Party Sandwiches (Crockpot)

So lately my honey and I have been on a food budget as he's our only income while I'm on vacation. I managed to plan my meals cheaply and only spent about $68 at the grocery store for two weeks of dinners (plus other essentials like milk, eggs, etc.) Not too shabby if you ask me! We normally spend $100 or more so I think I did pretty well with what I had. I bought a lot of canned beans, haha! That's okay though, I love beans!

This is a great simple and delicious sandwich. There's no fuss or muss and it really doesn't need any kind of dressings to it. It's plain delicious on a bakery fresh hot d

og bun! This would be even better on a hoagie bun too! I'm really falling in love with my ancient crockpot....I should take her picture some day! Best $3.00 I ever spent!

We ate this with pasta salad, but your sides are endless. Corn on the cob, fresh garden salad, potato chips, the options go to infinity and back!

On to the recipe!

Party Sandwiches

from Easy Slow Cooker Recipes (Cookbook Resources)

3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

2 tablespoons Caribbean jerk seasoning

1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped bell peppers and onions

2/3 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup ketchup

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

8 hot dog buns/hoagie buns, split

Rub chicken thighs with jerk seasoning and a little pepper. Place in sprayed slow cooker and add bell peppers and onions.

Combine broth, ketchup and brown sugar in bowl and pour over chicken. Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours.

Remove chicken from cooker with slotted spoon and shred chicken using two forks.

Return chicken to slow cooker and mix well. Fill buns with chicken mixture.

Yields 8 sandwiches.

Enjoy!

Smokey White Bean Soup

It's winter and although it's been a very odd and pleasantly warmer winter here in Indiana I still enjoy my hot soups and stews. I'll admit, I've been a bit homesick on this long vacation and one of my favorite smells is my mother's Fifteen Bean Soup and Cornbread. I always joke that I don't like it, but I actually love it. It's comforting, it's homemade, and above all it's delicious! I of course didn't have fifteen different kinds of beans on hand, but I did have some great northern beans and a little bit of navy beans leftover from another meal. Use whatever white bean you'd like, it'll turn out delicious!

This is a nice thick soup that sticks to the ribs and warms the heart. It has great flavors and my house smelled incredible while it was slow cooking on the stove. I am guilty of walking outside just to walk back in and smell the soup!

Smokey White Bean Soup

adapted from whatwereeating.com

1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1 yellow onion, diced

2 carrots, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 sprig rosemary

1/4 cup parsley, dried or fresh

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1lb. dried small white beans, rinsed and picked through

1 smoked ham hock

8 cups of water, plus extra if needed

1 cup chicken broth

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

In a large pot heat oil over medium heat. Add diced onions and carrots to pot. Stir. Saute over medium heat 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent and the carrots are tender.

Add dried white beans, garlic, bay leaf, dried oregano and basil. Stir and cook an additional 3-4 minutes.

Add the ham hock, parsley and rosemary. Cover with 7 cups of water and 1 cup of chicken broth. Add salt and pepper. Stir.

Raise heat to high and bring to a boil. Once you reach a boil reduce heat to medium low and let simmer for 2 1/2 hours or until the beans are tender. If soup gets too thick add additional water.

Once beans are soft remove the ham hock and rosemary sprig. Taste soup and season with additional salt and pepper if desired.

Optional:

Remove ham hock's skin and bone. Chop up ham hock meat and add to the soup, if desired. Smokey deliciousness!

Enjoy!

Philly Cheese Steak Pizza

I try to be smart and budget friendly when planning meals. Cheap and easy is the way to go, but I also want my food to taste good. Better yet, amazing! I usually go to my

trusty Taste of Home Busy Family Cookbook. It was gifted to me when I first moved out of

my parents house and it's been my trusty book ever since. I've tried many recipes and they're pretty easy and budget friendly for the most part. It has all different sections: Beef, Pork, Poultry, Seafood, Meatless, Sides & Salads, and Desserts. Most of them are 30 minutes or less which is pretty awesome! Less time preparing a meal and more time with the kids, spouse, friends, or even your pets.

I liked this pizza. It wasn't the typical Philly Cheese Steak flavor I was

used to, but it intrigued me enough to want to try it. It takes 15 minutes to prep and 15 bake. The crust was mildly sweet and really complimented the tangy Italian dr

essing and gooey mozzarella.

To save more I recommend going online to find some coupons to help you with this recipe. I personally use Couponsuzy.com or visit Pillsbury.com and sign-up to rec

eive coupons to go toward your crescent rolls. Buy the two tubes and you should have enough ingredients to make this dinner at least twice.

Philly Cheese Steak Pizza

from Taste of Home Busy Family Cookbook

1 tube (8 ounces) refrigerated crescent rolls

1 medium green pepper, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 teaspoon beef bouillon granules

1/2 pound thinly sliced deli roast beef

1 tablespoon Italian salad dressing

1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Unroll crescent roll dough into one long rectangle; seal perforations. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of an ungreased 13x9 inch baking dish. Bake at 375 degrees for 7-10 minutes or until lightly browned.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute the green pepper, onion in oil and bouillon until vegetables are tender; set aside.

Arrange beef over browned crust. Brush with salad dressing and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake 4-5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Top with green pepper mixture. Cut into squares.

Yields 6 servings.

***Cooks tip: If you have more than enough green pepper mixture, save some in a small container to store for omelettes later in the week!

I was not paid or gifted any linked products. I was not asked to link any of the above websites. I purchased the item(s) with my own personal money and any reviews and/ or recipes above are my own.

Colorful Chicken Chili

I make this chili every time my work has a party and it's a big hit. It's very easy to make and it tastes delicious. I love all of the colors! This makes a nice big pot of chili that could feed a large family with no problems.

Colorful Chicken Chili

1 red or orange bell pepper

1 green bell pepper

1 yellow onion

2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 can black beans

1 can kidney beans

1 packet McCormick's White Chicken Chili seasoning packet

2 cups frozen corn

1 cup of water

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

Chicken Broth

Salt

Pepper

Sour Cream (optional)

Shredded Cheese (optional)

In large pot heat olive oil over medium heat.

Roughly chop bell peppers and onion, add to pot. Salt and pepper to taste.

Cube chicken into bite size pieces. Add to vegetables. Cook until the chicken is no longer pink.

Add seasoning packet and water, stir to mix thoroughly.

Add can of black beans and kidney beans. Rinse beans first if desired. Use empty cans to measure out chicken broth, add two cans worth of broth to soup.

Add frozen corn.

Bring to a boil.

Cover and let simmer for 10-15 minutes until heated through and chicken is done.

Add more broth or water until desired consistency.

Top with shredded cheese or sour cream if desired.

Serves 8-10

I was not paid or gifted any linked products. I purchased the item with my own personal money and any reviews and/ or recipes above are my own.

Blueberry Muffins

I have been craving blueberry muffins for around two weeks now. While browsing the grocery store I see them in their little plastic containers and all I'd have to do was pick one up and place it in my cart, but I didn't. They've been on my mind almost nightly, yet I nev

er just went and bought some. I knew I could make them at home and that I had the supplies, but I needed motivation. I've been spending almost every day 4+ hours at the local animal shelter helping with the kitties. I've also been fostering a couple kittens and boy do they wear me out! I'm on my fourth set and it's very enriching and warms my heart when I see their adoptive families cuddling them in joy.

Anyway, back to the muffins! I decided today was the day. TODAY I was going to make some Blueberry Muffins. I trusted Google to set me in my direction and it came up with a recipe called "To Die for Blueberry Muffins." It seemed easy and I loved the crumbly bits that went on top before baking.

I may of cooked them a little too long, but they had a slightly crunchy crusty top that was sweet and a super moist center LOADED with blueberries! I kind of like a crust on my muffins so it worked for me. I took a look at others' photos and each one varied. I think these were pretty good and will taste even better once I'm over this cold that's ruining my taste buds!

Blueberry Muffins

recipe posted by Colleen on allrecipes.com

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

1/3 cup milk

1 cup fresh blueberries

1/2 cup white sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup butter, cubed

1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin tins or line with muffin liners.

Combine 1 1/2 cup flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil in 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with the flour mixture.

Fold in the blueberries. Fill muffin cups to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.

To Make Crumb Topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and cinnamon. Mix with fork and sprinkle over muffins before baking.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until done.

Enjoy!

Loaded Baked Potato Casserole

My mother knows I love to cook and Food Network is a pretty good addiction of mine. I don't consider myself a culinary artist by any means. The easier to make, the better! Well....as long as it tastes good. Right? Right! Well my mother gifted me a year's subscription to Paula Deen's magazine, Cooking with Paula Deen. I love Paula. She's a little nutty, but she's funny. She's a mother-in-law I wouldn't mind having. However I don't think I could visit her often because I think my waist line would just expand and I'm working on getting that slimmed down, hehe.

I chose this recipe because it seemed easy and who doesn't love loaded baked potatoes?? Paula don't let me down!

I didn't follow the recipe exactly because I do like to make things from scratch. Can you blame me? It was really good and flavorful. I had to add more seasonings because it only called for pepper. I added more pepper and a little more salt and I even ate it with a dollop of sour cream on top! I apologize for the poor quality of the photos and the tacky tinfoil. Casserole isn't the prettiest or easiest thing to take a photo of.

Loaded Baked Potato Casserole

adapted from Cooking with Paula Deen Sept/Oct 11' issue (original recipe here)

48oz. white potatoes, quartered

8oz. cream cheese

1 1/2 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. salt

1 rotisserie chicken

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided

1 cup chopped green onion, divided

1 (12oz.) package fresh broccoli florets, divided

6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Preheat oven to 375. Grease a 13x9-inch baking pan.

Peel potatoes if desired. Bring large pot to a boil, salting water if desired. Add quartered potatoes and boil until fork tender.

Drain potatoes. In stand mixer add potatoes and entire package of cream cheese and pepper. Beat until desired consistency.

Add in 1 3/4 cup of shredded chicken, 1 cup of cheese, 2/3 cup green onions, half of broccoli, and half of bacon. Stir to combine. Spread mixture into prepared baking dish.

Sprinkle with remaining chicken, broccoli, bacon, and remaining 1 cup of cheese.

Cover loosely and bake 45 minutes until cheese is melted and casserole is heated through. Top with remaining green onions.

Makes 6-8 servings

Enjoy! :)

Baby Bok Choy and Tofu Stir Fry

So if you haven't discovered Groupon I urge you to check it out! Every day there is a local daily deal where you can get insane discounts! Most are 50% off the original price, but it varies. I snagged a deal for Glacier Valley Farm CSA, which is a community supported agriculture group based right here in Alaska!

I was pretty stoked to try this out. Alaskan grown products? Sweet! I'm trying to be more of a localite, although it's not easy (or cheap). Normally you get a box from them once a week for $35. Product varies depending on season and it's usually around 18lbs. of goodies.

Well, Groupon had a coupon for a discount so I'd only have to pay $17! Pretty sweet, right? I almost wish I would've bought a few as gifts! They sold out within a few hours. Anyway, I picked up my box today and inside I got Alaskan potatoes, sprouts, and tofu. Certified organic goods (non-Alaska): fuji apples, navel oranges, romaine lettuce, chard, baby bok choy, garlic, yellow onions, and zucchini squash. They also put in a newsletter filled with recipes so I was eager to try one! Now I've never had bok choy or tofu.

I was a bit nervous to be honest. More about the tofu than the bok choy. However after making this and trying it out I'm pretty happy with it. Bok choy isn't my favorite leafy vegetable (so far Spinach takes the lead), but it wasn't terrible! I let the tofu cook for awhile (a little too long on one side, oops!) so it got kind of crusty. Yum! The tofu was still different from say chicken. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't amazing either if that makes sense? I'd eat it again and plan on trying it grilled next. Kabobs perhaps? It's just different! It's less points on the WW program too :P

If you're a tofu lover I'm sure you'd enjoy this. I enjoyed it and it's PACKED full of good for you things! I plan on making this again!



Baby Bok Choy and Tofu Stir Fry
adapted from Glacier Grist (Glacier Valley Farm CSA), May 2011

2-3 tbsp. olive oil
1 yellow onion, sliced
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. ground ginger (or 1 tbsp. fresh ginger, grated)
4oz. firm tofu, sliced into bite size pieces
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp. sugar, white (or honey)
2 tbsp. soy sauce 2 carrots, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1 zucchini squash, thinly sliced on the diagonal
2 baby bok choy, sliced and coarsely chopped


In a small sauce pan combine water, rice wine vinegar, sugar and soy sauce and bring to a simmer. Simmer until sauce thickens (add a little flour if needed). Set aside until ready to use.

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large skillet or wok. Stir in onions and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add garlic, red pepper flakes, and ginger and cook for 1 more minute.

Stir in tofu and cook until golden brown on all sides, about 5 minutes.

Add carrots to the tofu mixture and cook for another 2 minutes.

Add zucchini and bok choy to skillet and toss to coat.

Pour thickened sauce over vegetables and tofu. Serve over rice (optional).



This recipe can serve 4-6 people.

Weight Watchers Points (per serving, serving 4, does not include rice): 4