Crock Pot Weight Watchers Chili

I made this WW chili recipe that I found on my new favorite website, Pinterest.com. I have been an arts and crafts making fool this past week thanks to my new obsession with the website. I have a few more recipes I am going to post here soon. It's been a great couple weeks having Bryan home from work. The circumstances were less than favorable (truck needed new transmission/engine), but I love him and I love spending time with him.

This recipe is great if you are following the Weight Watchers diet. I am just trying to eat a clean, healthy diet so I figured that this would be a great recipe. Bryan, who is definitely not dieting, enjoyed it as well. Basically this recipe would be great for anyone who likes a good chili, not too heavy but just right.

If you don't have chicken on hand you could easily use a lean ground beef or turkey.

*I lost the website link I got this recipe from so this is from memory...

3 chicken breasts (I used 2 cups of diced chicken I had frozen)
1 can black beans, drained
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 small onion, diced
2 cans chilis and tomatoes (I only had one on hand)
2 cans of tomato sauce (I used 1 can of diced that I liquified in the blender PLUS about a cup of water to make up for the extra liquid)
1 can of corn (you can also roast a couple ears of corn on the grill or in the oven)
1 packet low-sodium taco seasoning
chili powder to taste (I used about 1 tablespoon)
salt and pepper to taste (I also added a little bit of garlic powder)
Cilantro (garnish)
Sour cream (garnish)
Cheese (garnish)(I used light)
Rice

Combine all ingredients (except chicken) and combine well in crock pot. Pound out chicken breasts and put in the crock pot.
Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours (I cooked on high for a couple hours and low for a couple hours).
A few hours into cooking your chicken should be done. Remove it from the chili, let cool, and then shred and place back in chili.
If you are using shredded chicken like I did throw into mix about an hour before serving.
Garnish with fresh cilantro, sour cream, cheese, and rice (optional).

ENJOY!

Jerk Your Chicken

Hey y'all! In the car and on my way to Hilton Head CHILD FREE thanks to my lovely in-laws. I just discovered this blogger app that allows me to blog on the go.

A few nights a go I made this Jamaican jerk chicken dish. This recipe is great for company and quite the frugal recipe. I used boneless chicken thighs which really give you a lot of bang for your buck. I got 2.5 LBS for about $5.50. They are more fatty than boneless chicken breasts, but I just used some scissors to trim the fat off the chicken. You could really use any type of chicken meat you would like. If your comfortable enough with a whole chicken you can cut it up and use it for this recipe as well.


I marinated the chicken for 2 whole days in the fridge. The yummy marinade was made up of green onion, Serrano peppers, garlic, lime, and all spice. There are many varieties on jerk chicken. You can use oregano and Thyme, I just didn't have any on hand. Jamaicans actually cook this recipe over an aromatic fire, often flavored with pimento-smoked logs. I, of course, just used my handy flat-top grill. If you don't have one of these you can cook them in a large skillet or even in the oven. You can also make this recipe with pork or fish.


I really enjoyed making and eating this dish. The marinade was not quite like anything I have ever marinated my chicken in. My only negative is that it wasn't very hot at all. I omitted the Scotch Bonnet chili peppers the recipe originally called for because my store did not carry them. I used Serrano instead. Next time I will try to locate the Scotch Bonnets for a more authentic flavor. The Serranos were perfect though of you prefer something mild. I like it hot though!


Serves 4
2 1/2 lbs boneless chicken thighs, trimmed of fat
2 big bunches green onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 TSP all spice
2 Serrano peppers or Scotch Bonnet chilies, seeded and chopped fine (if you like it real spicy don't de-seed).
1/2 cup water
Juice from 1 lime
1 TBS salt
Pepper

Combine all ingredients except chicken and water in a large bowl.
Reserve about 1/2 cup to pour over chicken after it is cooked. It is important to do this BEFORE you add
The chicken.
Add chicken and water. Add water to preference. You don't want it too watery. Remember, natural juices from the chicken will come out too.
Cover with Saran wrap and a lid. Marinate for at least an hour, but preferably 24 hours and no longer than 48.

When you are ready to cook, heat flat-top to high and let get very hot.
Spray with non-stick or canola/vegetable oil.
Cook about 20 minutes, flipping once around 10 minutes, making sure that it is cooked throughout, no pink.
You can cover with extra marinate before flipping.

Cilantro-lime rice (tastes like Chipolte's rice)
-from Allrecipes.com
1 cup long-grain white rice (I used a brown rice variety because it's healthier)
2 cups water
1 tbsp butter
1/2 cup cilantro
Juice and lime zest from one whole lime.

Boil water and add rice, cook until tender. I added some chicken stock too.
Add butter, cilantro, lime-zest, and lime juice.
Serve while hot

I served mine with grilled pineapple, baked beans, and cilantro-lime rice.

Oreo Temptation and Italian Marinated Chicken

Oreo Temptation. No, it's not a dessert, it's what's going on in my house right now. Last night I was feeling awfully vulnerable as I walked by the unnecessarily large Oreo cookie display. Normally I would walk right on by without blinking an eye; it's a well-known fact that I never keep sweet snacks in the household. I could easily gorge myself for breakfast, lunch, and dinner on sweet treats.

I remember one time when I was a teenager we were on vacation, and we stopped in West Virginia to eat dinner at this really nice restaurant that was located in some old historic building. I am quite sure the menu had all kinds of expensive cuts of meat served a la carte and yummy homemade sides to compliment. I wasn't interested. I immediately spotted the dessert bar and about knocked down anyone in my path to pile my plate high with chocolate. That's what I had for dinner. That's what I wish I could have for dinner every night. But then I always remember I was born with the slowest metabolism ever. So I eat lettuce instead.

Ok, back to the Oreo story. I was walking by the forsaken Oreo display and remembered the double-stuffed Oreo I had eaten at my in-laws the previous day. I also remembered how yummy it was. I picked up a box of classic Oreos and thought what's one little box of Oreos going to hurt? Some people have a conscious that tells them not to do bad things. My conscious tells me not to eat bad things. Sometimes I don't listen. I didn't listen this time. I knocked that little sucker off my right shoulder and I'm pretty sure she fell into the bin of produce behind me. That's another thing, why would you put an Oreo display in the produce section? I mean here I am minding my own business, innocently picking out some corn on the cob, when I am bombarded by the freaking Oreo display. Now they sit in my cabinet calling my name in a not-so-subtle annoying way. I am just hoping Bryan eats them all tonight and I can wipe my hands of them. For the record I have only eaten 4 Oreos in the past 16 hours.

.

On to the feature piece of this blog post. I am hoping it will keep my mind off those Oreos for at least 10 minutes. I am all about saving time for dinner. I often plan ahead and prepare all of or some of my meal the night before. This makes dinner so much easier the next day. I highly recommend this to working families. A little prep the night before makes dinner the next day a breeze. You don't always have to use the crock pot for easy make-ahead recipes. I make a yummy homemade marinade made with olive oil and red wine vinegar for this dish. I spice it up with some red pepper flakes. You can use the store bought Italian dressing but it's SO EASY to make your own, so why not?

I love to cut up chicken and marinate them for 12-24 hours. Really you can marinate any cut of meat overnight. I also love to marinate meat for fajitas. This chicken recipe is super easy. Anyone can do it. You can use fresh chicken or frozen (unthawed first). I used organic chicken from Whole Foods that I had frozen a while back. I always buy in bulk and freeze. It's cheaper and convenient, plus it saves time. I always pound out my chicken before I freeze to make things easier.

First I prepare the marinade for the chicken to go in. I always just make it in the glass dish the chicken will marinate in overnight. Feel free to double the marinade for more people or if you just want more marinade for your chicken. After my chicken has unthawed I cut it up into small strips. Remember to always use scissors are only designated for poultry. The same goes for cutting boards. Chicken bacteria is easily spread. I actually bought a plastic basket at the dollar store that holds my chicken while it is in the sink. I set my chicken in here so it doesn't slide all over the place. I don't like to set my chicken in the sink. I always make sure I clean the area super good afterwards. I also wash my hands a lot during the process.

When I am done cutting the chicken into strips I place it into the glass dish, cover with saran wrap and a lid, and place in the refrigerator. You can marinate for an hour or so but I always like to make sure I marinate over night. I feel like it makes the flavor that much more intense. Now you can bread this chicken afterwards or you can bake it as is on a baking dish. I always like to use a rack so air gets underneath the chicken. This is especially important if you used bread crumbs. It makes the chicken more crisp if you are baking in the oven, and more importantly, it is healthier.

This picture is after the chicken had been marinated for about 20 hours. I was going to post a pic of the end result, but sometimes things get a little crazy around here with me being a mom and all. I get distracted and forget to take pictures! I promise I'll get better at remembering to take pictures all the way down to the end result;).

Italian Marinade
Lucinda Scala Quinn (Mad Hungry)
Serves 2 (feel free to double or triple)
Pre-heat oven to 350*

2 chicken breasts, thawed and cut into strips
2 cloves minced garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup plus 1 TBSP red wine vinegar
1/2 TSP salt
1/2 TSP dried oregano (or Italian seasonings)
1/4 TSP red pepper flakes

1) Prepare above ingredients into medium-sized baking dish
2) Add chicken and let marinate for at least an hour (up to 48 hours)
3) When you are ready to eat set the chicken out on the counter for up to an hour
4) Use tongs to place chicken on a wire-rack baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Use a spoon to add extra marinade to chicken if desired
5) Bake in pre-heated oven for 20-25 minutes or until juices are clear and chicken is not pink

If you prefer to bread your chicken follow these steps after step #3 above...

Chopped parsley (or dried)
1 cup bread crumbs (I usually use 1/2 Italian, 1/2 regular)
1 clove crushed garlic
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup romano cheese

1) In a flat dish combine above ingredients
2) Line baking sheet with parchment paper
3)Lightly dredge chicken in bread crumb mixture and lay on pan
4) Bake for 25-30 minutes or until chicken is completely done

Lucinda's Upside-down Pineapple Cake

If you are lucky enough to be not doing anything at 11 am then you must start watching Lucinda Scala Quinn's Mad Hungry on the Hallmark Channel. Or you can just DVR it and watch it when you wake up at noon like I do;). If you like to cook but think you aren't very good at it then Lucinda is the girl for you. Her recipes are easy, simple and delicious. I make a recipe from almost every one of her shows that I watch. I started out Bryan's birthday last week with this yummy pineapple upside down cake. It was so simple even a small child could follow this recipe.

In this particular episode she talked about cooking with cast iron skillets. This immediately caught my interest because my great-grandmother has had the same cast iron skillet since Lincoln was in office. This thing is ancient. I tried to steal it from Meemaw's but she said she uses it occasionally. I really like the idea of using cast iron because it kind of has it's own flavor to it depending on what you cook in it. I also learned that you are never supposed to wash it with water and soap. You are supposed to wash it while it is still warm on the stove with salt and a little oil. You clean it with a paper towel until all the salt is gone and then you are left with a seasoned skillet that is slick as a skating rink for your next meal.

Lucinda's blog and website...
http://blog.madhungry.com/

Pineapple Upside-down Cake
1 1/3 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 TSP baking powder
1/2 TSP salt
1/4 cup oil
3/4 cup milk
1 TSP vanilla
1 egg
1 lime
Pineapple (fresh or canned )
1/2 stick butter
1/2 cup brown sugar

Directions:
Turn oven to 350*
1. Whisk dry ingredients
2. Add oil and milk into dry ingredients and hand whisk
3. Add vanilla and egg and hand whisk
4. Grate the rind of one lime and then juice whole lime into batter, mix well dissolving any lumps
5. Melt 1/2 stick butter into a medium-sized (9x9 pan or cast iron skillet) pan and mix in brown sugar evenly
6. Place pineapple slices in bottom of pan and pour pecans on top
7. Pour and spread batter out evenly onto top of pineapple
Bake for 45 minutes and flip onto plate while still hot

*Not the most attractive picture but I had to bring it to my grandmother's for dinner.

Bye Bye Birthday, See Ya Next Year!

It is a well known fact that I celebrate my birthday for a whole week during the month of August. It's a good thing too because my parents are divorced, my grandmother raised me, and now I am (almost) married myself with a family. I don't know how good you are at math but that means roughly 4-5 lunch/dinners and more than my fair share of cake. It just so happens that Bryan's birthday is 10 days after mine. This means I basically celebrate birthdays for 2 whole weeks!

Generally I would love this. BUT being that I am trying to drop 20 large ones, it has been a struggle. I feel like I have taken about 10 steps back. We have gone out to eat 5 or 6 times and had dinner cooked for us numerous times as well. I am so happy to get back into eating healthy and exercising. I got lots of makeup work to do!

Bryan's birthday was a success. He loved the pictures I had made for him, but how could he not?! Anything that has that sweet little face on it is the best present ever. I attempted to make him a golf-themed cake, and while I am not disappointed in the final outcome, it did not quite look how I thought it would. I told Bryan not to laugh because it looked like a five year old had made it. He told me that it would have to be a pretty talented five year old;). He's great though and he would never tell me he didn't like it or make fun of it.

Maybe next year's golf-themed cake will turn out better than the last:). I think it's safe to say I will never be a professional baker!

Birthday Week

Another year has come and gone and I am just thankful it has. I thought I would be anxious about entering my mid-20's but really I am more concerned about getting this dang baby weight off. I could go on for paragraphs but I'll spare you the bitching and moaning. For now anyways. I had a great birthday week and the best part is that it's not over yet!

To kick off my birthday Bryan took my to Saul Good on Friday for lunch. We had a great lunch (as I blogged below) and I cannot wait to return. Bryan had a golf tournament all weekend so we really didn't do much.

Meemaw left to go camping on Sunday morning in the Great Smoky Mountains, and I had told her we would join her for a night. Bryan made sure to have a short day on Monday and we left that afternoon. Though I was upset because we ended up leaving later than planned we still got there with enough day light to set up the tent and enjoy the mountain stream.

As a child we went camping most summers up until I was about 12. Then we stopped. I think we stopped because my Great-grandfather got sick, but I have been eager to continue this camping tradition for years. We even reserved a spot at the same campsite we camped at when I was young; a beautiful little site called Elkmont. It is about 6 miles up in the Smokies from downtown Gatlinburg. We had lots of fun hanging out and cooking s'mores over the fire. I bit off more than I could chew by making breakfast the next morning over the campfire. I'm not talking any breakfast, I'm talking eggs, bacon, and pancakes. FYI: cooking pancakes over a campfire is a disaster. I still got it done though and everyone seemed to enjoy it.

We went on a fun little nature hike that afternoon before we left and found the most beautiful old cabin. It had a 2-story tall stone fireplace and was right on the mountain stream. The place hadn't had anyone living in it for years though. It was a shell of a once beautiful house. It actually made me sad that someone had to give this gem up. You would have to drag my dead body outta there! No one has been allowed to reside in the state park since the late 80's, early 90's. Anyone still living there after a certain date had be removed legally.
*I have pictures of the house I promise I'll post soon. I am having trouble d/l'ing them from my email to my MacBook.

On Wednesday Bryan took me to Carrabba's for my birthday dinner. His sister, Kristin, and her boyfriend, David, joined us for the feast. To my delight Wednesday is $10 off bottles of wine and sangria. We took advantage of this deal and shared a pitcher of yummy red sangria. I ordered the pesto basil salmon and he had a sirloin marsala and Chicken Bryan combo. I usually order the Chicken Trio, but I was trying to be healthy(er) by ordering the salmon. Bryan said his meal was one of the best he had ever had and I was pretty satisfied with mine. We skipped dessert so that we could go home and grub on leftover ice cream cake that his parents had gotten me for my birthday.

(Those DANG maternity jeans make yet another appearance)

I wanted to post some recipes in my blog this week but I haven't cooked one time yet! I even had to put some meat BACK in the freezer so that it wouldn't go bad. I'll be back at it next week though. I am going to start making my own baby food tomorrow so I'll let you know how that goes and I'll post some recipes and how-to's. My little guy seems to be picky so wish me luck!

I wanna Happy Meal mom!

It's Saul Good

Last Friday as an early birthday lunch Bryan took me to Saul Good Restaurant and Pub. I had dinned there a few years a go when it first opened and I was not very impressed with what I got and it has taken me a few years to try it again and boy am I glad I did! It was delish!

I'm all for second chances. I figure I gave Bryan a second chance and he turned out to be awesome the second time around so giving Saul Good a second chance was the least I could do. Plus their zebra pring awning is pretty cute. I love restaurants that are privately owned and not chains. There are only a few here Lexington compared to other larger cities. Saul Good is one of the few that aren't chains.

Their menu is quite unique for the Lexington, Kentucky palate. As I stated before Lexington is over-saturated with chain restaurants. I have nothing against chain restaurants. Carrabba's and Bonefish happen to be two of my favorite, but nothing can beat a great little privately-owned spot. Their menu is made up of an eclectic take on dishes, such as the southern chicken and waffles and Parisian pizza. You can find chocolate popcorn and fondue on their dessert menu. Their steak and beer cheese nachos are a must-try for my next visit.

We shared the Saul Meat pizza, Buffalo Chicken appetizer, and their yummy White chocolate cheesecake. The pizza was amazing. It had bits of pepperoni, sausage, tomato sauce on a thin crust. I am a HUGE buffalo anything fan. Put buffalo sauce on it and I will most likely devour it. So naturally we chose their buffalo chicken appetizer. I really enjoyed the taste of the sauce and it wasn't too hot so it could appeal to a palate that wasn't a fan of spicy hot foods. I pretty much let him chose the cheesecake. I figured I am not a big white chocolate fan so I would be safe with a bite or 2. I was wrong. It was so creamy and delicious that I think I ate more than he did.

All-in-all I was satisfied with our meal and will definitely return and very soon. I know a lot of people in the area have already been here, but if you  haven't it's a place you should add to your list.