Crockpot French Onion Soup

I am a lover of french onion soup, but have never made it myself. I'm not sure why, because it is so easy. I conquered it this weekend and it turned out pretty well. I decided not to use as many photos in this post simply because of it's simplicity. Hah. Anyway, it only had 2 weight watchers points per serving. I cut the original recipe in half, and it makes 4 servings of soup. 

All you'll need is: 

1 package of Swanson less sodium beef broth (32 ounces)

1 full onion, chopped

1 1/2 tablespoon butter 

3 tablespoons of flour

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon pepper

I did end up adding a bit more worcestershire sauce for more flavor, but only about a 1/2 teaspoon.

1. Start by chopping the onion, and adding the onion and butter to the crock. Mix together and in about 30-35 minutes the onions will begin to cook. 

2. Add the flour, the worcestershire sauce, sugar, and pepper to a bowl and mix together. 

3. After 30-35 minutes, add the mixture to the onions.

4. Pour the whole container of the beef broth into the crock.

5. Cook for 7-9 hours on low heat setting, or 3-4 hours on high.

I decided to cook on high for a couple of hours, and then I turned the setting to low, because I was not going to be ready to eat for a while. The soup came out very well! I only wish I had made the broiled cheesy french bread that I saw to go along with it... That would have made it incredible. Needless to say, I think I will be making my own french onion soup from now on, and no longer buying it. 

Stuffed Peppers

This was by far one of the best things I have made so far. They're very easy to make, too. I found the recipe per usual on Pinterest, and I modified it slightly. There were quite a bit of dishes to do at the end, but totally worth it. I read online that they freeze well too. We'll see how the frozen ones reheat! Also, they are only 5 weight watchers points, which is fabulous. The peppers I got were pretty small. The stuffing mixture made much more than I was able to fit into these peppers. So, I would suggest using a few more peppers, or keeping the mix and making a burrito out of it... I plan to do that this week!

This is what you'll need:

4 or 5 peppers, any colors you'd like

1/2 pound 99% fat free ground turkey

1 can low sodium black beans

1 jar mango salsa

1 heaping tablespoon reduced sodium taco seasoning

1 package (2 cups) rice of your choice

1/2 chopped onion

1 cup frozen corn

Cheese to taste!

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Spray the bottom of a casserole dish with pam.

Cut the peppers in half lengthwise and take out all the seeds.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until almost cooked through.

While the peppers are cooking, cook the onion, and the turkey in separate skillets. 

Drain and wash the black beans...

When the onion is cooked, add the package of frozen corn. 

Cook the rice in the microwave for 90 seconds, and add to the onion and corn. 

Add the taco seasoning, turkey, black beans, salsa, and corn rice and onions together in a large bowl. 

Mix it all together!

Take the peppers out of the oven, and let them cool enough to handle them.

     

Stuff the peppers with the mixture and put them back in the oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the peppers are cooked through.

When a minute or two remains, add the cheese to the top of each pepper. When the cheese is melted, take them out of the oven.

Enjoy!

These were delicious and I will definitely be making them again, especially if the freeze well. They're perfect for a small meal. I added a bit of plain greek yogurt, like a sour cream. They would be very quick and easy to make if the stuffing were made ahead of time, but they were not too involved this way. Very good! Next time, I'm going to attempt Philly cheesesteak stuffed peppers. Yum. 

Microwave Chocolate Chip Cookie

I've seen a lot online about individual microwavable desserts. I'm not a huge fan of sweets, so I made my roommate eat this one. The first attempt was an epic fail. It definitely works better in a mug, I used a ceramic bowl the first time. Also, our old microwave just doesn't work very well at all. 

All you need is:

1 1/2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1/4 cup flour

1/8 teaspoon baking powder

1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate chips to taste

Start by melting the butter in the microwave. Add the white sugar and the brown sugar, and mix. 

Add the flour, baking powder and vanilla, and mix. 

Add the chocolate chips, and microwave. 

Start with 40 seconds. In my microwave it took about a minute and a half, 

but my microwave is ancient. 

I think I ended up putting it back in the microwave for a few seconds, it doesn't look very appetizing in this photo. However, my roommate said it was delicious!

I don't think I'll be trying this one again, simply because our microwave is so questionable. The first attempt was awful, and this one tasted good, but didn't look so good! 

Garlic Mashed Cauliflower

I had never been a huge fan of cauliflower or broccoli in my past. The texture of broccoli weirded me out. However, I have grown to like both of them much more recently. I had only ever had cauliflower raw, until last night. I kept seeing recipes on Pinterest for mashed cauliflower and all sort of other recipes. One I want to try soon is cauliflower pizza crust. Anyway, it was absolutely delicious. I immediately called my mother, who is a potato enthusiast. It is literally better than mashed potatoes. So I kind of made up my own recipe based on what I kept seeing online.

So, this is what you'll need:

1 head of garlic

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

1 head of cauliflower

1 1/2 tablespoon plain greek yogurt

1 1/2 tablespoon light cream cheese

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Cheese to taste

Start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees.

Cut the top 1/4 inch or so off of the head of garlic.

Drizzle with olive oil.

Add salt and pepper.

Wrap in foil, place of cookie sheet and bake for 35-40 minutes. 

Cut up the head of cauliflower and steam for about 15 minutes, or until tender. 

Drain excess water.

Place in food processor. 

Chop!

Add the butter, cream cheese, and greek yogurt. 

Mix!

Sprinkle a little cheese on top, and enjoy!

So delicious! It took a lot not to eat the whole thing. Only 4 weight watchers points per serving! This made about 3 servings. I will definitely be making it again in the future. My mom hardly eats fruits or vegetables... never has. I plan on making this for her one night when I am home and not telling her what it is. I honestly do not even think she'll notice that it is not potatoes! Can't wait to make this again!

Baked Potato

This is so easy to make. I was craving french fries one night but did not want to put the effort in to make them. I remembered this recipe I had seen on Pinterest, of course. It is so simple, and so delicious. It takes a little long to bake, but totally worth it.

All you need is:

A potato

Olive oil

Salt and pepper

Ketchup (optional)

Anything else you choose to add

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 

Slice the potato thinly, width wise. 

When you're done slicing, place on a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. 

Pour with about 2 teaspoons of olive oil.

I chose to use garlic salt. Sprinkle salt and pepper or garlic salt on top.

Bake for 40 minutes, enjoy!

Delicious! I dipped it in ketchup and it was better than french fries. Not too unhealthy for you, if you avoid using too much oil. It does not need much, most of what I poured over the potato fell onto the aluminum foil anyway. Just enough so it doesn't burn! I will definitely be making this again in the future!

Microwave Mac and Cheese

I am a lover of mac and cheese in every form. Boxed, baked, microwaved. You name it, I like it. I found this recipe on Pinterest for an individual microwaved macaroni and cheese meal. To die for. Seriously, it is so easy to make and so good. Again, only 4 ingredients... Imagine that.

What you'll need:

A mug

1/3 cup of noodles

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup cheese

Put the noodles and the water in the mug and microwave 2 minutes.

My microwave is circa 1970, so it takes forever to cook things. 

Stir and microwave another 2 minutes. It may be finished cooking at this point. Check after every 2 minutes or so. Mine took 7 minutes to finally cook, after I added a bit more water. 

Add the milk and the cheese and mix it up.

Microwave for another minute or two, stirring halfway through. 

Enjoy. 

I used rotini, so it took a little longer to cook in the microwave. I ended up needing about a tablespoon more water. If you use macaroni or a smaller noodle, I think it would cook perfectly with 1/2 cup of water. 

Perfection. Seriously. You can also use any kind of cheese that you want, or have on hand. I used the mexican blend because it is all that I had, but I think in the original recipe they suggest cheddar. Perfect for a quick meal if you're in a hurry! Or if you don't want to eat a whole box of Kraft!

Spaghetti Squash With Breadcrumbs

This was my first attempt at making spaghetti squash, so I wasn't entirely sure what it was supposed to look like, or the consistency it was supposed to have. I would definitely modify it a bit if I were to make this same recipe again. I am excited to try the spaghetti squash with a pasta sauce. I am addicted to pasta, so having a healthier alternative is wonderful. I had no idea how much spaghetti I would get out of one squash, which was a lot more than I expected!

What you'll need:

1 small spaghetti squash

2/3 cup breadcrumbs

1 tbs olive oil

2 tsp basil

1/2 cup onions

1/2 cup green pepper

1/2 cup mushroom 

3 cloves garlic

garlic salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Poke a few holes in the spaghetti squash and cook for 1 hour on a cookie sheet 

lined with aluminum foil.

Toward the end of the hour, begin sautéing the vegetables. 

Take the squash out of the oven.

Cut it in half...

Scoop out the seeds.

Pour the olive oil on the pan and heat up.

Add some bread crumbs and brown them.

Add the squash.

Place more breadcrumbs on top.

Mix it all together.

Add the garlic salt and basil.

Serve and enjoy!

It came out alright for the first time. I would definitely do a few things differently, if I were to make it again. I will definitely try the spaghetti squash again, but this particular recipe with the breadcrumbs was kind of odd. I will probably try it again, but will be aware of how much spaghetti will come out of the squash next time!