Crock pot recipes are super for busy days – just get it all together in the morning and leave it to cook for hours. This one is especially easy to prep and tastes just delicious !
Beef and Mushrooms (Crock Pot)
4 servings
215 calories per serving
1 lb. lean beef cut into stew sized pieces
1 can low fat cream of mushroom soup
1/2 c water
1 pack of dry onion soup mix
8 oz. fresh mushrooms
Brown meat in a skillet over medium high heat. Place meat in crock pot. Top with mushrooms. Make a sauce with the soup, water and onion soup. Pour over the meat and cook on low 5-6 hours.
The flavor from the sauce just explodes in your mouth – paired with sweet, low fat shrimp, it’s a combination made in heaven.
Shrimp with Spicy Sauce
4 servings
233 calories per serving
2 garlic cloves
1/2 c roasted red peppers, drained
1/4 c light mayonnaise
1/2 t salt, divided
1/8 t crushed red pepper
1 1/2 lb. shrimp
1/4 t fresh ground black pepper
Pam
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mince garlic in good processor. Add peppers, mayo, 1/4 t salt and red pepper. Process well. Rinse shrimp and pat dry. Sprinkle with the rest of the salt and black pepper. Spray a baking sheet with Pam and place shrimp in a single layer. Bake 7-8 minutes or until done. Spoon sauce onto a platter and plate shrimp and serve immediately.
Pepitas are raw, shelled pumpkin seeds. Roast with a bit of salt and butter for a GREAT snack.
Roasted Pepitas
6 servings
83 calories per serving
1 1/2 c raw whole pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
2 t butter, melted
Kosher salt to taste
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Toss seeds with butter and place on a large cookie sheet in a single layer. Sprinkle with salt. Bake 30 minutes or until golden brown.
You can taste the pepperoni in each and every bite and it makes this soup just a bit different from the usual minestrone. It’s a welcome change. All the veggies add up to a nice low cal soup that leaves plenty of calorie room open for adding a nice spoon of parmesan cheese 🙂
Very Veggie Minestrone
6 servings
206 calories per serving
1 T oil
1/2 c green bell peppers, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 c beef broth
3 c water
1 1/2 t oregano flakes
1 t thyme flakes
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t onion powder
2/3 c small pasta
1 lb. frozen mixed soup vegetables (including corn, peas, carrots, celery, onion), thawed and chopped
1 c frozen baby lima beans, thawed
15 oz. can diced tomatoes
1/2 c diced turkey pepperoni
3 c lightly packed escarole, rinsed and roughly chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 c chopped basil
Grated Parmesan cheese for garnish (not in calorie count above)
Heat oil in a soup pot. Saute peppers 3 minutes. Add garlic and saute another 30 seconds. Add broth, water and spices and bring to a boil then add pasta and cook according to package instructions minus 3 minutes. Mix veggies and beans and add to soup and bring back to a boil and cook 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, pepperoni, basil and escarole and simmer 3 minutes to wilt escarole. Garnish with cheese.
The layer of pesto mixed with spinach and mushrooms adds an incredible layer of flavor and also bulks up the recipe with more nutrition. This is a FANTASTIC lasagna recipe – lots of cheese, lots of flavor and the perfect comfort food.
Pesto Lasagna (Crock Pot)
8 servings
395 calories per serving
4 c spinach, chopped coarsely
3 T water
2 c sliced mushrooms
1/2 c prepared low fat pesto
3/4 c shredded low fat mozzarella cheese
3/4 c shredded provolone cheese
15 oz. fat free ricotta cheese
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 c grated parmesan cheese
25 oz. bottle marinara sauce
8 oz. tomato sauce
Salt and pepper
½ t garlic powder
Pam
9 oz. (12 noodles) no bake lasagna noodles
1/4 c packed basil leaves, chopped
Place spinach in a glass bowl with 3 T water. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave 3 minutes to wilt. Squeeze it dry in a colander then mix with mushrooms and pesto. Mix mozzarella, provolone, ricotta, ¼ c of parmesan and egg. Mix marinara sauce and tomato sauce with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Spray an oval crock pot with Pam. Place 1 c sauce in the bottom then place 3 noodles on top covering the bottom of the pan. Add 1 c of cheese and 1 c of spinach. Then start the layers again – – add sauce, noodles, then cheese and spinach. Finally end with a layer of noodles and spread the rest of the sauce over the top. Sprinkle with ½ c of parmesan and basil. Cover and cook on low 5-6 hours.
This turns out a creamy, delicious side dish that goes great with beef, chicken, pork or fish. The ranch dressing gives it a nice tang and an unexpected flavor.
Broccoli and Rice
8 servings
113 calories per serving
1 c Minute brown rice, uncooked
1 c fat free chicken broth
1 ½ c frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and drained (or you can use fresh)
2/3 c shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 c light ranch dressing
½ c egg beaters
Pam
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fix rice according to package instructions but use broth instead of water. Cool rice a bit and add in the rest of the ingredients. Spoon the mix into a casserole dish sprayed with Pam and bake 25 minutes or until browned.
Yup – my friend poured these in a bowl, added milk, and had them like cereal – they’re just that good. They are so crunchy, so sweet, so awesomely good !
PB and Chocolate Chex
36 servings
90 calories
9 cups crispy rice and corn cereal squares
1/2 c peanut butter
1 c semi sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 c confectioners’ sugar
Melt chocolate in a saucepan then add peanut butter and stir until smooth. Pour over cereal and mix well being careful to not crush the cereal. Work in batches adding sugar to a large zip loc bag then adding the cereal and shaking to coat. Store in an airtight container.
Cheesy, spicy without being hot, cheesy, filling, – oh, and did I say ‘cheesy’? 🙂 I don’t know what is better in this meal, the perfectly spiced pork chops with the cheesy sauce or the cheesy rice ! Why don’t you decide 🙂
Zesty Mexican Pork Chops
4 servings
390 calories per serving
1 lb. boneless pork chops
2 t chili powder
1 1/2 t ground cumin
Salt and pepper to taste
1 t oil
3/4 c white rice, uncooked
1 3/4 c water
1/2 c chunky salsa
3 oz. Velveeta 2 % cheese, cut into cubes
2 T chopped parsley
Sprinkle meat with cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Heat oil in a skillet and cook chops 5 minutes or just until browned on both sides. Remove to a plate and cover to keep warm. Add rice to skillet and cook 1 minute then add water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 16 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Stir in half of the salsa and half of the cheese and place the chops on top. Simmer 5 minutes. Melt the rest of the salsa and cheese together with the parsley in the microwave for 30 seconds then pour over meat and serve.
In Italian, Puttana means whore. Pasta Puttanesca is supposedly a dish often made by these working girls who had little time to cook. Puttanesca sauce is quick to make, full of a bit of this and a bit of that, and so entirely flavorful ! The bite in puttanesca usually comes from anchovies. In this dish, instead of serving the sauce over pasta, it is used as a condiment for fish. And instead of anchovies, the slight bite comes from the mustard coating on the fish. Super good ! This is actually better a few hours later after the sauce has time for the flavors to mingle.
Tilapia Puttanesca
4 servings
178 calories per serving
4 4 oz. tilapia filets
5 t Dijon mustard
1 T oil
1/2 c chopped onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
1/8 c Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
1/4 c black olives, chopped
1/4 c sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1/3 c chopped fresh parsley and basil
Brush mustard on fish. Heat oil in a skillet and cook fish 4 minutes per side or until done. Remove to a plate and keep warm. Add onions to skillet and brown for 6 minutes. Add garlic, tomatoes, dressing, olives, sun dried tomatoes and half of the parsley and basil. Cook 5 minutes then add the fish back to the pan and heat briefly. Serve with puttanesca over fish. Garnish with the remaining parsley and basil.
Heavy, filling and a great sandwich for a cold and blustery day. I think it works just as well as a breakfast sandwich as it does a lunch sandwich !
Ham and Bean Sandwich
1 serving
250 calories per serving
¼ c Egg Beaters
2 slices whole wheat toast
4 T white beans, mashed with salt and pepper and 1 t water and heated in the microwave one minute
4 slices very thin, lean baked deli ham
1 slice Kraft Singles cheese (American or cheddar)
Salt and pepper to taste
Pam
Heat skillet and spray with Pam. Scramble egg beaters or make a little circle out of them so they stay on the bread nicely.
Here’s a quick video to show you how to prep the eggs:
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When toast is done, spread one piece with beans. Then add ham, cheese, warm eggs and sprinkle with salt and pepper, and top with the final piece of bread.
