Crockpot Queso Chicken Chili

Everyone NEEDS to make this on Sunday. Buy the ingredients, throw them in your crockpot, run errands/go to the gym/go to brunch/etc., then come home to a delicious meal you can eat all week. This chili is a little spicy, a little creamy, and absolutely delicious!

This recipe is only slightly modified from Pinch of Yum:

Crock Pot Queso Chicken Chili

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
3 cups salsa, divided
1 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 bell peppers, minced
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 14-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
4 ounces fat free cream cheese
4 ounces lite cheddar or Pepper Jack cheese
Cilantro for topping

Directions:

1. Place the chicken breasts, 1 1/2 cups salsa, water, cumin, chili powder, and salt in the crockpot. Cover and cook on high 3-4 hours or low 6-7 hours. When the chicken is done, shred the meat directly in the crockpot using two forks.

2. Pat the minced peppers dry with a paper towel. Place the bell peppers in a large nonstick skillet high heat WITHOUT oil. This creates the browned, roasted look on the outside of the peppers. Stir once and repeat until the peppers are nice and browned.

3. After the chicken has been shredded, add the peppers, corn, black beans, remaining salsa and cream cheese to the crockpot. Stir and replace cover, allowing the cream cheese to the crockpot. Let the soup simmer for another 15-20 minutes until everything is smooth and melted. Just before serving, stir in the cheddar or Pepper Jack cheese.

Serves 6

Nutrition Information Per Serving: 354 calories, 6 grams fat, 40 g carbohydrates, 6 grams fiber, 35 grams protein

Slow Cooker Bluberry Muffin Oats

Hi I've never really prepped a few days worth of breakfast before- if I needed something to grab and go, I'd just throw together some overnight oats like this or this. But, as my schedule has gotten busier and busier I decided it would be really convenient to just have everything ready to go.

I came across this recipe and decided to give it a try. It uses a mixture of steel coat oats and quinoa which adds some protein and omega-3 fatty acids to an otherwise carbohydrate based meal.

If you've never bought steel cut oats, you can find them right near the regular oatmeal. Both rolled oats and steel cut oats start as oat groats. The groats are roasted and can then be further processed and rolled into flakes (rolled oats) or cut into several pieces (steel cut oats). For this reason, steel cut oats take longer to cook, but provide a chewier texture and nuttier taste. As far as nutrition, they are pretty much identical.

The end result? Really delicious (and makes your kitchen smell amazing)! This is a really nourishing, filling breakfast that you can further customize with various toppings. I've topped mine with yogurt (for extra protein) and peanut butter (to add healthy fat).

You can find the original recipe here!

Slow Cooker Blueberry Muffin Oats 

Serves 6

Recipe by Jamie

Ingredients: 

1 cup steel cut oats
1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
5 cups water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
Zest of 1 lemon (about 1-2 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons flaxseed
1 tablespoon coconut oil
3-4 tablespoons stevia (or pure maple syrup or honey)
3/4-1 cup cup fresh or frozen blueberries (I used 3/4 cup frozen)

Directions:

1. Spray the inside of slow cooker with cooking spray. Add all ingredients and stir. Cook for 7-8 hours on low (overnight if you'd like).

2. Spoon oats into a bowl and add a splash of milk (optional) and other desired toppings. Store in the fridge.

*To reheat a serving, add 1/3 cup milk or water and cook for 1 minute on high in the microwave. Stir, then cook again another minute or so or until hot. It's also good cold- stir in some yogurt and it's just like overnight oats!

Nutrition Information per serving:  206 calories, 6 grams Fat, 32 g Carbs, 6 grams Protein

Crock Pot Lentil Soup with Kale and Potatoes

Lentils represent luck and prosperity in the New Year, so today is the perfect day to share this easy recipe!

Lentils are a great source of fiber, magnesium, iron, folate and protein. This is a warm, nutritious, hearty soup for a cold winter day!

You can add ground turkey, chicken, sirloin or vegetarian crumbles (I like Beyond Meat) to increase the protein of this meal.  I like to round it out with a salad as well.

Crock Pot Lentil Soup with Kale and Potatoes

Ingredients: 

2 cups carrots, chopped
2 cups celery, chopped
2 cups potatoes, chopped
1 onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup lentils
6 cups vegetable broth
salt and pepper to taste
Italian seasoning
3 tablespoons olive oil 
3 cups kale, roughly chopped
1 cup parsley, chopped


Directions:

1. Add carrots, celery, potatoes, onion, garlic, lentils, vegetable broth and spices in your Crock Pot. Cook on high for 5 hours.

2. Remove 4 cups of soup from the Crock Pot and place in a blender along with the oil. Blend, then add back to the Crock Pot. Turn off the heat. Stir in the kale and parsley. Wait until the kale has wilted then serve!

Serves 6

Nutrition Information (1/6 of the recipe): 199 Calories, 7 grams Fat, 27 g Carbs, 6 grams Protein

Slow Cooker Quinoa Lentil Soup

This is such a perfect comfort food for the winter. I modified the recipe from The Food Network by using lentils instead of a bean mix, quinoa instead of barley, increased the veggies, and used WAY less salt. This recipe is pretty flexible if you want use a different grain/bean combination.

Sprinkle with some parmesan and add a salad to make it complete meal.

Slow-Cooker Quinoa Lentil Soup

Ingredients:

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
1 cup uncooked lentils
4 carrots, roughly chopped
3 celery stalks, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, smashed
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
Fresh black pepper
1/2 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, crumbled if large, optional
14-oz can stewed tomatoes
3 cups baby spinach

Directions:

1. Put 6 cups water, the lentils, beans, quinoa, garlic, carrots, celery, onions, bay leaf, salt, herb blend, some pepper and porcini mushrooms (if using) in a slow cooker. Squeeze the tomatoes through your hands over the pot to break them down, and add with their juices. Cover and cook on high until the beans are tender and the soup is thick, about 8 hours.

2. Add the spinach and stir until the spinach wilts, about 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper if needed. Sprinkle with cheese if desired!

Serves 8 

Nutrition: 170 Calories, 1 g Fat, 32 g Carbohydrates, 9 grams protein

Blueberry Baked Oatmeal

Baked oatmeal is a great make-ahead for busy mornings. You can top this with fruit, yogurt, syrup, nuts- whatever you like! It's like eating cake for breakfast :)

Blueberry Baked Oatmeal

Ingredients:

- 2 cups dry oatmeal
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 3 packets stevia
- dash of salt
- 2/3 cup unsweetened vanilla cashew milk (or whatever milk you prefer)
- 1 egg plus 2 egg whites, beaten
- 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup peanut butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 (6 oz) container blueberries

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix all dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Mix wet ingredients in another bowl. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix well.

2. Spray a 12x9 pan (or you can use a round cake pan) with cooking spray. Add oatmeal mixture to the pan.

3. Top with blueberries and bake 25-30 minutes or until knife comes out clean.

I topped mine with Greek yogurt "frosting" (Greek yogurt mixed with whey protein) and more peanut butter!

Serves 4

Coconut Chai Overnight Oats

The spice combination I used for this recipe can be used to make almost anything chai! Cardamom is native to India and has a unique, spicy, herbal flavor. You can find it in the spice aisle at your grocery store. If you love chai, you'll love waking up to these oats!

Coconut Chai Overnight Oats 

Ingredients:

1/3 cup oatmeal

2/3 cup almond milk or water

1 packet stevia

1/2 teaspoon coconut emulsion (or extract, but use less of the extract. I bought mine from T.J. Maxx!)

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Less than 1/8 teaspoon each of nutmeg, allspice, and cardamom

1 tablespoon coconut flakes 

1/4 cup egg whites 

1/4 cup Greek yogurt

2 tablespoons vanilla whey 

Directions:

1. In a microwave safe bowl, mix together the oatmeal, almond milk, coconut emulsion, stevia, and spices. Microwave for one minute. Stir. Repeat at 20-30 second intervals until most of the liquid is absorbed.

2. Gradually pour the egg whites into the bowl, stirring well. Microwave another 20-30 seconds. Stir in the coconut flakes. Place in the fridge and leave overnight. 

3. In the morning, stir together the Greek yogurt and the protein powder (you can also prepare this the night before). Top your oats. Add fruit, coconut flakes, nut butter... whatever you like!

White Chocolate Blueberry Overnight Oats

Lots of overnight oats lately. They are just so easy and delicious! You can get really creative with them. Experiment with different flavors by using extracts, fruits, flavored protein powders, nuts, etc. I had sugar-free white chocolate pudding mix on hand so I mixed it in for some white chocolate infusion. Note: Microwave times will vary. Keep an eye on it while its cooking so it doesn't overflow. Alternatively, you can cook them on the stove. Either way, make sure you stir the egg whites in really well when you add them at the end. No one likes clumpy oatmeal!

White Chocolate Blueberry Overnight Oats

 Ingredients:

1/3 cup blueberries
1/4 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup water or almond milk (or any milk)
1 packet stevia
1 tablespoon sugar-free White Chocolate pudding mix (Jell-O)
1/4 cup egg whites
1/2 tablespoon chia seeds (can omit, but really helps to thicken the oats)

Directions:

1. Place the blueberries in a bowl. Microwave 20-30 seconds, or until soft. Set aside.
2. In a separate bowl, mix together the oatmeal, water (or milk), stevia, and pudding mix. Microwave for 40 seconds. Stir. Microwave in 20 second intervals (stirring in between) until most of the liquid is absorbed.
3. Stir in the egg whites. Microwave another 20-30 seconds. Stir in chia seeds. Let sit in the fridge overnight and eat cold in the morning! I topped mine with vanilla cream (1/4 cup greek yogurt mixed with 1/2 scoop vanilla whey protein and stevia)

I also topped mine with P28 White Chocolate Peanut Butter. It's high in protein, low in sugar, and tastes like heaven. I order mine from Vitacost. Use the link for money off your first order!

Cookie Dough Overnight Oats

Mornings are more exciting when you have overnight oats waiting in the fridge. This cookie dough version had me flying out of bed when my alarm went off. Overnight oats are like a magical, delicious, surprise the next day.  The oatmeal mixture thickens and becomes more flavorful overnight. It's worth taking the time to prepare! Here's a cookie dough version- made with chickpeas! You probably never would've guessed, but chickpeas have a great cookie dough-like texture. Healthy cookie dough first thing in the morning? I think that's the start of a great day.

   

    

Cookie Dough Overnight Oats

Ingredients:

1/2 cup chickpeas, rinsed and drained (also known as garbanzo beans)
1 scoop Cellucor Cor-fetti Cake Batter Protein (or any vanilla whey protein)
1 stevia packet
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons almond milk
1/3 cup oatmeal
1/2 tablespoon chia seeds

Directions:
1. In a food processor or blender, blend together the chickpeas, protein powder, stevia, and 1/4 cup almond milk. Blend until smooth!
2. Combine the oats and chia seeds in a small bowl or Tupperware. Add the chickpea mixture and the remaining 2 tablespoons of almond milk. Stir until combined.
3. Allow mixture to sit overnight. Top with your favorite toppings in the morning!