Running Mama Cooks

Wow, Running Mama does cook!!! Actually, I have been cooking on a regular basis but I have been too busy to fool around with a lot of new recipes. But fall is here and it's time to bust out the crockpot! So I gave this new one a try and it was a winner!

It could have used a little more kick, but overall it was hearty with full flavors. I loved the shredded chicken mixed with the turkey kielbasa. Definitely going into the rotation!

And I should mention that there is no link to the original recipe because I got it using the app for allrecipes.com on my new iphone. Such a great app! Download it, I promise you'll love it.

Cajun Crockpot Chicken and Kielbasa
Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com

Ingredients:

6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 16oz can diced tomatoes
1 green bell pepper
6 green onions, chopped
1 6oz can tomato paste
4-5 dashes hot pepper sauce (or more to taste)
1/2 lbs turkey kielbasa, sliced diagonally
Cajun seasoning to taste
salt and pepper

Directions:

Spray crockpot with cooking spray. Place chicken in the bottom and season with salt, pepper and cajun seasoning. Cover with tomatoes, bell pepper, green onions, tomato paste, kielbasa and hot pepper sauce. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours. Serve over brown rice.

ZACH'S RATING - **** 1/2

I love chorizo and when I saw it at Wegman's this weekend when picking up a few odds and ends, I had to grab it. I haven't done my big shopping for the week and didn't have a lot of food on hand, but I threw this together this morning and hoped for the best. The sauce was a bit thinner than I would have liked (didn't have tomato paste) but the flavor was awesome!

I made this in the morning and put it in the crockpot so that all I had to do was make the pasta when I got home, but it could just as easily simmer on the stovetop.

Chorizo Spaghetti

Ingredients:

4 Chorizo sausage links, sliced
olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 large onion, sliced
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1/4 cup red wine
Dried basil
Italian blend cheese

Directions:

Heat olive oil in a pan on medium heat. Add in the garlic and chorizo, cook until chorizo crisps up a bit. Place in the crockpot. Add in all the other ingredients, except the cheese. Cook on low for approx 6 hours.

Serve over pasta with a bit of Italian blend cheese.

ZACH'S RATING - ****

I follow my cousin Katy's awesome blog, Tangerine Hearts, and came across this recipe the other day. She blogs about Fashion, recipes, and life in general. My favorite posts are her "What the Fug" segmants that highlight interesting (hideous and ugly) new trends in fashion. Definitely check her out!

This crockpot soup caught my eye because it looked so easy and yummy, plus it was easy to make this typically heavy soup on the lighter side. We really enjoyed it!

Smashed Potato Soup
adapted from Better Homes & Gardens Slow Cooker Family Dinners cookbook by way of Tangerine Hearts

Ingredients:

3 1/2 pounds potatoes, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1/2 chopped yellow pepper
1/2 chopped red pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream (I used fat free half and half)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
4 strips low sodium bacon, diced (I used turkey bacon)
additional sliced green onion

Directions:
In crockpot, combine potatoes, peppers, garlic and black pepper. Pour chicken broth all over.

Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 8 to 10 hours. Meanwhile cook chopped bacon until crispy, set aside.

After 8 to 10 hours mash potatoes slightly with a potato masher. Stir in cream, cheddar cheese and the 1/2 cup green onions.

Top individual servings with additional sliced green onion, bacon and cheddar cheese.

This recipe makes 8 servings; 243 calories per serving (without toppings).

I use my crockpot all the time for dinner, but never really thought about using it to make breakfast. But why not? 8 hours overnight and voila! breakfast is ready! Sounds good, right?! I came across a blog called Weelicious and she had a "how to" video for making crockpot oatmeal. I love steel cut oats, but don't make it as often as I should because it is time consuming to do on the stove.

This was the perfect solution. I started my crockpot at 11pm right before going to bed and it was perfect by 7am. I happened to be up at 5 after feeding the baby, so I gave it a good stir and added a cut up banana for the last 2 hours.

Overnight Oatmeal
Recipe slightly adapted from Weelicious

Ingredients:

1 cup steel cut oats
2 cups water
2 1/2 cups milk
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 banana, cut into chunks (optional)

Directions:

Add water and milk to crockpot. Stir in oats, cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg. Cook on low for 8 hours. Add banana or any other fruits or nuts towards the end of the cooking time. Serve with a little brown sugar or splenda.
***UPDATE I have been enjoying this for several days after making it. I usually reheat the oats with a splash of fat free half and half, then sweetening it with blue agave. Great breakfast!

Pot roast and the crockpot seem to go hand in hand, yet when I've made it in the past there always seems to be something that isn't quite perfect. Its usually very heavy and way too rich, even for my taste (and I like rich food on occasion!)

This was the exception. It was the perfect pot roast. Tender and flavorful, and the sauce was a delicious au jus, without being a super thick gravy. This will definitely be my go-to way to prepare it from now on.

The only problem with this dish is that I made it on Ash Wednesday. Woops!!

Perfect Pot Roast

Ingredients:

2.5 lb chuck roast
2 tbs olive oil
12 oz bottle of beer
12 oz bottle of Chili sauce
1 package Lipton Onion Soup Mix
1 tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 cup baby carrots
1 cup baby potatoes
salt and pepper

Directions:

Heat olive oil on medium high heat. Season roast with salt and pepper and sear on all sides. Place in crockpot. Add all other ingredients and cook on low for 10-12 hours.

ZACH'S RATING - **** 1/2

Christina from Tales from the Mad Men Kitchen recently organized a recipe swap on a message board that I frequent. I was very excited to be a part of it and hope that this becomes a regular thing for us! This week, we were asked to submit a weeknight meal that can be prepared in 30 minutes or less, or in a crockpot. I submitted my crockpot chicken taco soup and was given this recipe in return.

I was really looking forward to trying it. This recipe makes me step out of my comfort zone a bit using mustard, which is a flavor I am just recently warming up to. The sauce was definitely my favorite part. I cooked it on high and admit it was closer to 3 hours, so my chops were a little dry. Next time I will definitely cook them on low. I also skipped the whipping cream in favor of fat free half and half to make it a bit more weight watchers friendly.

Pork Chops with Onions in Creamy Mustard Sauce
4-6 servings, 6 WW points plus per serving

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
4 to 6 Pork Chops, 1 inch thick
2 Onions, thinly sliced
4 Cloves garlic, minced
1Tsp Dry Mustard
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Cracked Black Peppercorns
Pinch Cayenne Pepper (optional)
2 Tbsp All-Purpose Flour
1 Tbsp cider vinegar
1/2 cup White Wine or condensed chicken stock (undiluted)
2 Tbsp Dijon Mustard
1/2 cup Whipping Cream (I used fat free half and half)

Directions:

1. In a skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Brown pork chops on both sides and transfer to slow cooker stoneware.

2. Reduce heat to medium. Add onions to pan and cook, stirring, until softened. Add garlic, dry mustard, salt, pepper and cayenne, if using, and cook for 1 minute. Add flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add vinegar and wine or stock and cook until thickened.

3. Pour mixture over meat and cook on Low for 4-5 hours or on High for 2-2.5 hours, until pork is tender and just a hint of pink remains. Remove pork chops from slow cooker and place on a deep platter. Stir Dijon mustard and whipping cream into juices in slow cooker. Pour over pork and serve immediately.

Serves 4 to 6

Serve with mashed potatoes or broad egg noodles

ZACH'S RATING - ***

We really enjoyed ropa vieja when I made it with beef, so I tweaked the recipe a bit and used chicken to lighten it up. Delish!

Chicken Ropa Vieja
Serves 4, 5 WW points plus per serving

Ingredients:

Cooking spray
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 cup chicken broth
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 small onion, sliced
1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced into strips
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1/4 cup red wine
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon white vinegar

Directions:

Spray crockpot with cooking spray. Add chicken breasts and pour broth and tomato sauce on top. Add rest of the ingredients and stir until well blended. Cover, and cook on High for 4 hours, or on Low for up to 10 hours. When ready to serve, shred chicken and serve over rice (additional points).

ZACH'S RATING - *** 1/2

My in laws gave me the "Crockpot Slow Cooker Bible" for Christmas and I have so many pages marked, its about time I get on it! Thursdays are our usual crockpot night because I teach at the gym, so I decided to give this one a try.

One of my goals in the new year is to also try more vegetarian meals. Not that I plan on giving up meat, but because they are generally very healthy and cost effective dinners. Plus, I have many family members that are vegetarian and I would like to be able to make them something other than meatless baked ziti when they visit!

I have to admit that I wasn't that excited about this meal. I am typically not a fan of beans, even though I am trying to be more open minded about them. But, it ended up being pretty good. There was something missing flavor-wise (I could have added more salt), but overall it was a nice hearty soup. And the beans were actually my favorite part!

ZACH'S RATING - *** 1/2

The crockpot definitely saves my life on the nights that I teach at the gym. The last thing I want to do is cook after getting home at 8 and having to put both kids to bed! I didn't have a plan for dinner tonight but after taking a look through my cabinets and fridge, I put together this Chicken Taco Soup. I was hopeful that it would come out tasty, and I was right! It was super flavorful, had a little kick, was ready when I got home and, best of all, is super low in points!

I have to pat myself on the back, this was a great one!

I'll admit I was skeptical, but this was awesome!!! I doubt I'll make it the regular way ever again!

Crockpot Lasagna
Recipe from Christina Cooks

1 pound bulk Italian turkey sausage
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
45 oz. homemade spaghetti sauce
2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 ounces)
1 container (15 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
15 no boil lasagna noodles


1. Cook sausage and onion in 10-inch skillet over medium heat 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until sausage is no longer pink; drain. Stir in tomato sauce, basil and salt.
2. Mix 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese and the ricotta and Parmesan cheeses. (Refrigerate remaining mozzarella cheese while lasagna cooks.)
3. Spoon one-fourth of the sausage mixture into 6-quart slow cooker; top with 5 noodles, broken into pieces to fit. Spread with half of the cheese mixture and one-fourth of the sausage mixture. Top with 5 noodles, remaining cheese mixture and one-fourth of the sausage mixture. Top with remaining 5 noodles and remaining sausage mixture.
4. Cover and cook on Low heat setting 4 to 6 hours or until noodles are tender.
5. Sprinkle top of lasagna with remaining 1 cup mozzarella cheese. Cover and let stand about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. Cut into pieces.

ZACH'S RATING - *****

Seems like everyone has their own version of this recipe, here's mine! Easy and delicious!

Salsa Chicken

Ingredients:

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 jar mild salsa
1/2 onion thinly sliced
1 packet low sodium taco seasoning
2 cups frozen corn
Cooking spray

Directions:

Coat crockpot in cooking spray. Place chicken breasts on bottom and cover with salsa. Mix in the remaining ingredients and cook for 6-8 hours on low. Shred chicken. Serve with yellow rice or tortillas with your favorite toppings.

I was really in the mood to try a different crockpot recipe tonight. When I came across this one on Lauren's blog, I thought Id give it a try. It was super easy and I really liked it! Another good one for my crockpot rotation.

And not too bad as far as weight watchers is concerned, 12 points per serving.

Crockpot Asian Beef and Noodles
Recipe from Lauren's Kitchen

4 servings

Ingredients:

1 (16 ounce) package frozen stir fry vegetables
2 - 2 1/2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1" cubes
1 (12 ounce) bottle stir-fry sauce, any flavor
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 (3 ounce) packages ramen noodles, broken (I used a 6oz package of Chinese chow mein noodles)
1/4 cup green onions, chopped

Directions:

Coat a 4 quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Place frozen vegetables in the bottom and top with stew meat. In a medium bowl, stir together stir-fry sauce, water, and red pepper. Pour over stew meat and vegetables in cooker.

Cover and cook on low for 9-10 hours or on high for 4 1/2-5 hours (I recommend low, it will help to break the meat down more).

At the end of cooking time, discard spice packets from ramen noodles. Stir noodles and green onions into meat mixture. Cover and let stand 10 minutes more. Stir before serving. This can be kept on warm for 1-2 hours.

ZACH'S RATING - ****

I really liked how the crockpot cooked the peppers in this dish, but next time I will add some more elements to the filling to make it a little more flavorful. Definitely look for this recipe to be revisited!

Slow-Cooker Stuffed Bell Peppers
adapted from: A Year of Slow Cooking by way of Cook Pray Love

Ingredients:

5-6 bell peppers in a color of your choosing, tops cut off and reserved, seeds and membranes removed
1 lb ground turkey breast
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 14.5 oz can of Italian-flavored or fire-roasted tomatoes
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp ketchup
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp garlic salt
1/3 cup water

Preparation:

Brown ground turkey
In a bowl, mix the ground meat with the rice, tomatoes, Worcestershire, ketchup, black pepper, and garlic salt.
Stuff each pepper with the mixture.
Nestle the peppers in your slow-cooker and top with the reserved pepper tops.
Pour the 1/3 cup of water into the bottom of the slow-cooker to prevent the peppers from burning.
Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

My first meal in exactly 3 weeks! Allison tried this one out a few weeks ago, so I thought Id give it a try. An easy crockpot meal seemed like the best way to get back into cooking while also juggling 2 kids. Here is the original recipe.

I really liked these sandwiches a lot, but they were very spicy! Definitely depends on what kind of wing sauce you use, the one I used was "medium." I was definitely sweating a bit when I was done!!

I shredded the chicken right in the crockpot about an hour before eating, so it would soak up some of the sauce. We topped them off with some shredded Mexican cheese and Zach put blue cheese on his (I am not a fan).

Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches
Recipe from Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 (17.5 fluid ounce) bottle buffalo wing sauce, divided
1/2 (1 ounce) package dry ranch salad dressing mix
2 tablespoons butter
6 hoagie rolls, split lengthwise

Directions

1.Place the chicken breasts into a slow cooker, and pour in 3/4 of the wing sauce and the ranch dressing mix. Cover, and cook on Low for 6 to 7 hours.

2.Once the chicken has cooked, add the butter, and shred the meat finely with two forks. Pile the meat onto the hoagie rolls, and splash with the remaining buffalo wing sauce to serve.

Another cute Finn picture :D


ZACH'S RATING - ***

Update - I used the leftovers to make buffalo chicken pizza. It was awesome.

This crockpot meal was really easy to throw together, perfect for a night I was teaching some classes and couldn't be home to cook. It was tasty, a little spicy for Zach's taste, even though I cut down on the cajun spice (amounts I used noted below). Definitely has a kick to it! Loved the sausage and adding the rice during the last hour allowed it to cook perfectly without being mushy

Sausage Jumbalaya
Adapted from Kelly's Kitch

Ingredients:

1 lb cooked, smoked turkey sausage links, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 lg can diced tomatoes (28 oz), undrained
1 tbsp parsley flakes
1/2 tsp fresh thyme. chopped
1/2 tsp cajun seasoning
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice

Directions:

Spray slow cooker and combine all ingredients except rice. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours. Add the rice, mix well, and cook an additional 1 hour on low. Serve warm.

ZACH'S RATING - ***

I knew I wanted to make a french dip sandwich and looked at a ton of recipes to find one that fit the bill. Most used a roast and the crockpot, which looked good, but I wasn't in the mood to do it that way. I didn't want the meat to be shredded, I prefer it thinly sliced.

When I saw Rachael Ray's recipe, I knew I found the one. It was quick, easy and used yummy deli sliced roast beef. I made a few changes, using my small crockpot to allow the meat and au jus to hang out for about an hour before serving. Plus, I need cheese on my French Dip!!

French Dip Sandwiches
Adapted from Rachael Ray

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
1 shallot, chopped
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 jigger dry sherry, optional
2 cups beef broth
1 lb deli sliced roast beef
coarse salt and pepper
4 french sandwich rolls, split
4 slices provolone cheese

Directions:

Pile meat loosely across your cutting board or a large work surface. Season meat with salt and black pepper. Place meat into crockpot and set to low.

In a large, shallow skillet over moderate heat, melt butter. Add shallots to butter and saute 2 minutes. Add flour to butter and shallot and cook a minute longer. Whisk in sherry and cook liquid out. Whisk in broth in a slow stream. Bring sauce to a bubble and pour into crockpot over the meat. Allow to simmer over low heat until ready to serve sandwiches (about an hour).

Set out 4 ramekins or small soup cups for dipping sauce and 4 split french rolls. To assemble, using a pair of kitchen tongs, pile meat into rolls. Please sandwiches on a baking sheet. Set ramekins or cups with extra dipping sauce. Place a slice of provolone cheese on top of sandwiches and broil until melted and browned.

ZACH'S RATING - A Solid ****

Update - This recipe has turned into a family favorite. I make it at least once a month and have also used it for entertaining. Great for when you have a small group of friends hanging out. Highly recommend it!

Rachael Ray made this crockpot meal on her talk show the other day, and since I am always looking to add to my crockpot repertoire, I decided to give it a try. While it was more work than your average slow cooker meal, it was worth it. All the flavors came together nicely and the chicken was super tender. I did take the chicken out prior to serving and pop them under the broiler for a few minutes to crisp up the skin.

Here is the original recipe

Honey-Lemon Chicken with Potatoes
From Rachael Ray

Ingredients:

•2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
•8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
•Salt and ground black pepper
•1 1/2 pounds baby potatoes
•1 small onion, chopped
•2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
•4-5 sprigs thyme, leaves picked and chopped
•2 lemons, thinly sliced
•1/4 cup honey
•1/4 cup chicken stock or water

To finish:

•Zest of 1 lemon, cut into strips
•1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
•1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
•Balsamic Drizzle (see below)


Preparation:

In a skillet, heat the EVOO over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and brown on both sides.

Scatter the potatoes, onion, garlic, thyme and lemon slices in the bowl of a crock pot. Season with salt and pepper. Lay the browned chicken over the veggies and drizzle with honey. Add the stock or water, cover and cook, undisturbed, for 4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low.

Serve each portion topped with a combination of the lemon zest, parsley, toasted nuts and balsamic drizzle.


Balsamic Drizzle

Ingredients:

•1 cup balsamic vinegar
•2 tablespoons brown sugar

Preparation:

Combine the vinegar and sugar in a small pot over medium-high heat and bring up to a bubble. Reduce the heat to medium and cook the liquids until they've reduced by about half and are thick and syrupy, about 10 minutes.

I've made chicken stroganoff in the crockpot many times, but never beef. I came across this version on The Crockstar and decided to give it a try. After about 3 hours in the crockpot I was ready to eat it. The yummy smell tortured me all day long! Zach and I both enjoyed this meal. Rich, delicious and filling.


Crockpot Beef Stroganoff
Inspired by The Crockstar

Ingredients:
2 pounds cubed stew meat
2 cans Condensed Golden Mushroom Soup
1 large onion diced
1 can sliced mushrooms
3 tsp of Worcestershire sauce
1/2 water
8 oz of cream cheese
couple dashes of garlic powder
couple drops of hot sauce (original recipe called for hot paprika but I don't have that on hand)

Directions:
In the slow cooker stir in all the ingredients, except the meat AND the Cream Cheese, together. Once combined add the meat and mix together.

Cook on Low for 8 hours. Cut up the cream cheese into cubes just before serving and turn crockpot on high. Stir the cream cheese in until all combined. You might have to put the lid back on and leave for 10 minutes.

Serve over egg noodles

This dish is easy, low fat and delicious. Can't go wrong!

I've had this recipe for a long time, I believe it originated on the NJ Nest. I used to know the weight watchers points to go along with it, but I can't remember that now.

Crockpot Chicken Stroganoff

16 oz container fat free or lite sour cream
1 can 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup
1 pkg lipton onion soup mix
1 container cremini mushrooms or 2 small cans of mushrooms*
1.5 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenders
3/4 lbs egg noodles
Chopped flat leaf parsley

Coat the crockpot with cooking spray. Mix the first 3 ingredients in the crockpot. Add chicken and mushrooms. Cover and cook on low f0r 6-8 hours. Serve over egg noodles and garnish with parsley.

*this is the first time I've used fresh mushrooms and while they were delicious, they did water down the sauce a bit. I think I will stick with canned from now on. I've also added sliced onion in the past which is a nice addition as well.