Recipe: Creamy Crockpot Ranch Chicken

Slow cookers have to be one of the top 10 inventions of all time, seriously. Did you know that you can hook up your slow cooker to one of those timers you use for your Christmas lights so it will turn on and off after a certain amount of time?!

I have not been feeling 100% lately and the last thing I want to do is stand in the kitchen preparing a meal. I love that I can throw all (or most) of the ingredients into the cooker then walk away for a few hours. So I wanted to share my favorite slow cooker recipe with ya'll!

A friend shared this recipe with me about 2 years ago and my husband still requests it. I actually had a friend email me a few weeks back and ask for the recipe too!

Creamy Crockpot Ranch Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tbsp butter, melted
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 8oz. package of cream cheese
1/2c. chicken broth
1 (1oz) packet of ranch dressing mix
1/4tsp minced garlic
1 dash paprika (I use lots!)
1/8 tsp dry oregano
1/4 tsp dry parsley flakes

Wash & dry chicken breasts and place them evenly in the crock pot. Sprinkle with paprika and ranch mix. Drizzle 1tbsp melted butter over chicken. Cook on low for 4 hours. Melt remaining 1tbsp butter with minced garlic and saute lightly. Add cream of chicken soup, cream cheese, chicken broth, oregano, and parsley. Stir until smooth. Add mixture to crock pot, cook on low for 1-1.5 hours. 

Super easy, I usually have the ingredients on hand, and it tastes great! I serve it over rice and Hubs is in heaven. Of course I usually try to keep it healthier by using low sodium/fat free broth, low sodium cream of chicken soup, and fat free cream cheese. Shhh don't tell Hubs!

  
 
 

Recipe: Buffalo Chicken Pockets

I have seriously been craving some buffalo chicken this week so I scoured my Pinterest board of recipes to find one to try out. Since I had alot of crescent rolls laying around, I decided to make a Buffalo Chicken Ring.

Yum. I *almost* ate all the filing before wrapping it in the crescent rolls. 

Of course Hubs brings the leftovers to work with him, and again I wanted buffalo chicken. Back to the Pinterest board. 

Since I liked the filling so much from the Buffalo Chicken Ring, I decided to make it again. But this time I wrapped the filling into "pockets" made of rolled out biscuits!

They were oh so yummy! They were super easy & quick to make too, which is a good thing when you are trying not to eat parts of your recipe...
 

Here is how I did it:

Ingredients:
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 packet ranch powder mix
Diced celery to taste
Buffalo wing sauce to taste
Diced/shredded chicken, cooked (2-3 chicken breasts worth, or 1-2 cans of canned chicken)
1 can Pillsbury Grands biscuits
Ranch dressing for dipping (optional)

Turn your oven on to 375~
 

 
In bowl #1, mix together the hot sauce, cooked chicken, and diced celery.

In bowl #2, combine the cream cheese (soften it in the microwave about 30secs) and 1/2 ranch seasoning packet.

Combine both bowls together, mix well.

 
Next, open up your can of Pillsbury Grands Biscuits. Take a biscuit out and roll it out flat, about 6 inches in diameter.

Place your flattened biscuit on your baking sheet (I use my PC stoneware!). Put a dollop of your buffalo chicken mixture onto one side of the biscuit. Make sure you leave room around the edges. Fold over one side of the biscuit over the buffalo chicken mixture, then pinch the edges together.

Put them into the oven at 375 for 9-15 minutes, until they are golden yummy brown!

Did I say YUMMY yet?
 

 
 

What's Cookin?

Now that Hubs is home, I've been cooking ALOT more. He literally eats enough for 2 people! But I've been having fun with trying out new, healthy recipes. Hubs is generally not a fan of healthier food, he joked that he was going to be eating only rabbit food after deployment. Boy has he been pleasantly surprised! He keeps asking me where I find these recipes, like he doesn't already know the answer...Pinterest!

Here are a few of our new favorites:

Broccoli Cheese and Potato Soup - Perfect for a cold day! It was so quick to prepare, honestly took me less than 30 minutes from 'fridge to stove. 

Million Dollar Casserole - Now I am sure you've heard of Million Dollar Spaghetti, well this is the casserole version (obviously...). I lightened it up a bit, using plain greek yogurt instead of sour cream, homemade spaghetti sauce, reduced fat cheese, and Dreamfields pasta. It was a nice alternative to spaghetti!

Slow Cooker Fudge - I have always wanted to make my own fudge, but I was intimidated. This recipe was so easy and it was in the slow cooker! My husband likes this recipe so much, I have been making it almost daily. I have also experimented with different variations: I've used peanut butter chips & milk chocolate chips, dark chocolate chips & mint chips, and white chocolate chips & lemon extract (instead of vanilla like the recipe calls for). If you follow the directions, the fudge turns out great. Sometimes it ends up too runny after cooking for 2 hours, so I just had more chips to thicken it up. Just make sure you allow it to cook the full 2 hours and cool at least 4 hours. When you pop it in the 'fridge, don't cover it either.

Turkey Meatloaf and Skinny Garlic Mashed Potatoes - I tried out my meatloaf recipe but with ground turkey and paired it with these mashed potatoes. Easiest. Potatoes. EVER! This was my first time making real mashed potatoes aka not made from flakes. So easy and they turned out really yummy!

Slow Cooker Balsamic Chicken - My husband loved this so much, he literally ate all of it (minus the 2 servings the kiddo and I ate!). I shredded up the chicken to make it easier for my daughter to eat. It was so delicious, light, and full of flavor. When I told my husband it was healthy (190 Calories per serving!), he said, "Good, that means I can eat it all and not feel like a fat a**!". Definitely cook with fresh herbs instead of the dried ones, rosemary tastes sooo much better fresh!

Oven Roasted Sausages, Potatoes, & Peppers - I made this with deer sausage and used Tony Cachere's seasoning, it was a huge hit! I especially loved the banana peppers. This dish would be really good served in a sub sandwich too. I ended up using 2 baking pans instead of crowding it all onto one. 

Caramel for Popcorn - Okay so this is NOT healthy at all but it is oh so yummy! Hubs was trying to find caramel popcorn at the store so I was inspired to make some myself. I made one batch which has lasted us 4 bags of popcorn so far and we haven't used half yet! It is the perfect amount of sweetness to pair with the salty/buttery of the popcorn. 


I hope you all enjoy them as much as my family does! 



 

So Yummy, So Yummy!

Thanks to my addiction to Pinterest, I have been trying out some new healthy recipes. I tried two new ones this week: Southwest turkey meatballs and an avocado, tomato, and sprout sandwich with creamy chive spread. 

They look yummy right?!

I discovered the recipe for the southwest turkey meatballs at SkinnyTaste, check them out they have lots of healthy recipes that look easy and delicious! I used my small ridged baker from Pampered Chef to cook the meatballs, they turned out fantastic and it only took 15 minutes to bake! I love cilantro and even though these are considered "southwest", they were not spicy at all. In the original recipe they have creamy cilantro dipping sauce for the meatballs. I didn't prepare the dipping sauce this time, I just ate the meatballs with steamed veggies. 

This recipe was very simple to make and I could definitely see myself making this for a potluck!


For the sandwich, you can find the original recipe here at KeepItSkinny!

Instead of using two pieces of bread like a traditional sandwich, I just threw everything on a whole grain sandwich flat. I used reduced fat cheddar cheese instead of pepper jack, it still tasted amazing. 

I love finding new ways to use greek yogurt, I am just amazed at how versatile it is! By itself, I do not care for the taste but when you mix it into stuff it tastes great. Plus its so much healthier than mayo, sour cream, and all that stuff.


What I really liked about both of these meals: They actually filled me up! I hate when "eating healthy" means starving yourself and eating tasteless food. For sure I will be making both of these again, if Hubs is lucky I will make them for him when he gets home :)

 

Sante Fe Chicken Recipe

While on the hunt for healthy and yummy recipes, I found this gem on Pinterest (I know you are surprised, right?). I decided to try it out last night but didn't want to wait for it to sit in a crock pot for hours, so I just put it all in my deep covered baker from Pampered Chef instead. After an unfortunate mishap with the brown rice that involved a minor explosion in my sink, the meal turned out great!


You can find the original recipe here at SkinnyTaste. 


The original recipe calls for a crock pot but since I was short on time I used my deep covered baker. I just cooked the chicken first in the dcb, drained it, shredded it, then added in the rest of the ingredients. I put it all in the oven on 350 for an hour while I cooked the brown rice. 

Since I am by no means a domestic goddess, I managed to burn the rice and had a minor KABOOM! in my sink. Luckily no one was hurt and only my pride was damaged. And no, I didn't take any pictures, I didn't want any evidence of this incident!


Once the Sante Fe Chicken was done, I put a whole grain soft tortilla in a bowl and poured the chicken over it. I added a dollop of fat-free greek yogurt and a pinch of shredded fat-free cheddar cheese. Honestly, the greek yogurt tastes just like sour cream when it is all mixed up.

It was very tasty and it made alot, much more than I need for just myself and Little Miss. I ended up freezing half of it for later. I love that I have a deep freezer!

This recipe did turn out a bit spicy, I would rate it about medium-hot. If you want it milder, add less cayenne or just don't add any at all and season it individually. 

You could also easily pour this over a bowl of tortilla chips (like a frito pie). Of course that wouldn't be as healthy, but I won't tell :)

Recipe: Blackened Salmon

My little sister came in town for the weekend. So I bought a few salmon filets on Friday just in case we needed a quick dinner. Luckily for me, we didn't use them so I was able to use them tonight!

This recipe was so simple, so quick, and so delicious! I have never cooked salmon on my skillet before and I was impressed with how they turned out.

Blackened Salmon

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. paprika

1 tbsp. chili powder

2 tsp. light brown sugar

1 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. salt

4 (6 oz.) salmon fillets

- In a small bowl, combine all ingredients, except salmon. Rub mixture on both sides of salmon.

- In a large nonstick skillet, cook salmon over medium heat for about 4-5 minutes on each side or until desired doneness.

Makes 4 servings.

From Holly Clegg's trim&TERRIFIC Gulf Coast Favorites

The rub added a sweet, tangy flavor to the salmon. It was so easy to throw together and just as quick to cook. I will be cooking this again and even trying it out with other fish! Did I mention its only 223 Calories a serving?

Pineapple Cream Pie Recipe

While I was visiting my Grandma this past weekend, she made these mini pie desserts and I just had to share the recipe!

Don't these look so yummy?!

Pineapple Cream Pie

Ingredients:

1 small graham cracker pie crust

1 20oz. can of crushed pineapple, drained

1 large packet of instant vanilla pudding mix

1 8oz. container of whipped cream

-Mix together the drained pineapple and the dry pudding mix

-Fold in the 8oz. of whipped cream

-Put in the pie shell and refrigerate

Pretty easy right?


I made a few modifications. I used the mini graham cracker pie crusts, they come in a 6 pack. Also, you could buy your own graham crackers and crush them up then place them in dessert cups. 


I only had a can of pineapple chunks, so I used my PC Mix N' Chop to crush it up. 


To make this healthier, you can buy sugar free vanilla pudding and whipped cream!




 

Lessons Learned and Cranberry Pineapple Muffins

Major holidays are always the hardest time to be so far away from family, especially when Hubs is deployed. I have been kind of bummed about it all week. I tried to make myself feel better a few ways:

"Do you know how long it would take at the gym to burn off the junk you would eat on Easter if you were at home with family?!"

"Do you really want to deal with Little Miss being on a constant sugar high from all the candy Grandma & Grandpa would give her?"

The important stuff like that. HaHa!

While I am sitting around wallowing in self-pity, a few unfortunate life events happened to friends. Boy oh boy, did I feel like jerk. My thoughts and prayers have been with my friends constantly. I can't imagine the amount of strength they must have to endure what has happened. I am here getting all worked up over being away from family on Easter and there are people out there having REAL problems. Time to get over yourself Shannon and focus on the positive, be there for the people in your life that really need you.


So this morning I woke up, said a prayer for my friends, put a smile on my face because I was excited about spending the day with my daughter. I was so happy I made muffins!

Cranberry Pineapple Muffins

Makes 12 Muffins

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup quick-cooking oatmeal

1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp sugar, divided

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp plus 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon, divided

1/4 cup margarine

1 egg, beaten

1 cup skim milk

1 cup fresh or dried cranberries, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup unsweetened crushed pineapple, drained

1/2 cup chopped pecans, optional

Preheat the oven to 400. Line a muffin pan with paper cups, or coat it with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, whole wheat flour, oatmeal, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, and margarine with a pastry blender or fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a separate small bowl, combine the beaten egg and the milk; add to the dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened. Gently fold in the cranberries, pineapple, and pecans. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, filling the cups three-quarters full.

Combine the 1 tbsp sugar and 1/4 tsp cinnamon; sprinkle evenly over the remaining muffin batter. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove immediately from the pan, and cool on a wire rack.

From "The New Holly Clegg Trim and Terrific Cookbook"

Crafting Craziness & Raspberry Lemon Muffin Recipe

This is what I have been up to this morning: Raspberry Lemon Muffins! Did I mention they are only 148 Calories each? They turned out pretty good but I can't wait until I can get fresh raspberries at the farmer's market, then they will be amazing!


I have decided that since I like crafting so much, why not start selling what I make to earn some extra fun money? Nothing big, just something to do in my spare time. So I have started stockpiling bows, pacifier clips, wreaths, and baby blankets. 


As I am making all this stuff, I start thinking about how am I going to sell it all....Do I sell it on Etsy? Do I just sell it from my blog? Any advise would be greatly appreciated!


Okay, off to do more crafting and share the muffin recipe:

Raspberry Lemon Muffins

Makes 12-16 Muffins

2 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup sugar

1 tbsp. baking powder

1 cup skim milk

1/3 cup canola oil

1 tsp. lemon extract

1 egg

2 egg whites

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries (if frozen, no syrup)

1 tsp. grated lemon rind

Preheat the over to 425. Line a muffin pan with paper cups or coat with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, and baking powder, mixing well. In a small bowl, combine the milk, oil, lemon extract, egg, and egg whites, blending well. Add to the dry ingredients, stirring just until the ingredients are moistened. Carefully fold in the raspberries and lemon rind. Fill the prepared pan three-quarters full with batter.

Bake 18-23 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pan.

From "The New Holly Clegg Trim and Terrific Cookbook"

Keepin' Busy! Plus, Lemon Berry Loaf Recipe

I promised myself I wouldn't keep myself so busy this deployment, but I just can't help it!

Lets recap what fun things I did last week.

I made a duvet cover for Little Miss's toddler bed.

It was very easy, just alot of pinning! I found the tutorial over at Prudent Baby, she does an amazing job at this how-to for multiple size beds. It was actually cheaper for me to make this duvet cover than to buy one at the store!

Hubs made his first port of the deployment and he even sent us a picture with his Duffy the Disney Bear.

Doesn't he look like he is having fun? I would be lying if I said I wasn't a teensy bit jealous that he was able to see Athens...

We were able to Skype and it was great. Little Miss was so excited, she couldn't wouldn't stop talking. I hardly had a chance to talk to him myself!

I also got to meet some new additions to our Play Group: One of the momma's had her twins a few weeks ago and now they are finally home! They are so cute and tiny, AHHH baby fever is going into overdrive!

Little Miss also had an Easter egg hunt yesterday at a friends' birthday party. I even made the bow that matched her dress!

Finally, I made this yummy Lemon Berry Loaf. I will leave you all with the recipe!

Makes 16 Servings

1/3 cup canola oil
2/3 cup plus 1/2 cup sugar, divided
2 tbsp. lemon extract
1 egg
2 egg whites
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup skim milk
1 cup fresh blueberries (or frozen, just don't unthaw!)
2 tbsp. grated lemon rind
1/2 cup lemon juice

Preheat the over to 350. Coat a 9x5x3-inch non-stick loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, mix the oil, 2/3 cup sugar, lemon extract, egg, and egg whites. In a separate, small bowl, combine the flour with the baking powder. Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture alternately with the milk, stirring just until blended. Fold in the blueberries and lemon rind.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Immediately poke holes at 1-inch intervals on the top of the bread. In a small saucepan over medium heat or in a microwave oven, combine the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and the lemon juice, heating until the sugar is dissolved. Pour over the bread. Cool, and slice to serve.

From "The New Holly Clegg Trim and Terrific Cookbook"