Crock Pot Italian Chicken

BEST OF THE TASTY CHEAPSKATE

In honor of Labor Day, I'm bringing you a dish--not for a picnic--but for a nice low-labor dinner for a high-labor day. It's great for anything in the world (Sunday dinner, soccer days, lazy days, hot days, cold days, weekdays), including bringing to friends who need a nice meal. 

If you'd like to read the initial post, which I just think is hil-a-ri-ous. Because of course, I'm just hil-a-ri-ous, you can find it HERE. 

Also, if you forget to crock pot it, and still want this, I'd bet you could put it all in a 9x13 inch pan and bake for about 40 minutes, and come out with a win.

Crock Pot Italian Chicken
Serves 6
Prep time: 3-10 minutes
Cook time: 6 hours in crock pot
Cost: $4.85
(chicken: 4.00, cream cheese: I got mine for .50, but a more normal yet still cheap price is a little over a dollar, white sauce: .30, Italian dressing packet: homemade: .05; I don't know how much it is to buy it.)

4 chicken breasts--about 2 lb.
8 oz. package cream cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup (or 2 Tbsp butter, 2 Tbsp flour, 1 C milk, 1 tsp bouillon granules)
1 packet Italian dressing mix (or 2 Tbsp homemade Italian dressing mix)

2 handfuls spinach (optional, but this does make you feel like you're winning at life)

Put chicken in crock pot. Add cream cheese in chunks. Add cream of chicken soup and sprinkle with Italian dressing mix. Cook on low for 6 hours (my chicken was frozen; if yours is thawed, this will take less time) or whenever dinner is [Note: It is possible to overcook this. I mean, it's still good, but your chicken can get a little mushy, so be warned.]. 

If using spinach, toss it in the crock pot, 15 minutes before serving. 

When ready to eat, shred chicken and mix chicken with cream cheese, sauce, and seasoning. Serve over rice or starch of your choice. We had a salad on the side the first day and broccoli the next day. I also thought it would be really good with a few lovely seasonal tomatoes sliced up on the side.

If making a white sauce instead of using cream of chicken soup:

Melt butter in a pot. Whisk in flour and bouillon. Let bubble for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Whisk in milk. Stir until boiling. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened (should take 1-3 minutes).

Raisin Peanut Butter Breakfast Cookies (cheapskate Larabars)

BEST OF THE TASTY CHEAPSKATE

I love these so much that posting about them on a hungry stomach is just a terrible idea. I'm going to have to rush through this, then hurry into my kitchen and make some more. They are just fantastically good. They make for a quick grab-and-go breakfast if your kids sleep in (like one of mine did this morning). They make for a great post workout snack. They make for a great healthy dessert that doesn't really taste like a healthy dessert.

They are like Larabars in that they combine fruit and nuts (and chocolate) to make something divine. But they combine the cheapest dried fruit and the cheapest nut. The cost of the entire batch is about not more than $2.00. The last time I bought a box of Larabars on sale, it was $5.00.

And the truth is that they taste 500 times better than those expensive Larabras. So make them.

(P.S. Freeze them if you want to keep them around longer than 40 seconds. My kids descend upon them like locusts of Biblical fame--consuming all.)

You can find the recipe below and the original post HERE.

Want more Larabar knock-offs. Try THESE. Or THESE BROWNIE BITES.

Raisin Peanut Butter Breakfast Cookies (aka Cheapskate Larabars)
adapted from Chocolate-Covered Katie
Makes about 12 (um, a little foggy here on the amount; I must have been snitching too much dough)
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cost: $1.70
peanut butter: .70, raisins: .70, peanuts: .30


Note: These are oily when you form them into balls--at least mine were. I just set them on a paper towel and all was well.

Another note: If you'd like, you can add any variety of dried fruits or nut butters. I did a batch with raisins, coconut, peanut butter, and almonds. It was also delicious, although this original recipe was still may favorite. Nevertheless, feel free to play around with the recipe a bit.

1 1/4-1 1/2 C raisins
3/4 C peanut butter
6 Tbsp peanuts (I used raw, but plain roasted will work too)
3/4 tsp vanilla
dash of salt if that's your thing (it's mine)
chocolate chips, optional (I added them sometimes and didn't other times--both were awesome)

Combine raisins, peanut butter, and peanuts in a food processor. (Note: In an attempt to save on dishes I tried this in my cheap blender. It didn't work; the raisins were just too sticky.) Process until smooth (you'll have a few bits of peanuts, but not big chunks) and coming together like a dough. Add vanilla and salt (if using) and process. (If using chocolate chips, you can add these at the very end and give them a whirl or two, but I like mine chunky so I didn't pulverize them.)

Take out, form into balls. Place balls on waxed paper or paper towels and press into cookie shapes using a fork or spoon.

Spinach Enchilada Lasagna

I promised better pictures this year. It was a dirty lie. I'm sorry. This isn't, to be fair, an easy food to photograph, and my good camera is currently out of commission. But, well, I did my best. 

Don't be discouraged by ugly food. This is a creamy delicious simple meal that is great for a crowd. It's basically a vehicle for cheese. but, you know, there's a layer of spinach, so we tell ourselves it's dinner.

Spinach Enchilada Lasagna
adapted from allrecipes
Prep time: 10-15 minutes
Cook time: 20-25 minutes
Cost: $5.50 (this is about $.45-.90/serving)
tortillas: 1.50, sour cream: .50, salsa: 1.00, cheese: 2.00, spinach: .50

Note: The original recipe called for corn tortillas and this is so delicious like that. But Kip prefers flour, and that's good too. I also like it with half corn and half flour. You get the flavor of the corn and the texture of the flour.

Note #2: You'll notice the cheese has a wide range for measurement. Kip loves this super cheesy. I feel when we use too much cheese, it takes over all the flavors, and it's like eating a pan of cheese (not that there's anything wrong with that...). So decide which way you want to go with this.

Note #3: I'd bet (though it is untested) that this would work just fine in a crock pot on low for 3-4 hours. 

1 C sour cream
1 C green salsa (green enchilada sauce works as well)
1 bunch fresh spinach
2-4 C Monterey Jack cheese
1 package corn or flour tortillas

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Stir together the sour cream and green salsa. Spread a bit on the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan.

Layer tortillas, sour cream/salsa mixture, spinach, cheese. Repeat until sour cream/salsa mixture is gone (2-3 layers), then top with a layer or tortillas and cheese.

Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Enjoy!