Autumn Chicken Stew

It's a little late in the season, but if you love yummy warm and flavorful (& super healthy) crockpot meals...then this is good anytime of year! :)

For The Stew

1 medium butternut squash, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut into 1" slices
1 large red onion, cut into 8 wedges
1 c apple cider or applesauce (I do half and half so it's just right!)
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme
½ tsp salt
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (6 oz each)
6 oz baby spinach (about 6 c)
2 c cooked whole wheat couscous (2/3 cup dry), I use quinoa too

Directions

1. Arrange the squash and onion in a 4- or 5-quart crock pot. Pour the cider over the vegetables and sprinkle with ½ tsp of the rosemary, ½ tsp of the thyme, and ¼ tsp of the salt.

2. Lay the chicken on the vegetable and sprinkle with the remaining ½ tsp rosemary, ½ tsp thyme, and ¼ tsp salt. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Stir the spinach into the hot liquid until wilted.

3. Divide the vegetables into 4 soup bowls. Top each with a chicken breast half and some sauce. Top each bowl with ½ c of the hot couscous.

*Adapted from Prevention.com

Shelly Tracy's Caramel Corn

This is a recipe from a wonderful friend back home in Spokane. She makes it every year for our family and I couldn't resist trying my hand at it this year! Thanks Shelly and thanks MOM for getting it to me!

WARNING: This is caramel corn is UNHeALTHY and ADDICtiVe

Here is the recipe in my mothers own words:

1 cup butter (Linz: I used half butter/half Promise spread)
2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup corn syrup
8 large marshmallows
1 1/2 tsp baking soda

Mix altogether and cook on medium heat, stirring often. Bring to soft ball stage or soft boil for 4 minutes. Remove from heat and add 1 1/2 tsp of baking soda. Stir until mixed well as it foams all over. Pour over about 2-3 bags of popped corn in large bowl or 2-3 batches of air-popped corn. Mix well. After coating popcorn spread out on wax paper on table. Break up into small whatevers and let cool for 15 min before bagging or scarfing.

*Side note, if it boils too long, it will stick to the wax paper, the first time we made it I had to reheat the popcorn to get it off!

BBQ Chicken Pizza

This is a BBQ Chicken pizza...and for those of you who know me really well, you know that I vehemently dislike anything BBQ...that is until my friend Jessie made this for a get-together and it was HEAVEN! So I tried to make it at home, and after dropping it (yes dropping a full cooked pizza on the oven door) it turned out pretty good, I kinda dream about it now.

*I got this recipe from 'A Hint of Honey', my friend Jessie's yummy blog! Thanks girl!*

In her words...For the Dough:

INGREDIENTS
1 cup warm water (110-120 degrees F, over 120 degrees will kill your yeast)
2 tsp. honey
2 tsp. active dry yeast
1 cup all purpose or bread flour (+ up to 1/4 cup more for kneading)
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

DIRECTIONS
1. In a glass or plastic bowl (metal can negatively affect yeast), dissolve honey in warm water. Add yeast and let sit (at least 10 minutes) until yeast is active and bubbly.

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all purpose flour, white whole wheat flour, and salt. Create a well in the center.

3. Once the yeast mixture is ready, pour it into the well in your flour mixture bowl. Add the extra virgin olive oil. Using a spatula and then your fingers, mix the dough until it pulls away from the side of the bowl.

4. Knead the dough on the counter top, adding up to 1/4 cup more flour just until it is no longer sticking to the counter and has a smooth texture. (You can brush a little olive oil onto your fingers for the kneading process.)

5. Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover. Let rise until doubled in size, about an hour. You can test if your dough has risen enough by poking it with a finger. If the imprint stays, then the dough is ready.

6. Deflate the dough into a ball, and let it rest on your counter for at least 10 minutes before you create the crust.

For the PIZZA:

1 recipe pizza dough
3/4 cup your favorite barbecue sauce
about 1/2 cup smoked Gouda
about 1 cup mozzarella
1 cooked boneless, skinless chicken breast half, diced or shredded (see note on preparing chicken)
red onion, thinly sliced (to taste)
fresh cilantro, chopped (to taste)

DIRECTIONS
1. Prepare dough according to recipe directions. While dough is rising you can bake your chicken breast (Linz: I am lazy and steam my frozen chicken in a rice cooker for about 20 min) and prep your other ingredients.

2. Top prepared dough with 1/2 cup bbq sauce, then chicken, red onions, mozzarella, and Gouda.

3. Bake in 450 degree oven for 8-10 minutes until crust is lightly browned and cheese is bubbly (Linz: We bake ours on a pizza stone...Mmm).

4. Remove from the oven and let rest a few minutes before slicing. Garnish with fresh cilantro.

Crockpot Fresh Mex

This is soooooo healthy and soooooooo quick it's amazing.
I turn the crock pot on to high. I throw in 1 can of back beans, 1 frozen chicken breast, 2 peppers chopped up, a half (or whole) onion and some lime juice...thats it! I cook it for 4 hours and all those flavors together make it AMAZING! No added sodium or fat! We throw it on top of spinach or corn tortillas and maybe add avocado. We also like a dollop of plain Greek yogurt instead of sour cream, it has NO fat and around 20 grams of protein per cup and is so creamy and yummy!
PS We added a bit of cheese...Mmm

Sheri Bird's Sugar Cookies of LOVE

For the Cookie:

1 cup butter
2 cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tsp almond extract (vanilla changes the flavor..avoid avoid!)
1/2 tsp baking soda
4 tsp baking powder
4 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt

Combine butter and sugar and mix until creamy. Add eggs, sour cream and almond extract. Mix again on medium speed. Add flour, soda, baking powder and salt and blend again until smooth (the dough will feel a bit sticky). Refrigerate for at least and hour. Roll dough out on a floured surface and cut with cookie cutters into desired shapes. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes. Let cool and frost!

For the Frosting:
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
3 tbs milk
1 tsp almond extract (no vanilla!)
food coloring (optional)

Beat well with electric mixer until smooth.

Quick Tuna Melt

OK, this one I created myself for a quick pick-me-up to stabilize my blood sugar.

2-4 pieces of whole grain bread (We use Ezekiel bread for almost everything!)
1 can of tuna (or pink salmon)
1 tbs of mayo (Smart Balance Healthy is a good choice)
2-3 tbs of lemon juice
1 tbs of tomato paste
2 tsp of dried parsley flakes (or fresh cilantro...we love cilantro)
shredded cheese

1. In a bowl, mix drained tuna with mayo, lemon juice and parsley till it is well blended.
2. Toast whole wheat bread and turn oven to 'broil'.
3. Spread tomato paste on toast, layer with tuna mix and sprinkle cheese on top.
4. Broil for up to 45 second till the cheese is just melted.

Enjoy!