Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches with Caramelized Onions

If the thought of a hot sandwich filled with beef,  melted cheese, caramelized onions and peppers served with beef broth for dipping sound appealing, you NEED to make these!

These sandwiches make the perfect game day meal, start this early in the morning because you'll need 9 to 12 hours, depending on the size of your roast. You can even serve them as sliders by serving them on dinner rolls.

Ever since I got my hands on the The Recipe Girl Cookbook: Dishing Out the Best Recipes for Entertaining and Every Day, I've had my eye on this recipe because I love a good French Dip! To be honest, I've never made roast beef in the slow cooker, because I love my roast beef in the oven, cooked to medium rare. But I took a chance because I was curious and made this yesterday. Smelled so good simmering all day and when it was ready I made myself a sandwich… it was awesome!

My husband came home from work hungry and I made him a sandwich, and he LOVED it! I didn't have to do much to her recipe to make it light, I just used whole grain bread (tried with both whole wheat baguette and whole wheat 100 calorie potato rolls) and I used portion control and they were perfectly satisfying. I highly recommend making the onions and peppers, in my opinion they make the sandwich!

I've known Lori (aka Recipe Girl) for quite a few years, we first met on Twitter, then in person a few times and recently spent a weekend away at the Better Blog Retreat in Park City, Utah along with a few other lovely ladies. Lori is pictured on my left.

The recipes in her book are perfect for entertaining and she includes menu ideas from everything from football parties, romantic dinners for two, holiday parties, tailgating parties and more, or you can just serve them up any night of the week.

Because this can make several servings depending on the size of the roast you purchase, and the appetites of your guests I am leaving out the serving size and calculating the nutrition based on one sandwich using a whole wheat baguette.

And since so many are asking, I have the 6 Quart Hamilton Beach Set 'n Forget Programmable Slow Cooker. I love it because you can adjust the time you want it to cook, and it automatically turns to warm when it's done. It also has a probe for meat that automatically shuts off when done. I hated my old crock pot, it burnt everything and my food had a weird taste. This crock pot is so great, I actually own two!

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Baked Buffalo Chicken Jalapeño Poppers

The little bite sized babies might be cute, but watch out – they pack a little punch!

I love jalapeno poppers AND buffalo chicken so I decided to combine them both and really spice things up!

These are so good and real easy to make. Prep them ahead and bake them just before you're ready to serve. They should be served hot, so don't bake them ahead. If you want to go carb-less or gluten free, I think they would be good without the panko too.  Just please do yourself a favor and wear gloves when you cut the peppers.

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Salsa Verde Burgers

Wow, these Salsa Verde Burgers are OFF THE HOOK! If you need a new burger idea that everyone will love, look no further. These burgers are lean with a mean, green kick topped with pepper jack cheese, salsa verde and avocado – delish!

I shared this delicious homemade salsa verde recipe for Better Homes and Gardens on Delish Dish and decided to make these burgers using the salsa for dinner last night. You can also use store bought salsa verde, but trust me, nothing beats homemade!

I made the burgers with both lean beef burgers and chicken burgers since I had both on hand, and I loved them equally.  My husband's not eating carbs this week so he ate two beef burgers without the bun. Whether you make them with lean beef, turkey, chicken, buffalo, black bean patties, veggie burgers... modify them however you wish!

I calculated these with 93% lean beef patties, with the bun and without and with the bun and no cheese. Any other variations you'll have to do on your own – enjoy!
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PB & J Healthy Oatmeal Cookies

Made with just just 4 ingredients – bananas, oats, peanut butter and jelly, these cookies are meant to eat warm right out of the oven for a fun spin on my 3-ingredient healthy cookie recipe.

I'm so addicted to making these cookies. Whenever my bananas are over-ripe, I whip up a batch which takes only minutes. These are best when the bananas are super ripe as their natural sweetness is what's used to sweeten the cookies. Keep in mind they aren't crisp like a dessert cookie. Instead these are moist and chewy and best eaten warm, right out of the oven. They are great as an afternoon snack or healthy enough to have for breakfast if you wish. You can easily make half the portion with just 1 banana if you want to make less.

I've made them with walnuts which tasted like banana bread, I've tried them with chocolate chips which so yummy! This time I decided to switch things up and see what happens if I add some chunky peanut butter to the batter and top them with reduced sugar jelly – yum!
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Cilantro Lime Shrimp

Cilantro and lime make this simple shrimp dish outstanding – and it takes just minutes to make! 

This is an oldie but goodie, a regular in my home. I was making it for dinner the other night and felt the need to re-shoot it. We serve it over rice or with a big avocado and lettuce salad. Enjoy!

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Crab and Avocado Phyllo Bites

Quick and easy! These bite sized appetizers are the perfect treat whether you're watching the game or just need some finger foods to munch on.

These were actually a happy accident. I had leftover fresh lump crab meat that I didn't want to waste after making crab cakes so I whipped up this easy appetizer. They turned out really good! For best results, don't fill the phyllo shells until you're ready to bake, and eat right away!

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Spaghetti Squash with Arugula Pesto

Hi guys! Just wanted to share an easy recipe I had for lunch today made with spaghetti squash and pesto. This took less than 15 minutes to make and was delicious.

I am honored to be a guest blogger this month for Better Homes and Gardens. The task was simple, test out a few of their recipes adding my own spin to share on their blog, Delish Dish. As a side dish, this was under 150 calories or 4 PP.  Please visit Delish Dish for the full recipe.

Crock Pot Balsamic Pork Roast

I love making pork in the slow cooker, it's so easy and literally falls apart once cooked. Here it's cooked with balsamic and honey which gives it a slight tang that I thought was lovely.

Whenever I happen to see a small pork roast in the supermarket, I always pick one up because I know it's an easy dinner. I usually find myself gravitating to the Slow Cooker Kalua Pork each and every time because it's so good and easy to make, but I wanted to switch things up and came across a slow cooker recipe for this balsamic pork recipe on Add A Pinch.

I met Robin just a few months ago while I was in Oregon so I was happy to try one of her recipes. This was so easy to make, and although my husband generally isn't much of a balsamic fan, my toddler and I thought it was great! This recipe is slightly modified from her original but for the most part I followed it pretty close.

I served this with Broccoli and Cheese Twice Baked Potatoes but this would also be great with Roasted Parmesan Green Beans.

And since so many are asking, I have the 6 Quart Hamilton Beach Set 'n Forget Programmable Slow Cooker. I love it because you can adjust the time you want it to cook, and it automatically turns to warm when it's done. It also has a probe for meat that automatically shuts off when done. I hated my old crock pot, it burnt everything and my food had a weird taste. This crock pot is so great, I actually own two!

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Easy Macaroni Casserole

This easy baked pasta dish is made with whole wheat elbows, ground turkey, veggies, marinara sauce and cheese. I can't say enough good things about this casserole! It's comforting, kid-friendly and so easy to make because there's no need to pre-cook the pasta!

I come from the school of having to cook your pasta in plenty of water, so when someone kindly shared this recipe with me, I won't lie, I was skeptical! But I loved the outcome, and since then I've made it a few times over tweaking it to my taste and we love it!

And the whole wheat elbows from DeLallo - I'm so impressed with their taste! In fact, I like their pasta so much that I am partnering up with them this year as a brand sponsor. If you've been following me for a while you'll know that my family and I don't like the taste of whole wheat pasta. But that completely changed when I tried DeLallo, and my kids and husband liked it too!

I used whole milk mozzarella on top because the points didn't change by using reduced fat, and I love my cheese melted and gooey, but you can use whichever you prefer.

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Three Cheese Tortellini and Mushroom Soup

I'm working on my manuscript edits this week for my upcoming cookbook, so I thought I would share this delicious soup from the archives!

This is one delicious bowl of soup! Warm and satisfying, with tortellini in every bite. Top this with some fresh shaved Parmigiano Reggiano and you'll experience a wonderful unami taste sensation.

Soup is the perfect one pot meal. Vegetarians can swap out the chicken broth for vegetable broth (also perfect for Meatless Mondays). Using the rind from the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese is optional, but if you have it I recommend using it, it adds so much depth and flavor.

And a little nutritional tidbit about mushrooms, courtesy of registered dietician, Heather K Jones. This veggie has achieved superfood status and with good reason. It’s loaded with important vitamins and minerals, including heart-protecting copper, B vitamins and antioxidants. These fabulous fungus come in a lot of different varieties and are very versatile. 

Heather has generously offered to provide nutritional tidbits on lots of the fruits and vegetables I use in my future recipes. Call me a geek, but I love knowing what I'm eating is not only delicious, but is benefiting my health as well.

I'm sure most of you know I am currently working on my first cookbook, but I'm not sure if you all know that Heather K Jones is working with me on this book. Heather is a great asset to Skinnytaste and has written and contributed to many books for Self, Prevention, Good Housekeeping, and more. She is my go-to person when I have a nutritional question and has posted some great articles on Skinny Bits including The Skinny On Sweeteners. 

For those of you who don't like mushrooms, you can certainly swap them for a vegetable you like, or try this Spinach Tortellini en Brodo recipe. Enjoy!


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Skinny Buffalo Chicken Strips

Quick and easy – these buffalo chicken tenderloins are spicy and delicious! I like to serve them with my homemade skinny blue cheese dressing and celery sticks on the side for a hot and spicy appetizer.

But gosh, you can eat this so many ways! Serve it with baked fries, or make it a wrap. I think this would be an amazing side for my Sweet Potato Irish Nachos!

However you decide to eat them, I am leaving it up to you! But this I promise, they are good, and it takes just 10 minutes to make!

And, if you love everything spicy buffalo as much as I do, then you'll also love some of my other skinny dishes! Try: Spicy Buffalo Cauliflower Bites, Buffalo Turkey Burgers, Buffalo Chicken Potato Skins, Crock Pot Chicken Lettuce Wraps, Buffalo Shrimp Dip, Buffalo Chicken Dip, and my favorite, Buffalo Stuffed Chicken Breasts
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Spinach and Feta Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Chicken cutlets stuffed with spinach, feta and ricotta, then breaded and baked to perfection!

I love making stuffed chicken breast as many as you probably figured out by now. You can stuff chicken with just about anything, and leftovers can be frozen and reheated for your very own homemade frozen meals which are so much better than store bought.

I first experimented with this spinach-feta version back in 2010, and we loved it. My photos were pretty awful back then, so today I decided to make them over! I also changed the recipe slightly to make them easier. Anyone can make these, there are no toothpicks required and the prep time is fairly quick. I served this with a great big salad on the side, but you can also serve it with couscous, rice or quinoa.

You may also like some of my other stuffed chicken breast recipes, Buffalo Stuffed Chicken Breasts, Roasted Red Pepper and Prosciutto, Zucchini and Mozzarella Stuffed Chicken, Chicken Cordon Bleu, Prosciutto and Cheese, and my husband's favorite, Chicken Rollatini with Spinach alla Parmigiana.

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Chicken Pot Pie Soup

The taste of chicken pot pie, in a soup!

It's a blizzard here today and I'm snowed in! No worries, I have all the ingredients to make this soup and I thought I would share this popular recipe from the archives for those of you who are new followers. Hopefully you'll be inspired to make it this week for your family, trust me you'll be glad you did!

Chicken pot pie is ultimate comfort food and this creamy, chunky soup is loaded with chicken, potatoes, mushrooms, peas, carrots, corn, celery, onions and green beans in every bite. You can modify this with the vegetables you like to suit your taste. If you want to get fancy, you can serve this in hollowed out bread bowls or serve it with cut-out baked pie crust (extra points), but I often make them with these Easy Garlic Cheddar Biscuits.

This recipe requires cooked chicken breast. If you have raw chicken, poach 3 breasts in water for 15 minutes, then remove and dice into bite-sized pieces. This soup is super filling! One cup fills me up, but if you want a larger serving, I posted nutritional info for a larger bowl as well.

Leftovers make a great lunch!!

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Blueberry Kale Smoothie

Don't be afraid by the color of this smoothie, I promise it tastes better than it looks! The dark color is from antioxidant rich blueberries and kale (one of the healthiest vegetables on the planet). Black is the new green!

Combined with almond milk, peanut butter, ripe banana and dates, this smoothie is naturally sweet, filling and so good for you!

For those of you on Weight Watchers, I never know if I should count the fruit in my smoothies. Some say no, others say yes. I've decided to count the dates, but not the banana and blueberries – your call!

Here's a helpful tip: When your bananas are brown, freckled and look like they're ready to be thrown out – peel them, cut them and put them in your freezer, they are perfect in smoothies! Buy organic berries when they go on sale, and freeze them too!


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