Slow-Cooker Bacon-Ranch Chicken and Pasta

        Ingredients:

1  lb chicken breasts - I used at least 1.5 lbs.

6  slices bacon, cooked and diced - I used 3 

2 to 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1  package (1 oz) ranch dressing and seasoning mix

1  can (10.75 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup

1  cup sour cream

1/2  teaspoon pepper

1/2  cup water

8 oz. spaghetti, cooked - I used 14 0z. penne

Directions:

1. Spray 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray; place chicken breasts in cooker.

2.  In medium bowl, mix remaining ingredients except spaghetti. Pour over top of chicken.

3.  Cover; cook on Low heat setting 6 hours or on High heat setting 3 to 4 hours.

4.  When about 15 minutes are left, cook and drain spaghetti as directed on package.

5.  Just before serving, shred chicken with 2 forks, and toss creamy chicken mixture with cooked spaghetti.

Frozen Mamas:

Thaw the chicken mixture, put in crockpot and follow direction 3-5 above.  Feel free to spray the crockpot first, but you might not have to.  I gave more pasta than the recipe called for, so you may use it stretch out the meal or use about half the bag according to the recipe.

Adapted from Bettycrocker.com/recipes

Crockpot Potato Soup

Ingredients:
5 large baking potatoes, peel and cut into 1/2-inch dice
3/4 large yellow onion, chopped
32 oz. chicken broth
1/6 cup margarine
1 1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste)
3/4 teaspoon white pepper
1 cup half-and-half plus 1/4 cup fat-free half-and-half
1 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup bacon, cooked and crumbled
Directions:
1. Combine first six ingredients in a slow cooker.
2. Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 8 hours,until potatoes are tender.
3. Remove 1 1/2  cups of mixture and mash potatoes; return to cooker.
4. Add Half and Half and cheese; mix well.
5. Heat thoroughly.
6. To serve: Top with dollop of sour cream, sprinkles of cooked bacon and more cheese, if desired.

Read more at: http://www.food.com/recipe/low-fat-loaded-baked-potato-soup-283271?oc=linkback
Frozen Mamas:
1. Cook potato/soup portion for 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.
2. Mash potatoes if you'd like a smoother consistency.
3. Add half-and-half and 1 cup of cheese - HEAT THOROUGHLY (could take 1/2 hour or longer)
4. Serve with rest of shredded cheese and bacon (both provided) and chives and sour cream.

I added another half of the recipe from the original on food.com to make sure there would be enough per family.  I also made the recipe with full flavor (fat) ingredients, except for 1/4 cup of fat-free half-and-half.  We had this Christmas Eve and everyone loved it, just make sure it's heated all the way before serving.

Thai Chicken (Crockpot)

Ingredients:
8 skinless chicken thighs
1 cup salsa
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. lime juice
2 tsp. grated ginger

Directions:
Place all the ingredients in a ziploc bag. Seal and freeze. To cook, empty into a slow cooker (while frozen), cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Serve over steamed rice, with chopped peanuts on top.

Frozen Mamas:
Do not defrost. Empty into a slow cooker, cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Serve over steamed rice, with chopped peanuts on top. 

To cook rice, put rice in saucepan and add 3 cups of water, 1 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil and a pinch of salt. Place saucepan uncovered over high flame and bring to a boil. Stir occasionally. Let water reduce slightly and then lower the flame, place lid on the saucepan and simmer for 20 minutes. Do not remove cover while cooking. Fluff with fork and serve.

Crock Pot Taco Soup

1 (16 ounce) can pinto beans 1 (16 ounce) can white beans or 1 (16 ounce) can kidney beans 1 (11 ounce) can niblet corn 1 (11 ounce) can Rotel tomatoes & chilies 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes 1 (4 ounce) can diced green chilies 1 (1 1/4 ounce) envelope taco seasoning mix 1 (1 ounce) envelope hidden valley ranch dressing mix 1/2 lb shredded chicken, ground beef  Directions: Cook meat and drain, shred if needed.  Add all ingredients to crock pot. DO NOT DRAIN CANS.  Stir.  Cook on high for 2 hours or low for 4 hours. Keep on low until serving to keep hot.  Garnish with sour cream, shredded cheese, chopped green onions, or tortilla chips. Frozen Mamas: Thaw and stir.  Cook on high for 2 hours or low for 4 hours. Keep on low until serving to keep hot.  Garnish with sour cream, shredded cheese (provided) chopped green onions, or tortilla chips. Adapted from Lubie's recipe on Food.com.

Green Chile Pork

(From Jen)

2-3 lbs Pork sirloin tip roast
1 cup Salsa verde (green salsa)
1 TBSP Garlic, minced
1 cup Water

Combine all ingredients in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on high 6-8 hours or on low 10-12 hours until meat falls apart easily. Remove meat, shred and serve in flatbread, tortillas, or tacos. For those who want extra spicy meat, strain the cooking liquid remaining in the slow cooker so you are left with a broth that you can drizzle over the meat.

Freezer Kit
Bag 1 – Pork
Bag 2 – Salsa and garlic
Bag 3 – Uncooked flatbread Naan

Preparation of Freezer Kit
Thaw entire kit. Combine pork and salsa and 1 cup water in slow cooker. Cover and cook on high 6-8 hours or on low 10-12 hours until meat falls apart easily. Remove meat, shred, and serve in flatbread. For those who want extra spicy meat, strain the cooking liquid remaining in the slow cooker so you are left with a broth that you can drizzle over the meat.

Cooking Naan
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Remove naan from package and place on a baking sheet. Sprinkle naan lightly with water and place on middle of rack. Heat 2-3 minutes, serve hot. Even tastier when brushed with olive oil or melted butter.

Crockpot raspberry chicken

3 cups rice
6 cups water
6 chicken bullion cubes
Mix in crockpot

4 chicken breasts cut up ( I used tenders)
1/4 c dejion mustard
1 tsp ground ginger
12 oz raspberry jam
Mix together and add to rice in crockpot

Add 1 cup of pineapple chucks without juice (or just a little juice if you dont like pineapple chunks)

Cook on low 3 hours or until juices are absorbed and chicken is cooked to 170 degrees

Potato and Double Corn Chowder

1 bag (16 ounces) frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed (4 cups)
1 can (15.25 ounces) whole kernel corn, undrained
1 can (14.75 ounces) cream-style corn
1 can (12 ounces) fat-free evaporated milk
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
5-6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon pepper
In 3- to 4-quart slow cooker, mix all ingredients.
Cover; cook on Low heat setting 6 to 8 hours (or High heat setting 3 to 4 hours) to develop flavors.

Options: Sprinkle with cheese when ready to serve or serve with grilled sandwiches.

Apple Pork Chops with Stuffing

3 large unpeeled apples
4 pork chops
3/4 c sugar
2 T flour
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt

Cut apples into fourths and remove cores. Cut apples crosswise in half. Layer apples in crockpot. Coat chops with sugar mixture. Place pork on apples and sprinkle with remaining sugar mixture. Cook on low 8 to 9 hours.

FROZEN MAMAS: Thaw chops and apples. Place apples in crock pot, coat chops with sugar mix (small bag), place chops on apples and sprinkle remaining sugar mixture over all. Cook on low 8-9 hours. Prepare stuffing according to package. Serve togehter.

Creamy Chicken

• 5 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
• 1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup(can use cream of mushroom), undiluted
• 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
• 4 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled or 4 tablespoons real bacon bits

Place chicken in a crockpot. Combine soup and sour cream in a bowl; pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until chicken is tender. Sprinkle with bacon. Serve over rice or noodles

I gave you each two cups of rice to make in rice cooker or on the stove top.

*If you are cooking the chicken from frozen you may have to cook longer then 4-5 hours. I usually cook all day-(at least 6-7) on low when I cook from frozen. Also depends on your crockpot.

Chili for the crockpot

8 ounces Safeway italian sausage
2 cup (2 large) chopped onion
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2 14 1/2-ounce cans diced tomatoes
2 15-ounce cans dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 8-ounce cans tomato sauce
4-6 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dried basil, crushed
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Cook meat, onion, and garlic until meat is brown and onion is tender. Drain fat. In crockpot, combine meat mixture, undrained tomatoes, beans, tomato sauce, chili powder, basil and pepper. Cover; cook on low-heat setting for 8-10 hoursor on high-heatsetting for 4-5 hours.
Makes about 10 cups (8 main-dish servings).

Crock Pot Applesauce Chicken

Ingredients:

4 frozen chicken breast halves
1 1/2 c. applesauce
1 T. dried onion flakes (or 1 yellow onion, finely chopped)
1 T. apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. red peppar flakes, optional. (I did not add these to your meal, but they are provided if you would like the extra heat)

Mix all ingredients, except for the chicken. Place chicken in a crock pot and pour the mixture on top. Cover and cook on low for 5-7 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours.
Can serve with rice - or the veggies I provided.
from the blog: A year of Slow Cooking

Crockpot Chicken with Dijon Mustard

• 4 to 6 boneless chicken breast halves (I used frozen breasts)
• 3 tablespoons dijon mustard
• 1 can 98% fat-free cream of mushroom soup
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• dash black pepper

Preparation:

Wash chicken and pat dry; place in slow cooker. Combine remaining ingredients and spoon over the chicken. Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours.
Crock pot chicken Dijon serves 4-6

Serving suggestions: good served over rice, or noodles. (from website users)
I did forget to dash a few of the bags with black pepper sorry! (You may want to pepper yours!)

By Diana Rattray, About.com Guide