Carrots, Lettuce, Peppers Oh My! March 7-Mach 11th

Carrots, Lettuce, Peppers Oh My!

This week I only added a share of carrots to my box.  We enjoy eating fresh carrots throughout the year in our meals and dishes and what better way then to blanch and freeze for later use, farm fresh carrots!

My box consisted of:

• carrots
• green peppers
• bibb lettuce
• strawberries
• clementines
• yellow squash

I never defrosted during the week a freezer crock pot meal instead I made something else for dinner and treated the family to a church fish fry rather than making chicken pot pie.

The strawberries and clementines are quickly disappearing as sweet snacks and toppings for breakfast pancakes and yogurts. As mentioned above I will be blanching and freezing the carrots for later use.

Friday March 7-  Church fish fry was our dinner.

Saturday, March 8-  With the arrival of Spring weather I am grilling hamburgers and hotdogs served with fresh sliced tomatoes from last weeks box, clementines and garnished with bibb lettuce.  I also serve up either some beans or pasta salad.  And some garlic and olive oil grilled squash.

Sunday, March 9-  I NEED room in my freezer and I foresee another beautiful day "playing" outside.  So what better solution to not wanting to be trapped in the kitchen and making room in my freezer then with a crock pot meal?  Chicken Thighs with Sweet Potatoes

Crock-Pot Chicken Sweet Potatoes

• 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• 3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 cup peach preserves OR apricot preserves
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• ½ cup chicken broth or water
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

1. Sprinkle chicken with salt, cayenne pepper, paprika, curry powder, and ginger. Add peach preserves, vinegar, and soy sauce to gallon freezer bag. Add in sweet potatoes and onion, and top with chicken. Seal bag and place in freezer. When ready to use thaw in fridge overnight. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours until chicken is thoroughly cooked and sweet potatoes are tender when pierced with fork.
2. Combine chicken broth and cornstarch and mix well. Add to slow cooker. Cover and cook on high 10-15 minutes until sauce is thickened.

Monday, March 10-  With the first soccer practice of the evening tonight, I need simple and quick.  I'll make fajitas using the green peppers from my box.

Tuesday, March 11-  I will make fish tacos using the bibb lettuce roughly cut in place of the slaw. 

Fish Tacos  WW Pts: 9

Marinade

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 teaspoons lime zest
• 1 1/2 teaspoons honey
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon seafood seasoning, such as Old Bay™
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce, or to taste
• 1 pound cod, cut into chunks

Dressing

• 1 (8 ounce) container light sour cream
• 1/2 cup adobo sauce from chipotle peppers
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (I might reduce to 1 tbspn)
• 2 teaspoons lime zest
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon seafood seasoning, such as Old Bay™
• salt and pepper to taste

• Chopped Cilantro
• packaged cole slaw mix
• 1 (10 ounce) package tortillas
• 3 ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced

Directions

1. To make the marinade, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, lime juice, lime zest, honey, garlic, cumin, chili powder, seafood seasoning, black pepper, and hot sauce in a bowl until blended. Place the fish in a shallow dish, and pour the marinade over the fish. Cover, and refrigerate 6 to 8 hours.
2. To make the dressing, combine the sour cream and adobo sauce in a bowl. Stir in the lime juice, lime zest, cumin, chili powder, seafood seasoning. Add salt, and pepper in desired amounts. Cover, and refrigerate until needed.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Bake fish in preheated oven until it easily flakes with a fork, 9 to 11 minutes. (Fish can also be grilled)
4. Assemble tacos by placing fish pieces in the center of tortillas with desired amounts of tomatoes, cilantro, and slaw; drizzle with dressing.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 416 * Total Fat: 19.2g * Cholesterol: 43mg * Sodium: 709mg * Total Carbs: 38.5g * Dietary Fiber: 6g * Protein: 22.6g

Jan 13-18

Monday, Jan. 13-  This evening I made frozen potato encrusted cod along with Trader Joe sweet potato tots and a garden salad.  I must say for frozen fish it was awesome!

Tuesday, Jan. 14- This evening I used Campbells Skillet Sauces, scampi, to prepare shrimp scampi served over angel hair pasta and sliced bread.  It was a simple yet tasty meal.

Wednesday, Jan. 15-  I defrosted one of the crock pot freezer meals prepared earlier to make for dinner tonight. 

Crock-Pot Cheesy Chicken Potato & Broccoli

• 2-4 chicken breasts
• 1 large green pepper, chopped
• 2 cups broccoli, chopped
• 1 lb. red potatoes, sliced thin
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley – (I used dried parsley)
•  ¼lb. (4 oz.) VELVEETA®, cut into ½-inch cubes

1. Add all ingredients except for cheese in a gallon freezer bag. Seal bag and place in freezer. When ready to use thaw in fridge overnight. Cook 8 hours low. Add cheese and cook on high for 5 minutes. Stir melted cheese in.

Thursday, Jan. 16-  I am thinking tortillini served in a pink sauce and a garden salad for dinner this evening.  Simple but enjoyed by the whole family!

Friday, Jan. 17-  I plan to oven bake some pork chops most likely season with Shake N Bake served along side roasted garlic red potatoes (diced red potatoes drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with Tastefully Simple's Garlic Garlic)


Saturday, Jan. 18-  With the purchase of a new deep fryer, we are eargerly anticipating Beer Battered Fish most likely served with fries and a salad.
Alton Brown's Beer Battered Fish

2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Dash Old Bay Seasoning
1 bottle brown beer, cold
1 1/2 pounds firm-fleshed whitefish (tilapia, pollock, cod), cut into 1-ounce strips
Cornstarch, for dredging
 

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, cayenne pepper, and Old Bay seasoning. Whisk in the beer until the batter is completely smooth and free of any lumps. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Note: The batter can be made up to 1 hour ahead of time. 

 

Bring oil to 350 degrees. Lightly dredge fish strips in cornstarch. Working in small batches, dip the fish into batter and immerse into hot oil.  Drain the fish on the roasting rack. Serve with malt vinegar.

Freezer Crock Pot Meals

Freezer Crock Pot Meals
There seems to be more crock pot recipes floating online in addition to to these recipes and using the crock pot as a means to make healthy and delicious meals with little time, these recipes are being used to make freezer meals.  The idea is to take one afternoon and prepare a number of meals to freeze.  Then the night before you defrost the packaged meal in the fridge and throw into your crock pot the next morning.  And viola, you have a delicious meal at the end of a busy day with no fuss!  I decided to try this out with the recipes below.  All these recipes were found online and are not my original recipes.  **some of the recipes don’t have specific crockpot instructions – cook on low for 6-8 hours**

I have 2 maple glazed recipes and 2 honey garlic recipes listed, I plan on making only one of each of them but wanted to share both.  Some of the meals could be served over rice, noodles, or in enchiladas/burrito wrappers a few seem to be a full meal in itself.  Most of the recipes don't require browning the meat and I have been told even if it does you don't have to do this step.  Therefore, I plan on doing all the slicing, dicing, cutting and measuring.  Then place them into gallon sized zip loc bags labeled with the recipe name and crock pot instructions. 
If you try these please leave a comment as to your thoughts.  Or if you have other freezer/crock pot meals to share please do! 

Crock Pot Sweet & Sour Meatballs

• 1 (16oz) pkg frozen fully cooked meatballs
• 1 onion – diced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 (16-18oz) bottle sweet & sour sauce
• 1 cup pineapple tidbits, drained

1. Place the frozen meatballs, peppers, onions & sweet and sour sauce into a gallon-sized freezer bag. Zip close & place in freezer. When ready to use thaw in fridge overnight. Empty contents into crock-pot and cook on low 4 hours, during the last hour add in the pineapple.
2. Serve over rice.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 6 

Crock-Pot Chicken Sweet Potatoes 

• 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• 3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 cup peach preserves OR apricot preserves
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• ½ cup chicken broth or water
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch

1. Sprinkle chicken with salt, cayenne pepper, paprika, curry powder, and ginger. Add peach preserves, vinegar, and soy sauce to gallon freezer bag. Add in sweet potatoes and onion, and top with chicken. Seal bag and place in freezer. When ready to use thaw in fridge overnight. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours until chicken is thoroughly cooked and sweet potatoes are tender when pierced with fork.
2. Combine chicken broth and cornstarch and mix well. Add to slow cooker. Cover and cook on high 10-15 minutes until sauce is thickened

 Maple Dijon Glazed Chicken

• 4-6 chicken breasts
• 1 cup Dijon mustard
• ½ cup maple syrup
• 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
• Salt & Pepper (optional)

1. Place all ingredients in a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag.
2. Mix together and close.
3. When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge overnight. Cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4 hours.

Crock Pot Maple Dijon Chicken Thighs

• 6-8 Chicken thighs
• 1/2 C Dijon Mustard
• 1/4 C Maple Syrup
• 1 T Rice Wine Vinegar
• 1 can of Sliced Mushrooms, drained*
• 1 onion sliced*

1. Spray crock pot with non-stick cooking spray
2. Place chicken in crock pot
3. Mix together mustard, syrup, vinegar and pour over chicken
4. Top with mushrooms and sliced onion
5. Cook on low for 6 hours

Crock-Pot Cheesy Chicken Potato & Broccoli

• 2-4 chicken breasts
• 1 large green pepper, chopped
• 2 cups broccoli, chopped
• 1 lb. red potatoes, sliced thin
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
• ¼lb. (4 oz.) VELVEETA®, cut into ½-inch cubes
• 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley – (I used dried parsley)

1. Add all ingredients except for cheese in a gallon freezer bag. Seal bag and place in freezer. When ready to use thaw in fridge overnight. Cook 6 hours low. Add cheese and cook on high for 5 minutes. Stir melted cheese in

Crock-Pot Honey Garlic Chicken

• 2-4 Chicken Breasts
• 3 Garlic Cloves, smashed and chopped
• 1 Teaspoon Dried Basil
• ½ cup Soy Sauce
• ½ cup Ketchup
• ⅓ cup Honey
• 2 cups carrots (or choice of veggie)

1. Place all ingredients in gallon size ziplock. Seal bag and place in freezer. Thaw overnight in fridge. Cook on high for 3-4 hours.

Crock-pot Honey Garlic Chicken

• Chicken ( I used 3 leg quarters and 2 drumsticks so all the kids wouldn't fight over the drumsticks)
• 5 garlic cloves chopped
• 1 tsp. oregano
• 3/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/2 cup spicy honey bbq sauce
• 1/3 cup honey
• pinch of salt
• dash of pepper

1. Place Chicken in crock-pot.
2. Mix spices, soy sauce, ketchup, bbq sauce, and honey. Pour over chicken.
3. Cook on low 6 hours.
4. I split the leg quarters but you don't have to.

Crock Pot Sesame Honey Chicken  Servings: 8 • Serving Size: over 2/3 cup  Old Pts: 4  Calories: 185.5 • Fat: 2 g • Protein: 27 g • Carbs: 13.5 g • Fiber: 0.7 g • Sugar: 10 g Sodium: 504 mg

• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
• black pepper, to taste
• 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce (tamari for gluten-free)
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp water
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp sriracha hot chili sauce, or more to taste
• 1 heaping tbsp cornstarch
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 tbsp sesame seeds
• 2 medium scallions, chopped for garnish
  
  Place the chicken in the slow cooker and season with black pepper. In a medium bowl, combine soy sauce, honey, tomato paste, vinegar, garlic, 1 tbsp water, sesame oil, onion powder and sriracha hot chili sauce. Pour over chicken and cook on LOW 3-4 hours.

Remove chicken, leaving the sauce in the slow cooker. Shred chicken with two forks; set aside.

In a small bowl, dissolve cornstarch in remaining 1/4 cup water; add to the slow cooker and stir to combine. Cover and cook on HIGH until slightly thickened, about 15 to 20 minutes; return chicken to the slow cooker and mix well.

Serve chicken and sauce over rice and top with sesame seeds and chopped scallions for garnish.

Crockpot Applesauce BBQ Chicken

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 t ground pepper
• 2/3 cup chunky applesauce
• 2/3 cup BBQ sauce (I used Brown Sugar/Hickory)
• 2 T brown sugar
• 1 t chili powder

1. Spray Crockpot with non-stick cooking spray, or use a Crockpot liner for easy clean-up.
2. Place chicken breasts on bottom.
3. Mix all remaining ingredients together, and pour over chicken.
4. Cook 6-8 hours on low setting. Serves 4.

Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken

• 6 chicken breasts
• 3 Tbs olive oil
• 2 limes, juiced
• 2 cups cilantro
• 1 large bag of frozen corn
• 4 minced garlic cloves
• 1 finely chopped red onion
• 2 cans of black beans, rinsed
• 2 t cumin
• 2 t chipotle powder
• salt/pepper to taste

1. Split everything evenly into two large freezer bags.
2. Close bags, label and give a good shake to get everything mixed. Place in freezer until ready to prepare.
3. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours, serve with hot tortillas or tostitos. Dress with sour cream, guacamole, and/or cheese

Easiest Crock Pot Chicken Salsa Verde Servings: 6 • Size: 1/2 cup • Old Points: 3 • Calories: 145 • Fat: 2 g • Carb: 5 g • Fiber: 0 g • Protein: 26 g • Sugar: 0 g Sodium: 415 mg (without the salt) • Cholest: 0 mg

• 1 1/2 lbs raw skinless chicken tenders
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp oregano
• 1/8 tsp ground cumin
• salt, to taste
• 16 oz roasted salsa verde (I used Archer Farms)
  
  Season chicken with garlic powder, oregano, cumin and salt and place in the bottom of the slow cooker. Cover with salsa verde, cover and cook HIGH 2 hours.

Remove chicken, shred with 2 forks. Remove 2/3 cup of liquid from the slow cooker, and discard (unless you want it over rice). Place shredded chicken back into the crock pot with remaining salsa, adjust seasoning to taste if needed and keep warm.
Makes about 3 cups.

Chunky Beef Stew

Yield: 4 servings

• 1 lb stewing beef
• 2 T olive oil
• 4 c beef stock
• 1 c chopped onion
• 1 c chopped celery
• 3 peeled and chopped carrots
• 2 white potatoes
• 1 28oz can diced tomatoes
• ½ t rosemary
• ½ t thyme

1. Brown the beef and vegetables in a pot with some olive oil before tossing into the slow cooker
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook on low for 6 hours or until meat is tender
3. Season to taste and serve

Slow Cooker Pork and Green Chile Stew
Servings: 6 • Serving Size: little over 3/4 cup • Old Points: 6 pts • Calories: 253 • Fat: 9 g • Carbs: 5.5 g • Fiber: 0.5 g • Protein: 33 g • Sugar: 1.5 g Sodium: 836 mg (without salt)

• 
2 lbs* boneless pork loin roast, lean, all fat trimmed off
• salt and pepper to taste
• cooking spray
• 2 tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour
• 
3/4 cup diced onion
• 2 cans (4.25 oz each) whole green chiles, sliced into thick rounds
• 2 tbsp chopped jalapeño, or more to taste

• 10 oz can diced tomatoes and green chilies (Ro*Tel Mild)

• 1/2 cup fat-free low-sodium chicken broth
• 
1 tbsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

• salt and fresh ground black pepper, to taste

  
  Cut pork into 2-inch pieces. Season with salt and pepper.
  Heat a large non-stick skillet on high heat; when hot lightly spray the pan with oil and brown the pork over medium heat on all sides, about 3 - 4 minutes total. Sprinkle 1 tbsp of flour over pork and stir to cook 30 seconds, sprinkle remaining flour over pork and cook an additional 30 seconds.
  Add browned pork to the crock pot, along with the remaining ingredients.
  Cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 4 houts (if using a Dutch oven, cook on low heat for 3-4 hours). When done, adjust season, salt and pepper to taste if needed.
  
  Makes about 5 cups.