For some reason last week was extremely busy and necessitated that I use my faithful friend, the crockpot. I do love a crockpot for ease and convenience. I made two great meals that will definitely get added to my normal rotation. I've been really pleased with how well the family has adjusted to the new way of eating. The recipes this week can be mixed and matched with the other pieces. Eat your meatballs in a pita or serve spaghetti squash with ribs. The sky is the limit with this week's meals.
With up coming bad weather headed our way, I've also planned to try some new recipes to cure some craving from my old eating habits.
I would also like to encourage all of you to really try something new this week. Whether it's using your crockpot to cooking a new veggie this week, break out of that boring routine. Trying new things is proven to help you lose weight and make you a more interesting person. If variety is the spice of life, how spicy are you?
Ribs in the Crockpot
Yes, you read that correctly. I made a classic favorite in the crockpot. These are fall off the bone, "slap your grandmama" good. I used my BBQ sauce recipe. I found that store bought ones will burn because of all of the sugar. I also made coleslaw and brussel sprouts as the sides. Super easy.
1 recipe of BBQ sauce
2 racks of baby back ribs, or your favorite kind
So this is it. Line your crockpot with a crockpot liner. This cuts out the messy cleaning part that I don't like about the crockpot. Put in ribs. Top with all but 3/4 cup of sauce. Cook on low 8 hours.
Salsa Chicken with Homemade Pitas
This is so yummy and the pitas make a great make ahead item for school lunches. They take almost no hands on time. If you've never tried making your own bread, this is a gateway drug.
3 cups prepared salsa
2-3 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Place all ingredients in the crockpot and cook for 7-8 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high. Shred chicken with a couple of forks.
Whole Wheat Pitas
Just one note, it will take over an hour and half from start to finish. It's only 10 minutes of actual cooking.
1 1/4 cup really warm water from the tap
1 tsp. salt
3-3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
In your stand mixer bowl, put in yeast and pour water over it. Let it sit for 5 minutes until frothy. Add salt and 1 1/2 cups of flour and mix on low with the dough hook until it turns into a batter. Add additional flour until the dough begins to pull away from the bowl. Mix on low speed for 8 minutes. It will begin to look really smooth. If this doesn't happen, add a little more flour.
Flour a work surface and turn dough onto it. Divide into 10 equal pieces. It really could be any number; I just like the size of these. Roll the dough into balls and flatten to 1/4 inch with rolling pin or glass. Don't make it too thin or they won't rise right. Let them rest on a couple sheets of parchment paper for 30-40 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Flip the pitas over so the flat side will be on top. Bake for 10 minutes. Flip pitas and cook for 5-10 more minutes until puffed and golden brown. Keep them in a food storage bag for a couple days or freeze.
Ranch Dressing
I made this to use on a cabbage salad I served with the salsa chicken. It's so good, I'll never buy store bought again. I love chipotle but you can omit it if your family is not big on spicy foods.
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup buttermilk, or more to thin
1/4 cup chive, minced
1/4 cup dill, minced
2 tsp. chipotle peppers, pureed in a food processor
salt and pepper
In a jar with a lid, combine all ingredients. Shake vigorously! Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Thin with more buttermilk if needed.
Meatballs
These are so easy and are easy to double or triple the recipe for freezing. These can be cooked in the crockpot, baked, or pan fried. This is perfect for when lean ground meat is on sale.
1 1/2 lbs. lean ground beef, chicken, bison, or venison
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
1 tsp. dried parsley
1 tsp. italian seasoning, or oregano
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 egg, beaten
Mix ingredients until just combined. Using a small scoop, make balls about the size of your eyeball or one inch. To freeze, place them on a cookie sheet and place in the freezer for an hour. Remove and put into freezer bags. Don't forget to label the bag with the directions.
To bake: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake on a rimmed cookie sheet for 20-25 minutes.
To fry: Heat oven to 400 degrees. Heat cast iron skillet to medium high heat. Put a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in pan. Brown meatballs in skillet. Put entire pan in the oven to finish cooking, about 10 minutes.
Crockpot: Place 2 jars of marinara sauce in the crockpot. Put in meatballs, either thawed or frozen. Heat on low 8 hours or high for 4 hours. Serve over pasta.
Spaghetti Squash
This is a great alternative to eating white pasta with a meal. It's really easy to make and tastes great.
2 spaghetti squash, halved and seeded
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
parmesan cheese
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line an oven tray with aluminum foil. Season the spaghetti squash with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place flesh side down and roast for 30 to 40 minutes until fully cooked. Remove from the oven and let rest until cool enough to handle. Using two forks, shred the squash. Sprinkle with cheese and serve with meatballs and sauce. Yum!
I hope you are prepared for whatever weather is coming your way. I know that my house is stocked with good eating options and plenty of milk.
With a full crockpot and a clean kitchen,
Brooke
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