What a Crock

We decided to put our health first at the first of the year.

I know. Groundbreaking. We are truly visionaries.

JVE and I workout pretty consistently and eat pretty well...but noticed in the last few months (cough cough pandemic cough cough) that our snacking was getting out of control. Which may or may not have been my fault as I have been stress buying chips as a way to cope with being stuck at home and not working. Also, the grazing of the kid's food.

So - As I mentioned in one of my last posts, I've been keeping a ledger of sorts that holds our grocery lists, weekly menus and the todos for the week. It has been a life saver to not only have everything down, but helps in our efforts to be more healthy.

Like any good millennial, I have truly grown to love our crockpot and taken full advantage of our chilly Californian weather (got down to 39* last night). There have been some pretty amazing dishes....like Mongolian beef, smothered pork chops and orange chicken...and some that were just "meh."

Because no one asked for it, here is a list and links to the ones we've made, and what we thought.

Dinner at the Zoo | Orange Chicken

This was AMAZING. It was perfect combination of being both ravenous and this being just damn tasty. I subbed out the chicken breasts for chicken thighs, because the boobs are just always dry. JVE and I loved it. I DEVOURED to bowls while on a zoom call. Jack ate his and Stella decided she did not like it, but ate all her rice. For her, nothing tops the Trader Joe's Orange Chicken....which I get. 10/10 for us. I sent this one out to friends and they've made it...their parents have made it...it's like sisterhood of the traveling inauthentic cuisine.

Suburban Simplicity | Smothered Pork Chops

This was the recipe I had to call both my mother and mother-in-law, because my pork chops were beyond their sell by date...and I felt panicky about having to run to the store while in the middle of remote schooling. They both assured me that, "the nose knows." So...I used one pack and threw the other one away. No one seemed to die after eating them though. These were tasty, but I would use a bigger cut next time because they became very soft and fell apart. Taste was good and JVE likes anything with the term "smothered" in the title. 8/10 for us.

SkinnyFitalicious | Chicken Shawarma

This was....fine, but honestly - I had hit it out of the park the rest of the week with lettuce wraps, Thai chicken and zoodles, and a garlicky chimichurri that melted our faces off....so this just fell like in the "meh" category. I appreciated the recipe using thighs right off the bat. 6.75/10 for us.

The Endless Meal | Thai Chicken Curry

So, maybe this was my fault..but I wanted more from this recipe. I couldn't find any red curry (thanks Nob Hill) and even though the recipe says you can use green....it just didn't hit quite right. I would make this one again and tweak to add more citrus and more curry. I dropped some off at my mom's and she told me after a sniff it needed more citrus and more spice...so who am I to argue with the boss? I am a big fan of this site and think the mistake was user error - so 7/10 for us. Also, it makes a crap ton, also my mistake since the kids don't like anything with spice...so it was just me and JVE...and my mom :-) On a side note, I have had my mom over for dinner twice recently, while recipe testing and served her two awful meals....it is mortifying, but she loves me anyway....but worries for JVE.

Well Plated | Buffalo Chicken Sweet Potatoes

Again, another recipe where we were HUNGRY before consuming...which added to the experience. This was a big pile 'o food, coupled along with some stormy weather and a Sylvester Stallone movie...it was pretty lovely. I didn't have time or energy to go out and get the blue cheese (#PMS) for the dressing, so I punted and made a tzazitiki - since that's what good Greek gals do in a bind. I'd make this again and again and want to have more fun playing around with it. The only issue I had was the dang chicken boob was so dry! Even with the buffalo sauce. Must be me. 8/10 for us - good gut fill.

The Recipe Rebel | Creamy Tomato Basil Chicken

We've been doing a lot of zoodles and spaghetti squash, because #health. I find that both are infinitely better when coated in a butt ton of tomato sauce (sorry Tom and Giselle). This was cozy, tasty and....the breasts were dry. But, with sauce anything is better! 7/10 for us...dry chicken breasts. This is obviously a me thing, the recipe is faboosh.

Well Plated | Greek Chicken

Yes. The chicken was dry. However! I would 100% make this again and use thighs. The herbs, the olives, the peppers, the tangy vinegar and honey dressing with feta..all of it so good. This one is being tucked away for when we are allowed to have friends over again for game nights. It's low fuss, tasty and leaves you feeling full...but not bleh. 9/10 for us.

The Recipe Critic | Mongolian Beef

This was made before our switch to healthier pastures, I made this. It was....superb.It came out probably more "shreddy" than it was intended....but man oh man. It was lovely. We at it all together on the couch, with rice and broccoli - while watching Wall-E. 8/10 for us. Can't wait to eat this again on a chilly day.

Well Plated | Beef and Broccoli

JVE says he liked this more than the Mongolian Beef. I think he's a liar. But, maybe not. As always, Well Plated provided a strong recipe that was easy to execute and proved to be very flavorful. JVE gives it a 8/10.

If anyone has some healthy-is crock pot recipes to throw my way, let me know! Also, check out Well Plated and The Endless Meal - I noticed the majority of my recipe pins have been from them and I'm super impressed with the variety of recipes and how user friendly the sites are. Also, I've been using the LoseIt app for years now to track my intake and The Endless Meal has a lot of their recipes built out in it and all the nutritional facts. I am so thankful for that.