Info Diet Plan

Day 246. This recipe is taken directly from The Pioneer Woman . We had the best weekend, ever, and spent the night with our good friends at their new house. My friend, Nancy, says, "bring your crockpot and make something really good. Im going to invite my sisters, and their boyfriends, too." Nothing like a little pressure.... But you really cant go wrong with a PW recipe, and I had bookmarked her spicy barbecued shrimp eons ago, and was waiting for a good occasion to make it. I know Ive said it before, but the crockpot rocks. It totally and completely rocks. I love bringing food to peoples houses, but it always becomes a bit awkward when you need to prepare and cook the food while you are there. Will the oven be available? How about a stove burner? You just dont come across that problem when visiting with a crockpot dish. There is always, always an available outlet, and you can easily stash the crockpot in the bathroom or garage if your host is low on counter space . The ...

Day 227. This pudding is bananas! B-A-N-A-N-A-S! sorry. I totally couldnt help myself. We needed a quick dessert for some company and I needed to use the crockpot . And thats pretty much how this dessert was invented. I opened the cabinet, saw some sweetened condensed milk, and we all know HOW GOOD THAT IS when cooked in the crockpot ( except for you shouldnt do it for safety and legal reasons or something like that ) and we had a bunch of bananas. So I mixed the two. The end. The Ingredients. --2 cans of sweetened condensed milk --4 bananas The Directions. I used a 1.5 quart mini crockpot for this dessert. Put the peeled bananas into a zippered freezer bag and let your kids squish the bananas until they get bored or the bag springs a hole and banana goobers fall to the floor. The freshly-mopped-and-ready-for-company floor. The bananas will still have some chunk in them. If this isnt okay with you, youll need to use a food processor. Open the cans of sweetened condensed ...

Day 344. Jessica emailed me a few weeks ago and asked if I had a crockpot dolmas recipe. I didnt, but I do now! These are super easy, fun to make, and even more fun to eat. I was floored at how many my kids ate---they really liked them a lot. The Ingredients. 1 jar grape leaves (8oz of leaves, in juice, near the pickles) 1/2 pound ground lamb 1/2 pound ground turkey breast 1 cup cooked white rice 1/2 cup chopped parsley 2 lemons 1 egg 1 tsp allspice 1 tsp dill The Directions . I used a 6 quart crockpot , anything 4 quarts and up would work just fine. I got this recipe after putting a few together from this website according to the flavors I thought my family would enjoy, and from how I remember dolmas to taste. I really think theres no wrong or right way to do these, its like meatloaf--everyone has their own version. In a mixing bowl, combine the ground meat, rice, egg, spices, and juice from one lemon. Mix well with your hands to combine. Drain and rinse the grape leaves. Put a sm...

Day 273. Rosh Hashanah starts at sundown tonight. Last week, Brenda emailed me ask if Ive ever made a honey cake in the crockpot. I hadnt. After I called my friend, Jennifer (yes, I realize all my friends are named Jennifer), I learned that honey cake is usually pretty dry and dense. She said "I dont like it, I wont eat it. But my dad does." I really like Jennifers dad, and was on a mission to make a moist honey cake---the crockpot delivers moist cakes. Unless you burn it. I messed this up completely. The cake was rising properly, smelled delicious, and was brown and pulling away from the sides of the crock. The top was still pretty jiggly, so I felt comfortable leaving it for 45 minutes on high while we went to swim lessons. I came home to a horrible burnt-cake smell. The top and middle was okay, but I threw the rest away. That said! If I had taken the lid off, and watched it for about 30 minutes, I think this would have been wonderful. Id love to hear back if anyone tr...

Good morning! I made a wonderful meatball soup a few nights ago. I was inspired by Elise Bauers Albondigas Soup recipe posted on Simply Recipes . I bookmarked this soup about a year ago, but hadnt gotten around to trying it. When I found that Costco started carrying some gluten-free meatballs I knew I was ready to test it out. Elise makes her own, which you can too, but youll need to fully cook them before throwing into the crock. They will disintegrate otherwise. I really liked this soup, and what I liked EVEN more about it was that I made do with pantry and freezer stuff instead of going to the store, which makes it "free"! Im speaking with Elise in July at BlogHer on the FoodBlogging During a Recession Panel . The Crock-Pot is such a useful tool when creating low cost meals for you and your family. The Ingredients. 4 cups chicken broth 3/4 cup baby tomatoes, quartered 1 cup baby carrots, diced 3 stalks celery, diced 1/2 cup frozen corn 1/4 cup prepared pasta sauce (I u...

Day 191. Hello! Have I mentioned yet that Im on TV today ?! Hold me. When I filmed the segment, Rachael gave me two curry recipes. She had heard through the producers about my sad attempt at making a coconut curry recipe , so gave me two recipes that her kitchen staff perfected for the Crock-Pot--one Thai, and one Indian. I finally (it was so hard to wait!) made the Thai version yesterday. Im going to make the Indian version today, and will post that recipe tomorrow. The Ingredients. - 1 13.5-oz can coconut milk - 1 T brown sugar - 1 T soy sauce (La Choy is gluten free, and so is Tamari wheat-free) - 1 T Thai red or green chili paste, or more to taste (I used red, and went with 1.5 T) - 1 t fish sauce (optional. I put it in because I was thrilled to have another use for fish sauce !) - 1 yellow onion, chopped - 2-3 cloves garlic, chopped - 1 red bell pepper - 1 green bell pepper - 1/2 large eggplant - 1 sweet potato - chicken thighs (I used 5 frozen boneless, skinless) And! 1-inch kno...

Day 218. This is really good! Really, really, really good! My kids new-best-friend, Mallory , emailed me this recipe, and I was eager to test it out. One, because it sounded awesome, and two, because Ive always had a soft spot in my heart for the name Mallory. My youngest was almost named Mallory. After Justine Batemans character on Family Ties . The Ingredients. --1 jar (14 oz) of pizza sauce --3 empty jars full of water --1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped --1/2 red onion, chopped --1 cup sliced mushrooms --1 cup baby tomatoes, cut in quarters (or 1 can diced tomatoes, drained) --2 already-cooked Italian sausage (I used chicken Italian sausage) --1 cup sliced pepperoni, sliced in quarters (Hormel turkey pepperoni is labeled gluten free) --8 fresh basil leaves, chopped (or 1/2 T dried) --1 T dried oregano --1/2 to 1/3 cup of dried pasta (if your pasta is tiny, use 1/3 cup. if its big, do 1/2. I used 1/2 cup Trader Joes brown rice penne) --shredded mozzarella cheese (to add later...

Day 176. Whats the best thing to do with old, broken crayons? Recycle them! This is a great rainy (or overly hot) day project, that is both fun and useful. The Ingredients. --old crayons --muffin tin or candy mold. I was ecstatic to find a 6-hole, throw-away muffin tin at the grocery store. I really want to try and make cupcakes. In order for it to fit in my 6qt oval Smart-Pot, I needed to trim the edge a little with some scissors, but afterward I did that, it fit nicely into the crockpot . My friends have candy molds that fit in their crock perfectly, and next time Im at the craft store Im going to look for them. --kid helpers. The Directions. Sort the crayons into color families, and peel the wrappers off. It helps to soak the crayons in some warm water before peeling. Break the crayons into small pieces, and load into the candy mold or muffin tin. Its best to mound the crayons up a bit; they will melt and shrink down. Put the tin or mold into the crock, cover, and turn o...

Day 222. recipe updated in Make it Fast, Cook it Slow to: 2 cups enchilada sauce, and to layer the tortillas with the filling. mmm! Its the two hundred and twenty-second day of the year, the day after 8/8/8. That means today is good luck, too. Ive just decided. Way back on the 9th day of the year, I threw together an enchilada casserole that was really good, and Ive been meaning to do regular enchiladas ever since. We had some leftover brisket , so I used that as the filling---but you could use rotisserie chicken meat, PORK , or leave it vegetarian. Enchiladas are very versatile. The Ingredients. --1 can (14.5 oz) creamed corn --1 cup shredded already-cooked meat --1 cup baby spinach leaves --1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves --2 T chopped sliced jalapenos --1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (I used a packaged Mexican blend) --1 can (28 oz) green enchilada sauce --2/3 cup sour cream --corn tortillas --more shredded cheese The Directions. I used a 6qt Smart-Pot for this. You can ea...

Day 262. I found this lentil soup recipe earlier in the year, and bookmarked it to try. Yesterday I woke to a foggy sky, wet grass, and I contemplated turning on the heater. Soup season has officially begun. I got the funniest email back in July from Kathy, who wanted me to cook with lentils. She forwarded this great article from the Seattle Times about how healthy and packed-full of protein lentils are. Theyre cheap, too. Im embarrassed to admit that I have never cooked or even bought lentils before the other day. When I emailed Kathy about not even knowing where to find them in the grocery store, she wrote back: Stephanie…MUST I come THERE and accompany you to the grocery store?? :-) (How I would LOVE that! Any excuse to escape up-coming move.) You should be able to find “some” lentils on the same shelf as rice – look to the BOTTOM shelf, of course, as they are not particularly popular in this country. As the writer of the article I sent you clarifies, different types of le...

Day 184. I took the kids to a little zoo and amusement park last week with my friend Jennifer, and her baby, Max. Jennifer went on and on and on and then on some more about cream of asparagus soup. She had some as a starter in a restaurant and was really impressed, and asked if I could try to make it in the crockpot. So I did. There are two versions---one with cream and one without. The without cream is just as creamy, but doesnt leave a velvety film on your tongue the way the other one does. And the color is more forest-green than asparagusish. The Ingredients. --1 1/2 pounds fresh asparagus (although Id imagine frozen would work just fine) --4 cups vegetable broth --1/2 white onion, chopped --2 tiny red potatoes (or one med. brown) --1 t black pepper (please dont use this much. it was a mistake.) --1/2 t seasoned salt --1/2 cup half and half (optional; to add at the end of cooking time) The Directions. Wash and trim the woody ends off of the asparagus, and feed to the g...

Day 202. Swiss chard! In a soup! I dont really have anything other than that to say. This recipe came from my new friend, Astrid, who grows a lot of chard in her garden, and needed a way to use it up. So we crockpotted the chard. The Ingredients. --2 big bunches of swiss chard, chopped (I only chopped the green part and gave the stems to the guinea pigs) --1 cup baby carrots, chopped --1 onion, chopped --7 baby red potatoes, or equivalent, chopped --5 cloves of garlic, chopped --1/4 cup fresh basil (hey! guess what? chop this, too!) --5 cups broth (I used chicken, but if you want this to be vegetarian you should use veggie broth) --1/2 t black pepper --1 t kosher salt (you might want to add more salt and pepper after cooking, to taste) --garnish with Parmesan/Romano cheese, optional The Directions. Wash and chop all of your vegetables, and add them to the crockpot . This is a lot of stuff, so Id stick to a 5qt or larger crockpot . Add whatever kind of broth you are using. Cover and ...

Day 178. mmmm . Philly Cheesesteaks . I made them earlier in the year, and they were delicious. But perhaps maybe you dont have bread in the house, or you dont want a bunch of carbs , or you dont want to chew a lot... guess what? I have a solution! Make Cheesesteak soup! In the crockpot ! This was a nice weekday dinner for us. I got the soup prepped and plugged in by 9am, and we spent the day out and about and came home to a hot, flavorful, and hearty soup that we all enjoyed. We served it with two salads: spinach and potato. This would be a fun (and memorable) dish to take to a pot-luck or recipe exchange. The Ingredients. --1 pound thinly cut beef strips (I used beef chuck steaks that I cut with kitchen shears) --4 cups beef broth --2 cups skim or 2% milk --1 T butter --1 yellow onion, cut in chunks --2 bell peppers (I used one green, one red) --2 t gluten free Worcestershire sauce --3 cloves chopped garlic --1/2 t black pepper --1 t kosher salt --8oz provolone cheese (t...

Day 251. I tried to make fruit leather in the crockpot . It didnt work. I think it could have worked----everything was right in theory----but I cooked it way too long because I fell asleep and it was my sleep-in day so I didnt get up right away to check on it. The house now smells like a charred apple pie. The Ingredients. blurry picture. I didnt change the lens. --4 apples, cut in quarters --2 tsp vanilla --1/2 cup dried cranberries --juice from one lemon The Directions. I used apples as a base, but you can use any fruit youd like. Except this doesnt really work, so youd mostly just be wasting fruit. I didnt peel the apples, but quartered them (removing the seeds and core) and threw them into a 4-quart crockpot . Add the juice from one lemon, 2tsp of vanilla, and a 1/2 cup of dried unsweetened cranberries. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. The apples will be quite squishy, and it will be like applesauce. Blend the applesauce mixture in a blender until the mixture is blended into a...

Day 228. In the past few weeks Ive gotten a few different emails from fantastic people sharing their hash brown layered casserole breakfast concoctions. This is a combo of Melba, Mikell , and Alisons recipes. We were ecstatic with the results. This is a keeper, and something you should definitely file away for a brunch or potluck get-together. The Ingredients. 30 ounce package of plain frozen hash brown (shredded) potatoes 4 already-been cooked sausage, or leftover diced ham (I used chicken and apple sausage) 1/2 yellow onion, diced 1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese 12 eggs 1 cup skim or fat free milk 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1 teaspoon black pepper The Directions. I used a 6 quart Smart-Pot for this recipe. Spray the inside of your crockpot with cooking spray. Dump in the whole package of hash browns . Spread them out with your fingers, and break up any clumps. In a mixing bowl, mix the dozen eggs with the milk, salt and pepper, cheese, cut up sausage, ...

Day 343. Chicken and dumplings! Finally! I dont know why it took me so long to make this----it was terribly easy, and very tasty. Thank you so much for all of the recipes that were sent in. This is a compilation of recipes from Tamara, Kimberley, Danette, and Renee. Thank you! The Ingredients. --3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken (I used frozen thighs) --1 yellow onion, chopped --1 cup mushrooms, chopped (I used baby portabellas ) --16 ounces frozen vegetables --2 cans cream-of-something soup, or combine in a saucepan: 4 T butter 6 T flour (I used Pamelas baking mix) 1 cup milk (I used soy) 1 cup chicken broth 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp black pepper 1 tsp poultry seasoning --1 can refrigerated biscuits , or one batch drop biscuits (I used Pamelas Baking Mix, and used the drop- biscuit recipe listed on the back of the bag) The Directions. I used a 6.5 quart crockpot . Anything 4 quarts and up will work. Put the chicken and vegetables into the bottom of the...

Day 149. I was looking through All Recipes the other day and stumbled on African Peanut Soup . The ingredients were simple, and we happened to have everything on hand. I was excited to give it a go, as there were 111 positive reviews. The result was delicious--a thick, hearty soup with a bit of spice and a beautiful peanut flavor. The Ingredients. --1 yellow onion, diced --2 green onions, chopped --2 red bell peppers, chopped --4 cloves minced garlic --1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes, with liquid --8 cups vegetable broth --1/4 t black pepper --1/4 - 1/2 t chili powder --1/2 cup uncooked brown rice --1 cup peanut butter (to add later) --dollop of sour cream and a bit of tabasco sauce (optional) The Directions. --wash and chop all of the vegetables, and put into the crock. Add the entire can of tomatoes, the uncooked rice, and the spices. --pour in the vegetable broth. --cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours, or on high for about 4. The soup is done when the onions are fully cooked and a...

Day 192. Curry, day 2! This is the Indian version of the curry recipe that Rachael gave me on the show. The flavors are again spot-on. This is just as good, if not better, than the take-out coconut curry we order. Lots. But maybe not anymore, since now we can make it Whenever We Want. The Thai Curry Recipe is here. The Ingredients. It sounds like a lot, but many of the spices are (hopefully) staples in the spice rack. - 1 13.5 oz can of coconut milk (dont use the light, it doesnt taste as good. or use the light and then stir in heavy cream at the end. Your tongue wants the thick stuff... trust me.) - 1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed - 4-6 frozen skinless, boneless chicken thighs - 1 T tomato paste - 2 T curry powder (not a typo, its a lot, but its good. Curry isnt spicy, just flavorful) - 1 t ground coriander - 1 t ground cumin - 1 inch peeled and grated ginger (I didnt use that much, I dont particularly care for ginger) - few dashes of hot sauce (I used Tobasco) - 1 yellow oni...

Day 188. Ive never made a cheesecake before; I always thought it sounded complicated. Im a pretty picky cheesecake eater, I hate it to be dried out, and I dont want the cheesey part to be too thick. I like a bit of crust in every bite. Jennifer P. asked quite a while ago if I thought cheesecake could be made in the crockpot, and at the time I honestly didnt know. Now, I know! Yes! You can totally make cheesecake in the crockpot, and you should. The Ingredients. Adapted from a recipe given to me by Anna, at Cookie Madness Crust - 1 cup graham cracker crumbs ( I used Mi-Del gluten free Arrowroot Cookies ) - 2 T brown sugar - 3 T melted butter Filling - 16 oz cream cheese, room temperature (I nuked mine for 30 seconds to get it soft) - 3/4 cup white sugar - 2 large eggs, room temperature (I put the eggs in a bowl of hot water for a few minutes) - 1/4 cup heavy cream (mmm. cream.) - 1 t good vanilla - 1 T flour ( I used Pamelas. It didnt make it into the picture) Direc...

Day 313. Nancy emailed me this recipe at the beginning of this week, and since I had everything in the house, I plopped it in the crockpot yesterday. This is a fun roast! The coffee really tenderizes the meat, and it becomes fork-tender than other roast recipes. I tweaked her original recipe according to what we had in the pantry, and was pleased with the results. Adam and I ate ours with a spinach salad and the girls dipped their "steak" in barbecue sauce. The Ingredients. --3 lb chuck roast, trimmed of fat --3/4 cup brewed coffee --1 yellow onion, chopped --1 red bell pepper, chopped --8 oz sliced mushrooms --1 t garlic powder, or 4-5 chopped cloves --1/2 tsp salt --1/4 black pepper --1 T Worcestershire sauce --3 T red wine vinegar --4 oz cream cheese (to add at the end) The Directions. Use a 4 quart or larger crockpot . I opted to not brown the meat and onions, and instead plopped everything in to the crockpot . I put the vegetables on the bottom, and then the meat. Add ...