Crock Pot Week

I've never used the crock pot much before this year, but I decided this past week would be "Crock Pot Week" and well, I enjoyed it so much that October might have to be Crock Pot Month! I made three crock pot dinners this week, and just got a new crock pot cookbook in the mail yesterday (left), so the possibilities seem endless. Today I'm sharing the three easy crock pot recipes I made this week: Chicken Noodle Soup, Dilled Chicken and Potatoes, and Pizza Pasta.



Monday: Chicken Noodle Soup:

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 can (49.5 oz) chicken broth
Any veggies you want to include. I just used the standards: fresh carrots, onions, and celery, chopped
2 small or 1 large bay leaves
2 cups elbow macaroni

Spray slow cooker with nonfat cooking spray. Mix together chicken, broth, vegetables, and bay leaf. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 7-9. Stir in the noodles. Cover and cook on high an additional 10-12 minutes or until the noodles are done. Do not overcook. Turn the slow cooker off, remove the bay leaves, and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.  This makes 9 one cup servings (although of course most of us eat a lot more than that).

Thursday: Dilled Chicken and Potatoes

1 cup dill pickle juice (I took some from my roommate's pickle jar)
2 pounds chicken breasts cut into 8 steaks
6-8 medium potatoes, cut in fourths.

Spray a slow cooker with nonfat cooking spray. Place the pickle juice and chicken in the bottom of the cooker. Place the potatoes on top. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 3 hours. This recipe yields 8 servings (4 oz meat and 1 potato each).

Friday: Pizza Pasta

2 cups hot water
1 (14 oz) jar pizza sauce
1/2 c chopped onion
2 oz pepperoni, cut into thin strips
Any other toppings you like on your pizza. I used fresh mushrooms and green peppers, all chopped. Black olives would also be great!
1/4 c shredded mozzarella cheese

Spray a slowcooker with nonfat cooking spray. In the cooker, stir together the water, pizza sauce, onion, pepperoni, and mushrooms. Cover and cook on high for 1 hour. Add the macaroni and cook for 1/2 hour more. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover and let cook another 10 minutes on high or until the cheese melts.