Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili

I don't know about you, but I struggle when it comes to meal planning. For me, meal planning feels too restrictive. What if what I planned to make for dinner that day doesn't sound good? What about my leftovers? When will they get eaten?

Another thing I struggle with is wasting food- I hate to waste food! I hardly ever throw food out, I manage to find a way to use everything. On the rare occasion that something doesn't get eaten in time, we feed it to the chickens.

And, I only go grocery shopping twice a month. The exception to this rule is making a milk run (we only have one fridge).

At this point you might be scratching your head wondering what we eat. Honestly, we eat a lot of whole grains, lean meats and A LOT of fruits and vegetables.

On more than one occasion Andy has suggested that I should blog about what I make with "nothing" in the fridge. While it's a good idea, I'm not sure it would help very much, since what is in my fridge is probably different from what is in your fridge.  

I guess I should get back on track-- this post is supposed to be about chili. About a year ago my sister gave me an awesome chili recipe, I changed a few things in it, entered the chili in a couple of chili cook offs and won. Since it's chili season again I thought I would share the recipe with you.

Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili

Ingredients
1 Medium Yellow Onion, diced
4 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped
1.75-2 Pounds Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs
2 (15 Ounce) White Beans, drained and rinsed
2 (15 Ounce) Cans Diced Tomatoes
2 (4 Ounce) Cans Green Chilies
1 1/2 Cups Chicken Broth
8 Ounces Neufchatel Cheese (found next to the cream cheese at the store)
1 Tablespoon Oregano Leaves
2 Teaspoons Ground Cumin
2 Teaspoons Chili Powder
1 Teaspoon Paprika
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper
Chopped Cilantro, for topping
Shredded Cheese, for topping
Corn Tortilla Chips, for topping

Directions 
Place the onions and garlic on the bottom of your slow cooker. Place chicken on top in a single layer. Add the beans, tomatoes, chilies, chicken broth, neufchatel cheese, oregano, cumin, chili powder, paprika, salt and pepper and cover. Cook for 8-10 hours on low or until chicken is very tender. Remove chicken and shred with a fork. Once shredded stir the chicken back into the soup and season with salt and pepper as needed. Ladle into bowls and serve topped with cilantro, cheese and tortilla chips.  Serves 6-8

While the photos are not the prettiest, this chili is the tastiest! Your belly will thank you for eating it. I took some chili to my neighbors this evening and they came running outside asking for the recipe-- it's that good! Enjoy!

Oven Pancakes

Those who know me well, know that I am a healthy eater. I don't typically enjoy eating out and I don't enjoy prepackaged foods very much. I love to cook and I enjoy cooking with healthy raw ingredients.

Several months ago when my mother-in-law came to visit she asked if I had any flour. My response was, "I have whole wheat flour." I haven't bought white flour in years. I tend to use whole wheat flour, spelt flour, tapioca flour and coconut flour. Whole wheat flour wasn't going to work for my mother-in-law, so we made a trip to the grocery store where she purchased a bag of white flour. This flour has been sitting in my cupboard since then and I decided to bite the bullet and start using it.

I was craving oven pancakes (German pancakes, Dutch babies, fluffy pancakes--I'm sure there are many more names for this dish) one day and decided to try the Pioneer Woman's recipe. I was really disappointed with her recipe, it had too much egg in it and was kind of rubber like.

Just the thought of these pancakes makes my mouth water.

A few days later I called up my step-mom to get her recipe (I'd had it before so I knew it was good). I made a few changes to it and had the most amazing oven pancakes of my life!

The dish was so good, I made it two more times in the matter of a few days (shh, don't tell anyone I ate half the pan by myself). I tried experimenting with my favorite kinds of flours and it wasn't the same, some more experimenting may be needed in the future but for now this is the winning version of the recipe.

Ingredients

6 eggs
1 C milk
1 C white flour
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
A pinch of sea salt
Optional: fruit

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Grease a 9x13 pan. Mix eggs, milk, flour, vanilla, cinnamon and salt until smooth. Pour the mixture into your pan. Sprinkle fruit on the top of the mixture (We have tried raspberries and blackberries together and we have tried peaches and blackberries- both were really good). Bake in the over for 18 minutes. Serve immediately with fresh lemon juice and powdered sugar on top. Enjoy!

 Maybe one of these days I will get good at taking photos of food, in time I guess.

Nana's Green Chile Casserole

One of the things I craved while pregnant was Nana's Green Chile Casserole (it's my Dad's favorite meal). I called her to see if she could give me the recipe and she didn't know what dish I was talking about. She called me back later and asked if it could be her Green Chile Enchiladas- it was, I grew up calling it Green Chile Casserole.

Ingredients

Corn tortillas
1 can green chilies
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup cheddar cheese + additional for top of casserole
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch pan. Line the base of the greased by with corn tortillas torn into pieces.  Mix the remaining ingredients together and spread on top of corn tortilla pieces. Sprinkle cheese on top and bake for 30 minutes.

Nana suggest serving this along side a taco salad consisting of 1pound of hamburger, lettuce, tomato, cheese, onion, salsa and chips.

Jake's Salsa

Some time ago, my brother came to visit and he made some amazing salsa. Below is his recipe.

1/4 of a red pepper
Cilantro (I use 1/3 of the bunch)
1 can (16oz) diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 can green chilies
1 jalapeno (I only add 1/4 of seeds &  membrane)
Lime juice (couple squeezes)
1/2 tsp taco seasoning
Salt (just a few shakes)
Onion powder (just a few shakes)

Put all the ingredients in a food processor and blend to desired consistency.  Devour with your favorite tortilla chips. Enjoy!

A Confession of Sorts

I have a confession to make and I think this confession is the first confession I have ever made on the blog. Are you ready for this? I think I am.

 *clenches teeth together*

I am addicted to pickles. There I said it and it feels so good to say it. I am addicted to pickles. I am addicted to pickles. I am addicted to pickles. Okay, I think I'm done saying it.

But seriously, I love pickles. I canned pickles back in August and they are seriously the best! I have been eating pickles for breakfast, yes breakfast alongside my pancakes. I have been eating pickles for lunch, dinner, snacks, and if my stomach doesn't feel good, well, I eat pickles then too. For the record, I am not pregnant, I just really love pickles. My pickle addiction is becoming a problem though, because I only have about 15 jars left and at the rate I'm going they aren't going to last very long.

Would you like the recipe for these very addictive pickles? You know you do. Well maybe you don't or you will find yourself eating pickles next to your pancakes. Just in case though, I will share it with you. This is Andy's grandmother's recipe.

Mmm...pickles.

Don't you just want to eat them?

Home Canned Dill Pickles

Makes approximately 6 quarts

Ingredients:
White onion
Garlic
Dried red peppers
Dill
Apple cider vinegar
Water
Canning salt
Armenian cucumbers

Instructions

Sterilize your jars in boiling water. Warm canning lids in a small pot of water. Pour 1 quart of apple cider vinegar, 2 quarts of water, and 1 cup of canning salt into a pot and bring to a boil. In the meantime, you will want to wash your cucumbers off and cut to the size desired. Then you will the following ingredients to each jar: 1 onion slice, 1-2 cloves of garlic, 1 little red dried pepper (these are sold in bags and usually found in the Hispanic section of the store), and 1 head of dill. Next, you are going to stuff the jar with cucumbers, make sure you leave 1/2" of headspace. Now it is time to ladle the vinegar, water, and salt mixture over the cucumbers, make sure you leave that 1/2" of head space at the top of each jar. Wipe the top of each jar off with a rag and add lid and ring. Process in hot water bath for 15 minutes.

You will want to let the pickles cure for about 5-6 weeks.

Enjoy your new found addiction!

*Note* Each jar will vary in heat.

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yeah, it's kind of a long name for a cookie recipe, but I'm telling you these cookies are pretty darn good! Not only are these cookies healthier than most, they taste great too! The pictures don't do the cookies justice. Someday, maybe I will be able to afford a nice camera. For now though, the camera phone will have to suffice.

Waiting to go in the oven.

The final product. Mmmm...cookies...

Ingredients
1 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1/4 c. oats
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. sea salt
1/2 c. coconut oil-solid form
1 c. coconut sugar
1/2 c. pumpkin puree (I use homemade pumpkin puree)
2 Tbsp. molasses
1  chia egg
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1 bag of dark chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Mix dry ingredients (whole wheat flour, oats, baking soda, and salt) together and set aside.
3. In another bowl add coconut oil and sugar and beat for about a minute. Add in pumpkin puree, chia egg, vanilla, and molasses. Beat until combined.
4.  Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until incorporated. Fold in dark chocolate chips.
5. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper and using a small cookie scoop place balls of cookie dough on cookie sheet.
6. Bake cookies for 12 minutes.
7. Once the cookies are done, place them immediately on a cooking rack.
8. Eat to your hearts content! Enjoy!

* A chia egg is made by mixing 1 tablespoon of chia seeds with 3 tablespoons of cold water. Then you want to let it sit in a cold place for about 5 minutes, it will turn to a gel like substance. I like to put my chia egg mixture in the freezer. If you don't like chia seeds, you can always use a real egg.

Makes: Approximately 30 cookies

Banana Boats

Most people love roasting marshmellows and eating smores while sitting around a campfire. I have never really been a huge fan of smores, but I sure do love a good banana boat. What is a banana boat? A banana boat is only the BEST campfire treat ever!

Ingredients:

1 banana
Marshmellows
Chocolate of choice - I prefer dark

Instructions:

Rinse the banana. Then cut off the stem at the top and the hard brown spot at the bottom of the banana. Next cut the banana length wise but do not cut all the way through the banana and the peel. Cut just enough so you can create a space to fill with chocolate and marshmellows. Stuff the banana with the chocolate and marshmellows. Wrap the stuffed banana in aluminum foil and place in the coals of your fire. Once the chocolate and marshmellows have suffiently softened pull the bananas out of the fire-- becareful not to burn yourself. Dig in and enjoy!

*Note: leave the banana peel on the banana the entire time.