Crock Pot Italian Turkey Meatballs

I don't typically use ground turkey, but these looked really good AND they are made in the crock pot! Super easy and yummy. I made the meatballs the night before so all I had to do the next morning was put them into the crock pot with the sauce.

Meatballs:
ground turkey breast 93% lean, 1.2 lbs
1/4 c seasoned breadcrumbs
1/4 c parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 c parsley, finely chopped
1 egg
1 clove of garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Sauce:
large can crushed tomatoes (28 oz)
1 can diced tomatoes in roasted garlic
1 tsp olive oil
4 cloves minced garlic
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
fresh chopped basil or parsley

In a large bowl, combine the ground turkey, breadcrumbs, cheese, parsley, egg, garlic, salt and pepper. With clean hands, mix all ingredients together and form meatballs, about the size of golf balls. Pour crushed and diced tomatoes into the crock pot, along with olive oil, garlic, bay leaf, and salt and pepper. Stir together, then drop in meatballs. Cook on Low 5-6 hours. Adjust salt/pepper to taste. I served these on spaghetti.

Original recipe found here.

Spicy Thai Chicken Noodles

Whoa! One of my new favorite recipes for sure! Will and I both thought this dish was one of the best things we've ever tasted. The original recipe didn't call for chicken, but I added it to make it a meal, mostly for Will.

2-3 c cooked chicken, cut into cubes
1-2 tbsp crushed red pepper
1/4 c vegetable oil
1/2 c sesame oil
6 tbsp honey
6 tbsp lite soy sauce
1 pkg linguine, cooked
1/2 c sliced green onions
2 whole carrots, peeled and shredded
2 tbsp cilantro
1/2 c slivered almonds (or peanuts)

The spice level is up to you. I used 1 (large) tbsp of crushed red pepper and it was perfect for us, and Will likes spice. Ok, so combine crushed red pepper, veg oil, and sesame oil in a pan. Cook over medium heat for 2-3 min. Strain out the pepper, and reserve the oil. Whisk honey and soy sauce together with the oil. Combine cooked linguine and chicken with sauce and stir together until everything is well coated. Stir shredded carrots to mixture. Serve in a bowl and sprinkle green onions, cilantro, and chopped nuts - I used almonds because that was all I had and it was still tasty. SO DELICIOUS.

Sweet and Sour Slow-Cooker Chicken

I've tried a lot of Chinese take-out inspired meals, but this is the best one by far. I was pretty pleased. :)

3 chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
3 stalks celery, sliced
3 whole carrots, peeled and sliced
1/3 c packed brown sugar
1/3 c Catalina dressing
1/4 c light soy sauce
1 can pineapple chunks (8-10 oz)
1-2 tbsp cornstarch
2 c cooked rice

Place onion, celery, and carrots in slow cooker. Add chicken. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, Catalina dressing, and soy sauce and pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low 7-8 hours. During the last 30 min of cooking, add the pineapple chunks with the juice. Add cornstarch to thicken sauce. Serve over rice.

Pumpkin and Cream Cheese Bread

I saw this recipe on Pinterest and decided I HAD to try it once I realized an entire loaf was supposed to be 500 calories. My version isn't quite as light, but ohhhhh it's delicious! The original recipe can be found here.

Batter:
1 can pumpkin
1/2 c cinnamon applesauce
1 whole egg
3 egg whites
1 2/3 c flour
1 c sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Cream Filling:
8 oz red-fat cream cheese
1/4 c sugar
1 tbsp flour
2 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla extract

For the batter: Beat pumpkin, applesauce, egg, and egg whites on medium speed until smooth. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Slowly add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture.

For the cream cheese filling: Beat all ingredients until smooth.

Grease two 8x4 loaf pans (this makes 2 small loaves). The batter is pretty much going to be divided into 4 parts. Half the batter, and divide that between the 2 loaf pans. Pour half the cream cheese filling in one pan, and half in the other. Then top both with the remaining pumpkin batter. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool and remove from pans. Store in fridge in an airtight container.

Peanut Butter Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

Oh man - DELICIOUS! I had to cut the loaf for the picture, so of course I ate that piece immediately afterward.

1 c all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 c granulated sugar
1/4 c packed brown sugar
1/4 c canola oil
1/4 c peanut butter
1 egg
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray loaf pan with cooking spray. In a large bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients until well-mixed. Create a well in the center and pour in remaining ingredients - oil, peanut butter, mashed bananas, egg, and extract. Stir until just mixed, then stir in chocolate chips. Pour into loaf pan and bake for about 1 hour. Let cool in pan for about 10 min after.

Slow-Cooked Carolina Beef Brisket

This was so good! We loved the flavor. I remembered to take my own picture too. :)

1 beef brisket (about 3 lbs)
1 jar Pace Picante Sauce
1/2 c molasses
1/4 c apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp red-sodium Worcestershire sauce
1 large onion, sliced (about 1 c)

Stir the molasses, picante sauce, vinegar, Worcestershire, and onion together in a bowl. Place beef in crock pot and add sauce, turning meat to coat. Cover and cook on Low 8-9 hours or until the beef is fork-tender.