We had Thanksgiving last night with my family so we can put Thanksgiving 2012 in the books. Neither meals were overly gluttonous for the occasion, but after that small slice of pecan pie last night, I became anxious for the upcoming week. I enjoy meal planning, exercise, and vegetables. It’ll be good.
It is needed.
I have a confession to make.
Yesterday, Mr. Prevention and I attended the University of Illinois vs. Northwestern game. Of course, the temperatures dropped between Thursday and Friday and we spent much of yesterday in the 30 degree windy city watching Illinois drop to Northwestern, 50-14. Brutal.
By half time, I was hungry. I ventured out to survey my options and they were basically nachos, hot dog, popcorn, soft pretzel, or Cracker Jacks. I chose Cracker Jacks — they sounded good. But then, I saw that someone had come back to the bleachers with a…FUNNEL CAKE! I shelved the Cracker Jack idea and called Mr. Prevention who was wandering around the stadium to check out the funnel cake situation for me. He came back with one. And albeit small, I finished…more than half of it. Lunch was served. Tisk, tisk.
(It was so good and I can’t remember the last time I had a funnel cake!)
I got to planning my weekly menu and have plans to rectify the misbehaving that has been going on since Thursday. With the busy week ahead, I am looking forward to more quick meals, such as this. Last week, it was all about the crock pot and I was so happy to throw this together the evening before and drop it in the crock pot before heading out to work. I can chop and assemble ahead of time, no doubt.
To make this a super quick meal ready within minutes of returning home, use leftover rice or instant rice. I actually used long grain brown rice and it required 40-45 minutes of cooking, but I used that time to get in my workout and we were still eating before 6:30pm — a major accomplishment in our house. Clean-up was a breeze and this was reheated great. Oh, and it’s healthy to boot!
Slow Cooker Jambalaya adapted from Cats and Casseroles, and originally, All Recipes
12 oz skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch pieces
12 0z chicken andouille sausage, sliced
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes with juice
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried parsley
2 tsp Cajun seasoning
1 tsp cayenne pepper*
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 cup dry brown rice
Directions:
Place all ingredients except rice in slow cooker. Cook on low for 7-10 hours, or on high for 3-4 hours.
Cook rice according to package instructions. Stir rice into jambalaya and serve hot.
Yield:8 servings (1 1/2 cups each)
Nutrition Information (per serving): 228 calories; 4.4 g. fat; 51 mg. cholesterol; 553 mg. sodium; 19.9 g. carbohydrate; 3.1 g. fiber; 18.8 g. protein
Result: Simple meal, extremely healthy, and this was prepped the night before and dropped in the crock pot in the morning. I cooked this 10-11 hours in the crock pot with no issues, so that was a bonus. The meat was tender and flavorful and this had lots of heat. If you prefer milder dishes, use 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cayenne*. This recipe captured the flavors of jambalaya while being lean and a good source of fiber. Enjoy!
Money Matters: The andouille sausage is the most expensive ingredient at $4.49/package (12 ounces). Chicken costs $3.99/lb ($3.00), green bell pepper ($1.00 each), onion ($0.60), celery ($0.14/stalk), rice ($0.55/cup) and tomatoes ($1.69 for a large can) make up the majority of the cost. The spices account for roughly $0.85 and the broth $0.50/cup. The cost of the recipe comes to $12.96 and $1.62 per serving.
[/print_this]Three of 4 meals contain spinach, but I’m pumped about this week’s menu! I’m continuing with the quick & simple meals!
Weekly Menu: November 25th – 29th
- Sunday: Bacon Ranch Pasta with Spinach and Tomatoes
- Monday: leftovers
- Tuesday: Quinoa Pizza Bites
- Wednesday: Channa Masala
- Thursday: Spanish Potato and Spinach Tortilla with Red Pepper Sauce
This week is workout & veggie time! I have hockey tonight, tomorrow, and Tuesday 🙂
Be well,
I can’t remember the last time I had a funnel cake either! What a treat – especially well-deserved after a not overly gluttonous holiday 🙂 I’ve been in recovery mode since Friday because we’re going on vacation Tuesday – double damage!
Yep, the Illinois game was brutal, wasn’t it? Our local high school team lost too at the state Chamionship.
I too am looking forward to getting in some healhier eats – I’ve had dessert three days in a row, which I never do! (pecan pie, I am talking about you!)
Enjoy your Sunday!
I’m really looking forward to this week too, and heading home!
OH what a GREAT confession!! I love it. How about this confession? I had four pieces of pie on Thanksgiving. Yep. Not all at once, but throughout the day and even into the night. Yeah, uh huh. I was so proud.
PInning this recipe, pronto. Making a slow cooker meal right now, actually, and jambalaya sounds like something I need to do next!
Sometimes you just have to give in and splurge! And funnel cake is definitely not something you have all the time!
This jambalaya looks amazing!! 🙂
I love jambalaya, all types. I’m partial to seafood jambalaya though. I make it with shrimp, crab, and fish!
I also love funnel cakes!! Hopefully the wonderful sweetness took the sting of ourn Fighting Illini loosing yet another game. 🙁 Illinois is having a season like our Tennessee Volunteers. U of T has fired yet another coach!! Three coaches since we moved here 7 yrs ago.
I put this in the crock pot last night…It turned out ok… I used chicken andouille sausage instead. Both the texture of the chicken and the andouille was off. Next time, I think I would cook the meat separately like I did with the rice.
Author
Julie, sorry to hear that. I used chicken andouille, as well…maybe there’s better brands to stand up to the slow cooker? Thanks for your feedback 🙂
I made this yesterday, and I also had some trouble with the texture of both meats. I cooked it for 10 hours, though, and even on low my crockpot fries most stuff. I can’t wait to get a new one. Despite that, I loved the flavor and ease of this recipe. Tasted even better leftover. I would make this again!
Author
Hey Lizzie! I have no idea what’s up with the meats, hmm. I can almost understand the chicken more than the andouille…but still! Meat generally does so, so well in the crock! I’m glad you still enjoyed it, though!
I am looking to try this recipe but am having trouble finding chicken andouille sausage. Do you think I could substitute chipolte chicken sausage?
Author
Absolutely, Ashley!
I’m not downing this recipe as I haven’t tried it. It looks pretty good actually. But this is not jambalaya. This looks more like a soup? The Cajuns created Jambalaya to use whatever leftover meats and rice they had. It could be chicken, beef, pork, seafood or any kind of smoked meat such as tasso, andouille or sausage. They then mixed it with leftover rice and whatever gravy they might have on hand or they might make a gravy or sauce to go with it and add it all to one pot. There are several variations and no one really had a recipe for it because it was whatever was leftover at the time. But the end result always came out as mostly rice and meat. There was no loose sauce or liquid as it had been cooked into the rice and meat. Many people outside of Louisiana don’t know this though. Therefore, many recipes that have rice and andouille sausage are labeled as a “Jambalaya” when in truth they are nothing of the sort. Anyway, recipe looks good and I’m sure it tastes good too. Just thought I would give you a head’s up on what the term “Jambalaya” really entails. Happy cooking! 🙂