Bacon Ranch Chicken Pasta

Attention all crockpot owners:  make this.  I absolutely love using my slow cooker for a number of different recipes (scroll down and see my list of labels--click "crockpot" or "slow-cooker" for a number of recipes for time-starved families.  Here is just one more quick 'n easy crockpot recipe--made with hearty flavors of bacon and ranch (minus the fat, preservatives, and calories).  Dump everything together and enjoy.
This was inspired by a recipe in Cooking Light, but modified for crockpot time ease and health (I didn't use actual sat-fat-loaded bacon).


Ingredients:
4 Chicken Breasts, cut into 2" pieces (slightly thawed)
1/2 lb. Turkey Bacon, cooked and broken into bits
1 Can Cream of Mushroom or Cream of Chicken Soup (reduced sodium)
1/2 Cup Sour Cream
1 1/4 Cups Skim Milk
1 tsp. Minced Garlic
1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder
1 tsp. Onion Powder
2 tsp. Dill Weed
1 Cup Shredded Cheese (I used Mexi-blend, Low-Fat)
Cooked Pasta (egg noodles, elbow macaroni, spaghetti, fusili, rotini, you choose) according to package directions.

Directions:
1.  Combine all ingredients (minus pasta) in crockpot.  Stir well to combine.  Heat on Low for 2-3 hours, or until chicken is cooked through.

Spoon over cooked pasta and enjoy!

Potato, Leek & Ham Soup

More soup!  I also decided to make a delicious potato, leek, and ham soup, filled with flavor from some ham and turkey bacon.  There is something comforting (and obviously, warm) about a nice, big bowl of soup.  This is a great recipe to make (and freeze if you'd like) when you have a lot of extra potatoes (which I do, since buying 5-10 lb bags is often much cheaper than buying potatoes individually) you need to use up.

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp. Butter
• 3-4 oz (6-7 strips) Turkey Bacon 
• 3 Leeks (green portions removed, chop the white and light green parts)
• 1/2 Cup Dry White Wine
• 8 oz Cooked, Boneless Ham, diced (I love Hormel's Natural Choice, because it's nitrate-free)
• 5 Cups Chicken Broth (sodium-free)
• 2 lbs Russet Potatoes, diced (about 6-8 medium-sized potatoes)
• 1 tsp. Thyme
• 1 tsp. Marjoram
• 1 tsp. Pepper
• 1/2 Cup Milk (or cream or half-and-half for the more indulgent)
• For Topping the Soup:  Chives/Green Onions and Monterrey-Jack shredded cheese

Directions:
1.  In Dutch Oven, or large stockpot, melt the butter and add the turkey bacon.  Cook for 5-7 minutes, or until bacon is cooked.
2.  Stir in chopped leeks and cook another 5-6 minutes, or until leeks are soft.
3.  Pour in the wine and bring to a gentle boil.
4.  Add in the ham, chicken broth, potatoes, thyme, marjoram, salt, and pepper.  Bring to a boil for a few minutes.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the potatoes are quite soft.
5.  Remove soup from heat and working in batches, puree the soup in a food processor or blender (I used a blender).  If you have an immersion blender, you can puree the soup right in the pot (I don't).
6.  Stir in the milk.  Serve immediately.  Top with chives and a little Monterrey-Jack cheese.

For freezing, divide soup into two large freezer bags.  Once at room temperature, cool completely in the refrigerator.  Once cold, put soup into a second freezer bag (better safe than sorry with freezer burn) and be sure to label and date the soup (I include the date I made it and the "eat by" date).  Freeze up to 3 months.
To reheat, dip the bag into hot water for 5 minutes.  Then, put soup into stockpot.  Cook over medium heat for about 25 minutes, or until hot, stirring occasionally.

Sun-dried Tomato & Avocado Pasta

I love to make a batch of the Sun-dried Tomato & Avocado Pasta on Sunday, store it in the refrigerator, and then eat it for lunch or dinner throughout the week.  It has a lot of healthy fats, fiber, and lean protein, making it an amazingly healthy meal that keeps you full for hours (but not weight-gaining-full--in fact, I usually lose weight eating this meal).  Because there are a lot of healthy fats in this meal, it is somewhat calorically-dense, so be sure to watch your portion sizes.  Some of the key healthy ingredients in this recipe are: the avocado, lean bacon, whole wheat/grain pasta, sun-dried tomatoes, and olive oil.  
The avocado has: heart-healthy fats (the kind that reduce LDL "bad" cholesterol), lots of folate (great for reproductive, eye, and heart health), beta-sitosterol (reduces blood cholesterol), and potassium (reduce blood pressure).  
Turkey or veggie bacon provide healthy lean protein; just be sure to look at the sodium content as well as chemicals and preservatives in these to avoid health-damaging effects.   
Whole wheat/whole grain pasta provides tremendous health benefits over refined white pasta.  It is more filling (more fiber) and better for you, reducing your risk of metabolic syndrome and insulin-resistance over eating refined carbs (e.g. white pasta).  Sun-dried tomatoes provide  lycopene and other antioxidants (like Vitamin C) to fight free radicals, prevent cancer, and promote heart health.
Olive oil, although calorically-dense, is amazing for heart health (increases HDL "good" cholesterol, while lowering LDL "bad" cholesterol and reduces blood pressure) and weight maintenance/loss.  As a staple of the "life-lengthening" Mediterranean diet, olive oil contributes to overall improved health. 


Ingredients (~= 6 servings):
1 Box (13.5 oz) Whole Grain/Wheat Pasta (I used Ronzoni Health Harvest Fusilli, but Penne, Bow Tie, Fettuccine, or any other pasta is also fine)
1 Avocado, diced
1/2 cup Julienne-cut Sun-dried tomatoes (I cut them up even smaller)
6-8 oz Turkey or Veggie bacon, cooked and crumbled (I used Morningstar Farms Bacon Strips)
4 Tbsp. Olive Oil, extra-virgin
1 Tbsp. Sherry Cooking Wine
1 Tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tbsp. Lime (Juice of 1/2 a Lime)
1 tsp. Basil


Directions: 
1. Dice the Avocado.  Cut the sun-dried tomatoes into smaller pieces. Cook and crumble the bacon.
2. Bring a pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat.  Cook pasta according to package directions.
3. While the pasta cooks, combine the diced avocado, sun-dried tomatoes, cooked/crumbled bacon, olive oil, sherry cooking wine, apple cider vinegar, balsamic vinegar, lime juice, and basil (i.e. all the other ingredients) in a mixing bowl.
4. Drain the pasta.
5.  Add pasta to the avocado/bacon mixture.  Toss and stir well to coat.  
6.  Serve at any temperature--immediately as hot or refrigerated.  It tastes great either way!