I’m very excited today. One of my good friends from Kansas City is coming in town! When friends come to town to visit, I like to try to keep cost down and make yummy meals at home. Sure, we’ll do one nice meal to show off the city!

As I was thinking ahead towards the weekend, I couldn’t decide what to make or how to time it well. I wanted something that could be ready quickly in case we work up a big appetite while shopping! Another thing on my wish list, to make a bigger quantity for leftovers to be utilized.

Solution: Crockpot PLUS Whole Roaster Chicken

Crockpot equals ready whenever we want; and roaster chicken means leftovers can be used in several different ways.

So here it is. The recipe I found on Pinterest (naturally) that is currently cooking away at home.

Whole Chicken in a Slow Cooker (recipe courtesy of thelittlekitchen.net)

ingredients:

4 tsp salt

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp cayenne powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp white pepper

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp black pepper

3 1/2 to 4 1/2 lb roasting or fryer chicken

1 cup chopped onion

4-5 carrots, scrubbed but not peeled, chopped into thirds

4 celery stalks, cut into thirds

2 garlic cloves, peeled and mashed

1 lemon quartered

directions:

1. Combine dry ingredients in a bowl.

2. Remove chicken from packaging and remove neck and pouch with organs. Rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towels.

3. Rub garlic all over outside of the chicken. Put garlic inside the chicken. Rub the rub all over the outside and inside the chicken. Add quartered lemon to the inside of the chicken.

4. Place onions, carrots and celery inside the slow cooker. Place chicken on top of the vegetables. Cover slow cooker and cook chicken on low for 4-8 hours. (When I used a 4 lb chicken, it took about 6 hours. The time will depend on the size of the chicken and your slow cooker.) Cook until the internal temperature of the leg is at 160 degrees F or use a pop-up thermometer as the original recipe calls for.

5. Remove chicken and place in a 9×13 glass baking dish. Place baking dish in the oven under the broiler for about 4-5 minutes. Allow chicken to rest after removing it from the broiler for 5-10 minutes.

Time for something new! Last week I took a Pinterest recipe and modified it to fit a bariatric diet. Often times stuffed bell peppers are filled with rice, but it doesn’t take much tweaking to make a recipe work. Bell peppers are one of my favorite vegetables for variety in flavor and texture. I used sweet red peppers for this recipe, but if green peppers are a better cost saver where you shop, I imagine it would be just as tasty.

This is the original recipe from Skinny Taste  and below is my modified version:

Ingredients:

1 lb lean ground turkey or beef (90% lean or better)

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 onion, minced

1 tbsp fresh cilantro

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp cumin powder

salt to taste

3 large sweet bell peppers, washed

1/4 cup tomato sauce

Olive oil cooking spray

2% reduced fat shredded cheese (flavor of your choice)

1/2 cup chicken broth (I also think water would work fine)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400F. Spray saute pan with cooking spray and heat to medium-high.

2. Add garlic, onion and cilantro to the pan. Saute 2 minutes and add ground turkey/beef.

3. Season with salt, garlic powder and cumin until meat is browned. Add 1/4 cup tomato sauce.

4. Cut the bell peppers in half lengthwise & remove all seeds. Place in baking dish.

5. Spoon the meat mixture into each pepper half. Place all stuffed pepper halves into the baking dish. Pour in chicken broth to the bottom of the dish.

6. Cover tight with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Top with cheese and enjoy!

Thank you to Dietetic Intern Lauren from OU for this guest blog!!

You’re bored and all you can think about is that yummy lasagna you have in the fridge. You aren’t hungry, but the only thoughts you have are, “When is my next meal/snack?” You can defeat those thoughts! Finding rewarding non-food hobbies or activities in place of eating can help. Take a look at some of these ideas and see if they work for you!

–Call a friend or family member you haven’t talked to in a long time and catch up.

–Sign up for a dance class. Physical activity + fun!

–Try your hand at photography or crafts. Pinterest is always in need of more things to pin!

–Learn something new, like  a language or how to paint.

–Play with your pet(s). They love you.

–Rearrange your furniture in your house. Change can feel good.

–Turn on your favorite CD/radio station/music video and sing along!

–Have you ever tried sewing/knitting/crocheting? Great gifts for loved ones or yourself.

–Reorganize your closet. Find old clothes or items you no longer need and donate them to charity.

–Take a walk outside and appreciate nature. You could even start or tend to your own flower or vegetable garden.

–Craft your own cookbook full of tasty, healthy recipes you can eat. Like the No Noodle Lasagna below!!

What kinds of activities do you enjoy best?

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No Noodle Lasagna Recipe

Ingredients:

Meat sauce (recipe follows)

Ricotta Mixture (recipe follows)

~3 lbs of zucchini, sliced into thin, lasagna noodle-like strips with a vegetable peeler or mandolin

1 lb sliced mushrooms, sateed (optional)

1 cup shredded mozzarella

Directions:

1. Make the supreme sauce, stir together the ricotta mixture and satee the mushrooms, if using.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 F
3. Lightly oil a 9 x 13 pan. Layer zucchini slices to cover the bottom of the pan.  Spread with half the ricotta mixture, and sprinkle with half of the mushrooms. Top with tomato sauce. Repeat layers, ending with tomato sauce, zucchini and more tomato sauce.
4. Bake for 30 minutes. Sprinkle the top of lasagna with mozzarella, and bake for another 15 minutes. Let cool before serving.

Sauce Recipe:

1 lb Italian turkey sausage

2 lg onions, diced

1 green pepper, diced

5 cloves garlic, diced/pressed

2 (28oz) cans of crushed tomatoes

1. Cook the sausage in a large pot over medium heat until no longer pink.
2. Turn the heat to medium-low. Add onions, garlic, peppers and brown until onions turn a light golden brown, 10-15 minutes.
3. Pour in the tomatoes and simmer for 30-45 minutes. Taste for seasoning.

Ricotta Mix:

2 cup low-fat ricotta

1 cup shredded parmesan

1 egg

1/2 cup fresh basil

1/2 tsp salt

Pepper to taste

1. Stir together the cheeses, egg, and basil until well combined.
2. Keep refrigerated until needed. This makes enough for 9 x 13 pan.

For the past 3 Mondays, we’ve had student Lindsey Preston from the OSU-OKC Dietetic Technician Program join us at the WeightWise Clinic. Thank you Lindsey for this guest post with yummy recipe!

Do you ever get tired of the everyday grilled foods? Sometimes I do and I love to grill so I am always looking for new recipes or ideas for the grill. This recipe can be made in the oven or slow cooker, but I enjoy grilling so I went with the grill. This recipe keeps your meat very moist and tender as well as giving the pork a different flavor. I got this recipe at www.kitchenconfidante.com which has some interesting foods to turn away from the everyday foods we all get tired of.

Grilled Balsamic-Garlic Crusted Pork Tenderloin

• 4-5 garlic cloves, finely minced or crushed
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 2 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 pork tenderloins (about 1¼ pounds each)
• 2 tablespoons canola oil (if preparing in oven)

Stir together garlic, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, and olive oil in a small bowl. Rub the paste all over pork. If you like or have the time, marinate overnight. If not, no worries, it will still be great!

Grill preparation:

Sear the tenderloins on all sides, then grill for about 20-30 minutes, rotating every 10 minutes, until the internal temperature is 160 degrees. Try to let it rest before slicing.

Oven preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat canola oil in a large, heavy sauté pan over medium-high heat.  Working in batches if necessary, add pork, and brown all over, about 4 minutes.

Transfer pan to oven. Roast pork, turning occasionally, until the internal temperature is 160 degrees, about 20 minutes. Transfer pork to a cutting board, and try to let it rest 10 minutes before slicing.