Recipes {Crock-pot Potato Soup and Green Smoothie}

The other night I was really in the mood for baked potato soup but not so much in the mood for bacon. I polled facebook to get the best potato soup recipe out there but still none of them were exactly what I wanted. So I waited a day or two. And finally felt like I could handle cooking up bacon...okay, scratch that felt like I could handle the smell of bacon being cooked. {This pregnancy has caused a strong aversion to all things pork including bacon}So since I could muster up the strength for that I wanted to make a baked potato soup in my crock-pot. Don't ask me why I wanted to do it in the crock pot but I did. So I got to creating. I searched the web for a crock-pot recipe but none of them seemed exactly right so I pulled bits and pieces from a few added my own touches and it was delicious. And I found out in the process that I can in fact enjoy bacon as long as it has already been cooked and the grease smell has long left my kitchen. So here is the best baked potato soup I have ever had crock-pot style.

Crock-pot Potato Soup

3 lbs. potatoes (I used russet) peeled and diced into about 2 in. cubes

1 small onion, diced

4 gloves garlic, diced

1 quart chicken broth (you may want to have some extra on hand for later in case it gets too thick for your liking)

1 package chive and onion cream cheese, room temperature, I used the reduced fat kind and you couldn't even tell (shhh...hubs still doesn't know)  

Salt and pepper to taste 

Throw potatoes, onion, and garlic in the bottom of your crock-pot. Season with salt and pepper and cover with broth. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8.  Check the potatoes and if they are tender you are good to go. Now at this point I grabbed our potato masher and went to town. You could also use a hand-mixer and mash up your potatoes. I found out potato masher worked perfect and left it just the right consistency. After you get your potatoes all mashed mix in your package of cream cheese and leave on high for 30 minutes. Then mash again to make sure all the cream cheese is mixed in well. 

Now it's time to eat. I served ours with sharp cheddar cheese and diced bacon. I'm sure it would be good without those things but we love cheese around here and hubs loves bacon so I knew it had to be added. Let me know what you think if you get around to trying it.

One more recipe to share with you all today.  We have been enjoying green smoothies over here every morning. LB loves them. In fact, every morning while I am getting breakfast ready he asks so sweetly for a soothie and points at the blender. I can't resist. Especially because I know it is packed full of good things for him. 

Green Smoothie: (makes 2 8 oz or 1 16 oz serving)

1 Cup milk

1 Cup yogurt (I usually use plain but sometimes I'll do low-fat vanilla)

1/2 banana

1 Cup pineapple

1 Cup fresh baby spinach

Blend up until everything is well mixed then serve. So easy and so good. Some mornings I swap out the milk and yogurt for 100% apple juice. Or I add in a tablespoon of wheat germ. It really just depends on what fruit I have on hand and what I am in the mood for that morning. Some days I use only frozen fruits and sometimes its all fresh, we aren't picky about smoothie consistency here. 

My favorite part about these smoothies is you can't even taste the spinach. I was so skeptical of adding it but once I did I was converted. Not only is it so good for you it makes the smoothie a really pretty shade of green.

So what is your feelings on adding spinach to smoothies? One time I was told you could add frozen broccoli and not even taste it. That was a lie. It was the only thing I could taste and forced myself to drink it because I didn't want to waste all the delicious fruit I had added. But I promise with the spinach it is true you really can't taste it. Promise.

Recipe {Crock-pot Chicken Tortilla Soup}

In the past few weeks my sister has really gotten into crock-pot cooking. Which led me to realize I don't have many of my crock-pot recipes up on the blog. So I decided it was time to share some of the slow-cooking love with you all. 

Crock-pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

3 boneless skinless chicken breast (you can use the ones you buy frozen in the bag...no need to thaw)

1 box chicken stock (about 32 oz.)

1 can rotel (or diced tomatoes)

1 small onion, finely diced

1 can corn, drained

1 can black beans, drained

Add the chicken, stock, onion, and rotel to your crock-pot. If you are using frozen chicken cook on high for 6 hours...if not frozen cook on low 6 hours. When the time is up pull your chicken out and shred it. Return it to the pot and add the can of corn and black beans. Cook on low for 1 more hour. 

When you are ready to serve top with:

tortilla strips (you can either use ones you buy or make your own)

shredded cheese

sour cream

Serve and watch your family eat it up.

Note, I add lots of different spices to mine and sometimes even add a chipotle pepper to spice things up. I love this recipe because it is so basic that you can add things to your taste. My sis hates spicy things so she used the recipe as is, but if you like spice I say throw in a chipotle pepper with the chicken. It is so good that way. I also love to add a little lime and cilantro to it in the summer. Brightens the dish up and gives it a nice taste.

Do you all use your crock-pot often? What is your favorite dish to make in it?