Slow Cooker Chicken and Tortillas

Hello Everyone!
I hope you have all been enjoying the last part of your summer!  It's still hot here in Iowa, I am hoping the air will cool off soon and we might get a little more consistent rain!  I love rain, it is an amazing gift! Rain makes me happy.  If there is too much sun, I tend to shy away from the outside.  I love to hear the sound of the rain on the roof when I am going to sleep, I love to sit out on the porch and watch the rain fall. I love to feel the raindrops on my face.  I guess it is the North westerner in me...I always say, you can take the girl out of Seattle, but you can't take the Seattle out of the girl!
Anyway, I apologize for this hiatus I have been on.  I went back to work part time, teaching French and working in the local district's Home School Assistance Program.  It's been really fun so far and very flexible, which is good because then I can be at home most of the time with Daniel still.  
Today's recipe is one that I just threw together and it turned out SO YUMMY!  I call it Slow Cooker Chicken and Tortillas.  Basically, I took what I had on hand and made a fabulous meal.  Check it out, I am sure you will love it too!


Slow Cooker Chicken and Tortillas

• 4 large, boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 large green pepper, roughly chopped
• 1 large red pepper, roughly chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can diced green chilies
• 1 cup cream of chicken soup (or 1 10oz can...be sure that if you are using a can you make sure that it is HFCS and MSG free- HyVee brand is good).
• 1/2 cup salsa
• 1 envelope taco seasoning mix (again, MSG free)
• 10 fajita sized flour tortillas, warmed
• 2 cups long grain, brown rice, cooked
• shredded cheddar and/or jack cheese, sour cream, olives, extra salsa (for serving, optional)

Place the chicken, peppers, onions, green chilies and garlic in the crock of your slow cooker.  In a bowl, mix together the cream of chicken soup, salsa, and taco seasoning mix.  Pour over the chicken and vegetables.  Set your slow cooker to low and cook 4-6 hours.  Shred the chicken using two forks.  Spook chicken mixture into warm tortillas with brown rice.  Garnish with cheese, sour cream, olives and/or extra salsa if desired.  YUM!

Until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking and EATING!

Slow Cooker Chili Lime Chicken Soup(can you sense a theme here?)

Ok, so Pampered Chef came out with this Chili Lime Rub that I just LOVE!  There is something about the flavor of chili powder and lime that just makes sense.  I have been making Chili Lime EVERYTHING lately!  Today I decided to make a slow cooker white chili featuring the flavors of chili and lime.  It was SO yummy!  Of course, if you don't have the PC Chili Lime Rub, you can always use equal parts of chili powder and lime zest.  Top this chili off with shredded jack cheese, crushed tortilla chips, sour cream, and a little lime juice to make it fancy!

Slow Cooker Chili Lime Chicken Soup

• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 large green pepper, diced
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 2 (15 oz) cans Great Northern beans (or you could use pinto beans too)
• 1 (6 oz) can diced green chilies
• 1 tbsp. ground cumin
• 1 tbsp. granulated garlic
• 3 tbsp. PC Chili Lime Rub (or equal parts chili powder and lime zest)
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• juice of 1/2 lime (for a stronger lime flavor, use juice from a whole lime)
• Grated jack cheese, extra sour cream, tortilla chips, and lime wedges for serving (if desired)

Place first 9 ingredients in the crock of your slow cooker.  Set for 8-9 hours on low setting.  During the last 30 minutes of cooking, stir the lime juice into the sour cream and add to the crock pot.  Set the slow cooker to high and heat through for last 30 minutes of cooking time.  Serve in a bowl with any of the topping options or your favorite soup topping!

Until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking and EATING!

Hands Off Slow Cooker "Chili" Soup

I know, I know...it has been FOREVER since I last posted a recipe!  For that I am SO sorry!  Sometimes life gets in the way of blogging.  David and I have been really busy.  David's been working CRAZY hours.  I have been teaching water aerobics twice a week, doing my Pampered Chef thing, and chasing around a two year old.  Between the two of us we have barely had any time to spend together.  Actually, David and I used to travel a whole heck of a lot before having Daniel.  We were talking about how nice it would be to take a vacation, but how expensive taking a vacation is with kids. Then, like a miracle, the answer fell into our laps.  We have some really good friends that we have known for probably ten years from when David was in the Navy.  They introduced us to this great travel club and I am going to pass it on to all of you because I truly believe that this was the answer to our prayers!  The link I am sending you is to a video that describes the company.  I signed up as a shareholder, and the video talks a lot about that, but if you are interested, you can just join the club and get the deeply discounted travel for ridiculously low prices.  I am not joking.  I am SO excited about this!  David and I are already in the process of planning a trip to Mexico with our friends who introduced us to this!  In addition, I signed up to have my own travel site through this company.  You don't have to be a member to use it and 9 times out of ten, Rovia has the cheapest travel prices.  This has TOTALLY transformed our lives.  David will now be taking vacation, and we will be traveling together!  One of the dreams I have for Daniel is that he will have the same opportunities in life that I had and more.  I want him to value his experiences, eat good food, and see the world.  Now that dream can be complete because this opportunity will make it possible and affordable.  So what IS THIS opportunity?  Check it out.  If you are interested, you can sign up right on the site, but if you have questions, or need more information, feel free to e-mail me!
So, if you want to check this company out, you can visit:
www.foodiemommietravel.worldventures.biz

If you want to book travel, you can visit my site at:
www.foodiemommietravel.rovia.com

Like I said before, no catch, just really great deals on travel and possible income opportunity if you want.  If you sign up and change your mind, no problem.  That is what I liked about it, I didn't have to make this commitment to something and have to pay fees to cancel.  It is REALLY awesome!  Ok enough about that, now onto the recipe.

This recipe is SUPER easy, and perfect for my busy life at the moment.  If you can open a can and dump, you can make this "chili."  The best part?  It cooks right in your slow cooker so that you can relax, or do what you need to get done!


Hands Off Slow Cooker "Chili" Soup

• 1 lb. ground turkey or beef
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup salsa
• 1 (15 oz) can black beans
• 1 (15 oz) can pinto beans
• 2 (6 oz) cans diced green chilies
• 1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (6 oz.) tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp. each cayenne pepper, chili powder, cumin
• chips, sour cream, shredded cheese for topping

Toss everything in the crock of your slow cooker (except the chips, sour cream and cheese of course).  Set the slow cooker for 6-8 hours on low.  Serve hot topped with chips, sour cream, and shredded cheese if desired.  YUM!


Until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking and EATING!

SO YUMMY Slow Cooker Lasagna

This past weekend we had a blizzard come through Iowa and then record low temperatures and wind chills down around -30 degrees.  It was so cold that I really wanted to make something warm and comforting for dinner.  Lasagna is one of the ultimate comfort foods, but it does take some time to make.  I decided to experiment with making it in the slow cooker when I came across a recipe in a magazine.  I was a little apprehensive at first, but it was so easy and it came out SO good, I think I will definitely make it again! 


I apologize ahead of time because I forgot to snap a photo of it, I was too busy eating it!  haha!


SO YUMMY Slow Cooker Lasagna

• 1 pkg. no boil lasagna noodles
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese 
• 1 cup parmesan cheese
• 4 cups homemade or store bought spaghetti sauce
• 4 cups homemade or store bought Alfredo sauce
• 1 lb ground turkey or beef
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 tbsp. olive oil

Saute the turkey or beef, the green pepper, and the onion in the olive oil over medium high heat on the stove until meat is cooked through.  Add 1/2 cup of the spaghetti sauce to the mixture.  Spoon one cup of the spaghetti sauce into the crock of your slow cooker and spread over the bottom.  Layer with noodles, then more red sauce, then meat mixture, then alfredo sauce, then cheese.  Repeat this layering until you have three layers.  Top with remaining sauce and cheese.  Set slow cooker to low for 6-8 hours.  I served this with green salad and garlic bread.  YUMMY!

Slow Cooker Sausage, Bean and Macaroni Soup

This soup really couldn't be any easier or more convenient!  Made from budget friendly ingredients, and a fairly hands off preparation, who needs the can anyway!  Plus, it freezes well and makes a great lunch the next day!

Slow Cooker Sausage, Bean, and Macaroni Soup

• 1 lb bulk Italian Sausage (I use turkey sausage), broken up
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 (14.5 oz) cans red kidney beans
• 2 (14.5 oz) cans white kidney beans (or great northern beans)
• 1 cup elbow macaroni
• 6 cups chicken stock or broth

Place all ingredients except the macaroni in the crock  of your slow cooker and set to cook on low for 6 hours.  Add the macaroni and switch to high for 30 minutes.  Serve with hot bread and parmesan cheese if desired!

Happy and HEALTHY cooking and EATING!

Slow Cooker Cheeseburger Soup

This soup is always a favorite in our house.  It is so yummy, and easy as it is made in the Crock Pot.  I tend to make a whole ton of it and freeze half for another meal.  Tonight I paired it with my dill cheddar bread.  It was the perfect meal to warm us up after being outside on this cool fall day!


Cheeseburger Soup

• 1 lb ground turkey or beef
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 cup carrots, chopped
• 1 cup potatoes, finely chopped
• 1 bell pepper (any color you like), chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. garlic powder or granulated garlic
• 1 tbsp. herbes de provence or dried thyme and rosemary
• 1 tsp. dried dill
• 3 cups chicken broth or stock
• 1/4 cup flour (I like to use wondra)
• 1 cup milk
• 2 cups cheddar cheese (or I like to use a cheddar jack blend), shredded
• 1/2 cup sour cream

Combine the first 12 ingredients together in the crock of your slow cooker.  Set to cook on low for 8 hours.  Whisk the milk and the flour together.  Pour into the soup and stir to combine.  Set to cook on high for 30 minutes.  Add the sour cream and the cheese, and mix well to combine.  Cook on high another 10 minutes.  Garnish with a little extra shredded cheese, parsley and crackers if desired.

Until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking and EATING!

Slow Cooker Country Beef Stew

I adapted this Beef Stew recipe from a recipe I found in my Betty Crocker Cookbook.  Although I like Betty Crocker's version, I happen to have a VERY hard time following a recipe without changing it in some way.  This meal is really easy on the pocketbook and makes great leftovers! Here's my version of Slow Cooker Country Beef Stew.


Slow Cooker Country Beef Stew

2 lbs beef, cut into 1 inch pieces I used bottom round steaks but you can use whatever cut you have, even a roast or beef stew meat
1 onion, chopped
3 cups baby carrots or three carrots, chopped
2 stocks celery, chopped
1 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup beef broth
1/4 cup flour (I like to use Wondra but you can use all purpose if that is what you have on hand)
1 tbsp. herbes de provence (or dried thyme, rosemary, marjoram, oregano, and basil)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 package mushrooms, sliced (optional- I LOVE them but David doesn't so I leave them out)
1/2 cup julienne cut sun dried tomatoes (not packed in oil)
2 tbsp. worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp. dijon mustard
1 tbsp. granulated garlic
Hot cooked egg noodles, rice, or potatoes for serving


Combine the carrots, onion, celery mushrooms (if using) and beef in the bottom of your slow cooker.  In a medium sized bowl (I like to use my Pampered Chef Classic Batter Bowl for this type of task), whisk together the wine, broth, flour, herbes de provence, diced tomatoes, worcestershire sauce, mustard, and garlic.  Pour over the meat and vegetables in the slow cooker.  Set to low and cook for 7 hours.  Add the sun dried tomatoes and cook another 30 minutes on high.  Serve over egg noodles (my preference), rice, or  potatoes and garnish with fresh parsley if desired!


Until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking and EATING!

Slow Cooker Sausage, Peppers, and Onions Hoagies

Don't Forget to stop by The Foodie Mommie Store between now and September 29th to take advantage of the AWESOME Grand Opening Sale!  Lots of great deals and SUPER giveaways!

This recipe is so easy it's ridiculous!  If I am not serving the sausage, peppers, and onions in a sandwich, I serve it over polenta, pasta, even rice it's great!  It makes for a super easy weeknight meal.  As it is made in the slow cooker, just set it and forget it!

Slow Cooker Sausage, Pepper, and Onion Hoagies

• A package of 5 fresh italian sausage links (I used turkey sausage but you can use pork if you prefer)
• 3 large bell peppers, any color you like, sliced
• 2 onions, sliced
• 1 cup spaghetti sauce (I used homemade but you can use store bought)

Place the peppers and onions on the bottom of the crock of your slow cooker.  Then place the peppers on top of the onions and peppers.  Pour the sauce over the sausages, onions and peppers.  Cover and set your slow cooker to high.  Cook on high for 4 hours.  Remove the sausages and slice.  Return them to the slow cooker and cook on high another 30 minutes.  Serve this mixture on rolls as sandwiches, over polenta, pasta or rice! Yum!

Until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking and EATING!

Any Way Your Garden Grows Vegetable and Sausage Soup in the Slow Cooker

Have you signed up for the 30 Day Fit Family Challenge? If not, head over to the challenge page and linky up! You can join us even if you don't have a blog! Win a chance weekly to have your post featured on my blog! Let's make our families healthier together!This is a really easy soup to throw together when you have an abundance of vegetables. You can use any combination of vegetables that you have on hand, and it is made in the slow cooker so it is virtually hands off!  Make this soup vegetarian by omitting the sausage and  using vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.

Slow Cooker Vegetable and Sausage Soup

• 6 chicken sausages casings removed and chopped (I used sundried tomato and provolone but you can use any variety you want)
• 1 chopped leafy greens, chopped (I used swiss chard, kale, and collard greens)
• 2 cups chopped carrots
• 2 summer squash, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced (I used garlic scapes)
• 2 cans Great Northern beans
• 1 cup spiral pasta (or any other shape you like)
• 6 cups chicken stock
• 1 tbsp. herbes de provence

Place all the ingredients except the leafy greens and the pasta in the slow cooker. Cover and set on low for 4-6 hours.  In the last 30 minutes of cooking, turn the cooker on high, add the leafy greens and the pasta.  Serve with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese if desired.

I hope you enjoy this soup.  I would like to know what you like to make with your extra vegetables.  Leave me a comment telling me how you use up your vegetables!

Until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking and EATING!

To Die For BBQ Baby Back Ribs with Baked Beans and Coleslaw - Yummy Nummy!

One of David's absolute favorite meals is ribs with baked beans and coleslaw. He grew up in southern Texas, so I can say without hesitation that he is a "barbecue snob." Fortunately for me, I found a barbecue meal that he LOVES!
Because ribs are SO expensive, especially baby backs, I only make them when they go on sale, which is usually right after Memorial Day around here. This meal also takes quite a bit of time to make - even if it happens to be hands off time - so this is a special meal for a weekend or day when my husband is off work. Actually, many times I make this for him for Fathers Day. I cannot take credit for the rib recipe, even though I have been making it forever. These are hands down the BEST ribs I have ever eaten, and many of my friends have said the same thing. It is Dave Lieberman's Baby Back recipe, but I do make a few adjustments:

• I double the bourbon barbecue sauce recipe and use half of the sauce to marinate the ribs overnight. (I use my Foodsaver to help lock in the flavor, but you can use a regular old Ziplock bag).

• I cook the meat in the oven for 2 hours.
• I brush ALL of the sauce on the ribs while grilling, turning them frequently (after you bake the ribs in the oven you grill them on an outdoor grill for about 20 minutes). We like saucy ribs.

Try making these and you will never eat any other ribs ever again, I guarantee you!

I serve these ribs with my yummy baked beans. This recipe I can take credit for, it took lots of experimenting, but I came up with a recipe that David likes better than that of his favorite BBQ joint in Texas! Even though they take a long time to make, it is mostly a hands off recipe, because they are made in the slow cooker! Gotta love that!

Yummy Slow Cooker Baked Beans

• 1 package (16 oz) dry navy beans
• 4 cups water
• 1/2 lb. bacon, diced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 cup pureed sweet potato
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 tbsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
• 1/2 cup dijon mustard
• 1-4 cups chicken broth or stock
• 1/8 cup honey

The night before, in a large bowl, combine the water and the navy beans and allow them to soak overnight or at least 8 hours.

The next day or after 8 hours, place the beans (and any leftover water) in the slow cooker along with the onions and the bacon. In a medium sized bowl whisk the rest of the ingredients together and pour over the beans. Add one cup of the chicken broth. Reserve the rest of the chicken broth in case you need it- you will know if the liquid is absorbed and the beans are not fully cooked, then you will need to add the rest of the broth one cup at a time.

Set the slow cooker on high for 8-10 hours. In this recipe, it is ok to OCCASIONALLY lift the lid to check to see if the beans are getting soft, and add more water if needed. The beans are done when they are soft and syrupy. You can make these ahead of time, put them in the refrigerator, cover them with foil and bake them for 20 minutes at 350 or until heated through.

For the coleslaw I cheated and bought a coleslaw mix. Dole actually has a really nice coleslaw mix that is not laden with ingredients off my yucky no no list.

Here is the perfect summer meal. Mmmm...you know you want to eat that!

One quick announcement before I sign off. Next week we start going to the CSA for this year. CSA is Community Supported Agriculture. We bought a share in Abbe Hills Farm in Mount Vernon, Iowa. Next Wednesday I will be going to the farm to interview the owner, so expect a video blog sometime around Thursday or Friday of next week! Also, you can expect more cooking demonstrations next week because my aunt is coming to visit me and she is bringing me a brand new camera that is HD! Way cool! I am going to be scheduling another web class probably in the next month. So be sure to stay tuned in the coming weeks because there will be a lot of great stuff happening.

Well, that is all for now! Enjoy and until next time, happy and healthy cooking and EATING!

Abridged Boeuf Bourguignon

Boeuf Bourguignon (or in English, Beef Burgundy) is one of my FAVORITE French dishes.  It is basically the French's version of beef stew but sooooooo much better because it is made with Burgundy wine.  My friends from the Burgundy region of France (Bourgogne) would definitely be angry with me for making it this way (hence the reason why I call it "abridged") but this is a quicker no worries version that comes out tasting just as yummy.  Please remember that I don't measure anything so measurements are approximate.

Abridged Boeuf Bourguignon (made in the slow cooker)

• 2 lbs beef stew meat, cubed (I used bottom round steaks because that is what I had in the freezer)
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 6 slices bacon
• 1 cup baby carrots, left whole
• 1 cup red Burgundy wine like Macon Villages, Pinot Noir, or Cotes du Rhone
• 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
• 1 cup beef stock or broth
• 2 tbsp. herbes de provence
• 1 tbsp. granulated garlic
• 4 tbsp. butter, cut into 1 tbsp. sections
• salt and pepper to taste
• egg noodles, rice, or mashed potatoes for serving (I served it over Wacky Mac, cause well, I got it for free).

Place bacon slices between two paper towels and microwave on high for approximately 1 minute per slice.  Crumble bacon and set aside.  Place onion, carrots, and garlic cloves in the bottom of the slow cooker.  Add beef and bacon on top of veggies.  In a small bowl mix tomato paste, beef stock, herbes de provence and granulated garlic.  Pour over meat and veggies. Pour wine into crock pot over meat and veggies.  Place pads of butter in the crock pot.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.  Traditionally Boeuf Bourguignon is served over mashed or boiled potatoes but I happen to like it over noodles.  It can also be served over rice. 
Enjoy! Until next time, happy and HEALTHY cooking!

Don't forget to enter the Giveaway for a FREE package of Wacky Mac!  Winners will be picked on Friday!

As an added bonus, if you are a follower or become a follower of my blog, I will throw in an extra coupon or package if you are picked!

Slow Cooker Beef and Noodles

We were very busy today so I needed something for dinner tonight that was going to be quick and easy. This is a great dish you can just throw together in the morning. I found a recipe similar to this one on All Recipes and of course, I made some changes to make it my own. You can serve it over any shape of noodles you like, I used Rotini cause that is what I had on hand, but it would also be nice over egg noodles or Farfalle. If you don't want to serve the beef over noodles, it would also go well over rice or a nice bed of mashed potatoes! I served it with steamed carrots.

Slow Cooker Beef (and Noodles)

1-2 lbs beef, cut into strips - I used bottom round steaks but you can use whatever you like

1 cup beef stock

1 can diced tomatoes

1 stick butter, melted

1 zucchini, chopped

1 green pepper, cut into strips

4 garlic cloves, minced

3 tbsp. herbes de provence

1 tsp. granulated garlic

pepper to taste

Place the veggies in the bottom of your slow cooker and then layer with the meat, the herbs, granulated garlic, and pepper, then pour the liquid ingredients over. Place the lid on the slow cooker and then set it for 6 hours on low. RESIST THE URGE TO LIFT THE LID! At the END of cooking time, stir.

Serve over noodles, rice, or a bed of mashed potatoes. Yummy!

Soup Sunday

On Sundays during the winter we have soup and bread for dinner. Today is Sunday. Palm Sunday. It is the last Soup Sunday in our house of the year. From around the first of October to Palm Sunday, I serve soup. After Easter until the end of September, we have salad on Sundays.
Soup is the ultimate comfort food, and there is nothing better on a cold evening than a warm, hearty bowl of soup. Soup is also really geat because it is EASY and it freezes beautifully. Whenever I make soup, I make a huge pot, and then I freeze it in individual portions to serve for lunch. There is no need to eat soup out of a can, when you can have homemade soup right at your fingertips!
I love making soup because most of the time, you can make it in the crock pot (also called a slow cooker)! If you don't have a crock pot, it is an absolute kitchen must. What I love about the crock pot is that you can have a home cooked meal ready for you, even on the busiest of days. There are SO many recipes for the crock pot, the possibilities are almost endless.

Tonight I made a split pea and barley soup. This is a soup that my mom used to make when I was growing up. Not only is it chocked full of vegetables, it also packs a whopping 15 grams of fiber per serving. It is an excellent spring soup as the lemon brightens the flavor. To go along with the soup, I also made some lovely garlic and herb baguettes.

Split Pea Soup with Barley
2 cups dried split peas

5 cups water

4 cups chicken broth
2 cloves minced garlic
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tsp sugar
juice and zest of one lemon
1/2 cup pearl barley
2 carrots, diced
1 celery stock, diced
salt and pepper to taste

Add all the ingredients to the crock pot. Set crock pot to low and cook for 8 hours.

Daniel LOVED this soup. He ate two whole bowls and then asked for more!

The key to cooking in the crock pot is to "set it and forget it." Do not open the lid. Just opening the lid can drop the temperature by 15 degrees. So resist the urge to stir!

Don't worry if the soup recipe you want to make is not specifically for the crock pot, in most cases (not all, but most) you can adapt the soup recipe for the crock pot. The only real exception is with cream soups. If you add cream or milk to the crock pot, most likely it will curdle. If you would like to make a creamy soup, you can use a can of evaporated milk instead of milk or cream. You can also add dairy ingredients during the last 15 minutes of cooking. You also do not want to add things like peas or pasta until the last 15 minutes, otherwise they will turn out mushy.

I would love to hear your ideas for soup and using the crock pot! Until next time Foodie Mommies and Daddies, happy cooking!