Crock Pot Chicken with Coconut Curry Peanut Sauce

I have to admit that the idea for this dish is not my own... but the original recipe I saw had so many more ingredients in it... that I decided to simplify it and share it with you as I prepared it.  It's a long title I k,now Crock Pot Chicken with Coconut Curry Peanut Sauce but I didn't want to leave out any of the important descriptors!

I understand that there are lots of great peanut flours out there right now... I have yet to try any but PB2 so I am calling for it here. I use it on a regular basis, actually and only enjoy real peanut butter as an occasional treat these days. When I need it in quantities, such as for this recipe, I always use PB2.

Anyway, it's very easy... toss it all into the crock pot and let it simmer for  6 or 7 hours.  And enjoy the aroma as it cooks!  You're welcome.

It is a creamy and very thick sauce. And because this dish has so much meat in it, and I had mine over cauliflower rice, I didn't bother with more veggies as a side dish.  But I think it would be nice with a few slices of steamed carrots or green beans.

Crock Pot Chicken with Coconut Curry Peanut Sauce
Makes 2 large servings

• 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (approx 12 ounces in total)
• 1 Tbs curry powder
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1 clove garlic, peeled, smashed and minced
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1 cup light coconut milk
• 4 Tbs PB2
• 2 green onions, cut into 1/2-inch lengths
• salt and pepper to taste

1. Lightly coat crock pot with a non-stick spray for easy cleanup.
2. Cut chicken into chunks about 1-1/2 inches square and place in the bottom of the crock pot.
3. Season with salt and pepper.
4. In a medium bowl, mix the curry powder, coriander, garlic, and ginger.
5. Add the PB2 and coconut milk and stir altogether till well blended.
6. Pour the mixture over the chicken and make sure all the pieces are well coated.
7. Cover the crock pot and cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours.
8. Remove and serve over rice, quinoa, or cauliflower rice.
9. Garnish with green onion slices, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Per serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 5.
Calories 240; Protein 39g; Carbohydrates 8g; Fat 8g; Fibre 2g.

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Are you a peanut flour fan?  What is your favorite brand?

Peanut Butter, Soy, and Sesame Sauce for Zoodles or Noodles

Ya’ll know how much I love my zoodles.  I have had so much fun coming up with new sauces for them every week or so. I never get tired of them.  Nope, never.  Do you have any favorite foods like that? That you could eat over and over and over and still want more?

Now, I don’t eat peanut butter very often… I really think that almond butter and cashew butter are better for me.  But sometime you just have to have peanut butter in a recipe for the flavor it brings.  This is one of those recipes. I have tried it with almond butter and it is just not the same.

When you put a sauce on zoodles it tends to bring out the moisture in them, so by the time you get to the bottom of the plate, there is usually soupy sauce left.  Don’t waste it… get out your spoon and slurp it up!

Peanut Butter, Soy, and Sesame Sauce
Makes 1 serving

• 1 Tbs peanut butter
• 1 Tbs tamari soy sauce
• 1 garlic clove, peeled, smashed and minced
• 1/2 tsp dark sesame oil

1. Mix the peanut butter and soy sauce till well-combined.
2. Add the minced garlic and sesame oil and stir to blend.
3. Pour over zoodles and toss to coat.

Per serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 4.
Calories 135; Protein 6g; Carbohydrate 5g; Fat 10g; Fibre 1g.

Just tossed, already getting wetter.

Printable Recipe

Since I first came up with this recipe, I have also tried it with a spoonful of fat free plain Greek Yogurt stirred in... it makes the sauce a bit thicker and just as tasty!

What is your favorite nut butter?

Peanut Butter and Mini M&Ms Blondies

Let me apologize in advance to my Weight Watchers buddies for posting about this fabulous sweet!  There is nothing WW friendly about it... brown sugar, peanut butter, butter, M&M candies... it covers the gamut of sins.

But wait... there is nothing forbidden on the Weight Watchers Points Plus program.  We just have to account for it, right?

Peanut Butter Mini M&Ms Blondies... doesn't the name just make you start to drool a little?  When I saw this recipe and the pictures on Brittany's blog, Itty Bitty Bits of Balance, I went out and bought the mini M&Ms that same day.  That was about a week ago.

But I waited until a couple of days ago to make them - why you might ask?  Well, I have gained a few pounds.  There, I said it.  It started during our half marathon training... a couple of pounds crept on, and since that race, a couple more, until I am now at the point where I weigh 11 pounds more than my lightest fighting weight.  And my resolve to get rid of it has peaked.    So I know it is safe now for me to go ahead and make these blondies for The Captain, and I will be satisfied with a taste, and can leave them alone.  If I had gone ahead and made them last week, I probably would have eaten the panful myself!

I halved the ingredients that Brittany uses in her recipe, and I  used a 8 x 8 pan.

The original recipe calls for 1-1/2 cups of mini M&M's.  1 cup of that is used in the batter and the other 1/2 cup is sprinkled over the top before baking... to keep the P+ count down, I only used the ones in the batter and didn't add any more on the top.

Therefore in halving the ingredients, I used only 1/2 cup of the mini M&Ms.

I put the ingredients I used in my Fit Day software and calculated that the N.I. for the whole thing.  It comes out at:

Calories 2752, Protein 52g; Carbohydrate 352g; Fat 129g; Fibre 15g.

That is not to scare you off, but just to give pause... and help you realize that you can cut this into as many pieces as you like to get it to the P+ values that suit you... to make it manageable for your own needs.

Let's do some math.

For each of 16 pieces:
Calories 172, Protein 3g; Carbohydrate 22g; Fat 8g; Fibre 1g.
Weight Watchers P+ = 5.

For each of 24 pieces:
Calories 115, Protein 2g; Carbohydrate 15g; Fat 5g; Fibre 1g.
Weight Watchers P+ = 3.

For each of 32 pieces:
Calories 86, Protein 2g; Carbohydrate 11g; Fat 4g; Fibre 0g.
Weight Watchers P+ = 3.

You can see with rounding, the WW calculator computes the 1/24th serving as the same number of Points Plus as the 1/32 serving... might as well eat the bigger one!


All of these are reasonable size portions... anything smaller would hardly be worth it!

Melt the butter and brown sugar over MEDIUM-LOW heat and then stir in peanut butter.  I used chunky.

Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.

Add vanilla and egg to the cooled peanut butter mixture and combine... then stir it into the dry ingredients and mix well.

Add the mini M&Ms and mix well.

Spread the batter evenly in a prepared cake pan and bake about 25 minutes.  I think they would have been better if I had baked them a couple of minutes less.

Leave to cool for about half an hour.. if you can!  Then cut and enjoy!

The remainder can be frozen!  Yeah, right.

To find the recipe please use this link

Peanut Butter and Oat Ballz with Raisins... Mmmmm.

Happy Victoria Day to all of my Canadian friends.  This  has always been my favorite stat holiday as it is often on my birthday, which actually is May 24th... and now living in Victoria makes it even more special.  The annual parade is so fun... unfortunately this year the weatherman didn't cooperate!

The people we have been house and kitty sitting for since the middle of December came home yesterday.  Last Sunday, Mother's Day, we ran a half marathon, and on Monday we started moving our things into our own little nest... leaving the pantry pretty much bare of everything except the essentials I think we needed for the next several days.

But on Friday afternoon, I decided a treat was in order so I looked to see what I could come up with, and I found a few ingredients and put together some raw Peanut Butter and Oat Ballz.  Just the right sweet to enjoy out on the deck in the sunshine with an afternoon coffee.  If your oats are gluten free then these cookies will be, too.

I had chunky peanut butter on hand, but smooth would be fine, and you could use almond butter or sunflower butter too.  Just make sure it is at room temperature so it will blend easily with the other ingredients.

I used honey and liquified it in the microwave oven because I had already packed my agave nectar.

Store the leftovers in the fridge or the freezer so they will hold their shape.

Peanut Butter and Oat Ballz
Makes 13 ballz

• 1/2 cup peanut butter at room temperature
• 1/2 cup quick (not instant) oats
• 2 Tbsp liquid honey
• 1/2 cup raisins

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a medium bowl until well-blended.
2. Put the bowl into the fridge for a bout half an hour to cool the dough... it is easier to handle when cool.
3. Using a scoop, or a melon-baller, or a spoon, portion the dough into ballz and roll in your hands to shape.

Per serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 3.
Calories 100; Protein 3g; Carbohydrate 11g; Fat 5g; Fibre 1g.

Put all ingredients into a medium bowl.

Blend well and then refrigerate for about half hour.

Portion doug and roll into 13 ballz.

Chocolate chips would be good too!

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Cookie Heaven! Peanut Butter and Nutella Swirl Cookies

I found these cookies when I was doing a little Pinning the other night.  If you are not on Pinterest yet, then you are missing out on the most amazing new  time-suck social media on the internet!

I knew I had to to make these cookies.  And I knew they were not going to be low fat or low sugar or in any way Weight Watchers friendly. 

But, actually, that is the beauty of the Weight Watchers Points Plus program.  There is always a way to fit in whatever strikes your fancy... for me, these cookies;  perhaps for you it is a glass of wine, or a slice of carrot cake, or extra butter on your baked potato.  Even though there are guidelines for healthy eating, we can also have our treats if we are willing to use the points they cost.

These cookies work out to 3 Points Plus each... and for me, they are worth it.  The combination of peanut butter and Nutella is unbeatable when it comes to a rich and sweet treat.  The Captain loves them too, and ordinarily, he is not even that much of a Nutella fan. It is the combination that gets you. 

The peanut butter I used for these cookies is salted so I left out the 1/4 tsp of salt that the recipe's creator called for when she posted them in 2008 on her blog called The Sweetest Kitchen.  And I did use crunchy peanut butter, cause I love it the most.

If you are really not a Nutella lover, and I am pretty sure that doesn't apply to You, you could leave it out and toss in a handful of chocolate chips.  I think that would be good... just not THIS good!

Do try them, and let me know what you think.

Peanut Butter & Nutella Swirl Cookies

Makes 40 cookies

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3/4 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup Nutella 

1. In a large bowl, combine soft butter, peanut butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla.
2. Add flour and baking soda to the mixture, and blend well.
3. Put the Nutella in a small microwave safe bowl and heat slightly to soften. (I used the THAW setting for 30 seconds.)
4. Drizzle the Nutell over top of the dough, then swirl it through the dough with a butter knife.  You do not want to mix it in very much.
5. Chill the dough 15 minutes in the refrigerator.
6. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350° F, and prepare cookie sheet by placing a piece of parchment paper on it.  Otherwise, use a greased cookie sheet.
7. When dough has finished chillling roughly divide it into 4 sections in the bowl.  Each section should make 10 cookies.
8. Remove enough dough for one cookie with a spoon (approx. 1 Tbs) and roll it into a ball with your hands. Set it on the prepared pan.
9. Fill the cookie sheet up with dough balls, leaving about an inch between them.
10. Using a fork, press lightly down on the balls and create a criss-cross pattern.
11. Bake until edges are very lightly browned (about 7 to 9 minutes). Don’t overbake.
12. Remove from the oven and let cool on sheet for a few minutes before removing to a cooling rack.  They will be soft and will break easily until they cool.

Per serving of 1 cookie.
Weight Watchers P+ = 3.
Calories 101; Protein 2g; Carbohydrate 11g; Fat 5g; Fibre 1g.

Combine the butter, peanut butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla.

Add the flour and baking soda and blend well.

Drizzle the Nutella over the batter.

Drag a knife through the Nutella and cut into the batter to distribute it.  Do not mix it into the batter.

Roll into balls and set on prepared pan.

Use a fork to make a criss cross pattern in each cookie and flatten it slightly.

Bake in preheated oven for 7 to 9 minutes, till the edges are just golden.  Do not overbake.

Leave them to cool for a few minutes after you remove them from the oven.  They will be very soft and will break easily until cooled.

Serve with a big glass of cold milk...

Or your favorite tea or coffee.

And because the recipe makes 40 cookies, you will have some to share with a friend.

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Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cake Batter Blondies

Wow!  That is a mouthful... and these are a delicious, gooey mouthful!

Still a bit warm so falling apart here...



I have been seeing different cake batter recipes all over the blogworld lately and decided to try another one a few days ago.  They are such an easy way to bake... and I was feeling a little lazy today after our 9 mile run and morning's housecleaning....

The recipe comes from a fun blog called Girl Meets Life and you will find it here.  There are lots of variations on the site too, but don't be afraid to play with this yourself.  I think it would be good with almond butter or sunflower butter, Nutella, and also different baking chips or even sprinkles.

I will share the ingredient list with you:

• one box yellow cake mix
• 3/4 cup of peanut butter, melted
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup chocolate chips

I didn't have quite the whole cup of chocolate chips this recipe calls for so I used a handful of butterscotch chips to make up the cup... delicious. And I only used 1/2 cup of peanut butter instead of 3/4 cup.  I think white cake mix would be all right too... and I think I will be trying a chocolate versioin at some point!

And it smells soooooo good while its' in the oven baking.  Give it a try.  Easy, delicious, and fun!  I just know it would be great with some vanilla icecream!

If you cut it into 32 pieces (2" X 1"), here is the N.I. as I made it up.

Per serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 3.
Calories 117; Protein 2g; Carbohyrate 16g; Fat 5g; Fibre 0g.

Mix the peanut butter, oil and egg together.

Add to the cake mix and combine as well as you can.

Stir in the milk.

Then add the chocolate/butterscotch chips.

Spread in 8x8 pan coated with non-stick spray and bake for 30 minutes at 350F.

Remove from oven and let cool 60 minutes... this allows the mixture to keep cooking a bit more.

It does fall a bit in the centre as it cools.

Cut into 32 pieces...  they hold together better after refrigeration!  But who can wait?

Here is the original recipe



Peanut Butter Pasta

If you mix peanut butter and soy sauce, you can make a wonderful and easy topping for pasta.

This particular idea came from a web site that I recently found called Rock, River, Run.  It chronicles the adventures of a couple who are outdoor enthusiasts and who like to eat well.  I followed the basics for the sauce and then added a couple of twists of my own.

It is delicious and although it doesn't look like much food, it is very filling.  If you like, a sweet, crunchy coleslaw would go nicely alongside. 

As a guideline, I usually measure 2 ounces of pasta per person, before cooking it.  And I think this sauce goes really well with a heavier pasta such as rotini or fusili, or even penne.  But make the kind and the amount you like;  I don't include the pasta in the N.I. or the Weight Watchers P+ values.

Peanut Butter Pasta
Makes 2 servings

• 2 servings, pasta of your choice:  rotini or fusili hold the sauce nicely
• 1 clove garlic, peeled, smashed, and minced
• 1 tsp grated fresh ginger
• 1 Tbs peanut butter
• 1 Tbs soy sauce
• 1 Tbs white vinegar
• 1 Tbs brown sugar
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 20 peanuts

1. Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package.
2. Meanwhile, place the garlic and ginger in a small bowl and mash them together with the back of a spoon.  This will release more oil/flavor from the garlic.
3. Add the peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar and sugar to the bowl.  Mix well.  If the peanut butter doesn't mix easily, place the bowl into the microwave oven and cook on HIGH for 15 seconds.  Mix again till creamy.
4. Drain the cooked pasta and divide between 2 plates. 
5. Spoon half of the sauce over each pasta serving and then garnish with half the onion and half the peanuts.

Per serving, not including pasta.
Weight Watchers P+ = 3.
Calories 125; Protein 5g; Carbohydrate 9g; Fat8 g; Fibre 1g.

This would also be good made into a cold pasta salad.  Just combine all the sauce and all the pasta together in a bowl and place it, covered, in your fridge to chill.  Stir again and then add the onions and peanuts as garnish before you serve it.

Chop the green onions.

Mash the minced garlic and shredded ginger together to release more flavor.

Add the peanut butter, soy sauce, white vinegar, and brown sugar to the garlic and ginger.

Mix till creamy; heat slightly in mike if necessary, to soften peanut butter so it will blend with other ingredients.

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Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies

Just in case you haven't made or eaten enough cookies yet....

This recipe is based on one that has been around for years, but I wanted to make it a bit more Weight Watchers P+ friendly so I used a mix of white sugar and brown sugar, and less sugar overall.  The original recipe calls for 1 cup white sugar, but I used 1/4 cup of white and 1/2 cup of loosely packed brown, and it worked just fine.

Ask The Captain... he has eaten most of them already!

You can easily whip up a batch of these cookies and have them baked in less than 20 minutes.  The perfect last minute gift or take-along.  Or just have some on hand to munch on yourself when you get tired of shortbread and chocolate!

Flourless Peanut Butter Cookies
Makes 26 servings of 1 cookie each

• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 whole fresh egg
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla

1. Preheat your oven to 350°F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Cream the peanut butter and sugars together till well blended.
3. Add the egg, baking soda and vanilla, and beat again.
4. Take about a teaspoonful of dough at a time and roll into a ball.  Repeat until you have 26 balls.
5. Place them on the parchment paper a couple of inches apart, and flatten slightly with a fork.  They will double in size as they bake.
6. Bake for 8 minutes.
7. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and let cool for a few minutes before putting the cookies on baking trays to cool completely.

Per serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 2.
Calories 82; Protein 3g; Carbohydrate 7g; Fat 5g; Fibre 1g.

Cream peanut butter with sugars.

Then beat in egg, baking soda and vanilla.

Allow to cool completely - they will break easily while warm.

Enjoy with your favorite tea!

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Peanut Butter and Banana Oats

Is there anything better that a hot, creamy oatmeal breakfast on a cool and rainy Fall day?  Comfort food for sure.

I made a rather large batch of oats for the 2 of us this morning and even after a 90 minute walk, we were sustained till noon.  I think it was the peanut butter.  If you want a single serving, these ingredients can easily be halved.  Leave out the Splenda if you don't care for sweet oatmeal.



Peanut Butter and Banana Oats
Makes 2 hearty servings

• 3/4 cup old fashioned oats
• 2-1/4 cups water
• 1 medium banana, mashed
• 1 Tbs peanut butter (I love chunky the best)
• 2 packets Splenda, optional
• yogurt or milk for topping
• dash of cinnamon

1. Put water in a medium saucepan with lid and set over HIGH heat till it boils. 
2. Add the oats, stir and replace lid.  Turn heat to LOW and simmer till oats are cooked, about 6 minutes.
3. Turn off heat, stir in mashed banana and peanut butter.  Replace lid and let rest for another few minutes.
4. Stir in Splenda, if using, and divide oat mixture between 2 serving bowls.
5. Add a bit of yogurt or milk of choice and a sprinkling of cinnamon.

Per serving, not including yogurt or milk.
Weight Watchers P+ = 6.
Calories 217; Protein 6g; Carbohydrate 36g; Fa6t g; Fibre 5g.

Mash the banana before you put the oats on to cook so it will be ready when you need it.

Add the peanut butter and banana to the cooked oats, stir and then let rest a few minutes with the lid on the saucepan.

The Captain likes his with a bit of milk on top.



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