Crockpot Stew

1 not so lean chuck roast
2 pkgs of frozen soup or stew vegetables
1 lipton onion soup packet

Dump vegetables in in crock pot and sprinkle some of lipton onion soup pkt. on top
Place chuck roast on top of vegetables and add rest onion soup pkt.

This cooked on slow at least 11 hours will produce a hearty stew. The roast should be boneless and it will fall apart if cooked slow and long. The juices from the roast will seep into the vegetables and there will still be juice to dip some hearty bread in.

I use the frozen stew mix and a vegetable soup mix. The stew mix is just larger size potatoes and carrots with baby onions.

Broccoli Chicken Bake

And, no, this is NOT healthy. But, my husband and I both love it. Here is the recipe for two hungry people.

2 large, deboned chicken breasts
1/2 bag frozen broccoli (small florets are what I like best, but you could use broccoli cuts, too)
1 can mushroom soup (Don't use fat-free. The texture is too weird. Anyway, with all those T. Tots, no point.)
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/3 bag Tator Tots

Put chicken in the bottom of a small baking dish
Mix broccoli, soup, and wine together. Pour over chicken breasts.
Put Tator tots on top. I usually line them up, side by side, on top of the chicken (and broccoli, soup, wine mixture).

Then bake, uncovered, at 375 for, well, if my memory serves me correctly, about 45 minutes. I usually check the chicken after about 40 minutes to see if it is cooked and go from there.

Well, not dietetic, for sure. But, we are going to have to find SOME way to replenish all of those calories we will be burning off with exercise this Winter, right?

Both recipes sound delicious! Keep them coming!:)

Dix I am doing your soup this week. I have all the ingredients in my pantry. I always have feta cheese in the fridge.

these sound fantastic and inspiring. you know that i have a few to share,

i like to cook seasonal veggies, so yams, squash of all kinds, beets will be in my next dish. i discovered a nice technique for pork - season with favorite spices (i prefer sage and rosemary), a little cider vinegar 2 T will start breaking down any tough cut, so marinate while you cut veggies to roast and add 1/4 cup stock or water in baking dish - separate or same dish for veggies. put the baking dish in a larger one (the cheap tin one is fine) with a little water bath. cover with foil until last few minutes. it keeps everything happy and moist and juicy. cook at 300 covered for 1 hour, then turn meat , toss veggies. 15 min more....then turn oven off and let continue for another 15 min. then you can make a delicious soup with any leftovers.

may sound complicated, but it's easy to do in stages and once the chopping is done, the oven does the work.