Slow Cooker Mixed Berry Bread Pudding

On a chilly, blustery Vegas day, this was the second of the two slow cooker recipes I made, using Dawn Hall's super simple, fantabulous guide: Busy People's Slow Cooker Cookbook.

As I frequently do, I made several ingredient changes to the recipe, to slim it down just a tad and hopefully add nutrients.  Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 4 egg whites
• 1/2 cup Just Like Sugar (Dawn uses Splenda in the original recipe.  I am trying to get away from using artificial sweeteners, and I've found Just Like Sugar to be a terrific, no-calorie, natural sweetener.  You can get it at the Whole Foods or online.  To me, it's virtually indistinguishable from sugar, with only a teeny tiny aftertaste depending on the recipe. Of course, you could also use plain old sugar if you'd like.)
• 1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice (Dawn uses only cinnamon.  You could also use pumpkin pie spice.)
• 3/4 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (Dawn uses non-fat milk. I almost always sub unsweetened vanilla almond milk for any milk called for in a recipe.  It's only 40 calories for a cup, has a gram of fiber, and is richer tasting than non-fat milk.)
• 1/2 cup fat-free French Vanilla non-dairy liquid creamer
• 4 cups French Bread, torn into approximately 1/2-inch cubes (I would like to try using whole wheat French Bread next time.)
• 1/2 cup Sunsweet Antioxidant dried fruit blend of blueberries, cherries, cranberries, and plums (Dawn calls for dried cranberries or raisins.)

Directions:

• Preheat a slow cooker to high.
• Spritz with non-stick buttery spray.
• In a bowl, stir the egg whites, Just Like Sugar, apple pie spice, almond milk, and creamer - until well blended.
• Gently stir the bread pieces and dried fruit into the egg white mixture.
• Pour into the slow cooker, and cook on high for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean.
• Serve hot.

Serving size: 1/2 cup
Makes six servings

Nutrition stats from the original recipe:

• Calories: 142
• Fat: 1g
• Carbohydrate: 26g
• Fiber: 1g
• Sodium: 191mg

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

On this chilly, blustery day in Vegas, slow cooked comfort food seemed the way go to.  I found the most amazing slow cooker cookbook at the Barnes & Noble: Busy People's Slow Cooker Cookbook by Dawn Hall.  Each recipe is seven ingredients or less and is very easy to prepare.  Although not all of  the recipes are low-calorie, Dawn uses healthier ingredients whenever possible.  Each recipe includes full nutrition information, too, which is great.

I made a couple of substitutions to increase the protein in the dish and add a few more nutrients.  It's delicious and tasty fare!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups of uncooked elbow macaroni (Dawn recommends Mueller's brand.  I used Barilla Plus because of the extra protein, Omega 3s, and fiber.)
• 1 14-ounce can fat-free, low-sodium beef broth
• 1 12-ounce can roast beef
• 2 teaspoons of minced garlic
• 1 6 1/2-ounce can of mushroom stems & pieces
• 1/2 cup of non-fat Greek yogurt (Dawn uses fat-free sour cream in her recipe.  I increased the protein by subbing Greek yogurt.)
• Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:

• Spritz a slow cooker with non-fat olive oil spray.
• Turn the cooker on high. Put the pasta and the beef broth in the cooker, making sure all the elbows are covered with the broth.
• Cover and cook on high for 1 1/2 hours.
• Stir in the roast beef, minced garlic, mushroom, and Greek yogurt.
• Cover and let sit for 5 minutes or until everything is heated through.
• Salt and pepper to taste.

Serving size: 1 cup
Makes 7 servings

Nutrition stats for Dawn's recipe are below.  Mine will be higher in protein and fiber and lower in sodium.  The calories should be the same.

• Calories: 183
• Fat: 4g
• Carbohydrate: 22g
• Fiber: 1g
• Protein: 15g
• Sodium: 825mg

Pork & Beans Bread

Isn't this a kooky-sounding recipe?!  I simply couldn't resist making it for Mike when I read about it in Joanne Fluke's "Plum Pudding Murder".  It was just too odd not to try!  Turns out, it's really good: moist, not too cakey, subtly sweet with a hint of spice.  Perfect with a cup of tea.  I waited to tell Mike what it was called 'til he tried it. No need for preconceptions, right? :)  He loved it.  I plan to make it for everyone for Christmas this year.  Everyone should have Pork & Beans Bread at least once in their lives! :D

Ingredients:

• 1 15-ounce can of Pork & Beans
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup of vegetable oil (not canola or olive - be sure to use vegetable oil)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 3 cups flour

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Spray 3 loaf pans with non-stick spray.
• Pour the Pork & Beans into a blender and puree until they're smooth with no lumps.
• Pour the beaten eggs into a large mixing bowl and mix in the pureed Pork & Beans.  Blend thoroughly.
• Mix in the vegetable oil and vanilla.
• Mix in the sugar.
• Mix in the baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Blend thoroughly.
• Add the flour into the batter, one cup at a time, blending thoroughly after each cup.
• Divide the batter evenly among the three loaf pans.
• Bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the bread.
• To freeze it, let the loaf cool completely.  Then wrap it in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag.  It can be frozen for up to three months.