Chicken Florentine via Slow Cooker

~Chicken Florentine~
via Slow Cooker

One morning a little over a week ago a few snowflakes began floating down.  What??  No!!  Say it isn't so!!  Well, they did, but the melting process happened really quickly.  While watching them, suddenly it just felt like "Slow Cooker" time.  The kind of morning when there is much to do and you just know that dinnertime will come just too quickly- even though it is hours away.  You just have that feeling! 

It had been many months since I'd made this Chicken dinner in my Slow Cooker.  A quick glance and I had most of the ingredients.  So why not??  It seems whenever I prepare it, I make it a little differently.  This time there were no Potatoes or Yams to add to the Slow Cooker's pot.  Well, that was just no problem!  We enjoyed this flavorful dish served over pasta. 

It was so good!  It's always very tasty.  The Chicken is always so tender.  Carrots and Spinach are filled with flavor.  There's a sauce to drizzle over the pasta, too.  On a busy day this is tasty and hearty to enjoy at dinnertime.

Chicken Florentine
     via Slow Cooker  

Ingredients:

1 lb. Baby Carrots
1 teaspoon dried Parsley
1 teaspoon dried Chopped Onion
1- 1 and 1/2 lbs. Chicken Tenders
1/4 teaspoon dried Oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried Basil
1/8 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 (10 oz.) pkg. frozen Spinach, defrosted
1 can Healthy Request Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/3 Cup Water

Method:  

1. Rinse Baby Carrots under cool water.  Place in Slow Cooker's pot.
2. Sprinkle on 1 teaspoon dried Parsley and 1 teaspoon dried Chopped Onion.
3. Rinse Chicken Tenders under cold water and place on top of Carrots.
4. Sprinkle on Oregano, Basil and Garlic Powder.
5. Add defrosted Spinach on top, spreading evenly. 
6. In a small bowl mix well Cream of Mushroom Soup with 1/3 Cup Water.
7. Spread evenly over top of Spinach.
8. Place lid on Slow Cooker and set temperature.
9. Cook on #5- High for 1 Hour.  Then, reduce heat to #3 for 2 Hours. 
10. Serve over Pasta.
11. Enjoy!

Refrigerate any leftovers! 

This is a great dinner any season of the year.  I always keep a can of the soup in the pantry, just in case I need it.  Much like there's always an extra bag of Flour sitting on the shelf, too.

Dinner tonight??  Oh, our temps were in the mid 60's°F, so Chicken on the grill was quick and easy.  We live in New England!

Enjoy!
Yummy!

   

Oatmeal Pancakes

Stack of 2 Oatmeal Pancakes
with Strawberries

There is something about winter and me thinking about oats.  Not in cookies nor as a topping, but as in Oatmeal Pancakes.  Oatmeal Pancakes!!  Their name may not sound very exciting, but let me tell you they are so good!!  With each bite there is a little crunch going on.  Oats,  fat free Buttermilk, egg whites, olive oil ... all favorite cooking ingredients for me!  I had not make these pancakes in a while.  The memory of enjoying them in the morning with strawberries served on top came back.  I like mine stacked before topping with the strawberries.  Yum!!   

The combination of Strawberries and Oats tastes so good!  So, the night before, a Ziploc bag of frozen sliced (slightly sweetened) strawberries were taken out of our freezer to defrost in the fridge for the next morning.  The Oats and Buttermilk are also combined the night before.  Then, the next morning finish preparing the batter and get your skillet hot!  It was time to combine the Buttermilk and Oats in a bowl and let the process begin! 

This recipe makes a large batch, so I freeze the extra pancakes.  Each is placed in an individual sandwich bag.  The pancakes are stacked and then placed into a Ziploc freezer Bag and popped into the freezer.  They are ready to enjoy at other breakfasts.  Defrosting/ reheating the Oatmeal Pancakes in the microwave works great. 
             
Oatmeal Pancakes

Ingredients:

2 Cups Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
2 Cups Fat Free Buttermilk
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *
1 Cup Fat Free Buttermilk- use the next morning
1/2 Cup Flour
2 Tablespoons Sugar
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
1 teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Egg + 2 Egg Whites, beaten
4 Tablespoons Olive Oil for baking & sauteing 

Method:

1.  Combine Oats, Buttermilk, Cinnamon and Nutmeg in a bowl.  Cover and refrigerate overnight.
2.  Next morning add 1 Cup additional Buttermilk.  Stir.  
3.  Stir together Flour, Sugar, Baking Powder & Baking Soda in a small bowl.
4.  Add to Oats/ Buttermilk mixture.
5.  Add beaten Egg + Egg Whites and Olive Oil. 
6.  Stir all together, adding small amount of Buttermilk if needed.
7.  Pour 1/4 Cup batter on hot griddle for each pancake.
8.  When brown, flip over and cook other side.
9. Serve!

What a great breakfast!  If you do not have Strawberries for a topping, Maple Syrup also tastes so good!   

Enjoy!
Yummy!