Crock Pot Turkey White Bean Pumpkin Chili

October first is Pumpkin Day for Nicole and me.

All things pumpkin are to be consumed.

ALL OF THEM.

Since I'm going out of town this weekend and am training someone Monday after work, that leaves me with approximately zero time to make delicious pumpkin things to shove in my face on Monday.

Oh hey! I have a freezer!

Boom.

I'm prepared as ish, you guys.

I started off with this chili, which I cooked through the night last night in my crock pot. I heart that thing SO HARD.

Ingredients:

• cooking spray 
• 2 lb 99% lean ground turkey
• 1/2 tsp olive oil
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp chili powder, to taste
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp oregano
• 2 (15 oz cans) of white northern or navy beans, rinsed and drained
• 15 oz can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
• 4.5 oz canned chopped green chile
• 2 cups low sodium, fat free chicken broth
• fat free sour cream for topping (optional)
• chopped cilantro and chives for topping (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat a large heavy saute pan over high heat and lightly spray with oil. Add meat and cook, breaking it up until white, about 5 minutes.  Add to crock pot.

Add oil to the saute pan, then onions, garlic, sauté about 3 - 4 minutes; add cumin and sauté another minute. 

Add to crock pot. Add beans, pumpkin puree, green chilis, broth, chili powder, oregano, and bay leaves. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.

Remove bay leaves and adjust seasoning to taste before serving.

After it was done, I divided it up into small containers and stuck in the freezer to save for Monday. In the SMALL spoonful taste I had, it was legit. Bring on Pumpkin Day.

Slow Cooker Steal Cut Oatmeal

I have made a discovery.

And it is GLORIOUS.

I put this together right before I go to sleep. When I wake up, the entire apartment smells so gloriously delicious that I am more than happy to jump out of bed. That doesn't usually  happen with my 5:15 wake up call, TRUST ME.

Side note: the first time I made overnight oatmeal it was from a different recipe (which I, naturally, didnt save), and it included only water (actually I did a little almond milk for flavor), oats and cinnamon. That's a little less fussy than this recipe, but it was still delicious. The first recipe called for 1 cup of oats to 4 cups of liquid and I was happy with the outcome. The recipe below called for 1:3, so I increased the liquid. It cooks for SO long that you don't want it to burn or get dry.

Ingredients

• 2 apples, peeled, cored, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (2-1/2 to 3 cups chopped)
• 1-1/2 cups fat-free milk (or substitute non-diary alternative like almond milk) (I used 2 cups of almond milk)
• 1-1/2 cups water (2 cups)
• 1 cup uncooked steel-cut oats
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar (or substitute maple syrup or other desired sweetener)
• 1-1/2 tablespoons butter, cut into 5-6 pieces (optional) (psh, Im not one to turn down butter)
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon ground flax seed
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Optional garnishes: chopped nuts, raisins, maple syrup, additional milk or butter

Directions

Coat inside of 3-1/2 quart (or larger) slow cooker with cooking spray (didn't do this the first time and spent about 83 hours trying to scrap the goop off and scrubbing the pot. USE THE SPRAY!). Add all ingredients (except optional toppings) to slow cooker. Stir, cover, and cook on low for approx. 7 hours (slow cooker times can vary). Spoon oatmeal into bowls; add optional toppings, if desired. Store leftovers in refrigerator. Freezes well.

To reheat single servings: Put 1-cup cooked oatmeal in microwave proof bowl. Add 1/3 cup fat-free milk. Microwave on high for 1 minute; stir. Continue cooking for another minute, or until hot.

It develops a pretty this "crust" along the walls, which is actually my favorite part. I toss the leftovers in the fridge and heat it up pretty much following her instructions.

GO MAKE THIS NOW, DO IT!

Crockpot Beer Chicken Tacos

With the dipping temps outside comes boots and crockpotting! Woot!!

The original recipe by How Sweet Eats is for carnitas, but I had chicken on hand, so that's what I went with.

Crockpot Beer Carnitas

serves at least 6 generously with leftovers

5-6 pounds pork shoulder roast (or butt)

1 tablespoons canola oil

8 ounces of your favorite beer

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 tablespoons smoked paprika

1/2 tablespoon cumin

1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder

1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

for serving: corn tortillas, guacamole, fresh cilantro, freshly chopped mango.

Combine seasonings together in a bowl and mix until combined. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add oil. Once hot, add pork and sear on all sides until golden brown (about 2 minutes per side).

Add pork to the crockpot and sprinkle seasonings all over. Pour in beer, then cook on low for 10-12 hours. Check once or twice if possible and if needed, add more beer (I did not add any). Before serving, use forks or kitchen tongs to shred pork. Let sit on low or warm for another 20-30 minutes before serving.

Ok, SO. I used about 5 chicken breasts, which is significantly less than the 5-6 lbs of pork called for in the recipe. Naturally, I didn't adjust anything else. The end result was a little soupy and a little salty. The other spices seemed fine, just a little salty. HOWEVER. It was still great. We served it on pita with cheese and avocado and it was delicious. 

Chicken Taco Bowls

Recipe and pictures from Budget Bytes.

Hoooo boy. We have a keeper with this one, folks! This was super simple and SUPER tasty. It says to cook on low for 8 hrs, but I was in rush and cooked it on high for 3 hours. It wasn't AS shreddy and fall apart-y as slow cooker chicken usually is, but it was still cooked and perfectly moist.

INGREDIENTS		COST
1.5 lbs.	chicken breasts	$2.90
1 (16 oz.) jar	salsa	$1.99
1 (15 oz.) can	black beans, drained	$1.19
1/2 lb. (8 oz.)	frozen corn	$0.57
1 Tbsp	chili powder	$0.15
1/2 Tbsp	cumin	$0.07
1/2 Tbsp	minced garlic	$0.10
1/2 tsp	dried oregano	$0.03
1/4 tsp	cayenne pepper	$0.02
1/4 tsp	salt	$0.02
to taste	cracked pepper	$0.02
2 cups	dry rice	$0.66
8 oz.	shredded cheddar	$2.49
1/2 bunch	cilantro (optional)	$0.45
TOTAL		$10.66

STEP 1: Add everything except the rice, cheese, and cilantro to the slow cooker along with 1/4 cup of water (for good measure). Give everything a good stir and make sure the chicken is covered in the mixture.

STEP 2: Secure the lid on your slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hrs.

STEP 3: Near the end of the cooking time, cook the two cups of rice according to the package directions (Bring the rice and 3 cups of water to a boil in a medium pot with a lid in place, as soon as it reaches a boil, reduced the heat to low and let simmer for 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving).

STEP 4: After 8 hours of cooking, carefully remove the lid of the slow cooker. Stir with a fork to shred the chicken (it should be super tender and will shred easily). Build the taco bowls by placing rice on the bottom, then the taco chicken mix, shredded cheese and fresh cilantro.

Slow Cooker Bacon-Wrapped Apple BBQ Chicken

Part 2 of my epic cheat meal, served along side roasted grape, goat cheese and honey stuffed sweet potatoes. The title of this one was just....yes. Bless you, Pinterest.

• 3-4 boneless chicken breasts (I used 2 giant ones)
• 1/2 cup BBQ sauce
• 1-2 apples, peeled and grated (I used 2)
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 6-8 slices bacon

Directions:
1. In small bowl, combine BBQ sauce with grated apple and lemon juice.
2. Wrap 2 pieces of bacon around each chicken breast. Place chicken breasts in base of crock pot, pour BBQ/apple mixture over the chicken.  Set to low and cook for 8 hours.


It doesn't specify which type of apple you're supposed to use! I went with fuji. It's pretty much the only red apple I'm familiar with, and it didnt really seem like a green apple would go with this. Because I would know...


The prep? Took about 3 mins. SO easy, and SO amazing. The chicken could have been cut with a fork. I love my crockpot! Throw crap in it in the morning and dinner is ready when you come back from doing laundry at your parents being out all day! Maybe one apple would have been plenty, as there was a ton of juice. I have no regrets, though. I have a feeling this will make another appearance. 


(It doesnt LOOK that appetizing, I know! I swear it tastes 1000x better than the turd it looks like in the pic!)


(recipe)

Crockpot BBQ Beer Chicken

How Sweet It Is strikes again!

This recipe was the first thing to grace my new crockpot.

And it was WORTHY.

Crockpot BBQ Beer Chicken

serves about 8-10

3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 large)

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

8 ounces of beer (I used a classic amber)

32 ounces of barbecue sauce

Season chicken with onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Add to crockpot, then add beer and 24 ounces of barbecue sauce. Cook on low for 8 hours, tossing once or twice if desired. After 8 hours, shred and add remaining barbecue sauce. Serve as desired.

Notes (these are all hers):

1. I’ve found that *thinner* barbecue sauce works better (such as Bone Suckin’ Sauce) than thicker sauce (like Sweet Baby Ray’s). If you choose to use a thicker sauce, you may want to add a little more beer (or liquid) in order for the sauce not to burn and thicken on the edges of the pot. This is also the reason I don’t use myhomemade barbecue sauce.

2. If you don’t want to use beer, you can try a ginger ale, chicken stock, or even water.

3. This makes a ton of chicken and I usually freeze immediately freeze a container for later.

I set everything up this morning and let this blaze all day. It has SO few ingredients and was SO easy to make! When I got home from work, I panicked. The sauce had cooked WAY down (duh) and the chicken looked dry. Once I took a fork to it, shredded it up, and mixed it with the remaining sauce, all worries were gone. This couldn't be easier! I plopped a bunch on a slice of whole wheat bread, topped with a drizzle of bbq sauce and went to town. 

LeGreg was supposed to come down here tonight, which is why I made food. Now he's not coming until tomorrow. There will be no leftovers. That's a promise, not a threat.