Thanks to some superb non-planning and rotten luck, our house seems to be under siege.
The hot water heater had a panic attack Tuesday and let loose all over half the basement (all fixed, but dang those things are expensive!). Then, last night, the furnace suddenly decided to stop working, which normally wouldn’t be too bad since we also have a gas fireplace. However, we ran out of propane Saturday and just heard from Energy USA that it could be five days before they deliver.
I am not worried about us freezing to death. The furnace guys are on their way and I am optimistic that it’ll all be fixed up today. But not having any propane ALSO means no stove or oven, which means I need to be more creative than usual in planning meals.
So, this is where I ask for help! Please, if you have a minute, send me your favorite healthy recipes for the crockpot, electric frying pan, or microwave. Sure, I can fall back on my usual chicken and wine, turkey chili, or Southwestern chicken soup, but am hoping that from this disaster some great new recipes will be inspired.
Email your ideas to jugglingwithjulia@gmail.com
Thanks in advance!
Juggling Julie 
Registered dietitian. Foodie. Mother of three. Wife. Coach and teammate. Scrapbooker. How to balance it all? I'm learning how to juggle. Check out my blog for family-approved healthy recipes, the occasional treat, and a little nutrition on the side. And maybe a laugh or two :)
{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
Bubble and squeak is one of my favorite English things (along with my husband). It’s a way to use up the leftovers from your Sunday roast.
Oh, don’t forget to toss in some swiss cheese or whatever you have) to the frittata!
Thanks, Holly! I have never heard of bubble and squeak – funny
Had an attack of NR nostalgia when you mentioned electric fry pan. Mom used to use one growing up to cook rice-a-roni and pan fry breaded pork chops!
Countertop cooking for us means breakfast for dinner…omelettes in the fry pan and pancakes/bacon on the griddle. You could do a nice frittata in the electric fry pan: nuke and thinly slice potatoes (or use canned sliced spuds), pan fry some sausage, throw in some baby spinach, onions and garlic and toss it all together with some eggs. Or how about bubble and squeak: cooked cabbage or brussels sprouts in the microwave, pan fry some ground meat of your choice..turkey, beef, sausage, and nuke potatoes until they are mashable, then mash it all together with plenty of onions and seasoning and fry it in oil until it is crispy on the outside and creamy in. It will, indeed, bubble and squeak while cooking. Have fun!
You can actually “roast” a chicken in a crock pot- and it is pretty simple. The trick is to not add moisture so that the skin has a chance to crisp. What I do is:
wash and pat dry one whole chicken (5 lbs?)
rub with your favorite spices
place a rough cut onion and/or garlic inside the cavity (you can also put whole garlic gloves into slits in the meat of the chicken if you want to take time to do it)
wad up 4 pieces of aluminum foil on the bottom of the crack pot to serve as a “rack” in the pot
place the chicken on the wads of foil
cover, cook on low for 8-10 hours, depending on the size of the chicken and your crock pot
(see the following link to a slightly different version of this recipe:
http://www.food.com/recipe/Roast-Crock-Pot-Chicken-64588 )
You could steam veggies in the microwave for a side- takes 3-4 minutes, depending on how well you like veggies cooked.
Thanks, Teri! I have stewed a whole chicken in the crock, but never roasted it. Interesting.
beef stew or pot roast work really well in the crockpot, you get the protein, veggie and starch. No stove needed!!!!
I know it’s a bit on the unhealthy side, but have you considered pizza or burgers & fries?
Thanks, Billy – I have but just had BOTH last week! Looking for something new
that last one (Shanna’s) looks almost like Swiss Cheese Chicken recipe!!
This looks delish…
http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2011/11/slow-cooker-buffalo-chicken-lasagna.html
well this isn’t the healthiest of meals , but my kids LOVE it!
4 chicken breasts can be frozen in bottom of crock pot
mix one can of cream of chicken soup with a can of milk
pour on top of chicken
sprinkle with cheddar cheese
dump a box of stuffing mix on top
cook on high 5-6 hrs
serve with green beans and cranberry sauce!
enjoy!
Hmmm, I might be able to work with this. Thanks, Shanna!
this is pretty pathetic but will do in a pinch
add these to a crock pot: (ground beef with onions if you can or just…)
1 can of black beans
1 can of kidney beans
1 can of corn
1 large (28 oz) can of crushed tomatoes
1 package of taco seasoning
1 package of hidden valley ranch seasoning
we eat it with nacho chips instead of utensils…
Thanks, Jen! Kind of like the vegetarian version of my quick chili.
Wow. What a week. Just ask to people to have you over for dinner until you get everything fixed!!
It’s meatloaf here tonight. Come on over!
Meatloaf. That’s quite an offer