Mealtime Monday - Skinny Ms Slowcooker Greek Chicken

Hello friends.....Happy Monday!!  I hope your week is off to a good start....things were a little rough around here today....mainly I woke up with a scratchy throat and some pain in my ears......ugh.....

So this morning was not great....I had SO much that I needed to get done while my daughter went to MDO.....but instead I came home and went back to bed.....ummmm.....not great.....I got NOTHING done!!  But I do feel some better this afternoon, so hopefully it was worth it.....

Well....in truth.....I did get one thing done.....and I'm SO excited to share.....there is something delicious cooking in my Crock Pot!!  Oh man.....it is smelling SO good!!  And since we've made it several times already.....I know it is going to be DELICIOUS too!  Oh yeah.....happy dance :)

Seriously.....I wish ya'll were here to smell it cooking....YUUUUUUMMMMMM!!

So....here's the skinny on a GREAT recipe for Greek Chicken.....

I got the recipe from an awesome website/FB page called Skinny Ms. Slow Cooker.....if you remember.....I've already shared their Balsamic Chicken recipe HERE and their Moroccan Chicken recipe HERE....

SO.....here's a pic of my dinner plate the last time we had Greek Chicken served over whole grain pasta.....

The chicken is SO tender coming out of the crock pot that it literally just falls apart.....so I took my fork and chopped up the chicken a little.....and then my plate looked like this.....

Ohhh....YUUUUMMM!!  SO Delicious!!  And....like most of the recipes that I share....SUPER EASY :)  Here's the details......copied from the Skinny Ms. Slow Cooker Facebook Page.....

Ingredients:
    1 Lemon, Juiced
    4 Garlic Cloves, Minced
    1/4 Cup Olive Oil
    1/2 Cup White Wine
    1/4 Cup Chicken Broth
    1 tsp Dill
    1 tsp Rosemary
    1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
    1/4 tsp Pepper
    1/2 tsp Salt
    1 Whole Chicken, Broken into it's Respective Pieces

Directions:
Add all the ingredients with the exception of the chicken to the marinade.  Mix up well.  Add in the chicken and coat all the pieces completely.  Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 4 to 6 hours.
Serve over noodles with sauce from the slow cooker spooned over the noodles and a little feta and olives for good measure.

SO.....we used boneless skinless chicken breast instead of the whole chicken.....and we don't use the feta cheese or olives (I don't like either one)......but otherwise I follow the recipe completely.....

And here are a few pics of the recipe coming together.....

The ingredients.....

The "marinade" all mixed up.....

And everything put into the slow cooker.....

Let it cook and then when its almost finished cook up a little whole grain pasta......

And soon....you'll have this.....

I can't wait for dinner tonight!!  This is such a rich tasting dish.....as the Hubs says......it tastes "fancy"....

So....if your looking for something new to try for dinner.....you should give this baby a try....I don't think you will be disappointed :)  And I would love to hear what you think about it.....

Until next time.....

XOXO-
Kristal

Mealtime Monday.....Pinterest Inspired Slow Cooker Meals

Hello friends!!  It's Monday again....crazy how those weekends fly right on by....and then.....here we are again.....back to Monday......

I can't complain at all though....I used to have to get up at 5-5:30 every day to go to work....and some days earlier than that.....and now.....I'm home with my little girl.....so we can get up when she wants too.....which is normally 8am or later......yep.....life is sweet :)

BUT....one area where life could be better is our eating / health habits.....I've told you guys before about how we have a serious eating out addiction.....it is SO bad.....money wise.....and health wise......so it's something that we've been trying to work on for a while.....

And we are doing some better.....at least now eating out is not a forgone conclusion.....we are eating at home some.....

And this week we are going to try and eat at home every night for dinner.....we'll see how it goes.....

SO....to set us up for success.....I planned out our menu last night.....and I tried to keep it simple.....and today I went and shopped for everything that I need for the recipes.....

SO....I got all of my inspiration this week by looking back through my Pinterest "Food" folder.....and I focused on the recipes that can be made in the slow cooker.....b/c.....as you know....I'm having a bit of a love fest with my crock pot right now :)

So.....here's what I'm cooking this week.....

Garlic Chicken (minus the polenta, but plus some wheat pasta):

Source: recipegirl.com via Kristal on Pinterest

Tuesday:  Cilantro Lime Chicken, served over brown rice

Source: pipandebby.com via Kristal on Pinterest

Wednesday:  Cafe Rio Chicken, served over brown rice

Source: makeaheadmealsforbusymoms.com via Kristal on Pinterest

Thursday:  Brown Sugar Balsamic Glazed Pork Tenderloin, served with veggies

Source: candcmarriagefactory.com via Kristal on Pinterest

Friday:  Toscas Tilapia, served with veggies

Source: eatcleandiet.com via Kristal on Pinterest

Saturday:  Balsamic Chicken, served over wheat pasta

Source: engineeringlifeandstyle.blogspot.com via Kristal on Pinterest

Sunday:  Honey Garlic Chicken, served over brown rice

Source: crockpot365.blogspot.com via Kristal on Pinterest

I think this is going to be a YUMMY week!!  And I think a pretty healthy week too (with maybe the exception of the Brown Sugar Glazed Pork Tenderloin....it just sounded too good to pass up)!!  I'll use boneless skinless chicken breast in the recipes to make them healthier....

SO.....is anyone game to cook some or all of these for your family this week?  I'd love to compare notes!!

I'll definitely keep track of what we think about each recipe, so I can let you guys know....

Until next time....

XOXO-
Kristal

P.S. Does everyone know about Pinterest?  If not....let me know that too....I would love to introduce you guys :)  It's AWESOME!!

Balsamic Chicken....So Quick, So Easy, Sooooo Good!!

Hello friends!!  How is your week going?  I hope everyone is having a good start to the new year.....I know it can be hard.....I remember when I was working full time that I always went through an after holiday depression of sorts.....BUT.....it is the start of the new year, so I hope that you may also be finding some joy in thinking about the many possibilities for 2012!!

One thing that we are going to try and work on this year is eating at home more and eating healthier.....I think I've told you guys before about our very bad habit of eating out almost every....single.....night!  In some ways this bad habit was sort of excusable when we both worked full time.....but now that I'm at home.....well....we I should be able to do better.....

Of course....there is the issue of how deliciously good restaurant food taste....I mean.....darn those restaurants.....why do they make it taste....so......good......ugh!!  But then again.....I guess that is there job....right?

Ok....so we need good tasting food at home.....WELL......I told you guys HERE about the gold mine that I stumbled onto called the Skinny Crock Pot.....

So.....one small update.....they are now called Skinny Ms. Slow Cooker.....and you can find them HERE......

We've tried three of their recipes and all three were delicious.....I told you about the Moroccan Chicken we made HERE......

And today I want to tell you about the Balsamic Chicken......Yuuuuuummmmmm!!  It is SO good!!  We just finished eating some for dinner :)

Here's a look at my plate tonight.....

We served it over wheat pasta....IT WAS DELICIOUS!!  And just like the Moroccan Chicken....SO EASY!!

So.....here is the recipe copied from the Skinny Ms. Slow Cooker page......

    Ingredients:
    4-6 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
    2 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
    1 onion thinly sliced (Not chopped)
    4 garlic cloves
    1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
    2 tblsp olive oil
    1 tsp each: dried oregano,basil, and rosemary
    1/2 tsp thyme
    ground black pepper and salt to taste

Preparation:
   1. Pour the olive oil on bottom of crock pot 
   2. Place in chicken breasts, salt and pepper each breast 
   3. Put sliced onion on top of chicken 
   4. Put in all the dried herbs and garlic cloves 
   5. Pour in vinegar
   6. Top with tomatoes

Cook on high 4 hours in slow cooker, serve over angel hair pasta.

I follow this recipe to the letter and it is perfect just as it is.....

Here's a couple of pics that I took as I was putting everything together....

The ingredients.....

And then the most difficult (ha, ha) part of the recipe......slicing up the onion.....

Add the olive oil to the crock pot....and then the chicken, salt, and pepper.....

Cover the chicken with the chopped onions....



Next....add in the spices......

Using the freeze dried garlic is another little "cheat" that I do to cut down on prep time....it works great and can be used just like fresh garlic!

Next pour in the balsamic vinegar and then top everything with the tomatoes.....

And soon your house will be smelling SO delicious!!

Then right before the slow cooker is done....just cook a little bit of pasta......And soon you'll be enjoying this.....

Ohhhhhh........it is SO good :)

So....what do you guys think.....pretty easy, huh.....and healthy too!  If any of you give it a try.....I'd love to know what you think about it....

Gotta run.....

Until next time.....

XOXO-
Kristal

Skinny Crock Pot Moroccan Chicken.....Yuuuuuummmmm!!

Wow!!  Isn't life wonderful and crazy this time of year!! 

I've noticed that I haven't posted on much lately but Christmas Crafts and Decorations.....which I guess is sort of fitting considering we are just a week and a half away from the big day!  BUT......there is a lot more going on here at La Hacienda (yeah....that means house people.....ha!)......

We started working on our Master Bathroom Makeover/Renovation....remember when I showed you how lovely awful it is HERE......so I hope to have something to show you SOON.....ok......well.....I don't know how soon it will be......BUT at least we are starting!!  It is going to be a LOT of work.....so we decided to break our little project into three phases to make it a little less intimidating......

Of course another thing we've been doing is EATING!!  AND.....the holidays seem to bring a lot of treats....that are SO hard to pass up!! 

SO......in order to try and counteract some of the "bad" food we've been eating.....I was looking for some recipes for quick and healthy dinners.....and I found the Skinny Crock Pot page on Facebook.....and I think I found a goldmine!!

You can find them by clicking here:  Skinny Crock Pot

We have tried three of their recipes and all three were ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS and SO EASY!!

Today I want to share the hubs favorite recipe so far from the Skinny Crock Pot.....Moroccan Chicken......

Here's a look at it....all ready to be devoured!!

It is SO good and SO easy!!  All you have to do is mix everything up in a bowl and pour it over the chicken and let it cook away......

Here is the recipe copied from the Skinny Crock Pot Page.....

    8 chicken drumsticks - about 1 1/2 pounds (skin removed)
    1 can (8 oz) pineapple tidbits or chunks in juice, undrained
    1 large onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
    2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
    2 tablespoons lemon juice
    1 teaspoon salt (if desired)
    1 teaspoon dried marjoram leaves
    3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
    1/4 teaspoon ground tumeric (or can substitute ground ginger)
    1 tablespoon cornstarch
    1 tablespoon cold water
    1/4 cup sliced pimento stuffed olives
    1 tablesppon chopped fresh parsley

1. Place chicken in 5 to 6 quart slow cooker. Mix pineapple, onion, garlic, lemon juice, salt, marjoram, red pepper and tumeric; pour over chicken.

2. Cover and cook on low heat setting 4 to 5 hours or until juice of chicken is no longer pink when centers of thickest pieces are cut (I leave mine about 9 hours while I'm at work at it works fine!). Remove chicken from cooker using slotted spoon, place in serving dish and cover to keep warm.

3. Remove any fat from sauce. Mix cornstarch and water; stir into sauce.

4. Cover and cook on high heat setting about 15 minutes or until thickened. Stir in olives.

5. Pour sauce over chicken. Sprinkle with parsley.

Serves 4; each serving has 210 calories


SO.....I don't use the water, cornstarch, parsley, or olives.....why?  Well.....I don't like olives.....and I didn't have any cornstarch.....and I decided that the extra step was more work than it was worth.....so I omitted steps 3 and 4 completely......

Also....I use 4 chicken breasts instead of the drumsticks.....

So seriously it is just mix the ingredients together.....pour over chicken in crock pot....cook.....and serve!  Delicious and awesomely easy!!

Here are a few pics......

The ingredients....

Here is a look at all the ingredients mixed together (in this pic the recipe is actually doubled).....

And then.....the chicken in the crock pot.....

And a look at everything in the crock pot before cooking.....

And another look at the finished Moroccan Chicken....served over Brown Rice.....

Yuuuummmmmm!!  It is spicy and sweet.......soooooo good!!!

Did I mention it's easy to make.....that it's delicious......that IT'S HEALTHY.......oh yeah......I guess I did!!

I have a few other favorites from their site that I hope to share......but in the meantime if you guys need a good recipe.....then you should definitely try this one!!  We all LOVE it.....even the baby.....

Do ya'll have any great recipes like this one?  Oh.....please do share!! 

AND if ya'll try this one.....I'd love to know what you think about it!!

I guess I better run....

Until next time.....

XOXO-
Kristal