I am looking to spice up my meal plans for the upcoming week!  I am going to be spending a few days with the in laws in transition to our new house!  So I am looking for quick easy meals that I can serve to them and they will enjoy!!!  And I absolutely love my crock pot so this is a must!
So this is one that is going on the list!!!! 

Who doesn’t love a great Italian Dinner?!?!

This recipe is just as easy but a few ingredients are changed/added to give it an Italian flair!!!  You can add some extra pasta sauce, sliced veggies, and/or quinoa pasta noodles to have a deliciously healthy spaghetti dinner ready in minutes!

Ingredients:
3-4 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
5 medium tomatoes
3/4 cup chopped onion (we use Vidalia/Sweet)
3 Tbsp minced garlic
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp honey


Dry Ingredients/Spices:
1 Tbsp basil
1 Tbsp thyme
1 Tbsp red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp oregano
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp bay leaves

Directions:
1.  Mix all ingredients (not including the chicken breasts) together in a blender/food processor (must hold at least 5 cups) and blend for about 30 seconds until ingredients are mixed well.

2.  Place blended pasta sauce in sauce pan and simmer on low/medium heat for about 10-15 minutes until sauce takes on a thicker consistency and a dark shade of red.

3.  Mix chicken breasts and pasta sauce in crock pot and cook on low heat for at least 7 hours.

4.  After 7 hours, you will notice the sauce looks very runny, this is normal.  Remove crock pot from heating base, shred chicken with a wooden spoon or spatula and as it cools, the shredded chicken will absorb the juices from the pasta sauce.

Macros (based on a 6 oz serving):
Calories: 160
Fat: 2g
Carbs: 2g
Protein: 36g

  Tips:

• I like to make my own pasta sauce at home so that I can avoid the added sugars and other unwanted ingredients.  You can use the store-bought pasta sauce but try to avoid the brands with a lot of added sugar, preservatives, etc.  Muir Glen is usually a pretty good choice if your store carries it.
• This recipe is very versatile so we sometimes add chopped zucchini, celery, red bell pepper, and sliced onion.
• I haven’t tried it yet, but you can add some red wine to the sauce.
• You can simplify this recipe by adding 3-4 Tbsp of Italian seasoning rather most of the individual spices listed above…I just like to experiment with different ingredient amounts.