Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili

I found this from redsie05. I certainly don't do Weight Watchers, but this recipe is yummy! I changed it around to suit our tastes and cooking style, of course.

Crock Pot Chicken Taco Chili

1/2 onion, chopped
10 oz (dry) EACH black beans and pinto beans, soaked and cooked (can sub 16 oz canned beans if desired)
16 oz can tomato sauce
1 pound bag frozen corn kernels
2 14.5-oz cans diced tomatoes w/chilies
1/4 cup taco seasoning
2 tbsp cumin
2 tbsp chili powder
4-5 boneless skinless chicken breasts
chili peppers, chopped (optional)
chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Combine beans, onion, chili peppers, corn, tomato sauce, cumin, chili powder and taco seasoning in a slow cooker. Place chicken on top and cover. Cook on low for 10 hours or on high for 6 hours. Half hour before serving, remove chicken and shred. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro, if desired. Top with shredded cheese and sour cream.

Zucchini Pizza Crust

This is an excellent alternative to traditional pizza crust. I adapted it from one I found at Your Lighter Side. I made it for the first time tonight. I was so impressed! I cut up one of my slices and took it out to my children, and the neighborhood kids who were with them. I gave each a bite before telling what it was made with. One of the visitors, who had declared his bite to be very good, was shocked when I told them it had zucchini in it. He exclaimed, "But I don't LIKE zucchini!" I said, "Yes, you do, you just told me you did!" and he grinned.

Zucchini Pizza Crust

Medium raw zucchini, shredded (between 1.-1.5 cups)
1 egg
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Optional spices: pinch of salt, hearty pinch of Italian seasoning, garlic and onion powder

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Grease 9" glass pie plate.

Shred a zucchini. Squeeze handfuls of zucchini to remove excess water. Add egg and cheese, along with any spices you wish, and mix well in bowl.

Spread the dough in pan and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the crust is cooked. Cover with sauce and topping. Bake another 3 minutes, till cheese is melted and topping, warm. Let cool/rest.

Makes one personal sized crust

Mountain Home Marinade

This recipes came from MDA but we used it for the first time when we were camping in Mountain Home Forest, hence the name.

Mountain Home Marinade

1/2 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp salt dissolved in 2 oz. HOT water
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup lime juice
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp honey

Mix together in a gallon sized zippy bag. Add 3-4 pounds of meat and squish around well. Marinate at least an hour. Prepare meat as desired.

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

This came from FastPaleo. It's perfect for fall weather!

Pumpkin Pie Smoothie

3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup canned full fat coconut milk
1/2 cup water
1 cup crushed ice
1-2 tsp organic raw honey or maple syrup
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Blend and enjoy. Makes one serving.

Nut Free Granola

This is a recipe from Lynn's Kitchen Adventure. I'm always on the lookout for new granolas for breakfast.

Nut Free Granola

2/3 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup oil
1 cup honey
4 teaspoons vanilla
6 cups old fashioned oats
8 cups quick oats
2 cup coconut
2 teaspoon cinnamon

In a small saucepan mix together brown sugar, oil, and honey. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add vanilla and cinnamon. In a large bowl combine oats, coconut, and sugar/oil mixture. Stir until oats are well coated and everything is combined.

Spread into 4 9x13 pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Stir, turn off your oven, and put the granola back into the oven for 3-4 hrs. The heat left in the oven will finish cooking this. Remove from oven after 3-4 hours. Let cool and store in an air tight container.

Apple Granola

This is from Joy in the Kitchen. I like how very simple it is. It still doesn't beat Vanilla Granola, but it is a good change of taste, especially for autumn and it has much less sugar. I'm sure it will be in our rotation for quite a while.

Apple Granola

12 C oats
1/2 C applesauce
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 C brown sugar

Combine applesauce (do not use chunky applesauce), cinnamon and brown sugar in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until mixture boils. You may need to add 1/4-1/2 C water to thin the mixture.

Pour the mixture over the oats and stir to combine.

Place granola on a cookie sheet, and bake at 350 for 20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes.

Turn off the oven, and allow the granola to crisp up in the oven. Be careful to crack open the oven door so the granola does not burn.

Store in an airtight container in your pantry.

Chipolte BBQ Sauce

This is a recipe from Food.com. I have adapted it for our family.

Chipolte BBQ Sauce

6 chipotle chiles
1 cup boiling water
1 onion, chopped
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 (12 ounce) can tomato paste
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon coconut aminos
1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

Place the chiles in the 1 cup of boiling water. Let soak for 1 hour. Remove stems and seeds and chop finely. Melt butter in a saucepan and add onion, garlic, cumin and thyme. Saute until the onion is soft and translucent. Add chiles (with the water), and remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Transfer to a blender and process until smooth.


*If using canned chipotles, I found six to be too spicy.  Try three and add more if it's not hot enough for you!  We prefer the La Morena brand of chipotles to all others we've tried.

Honey Garlic BBQ Sauce

This yummy sauce is from The Foodie and the Family. I adapted it for our family's tastes. Yum, yum, yum!

Honey Garlic BBQ Sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 onion, finely chopped

3 tablespoons minced garlic

3 tablespoons honey

5 1/2 oz can tomato paste

1 cup beef broth

1/2 teaspoon mustard powder

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

salt and pepper, to taste

1/4 teaspoon coconut aminos

generous pinch cayenne pepper

In a medium sized pot, over medium-high heat, heat olive oil. Saute the onions and garlic for 5-7 minutes, until the onions are softened and opaque. Reduce heat to medium and stir in honey and tomato paste until the honey is runny. Stir in beef broth, mustard powder, cider vinegar, salt, pepper, aminos, and cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low.

Simmer over low for 20-30 minutes, until the sauce thickens (to your liking). Use immediately or refrigerate for up to 1 week.

Grain-Free Blueberry Muffins

This is from The Foodie and the Family. It makes but a dozen, but when I serve Primal muffins, since they are more expensive, I serve them alongside a couple of eggs, a fruit and a green smoothie for a complete meal.

Grain-Free Blueberry Muffins

2 1/2 cups almond meal
3 eggs
1/4 cup honey
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 cup blueberries

Preheat oven to 300°. Line 12 muffin cups with muffin liners (or grease each cup well with coconut oil).

In a large bowl, whisk together everything but the blueberries until fully combined. Gently fold in the blueberries to incorporate.

Fill each liner 3/4 full with batter and bake for 30-40 minutes. The top should be spongey but firm when pressed and your finger should not go through into the muffin. Cool for 5 minutes and remove from muffin pans.

Peach Honey

This is an incredible recipe. I found it at pickyourown, which is a very useful and often visited (by me) site.

Peach Honey

When peeling peaches to can, save peelings in a large pot. Rinse them, if not previously washed.

Cover peelings with water and cook peels until they are soft. I let my peelings sit in water overnight, since it was late when I was finished with the peaches.

Strain the water, which is now peach juice, off of the peels and measure. Pour juice in a pot and add half the measure of sugar, ie: 10 cups juice, 5 cups sugar. Compost peelings. Bring the juice and sugar to a boil, then transfer to a crockpot. Cool on low until juice is thickened. I cooked it half a day, then overnight and it was ready in the morning. The juice has thickened into 'honey' and tastes great! Use in recipes calling for honey, as a spread on a peanut butter sandwich, to stir into oatmeal, etc.

If you wish to can your honey, fill jars to 1/4", and do a Boiling Water Bath for 5-7 minutes.