys just gobbled it up. I did add in some bonus spices such as Pasta seasoning thats mixed with red pepper flakes & rosemary." 

Ingredients:
8 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 medium onion, cut into thin wedges
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 jar (26 oz) pasta sauce
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan
Hot cooked spaghetti

1. Place mushrooms and onion in slow cooker.
2. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Lightly brown chicken on both sides. Place chicken in slow cooker. Pour pasta sauce over chicken; add herbs. Cover cook on LOW 6 to 7 hours or on HIGH 3 to 4 hours until chicken is no longer pink in center. Remove and discard bay leaf. 
3. Sprinkle chicken with cheeses. Cook, uncovered, on LOW 15 to 30 minutes or until cheeses are melted. Serve over spaghetti. 

Serving Suggestions: Other vegetables, such as sliced zucchini, cubed eggplant or broccoli florets, can be substituted for the mushroom slices. 

Recipe courtesy of Rival Crock Pot slow cooker recipes

Roast Chicken with Balsamic Bell Peppers

Colleen: "Made this for my mama & honey. It's the perfect recipe for the summer, full of color and crispness from the season. We loved this recipe and I think the big winner was the fennel seeds on the chicken."

Ingredients

• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 3/4 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• Cooking spray
• 2 cups thinly sliced red bell pepper
• 1 cup thinly sliced yellow bell pepper
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced shallots (about 1 large)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 450°.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Combine 1/2 teaspoon salt, fennel seeds, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, garlic powder, and oregano. Brush chicken with 1 1/2 teaspoons oil; sprinkle spice rub over chicken. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons oil to pan. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes or until browned. Turn chicken over; cook 1 minute. Arrange chicken in an 11 x 7–inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450° for 10 minutes or until done.

3. Heat remaining olive oil over medium-high heat. Add bell peppers, shallots, and rosemary; sauté 3 minutes. Stir in broth, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high. Stir in vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cook 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Serve bell pepper mixture over chicken.

Recipe sourced from Cooking Light Magazine 

Crock Pot Chicken Fajitas

Colleen: "Well lets put this dish down in the books as a fail. It was edible but I just don't enjoy mushy crock pot chicken & disintegrated (expensive) bell peppers. From the looks of this blog post (that i pinned from Pinterest) the recipe looked delish & would have been the perfect end to a busy day with everyones favorite, fajitas! Wrong wrong wrong. Perhaps I went wrong somewhere but this recipe seems pretty cut & dry. So good luck if you try it out."

Ingredients: 

1 yellow onion, sliced

3 sweet peppers, sliced

1 ½ pounds boneless chicken breast or thighs

½ cup chicken broth

½ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons cumin

1 ½ tablespoons chili powder

Squirt of lime juice

Tortillas

Fajita fixings

Combine sliced onion and peppers in the bottom of a greased crockpot. Lay chicken on top of veggies. Pour chicken broth over top. Sprinkle everything with cumin, salt, and chili powder. Give a nice quirt of lime juice over the top. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours. When meat is done, shred with two forks and stir back into juices. Serve meat mixture with slotted spoon on tortillas with your choice of fixings. 

Original recipe sourced from stacymakescents.com 

Tamale Casserole

Colleen's Take: "I usually make this dish once a month or so, it's a favorite in our household and with the new workout schedule I ended up making it a few hours before dinner and put it in the fridge with instructions for the husband to put it in the oven when he got home from work, it was marvelous! I think one of the main reasons that we love this dish is the healthy aspect of it & the lack of carbohydrates that both of us need! I do think I will add a little more chili powder next time to bump up the spice." 

4 teaspoons canola oil (I use olive oil) 
1 green bell pepper, seeded & chopped 
2 red onions, chopped (I used one) 
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded deveined and minced (wear gloves to prevent irritation) 
1 garlic clove, minced (I used 5, I love garlic!) 
1/2 pound ground skinless turkey breast (I used a pound)
1 cup tomato sauce
1 cup frozen corn kernels
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2-1 teaspoon hot Mexican chili powder 
2 cups of water
2/3 stone ground yellow cornmeal
1/3 cup shredded fat free Monterrey Jack cheese 

1. In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, eat the oil. Saute the bell pepper, onions, jalapeno pepper, and garlic until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the turkey and cook, breaking apart with a wooden spoon, until browned, 5-8 minutes. Stir in the tomato sauce, corn, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and the chili power; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, stirring once or twice, until the sauce thickens slightly, about 15 minutes. Transfer to an 8-inch- square baking dish.
2. Preheat the oven to 350. In a medium saucepan, bring 1 cup of the water and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt to a boil. In a medium bowl, whisk the cornmeal into the remaining 1 cup of water. Slowly pour the moist cornmeal into the boiling water in a thin steady stream, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes back to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens and begins to form large bubbles, about 5 minutes. Spread over the turkey so that it is completely covered. Bake 2 minutes, then sprinkle with the cheese and bake until the cheese melts, about 5 minutes longer. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. 

1/4 the casserole: 300 calories

Original source Weight Watchers Cookbook

Slow-Simmered Curried Chicken

Colleen's Take: "I loved this recipe, I have workout class at 4:30, 3 days a week so we have been revving up the old crock pot a lot lately. This recipe is excellent, I started it cooking at noon and it filled my house with smells of Indian cuisine which left me hungry all day! It tasted excellent, the only thing I would change is adding some peanuts or cashews. If you don't like your food too spicy I would omit the hot pepper flakes but we felt the spice was just right for our family. My husband & I gave this one an A+"

MAKES 4 SERVINGS

PREP TIME: 15-20 MINUTES
COOK TIME: 5-6 HOURS (LOW), 2-3 (HIGH)

1 1/2 cups chopped onions 
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped 
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces 
1 cup medium salsa 
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes 
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon curry power 
3/4 teaspoon salt
Hot cooked rice

1. Place onions and bell pepper in bottom of Crock-Pot slow cooker. Top with chicken. Combine salsa, ginger, garlic power, and pepper flakes in small bowl; spoon over chicken. Cover and cook on LOW 5-6 hours or HIGH 2-3 hours or until chicken is done. 
2. Combine cilantro, sugar, curry power, & salt in small bowl. Stir mixture into Crock pot and cook on HIGH 15 minutes or until hot. Serve with rice. 

Reference Crock-Pot Cookbook

Chicken Fiesta Soup

Colleen's Take: "I completely loved this dish! It taste like a restaurant tortilla soup. It would be an excellent vegetarian dish if you omit the chicken." 

MAKES 8 SERVINGS
15 MINUTES PREP TIME

4 boneless skinless cooked chicken breasts, shredded
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) stewed tomatoes, drained 
2 cans (4 oz each) chopped green chilies
1 can (28 oz) enchilada sauce 
1 can (14 1/2 oz) chicken broth
1 cup finely chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder 
3/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
1 cup frozen whole kernel corn
1 yellow squash, diced
1 zucchini, diced
8 tostada shells, crumbled
8 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese 

1. Combine chicken, tomatoes, chilies, enchilada sauce, broth, onions, garlic, cumin, chili powder, pepper, salt, cilantro, corn, squash and zucchini in Crock Pot slow cooker. 
2. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours. To serve, fill individual bowls with soup. Garnish with crumbled tostada shells and cheese. 

Recipe from Sharoon Smith, Elk Grove, CA

Turkey Suizas Casserole- Rachael Ray

Colleen's Take: "I pulled this out of the Thanksgiving issue of the Rachel Ray Magazine waiting for a time that I would get to use it. Since it calls for an over abundance of Turkey I figured it would be one day.. and one day it is! Everything in this recipe called to me, from the poblanos, to the tomatillos, ingredients that I don't often get to use but jump at the chance when available. I enjoyed making and eating this one. So did the rest of my family. Definitely a KEEPER!" 

Ingredients

• 2 poblano chile peppers peppers
• 3 tablespoons EVOO
• 8 tomatillos, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin (about 1/3 palmful)
• 1 tablespoon honey or agave syrup
• 1 lime, juiced
• 1 - 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1 pound chopped or pulled cooked turkey
• 1 cup mexican crema or sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups grated swiss cheese
• 1 cup grated monterey jack cheese
• 12 corn or 8 flour tortillas, warmed
• Sliced red onions, for garnish

Directions

1. Char the poblanos over burners or under a hot broiler until blackened all over. Place in a bowl, cover and let sit until cool enough to handle. Peel, seed and chop the poblanos.
2. Preheat the broiler. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the EVOO, 3 turns of the pan. Add the tomatillos, onion, garlic and bay leaf; season with salt, pepper, the cilantro and cumin. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Discard the bay leaf. Add the tomatillo mixture, poblanos, honey (or agave) and lime juice to a food processor and puree.
3. In the same skillet, heat the chicken stock over high heat. Stir in the turkey to reheat, then stir in the tomatillo sauce.
4. In a medium casserole, layer in half of the turkey mixture and dot with the crema (or sour cream). Top with half each of the swiss and monterey jack and half of the tortillas. Spread the rest of the turkey on top and layer with the remaining tortillas and cheese. Broil until the cheese is melted. Top with the red onions.