Jar Salads=Genius!!!

I don't know who first came up with the idea for jar salads. A few months ago a friend told me about seeing them on Pinterest so I went looking for them. Basically, you layer your salad ingredients in like this:

Dressing on the bottom
firmer vegetables (like shredded carrots, celery, cucumbers) on top of that
Lettuce on top (you don't want your lettuce touching your dressing before you're ready to eat or it will wilt

Then you have a jar of salad ready to go. These pint jars fit perfectly in Tom's lunchboxes and make an easy lunch for me or side dish for us for supper. The ingredients stay nice and crisp and well yummy!!! I would get annoyed in the past when I made up a big salad wanting it to last for a few days and after a day or so the lettuce would start turning icky. Don't have to worry about that with these salads. If I want cheese or croutons I just throw them on when I eat it. But they are delicious just like this!

Meatloaf in the Crockpot

A few years ago, I got a wild hair one day and decided to try cooking meatloaf in the crockpot. Well now I'm hooked on doing it that way! It turns out so tender and just melts in your mouth. Not to mention that you don't have to heat up your oven on a hot day! (Not that that's a problem right now lol). 

Spray the crockpot with cooking spray first! Then just make your favorite meatloaf recipe and pat it down in there. An hour or two before you want to serve it, put ketchup on top and let it finish cooking. 

I don't follow a certain recipe, meatloaf is one of those things that I tend to just throw together. But since we are trying to eat healthier and I was trying to figure calories, I actually figured up what I put in this time:

1 pound ground beef

1 package onion soup mix 

1 egg

1/4 cup bread crumbs

3-4 tablespoons ketchup (this ketchup ix mixed into the meatloaf)

dab of milk

Ketchup for the top

Mix together until it will hold a shape, then pat it down into the crockpot. I started mine around 11:00 a.m. on high for about 30 minutes, then turned to low and it was done well in time for supper. 

Lemon Pepper Chicken

This is one of my family's favorite chicken recipes. We chop it up and eat it in salads, make chicken salad out of it, or just eat it as an entree. Very simple and easy:

Lemon Pepper Chicken

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (bone-in works too)
1-2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
Lemon pepper seasoning to taste

Put the chicken in the bottom of your slow cooker, pour the melted margarine over the top, and sprinkle with lemon pepper. I like to cook it on high for an hour or so, then turn it down. I can start this around noon and it will be done in plenty of time for supper.

Brown Derby Steaks

This is the recipe I posted about on Facebook. These things are AMAZING! They are kind of time consuming, but well worth it! They are really good over rice or mashed potatoes.


BROWN DERBY STEAKS

2 Pounds hamburger meat
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 tsp prepared mustard
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Combine beef, egg, broth, mustard, salt, pepper, and worcestershire sauce. Shape into 8 patties (Patties will be soft). Brown in a bit of butter. Arrange in baking dish (I use a cake pan)

Gravy
2 cans beef gravy (or 2 packages brown gravy)
1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1 Tbsp butter

In saucepan, combine beef gravy, worcestershire sauce, ketchup, and butter. Simmer for 2 minutes, and pour over patties. Bake for 30 minutes in 350 oven.

Chicken Taco Recipe

Today I am posting one of my favorite low-fat healthy recipes: Chicken Taco meat

You need
about 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 package taco seasoning
1 cup chicken broth (I just dissolve a chicken bullion cube in a cup of water).

Stir the package of taco seasoning into the broth.

Put the chicken in the bottom of your slow cooker and pour the broth/seasoning mixture over it. Cook until done. I usually start it out on high for an hour or so and turn it down to low. If I start it around lunchtime, it's done in plenty of time for supper.

Shred the chicken with a fork. This is great in tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas, and burritos!

Crockpot Lasagna Recipe

I got this recipe from a friend years ago. I hadn't made it in a while, and made it for supper last night. Oh my goodness, I forgot how good it is!


Slow cooker lasagna recipe:
1 lb ground beef
1 (26 to 28 oz) jar tomato pasta sauce
1 (8 oz) can no-salt-added tomato sauce
1/2 (9oz) pkg (about 8) no-boil lasagna noodles
1 (1-lb) jar Alfredo pasta sauce
12 oz (3 cups) shredded mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top (optional)


1. brown ground beef; drain
2. spray 4 to 5 quart slow cooker with nonstick spray...spread 3/4 cup
of the tomato pasta sauce in bottom of cooker; stir remaining
tomato pasta sauce and tomato sauce into the ground beef
3. layer 3 lasagna noodles over sauce in slow cooker, breaking
noodles as necessary...top with 1/3 of the Alfredo sauce, spreading
evenly; sprinkle with one cup of the mozzarella cheese. Top with
1/3 of the ground beef mixture, spreading evenly.
4. repeat layering twice, using 2 lasagna noodles in last layer; sprinkle
with Parmesan cheese, if desired.
5. cover; cook on low setting for 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours.
6. Towards the end, I sprinkled some more shredded cheese on the top.

Crockpot Chicken & Stuffing

In honor of the great deals I got on chicken last week, I thought I would post some of my favorite chicken recipes.

Crockpot chicken & stuffing:

1 package boneless, skinless chicken
1 box stuffing mix
1 can cream of mushroom (or celery or chicken) soup. You can also use the reduced fat soups to cut down on the calories. This was actually a recipe that I found when we were doing Weight Watchers several years ago.
1/2 cup water

Spray slow cooker with cooking spray. Put the chicken in the bottom, pour the box of stuffing mix over it, and then mix the soup and water together and pour over the top of it. I usually start this around lunchtime and it's done in plenty of time for supper. If you want to cook it on low heat, I suggest starting it out on high for at least a little while to get it cooking really well before turning it down.

When I made this last week, I used some Betty Crocker stuffing that I got back in November with a coupon. Can't remember how much I paid for it, but I think it was around 39 cents. I believe it was on sale for 89 cents and I had a 50 cent off coupon. Tasted just as good as the Stove Top stuffing!