Fall is arriving!

I must say, fall has a tendency to make me a little sad - wishing for the warmer days of July. Our September has been very warm, but I think that is about to change - I can see leaves changing and it gets dark much earlier.

I'm going to try and change my sadness at the changing of the season by making some soups and comfort food faves.

Monday - SS asked for her favorite to be on the meal plan this week - Spaghetti and meatballs. I'm still liking Kittencal's Marinara from Recipezaar. I like it so much, I haven't been searching for anything new. VERY unlike me! Her Italian Meatballs are fantastic too. I drop them into the simmering sauce for an extra boost of flavor to both!

Tuesday - And our busy week starts. KK has a volleball game at 4:00 and I thought "SOUP" would be a nice thing to fill up her tummy after working so hard. This is a 2-hour crockpot recipe from the WW board. I think I will probably make it up Monday night or before work Tuesday and just reheat on the stove for dinner.

Slow-Cooker Cheeseburger Soup

INSTRUCTIONS

2 spray(s) cooking spray
1 medium garlic clove(s), minced
1 medium onion(s), chopped
1 medium stalk(s) celery, chopped
1 pound(s) uncooked lean ground beef (with 7% fat)
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
3 cup(s) canned chicken broth, divided
1 cup(s) low-fat evaporated milk
8 oz Kraft Velveeta Light Reduced-Fat Pasteurized Processed Cheese Product, or similar product, cubed
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp table salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
24 item(s) baked low-fat tortilla chips, crumbled

Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat for about 30 seconds. Add garlic, onion and celery to skillet; cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are tender, about 5 to 10 minutes. Coat a 3-quart or larger slow cooker with cooking spray; spoon in vegetables.

Place same skillet over medium-high heat and brown beef, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon as it cooks, about 5 to 6 minutes; pour off any liquid and add meat to slow cooker.

In a small cup, combine flour and 1/2 cup of broth; stir until lump-free. Pour flour mixture into same skillet; add remaining 2 1/2 cups of broth. Bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits in bottom of skillet with a wooden spoon, and then pour into slow cooker; stir in evaporated milk, cheese, paprika, salt and pepper. Cover slow cooker and cook on low setting for 2 hours. Serve soup topped with crumbled chips. Yields about 3/4 cup of soup and 3 tablespoons of chips per serving.

Wednesday - I have gotten my "Gem" to take Sami to piano lessons the past two weeks while I've been extra busy at work - but my time has arrived, and that means it is my crockpot is gonna save me again. I got some frozen boneless chicken breasts on sale at Safeway last week - and I stocked up early in the season on some Kraft BBQ sauce when it was on sale too. (I can never make BBQ sauce that I like as well as the cheap stuff. It makes my culinary self kinda sad on occasion! LOL) So, it's time for some Zesty Slow Cooker Chicken BBQ. I like it on baked potatoes. Give it a try instead of a bun.

Thursday - KK has another volleyball game, and again - the crockpot is going to save me. Another simple one from the Weight Watcher boards:


BEEF TIPS WITH ZIP!/slow-cooker
by Linda Wilson

2 lbs lean cubed round or sirloin steak
2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced
*1 can low-fat cream of mushroom soup, undiluted* use wpa for SFT
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
1 cup sugar-free lemon-lime soda

Turn slow-cooker on low. Place meat and mushrooms in cooker. In a mixing bowl, combine remaining ingredients until well blended and pour over meat and mushrooms. Put cover on slow cooker and cook on low approximately 8 hours.
Serve over brown rice or ww egg noodles.
Friday - The family favorite. You guessed it - Shake N' Bake pork chops. We'll try to spruce it up a bit with a an exciting side dish. Probably a veggie casserole.

Saturday - Burgers of some kind. I'm on the look out for something new and exciting. Suggestions are welcome! I might (might) get excited enough to try to make my own buns. Maybe. Don't hold me too it! LOL

Sunday - The flu has already started in our schools. The chickies and I got our Flu Mist doses last week, but I thought this weirdly name soup would be good to have on hand in the freezer for the winter. Per usual, I have whole chickens I've gotten sale roaming wild in the freezer.

I'm glad I had time to post my plan this week - it is so much easier for me when I post it, then I don't have to remember what I did with the paper I wrote it on.

And.... if you got a second, click on one of those annoying google ads. LOL