potato corn chowder

Substitutions noted.

Slow Cooker Corn and Potato Chowder Ingredients:

• 8 ounces (1/2 pound) bacon, cooked until crispy and crumbled (Canadian bacon, much leaner and way less than half a pound, just a few slices)
• 2 1/2 pounds Russet potatoes (approximately 5 medium sized potatoes), NOT peeled, diced in 1/4 inch cubes
• 8 cups (about 2 pounds) kernel corn (I used frozen)
• 1 medium/large sweet yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 6 - 8 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoned salt (my favorite is Aunt Cora's)
• 32 ounces (4 cups) chicken stock
• 16 ounces (2 cups) half & half or heavy cream (Fat Free 1/2 and 1/2)
• salt & pepper

Slow Cooker Corn and Potato Chowder Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients EXCEPT half & half in the slow cooker.
2. Cook on low for 10 hours or high for 6 hours.
3. Blend about 1/2 half the soup using an immersion blender (or just scoop it into your upright blender then return to slow cooker).
4. Add half & half or heavy cream and continue cooking, uncovered, for about another 15 minutes, until heated through. Salt and pepper to taste.
5. Serve and enjoy!

Winter Squash Soup

2-2 1/2 pounds of winter squash. (I used the pre-cooked  packages in the frozen veggie section, which eliminates the prep and steaming)
4 teaspoons of olive oil
1 slice canadian bacon, chopped up ( I used three)
1 onion, chopped
3 cups low sodium broth
4 teaspoons fresh sage or 1 teaspoon dried.

If using fresh squash, peel, cube and then steam for 15 minutes
Heat oil over medium, saute onion and bacon until onion is light golden, approx. 5 minutes.
Add squash and broth, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15. Use food processor or hand blender to puree, add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with sage sprinkled on top (optional).

Pork Cacciatore

2 cups crushed tomatoes
1- 12 ounce pkg of mushrooms
1/4 dry white wine ( I omitted this and thought it turned out fine)
2 garlic cloves
2 Tablespoons of flour
 1. teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
 1/4 red pepper flakes
1 pound pork tenderloin (cut into one inch cubes)

Combine tomatoes garlic, mushrooms, and whine in slow cooker.  Mix flour, oregano, salt and red pepper flakes in a bowl. coat pork cubes in mixture, then add to slow cooker.

4-6 hours on high
8-12 on low

you may want to cook up some rice or quinoa. I've tried both and bother are delicious and add a little heartiness.

salsa chicken

Salsa Chicken (Slow Cooker)

I know this dish probably doesn't look that appetizing but you have trust me on this one. In fact, I think you should bookmark this page if you like the following: chicken, Mexican flavors and your slow-cooker. This is the very popular (at least in the food blog world) SALSA CHICKEN!

Who knew chicken breasts + can of cream of chicken soup+ taco seasonings + sour cream could be so good. I know I sure didn't. I had seen this recipe so many times but it just did not sound that appealing. Of course, everyone raved about it, hence it's popularity.


Well, I'm so glad I tried it too b/c it really is so tasty....and easy!! If you have already made this dish, please feel free to leave your review below. THANKS!

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts 
1 can cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup (I used the 98% fat free cream of chicken) 
1 cup salsa 
1 package taco seasoning (I didn't have any so Ijust threw in some salt, cumin,paprika, crushed pepers and minced onions)
1 cup sour cream  (
cilantro, for serving (optional) (I also added a little shredded cheddar-jack, black beans and scallion on top)

Directions: 

Put chicken, soup, and salsa in slow cooker. Sprinkle taco seasoning over everything. Cook on low for 6 hours. If shredding the chicken, pull the breasts out and shred; return back to slow cooker. Stir in sour cream and heat just until everything is combined.

Source: Fake Ginger

* I didn't read all the directions and put the sour cream in with everything else. We'll see how it turn out. I'm going to pick up some steamed rice on the way home.

Italian Layered Vegetable Casserole

I'm making this as I type (I'm microwaving the eggplant) except with a  couple of modifications (mostly cuz I am lazy and wanted to use the pasta sauce we already had).  Instead of tofu or bean filling, I used fat free ricotta. I also will add a bit of baby spinach and some fat free mozzarella. I guess you could say that instead of veganizing something I guess I did the inverse, I violated it. Sorry, only V word I could think of. 

BUT, it's still pretty nonfat ( not from the cheese additions but the pre-made pasta sauce contained a few grams of fat).

Italian Layered Vegetable Casserole

From http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2009/05/italian-layered-vegetable-casserole.html

Ingredients

• 2 medium eggplants
• 1 large or 2 medium zucchini, sliced thinly (or 2-4 cups sliced vegetables of your choice, such as mushrooms)
• chopped parsley, garnish

Sauce (or use 28 ounces of prepared pasta sauce):

• 1/2 small onion, minced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon sugar or other sweetener (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

Creamy Bean Filling (or use tofu filling from this recipe):

• 1 15-ounce can great northern beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• 1 cup spinach, firmly packed

Instructions

Peel the eggplants, if desired (this makes the casserole easier to cut). Cut into 1/4-inch slices. Pre-cook the slices until they are partially dehydrated:

• To microwave, cover the bottom of the microwave with two layers of paper towels. Place eggplant slices in a single layer and cook on high power for 8-10 minutes, until reduced in size and beginning to shrivel. Repeat with remaining eggplant.
• To pre-cook in the oven, place on a silicone baking mat or parchment-covered baking sheet. Bake at 450 F until slices are shriveled but not brown or crispy.

Remove immediately from paper towels or baking sheet and place on a plate.

While the eggplant is cooking, prepare the sauce, if you’re making it from scratch. Sauté the onion in a non-stick skillet until softened; add the garlic and cook for another minute. Set aside. Remove 1/2 cup of the diced tomatoes and set aside. Put remaining tomatoes and sauce ingredients into blender and blend until smooth. Add reserved tomatoes and onions to blender and stir to combine (do not blend).

Prepare the filling by placing all ingredients into a food processor and processing until smooth.

Preheat oven to 425. Spray a mid-sized rectangular casserole dish (I used 11×7-inch) with canola oil or non-stick spray. Put a thin layer of sauce in the bottom of the dish–just barely enough to cover the bottom. Arrange 1/3 of the eggplant slices over the sauce. Spread 1/2 of the bean filling over the eggplant, and put half of the zucchini or other vegetables over the filling. Drizzle lightly with sauce. Repeat eggplant, filling, zucchini, and sauce. Place the final layer of eggplant over the top, and pour the remaining sauce evenly over it, spreading it to cover the eggplant completely.

Bake uncovered for about 30 minutes. Check to make sure that zucchini is cooked and sauce has thickened; if not, add more time. Remove when done and allow to sit for a few minutes before serving. Sprinkle with chopped parsley as garnish.

Preparation time: 15 minute(s)

Cooking time: 30 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 6

Makes 6 servings. Per serving: 172 Calories (kcal); 1g Total Fat; (5% calories from fat); 10g Protein; 35g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 424mg Sodium; 10g Fiber. Weight Watchers Core/3 Points.

With tofu filling: 183 Calories (kcal); 5g Total Fat; (22% calories from fat); 14g Protein; 24g Carbohydrate; 0mg Cholesterol; 452mg Sodium; 10g Fiber. Weight Watchers Core/3 Points.

Frito Pie

Ingredients

	96 piece(s) Fritos Original Corn Chips, layered on top
	6 serving(s) Ranch Style Beans  (2 smaller cans)
	1 cup(s) Kraft 2% milk reduced-fat shredded mozzarella cheese

Instructions

layer beans, chips and cheese in a square casserole dish. Heat on 400 for about 20 minutes or until cheese is melted,  According to WW, one serving is 10 points, but the servings are pretty big because I divided the recipe for four servings. And yes, I literally counted out 96 Fritos. 1 serving=32 chips.  

This is a pretty easy dish to make. If trying to convert for vegan/veggies folks, Ranch Style Brand Beans contain animal fat. So you'd have to find a brand that doesn't use animal fat or find a recipe to make them, which shouldn't be too hard. I about tried to find meat feer canned version but wasn't able to find one. So if anyone knows of one let me know. Also, some people make frito pie with chilli, so veggie/vegan chilli would work, but obviously would taste a little different. 

Note to self

Some things I (and maybe you?) need to try to remember, posted by weight watchers.


"Here we address the most common myths that undermine a healthy approach to weight loss — and offer tips to overcome them to achieve success.

- I'll get back on track on Monday/after the holidays/when the sun comes out
There's no day like today. If you slip, just pick up where you left off. Persistence works wonders.

- I shouldn't wear a bathing suit (shorts, a tank top) until I've lost all the weight
People of all different sizes and shapes enjoy sexy clothes. "When you love yourself, you start enjoying life," says Mandel. Seeing yourself through others' eyes in a harsh, critical way "is a surefire way to blow a weight-loss plan," says psychologist Debra Mandel, PhD, author of Healing the Sensitive Heart (Airleaf Publishing, 2005). Instead, she suggests, it's more effective to focus on developing a more loving relationship with your body. A study published in the Journal of Behavioral Medicine (Winter 1998) found that those who started out accepting their bodies were more than twice as likely to lose weight than those who felt dissatisfied or ashamed. Break big goals into smaller ones, and reward yourself along the way. Rather than saying, "I need to lose 25 pounds," say, "I'll buy a new swimsuit, one size smaller."

- The less I eat, the faster I'll lose
Wrong. "The less we eat, the slower our metabolism gets, and the slower we lose the weight," says Mandel. "Deprivation also makes us unhappy and actually causes us to overeat and overindulge." Increasing your caloric restriction in reasonable amounts can increase weight loss, but cutting back to an unrealistic intake will likely backfire. A slow and steady approach — including treating yourself to your favorite foods, in moderation — is your best bet for building a healthy relationship with food and reaching your long-term goals. "