Easy Crock Pot Turkey for Thanksgiving

Turkey is the main centerpiece of any Thanksgiving dinner. But sometimes you don't need a whole turkey for your group. And sometimes it's nice to have some extra oven space for the rolls and yams you are also trying to cook at the same time. This is an easy way to fix turkey, and it makes it nice and tender. We love it! I have made it this way several times with different variations. You can be creative and use your favorite variety of spices if you'd like.


Ingredients

Turkey breast (5-7 lbs depending on your crock pot size)
1 1/4 C water
2 T honey
1 T orange zest
juice from 1 orange (I have used orange juice from a can too)
1 T salt
1 T poultry seasoning
1 T thyme
1 T basil


Directions

1. Thaw out the turkey breast. (Mine was still frozen in the middle when I started the cooking process.)

2. Pour the water in a large crock pot and set it on high.

3. You could mix the spices and do a rub, but I ended up just pouring the spices, juice, and honey on top.

4. Cover the turkey with a piece of foil to insulate it--just over the top. Make sure the lid is on tight. Do not open the lid once you shut it. Each time you lift the lid, it lets a lot of heat out.

5. Cook the turkey on high for about 5 hours. (It was 7lbs,) It was perfect. I put a thermometer in it, and it was at 185 degrees. It should be at least 165. The meat usually just falls off the bone and is very tender. When we have leftovers, it makes great sandwiches too.

Note: I have also started this process at night and had it cook all night on low. Then just put it on warm once it is all cooked until ready to serve.
 

An InLinkz Link-up

Turkey and Pesto on Sourdough

Make your own pesto sandwich at home! I could eat pesto plain. It tastes so good. It was fun to put some great flavors together to make a wonderful meal. I didn't have time to make my own sourdough bread. I will have to do that next time. It was nice to have a dinner that whipped up fast after being gone watching my son play tennis. Spring is such a happy time of year! :)

Ingredients:
2 T oil
1/2 purple onion, sliced thin
4 garlic cloves minced
1/2 to 1 lb of shredded turkey (I used turkey breast I had cooked)
1/2 C pesto
2 1/2 T mayo (optional)
provolone cheese or other cheese preference
oil to fry the sandwiches in
sourdough bread

Directions: makes 4 sandwiches
1. In a small fry pan, heat up the oil on medium heat and then throw in the onions. Let them cook on medium heat for about 3 min. Then stir in the garlic and let it cook a couple more minutes.
2. Stir in the turkey and let it cook for about 5 min. Take off the heat and set aside.
3. Blend the pesto with the mayo*(If desired) Spread the pesto on the bread on one side of each slice.
4. Scoop about 1/3 C of turkey mixture on one side of the sandwich. Place provolone cheese on top.
5. Put the other side of bread on top.
6. Heat up a skillet on medium high heat. Put a small amount of oil in the pan.
7. Place the sandwich in the pan and cook on both sides until the cheese melts.
8. Serve warm with fresh fruit and vegetables. YUM!

Asian Turkey Wraps in Romaine Lettuce (Info. about Romaine Lettuce)

Asian turkey wraps

I made this meal for my daughter Britney's birthday a couple weeks ago. It had a wonderful new flavor combination that we really enjoyed. It was fun to roll it up in the romaine lettuce as well. I have been reading about health benefits of romaine lettuce.  It made a nice light meal. My family loved having the leftovers the next day. It was fun to change things up a little bit. It was a great way to eat more vegetables too.It is easy to get in a rut eating the same fruits and vegetables. It is great when we mix up the fruits and vegetables that we eat and get a variety of nutrients.

Romaine Lettuce

Some of the health benefits of Romaine lettuce are:

1. Vitamin C and beta carotene that can aid in healthy heart, helping to prevent oxidation of cholesterol, which can help in reducing strokes and heart attacks. There is also folic acid which aids in keeping blood vessels healthy.

2. Potassium can help lower blood pressure. Potassium can also help improve your muscle strength if you combine it with strength training.  There is also fiber which is always helpful to improve the functioning of our bodies. It also has phosphorus, calcium and magnesium.

3. It can help in burning fat because of the fiber that is in it. It makes your body work as it digests the lettuce. It also fills you up faster. It is a low calorie food with no fat.

4. So find some fun ways to add it to your families diet. It was fun to learn some more information about romaine. I had no idea it had so many great health benefits. :)

Ingredients:  Asian Turkey wraps
2 C cooked brown rice
1 1/2 lb lean ground turkey
1 T oil (I used grape seed oil)
1 jalapeno pepper seeded chopped fine pieces
3 to 4 garlic cloves minced
2 tsp lime zest
3 T fresh lime juice
5 T fish sauce
2 T honey or brown  sugar
1 can of diced green chili *optional 
1 tsp cornstarch or  1 T ultra gel
1/4 C fresh basil chopped up
4 green onions chopped
head of Romaine lettuce washed and seperated

Directions:

1. In a frying pan pour in the oil brown turkey and break into small pieces.

2. Stir in the chili's, garlic, and the zest. Cook stirring together a couple minutes.

3. In a small a whisk lime juice, fish sauce, honey, rice, and cornstarch or ultra gel. Cook until the it thickens.

4. Then take the skillet off the stove and toss in the basil and green onions. Scoop on to the lettuce and roll the lettuce as desired. Enjoy!


     

Tasty Turkey in the Crock Pot (Easy)

This is an easy way to fix turkey, and it makes it nice and tender. We love it! I have made it this way several times with different variations. You can be creative and do your own variation. =)

Ingredients

Turkey breast 5-7 lb depending on your crock pot size
1 1/4 C water
2 T honey
1 T Orange Zest
juice from 1 orange (I have used orange juice from a can too)
1 T salt
1 T Poultry Seasoning
1 T thyme
1 T Basil

Directions:

1. Thaw out the turkey breast. It was still frozen in the middle when I started the cooking process.

2. Pour the water in a large crock pot and set it on high.

3. You could mix the spices and do a rub, but I ended up just pouring the spices, juice, and honey on top .

4. Cover the turkey with a piece of foil to insulate it--just over the top. Make sure the lid is on really tight. Do not open the lid once you shut it. Each time you lift the lid, it lets a lot of heat out.

3. It ended up cooking the turkey for about 5 hours. (It was 7lbs) It was perfect. I put a thermometer in it, and it was at about 185 degrees. It should be at least 165. It was perfect. When I cook turkeys this way, the meat usually just falls off the bone and is very tender. When we have left overs, it makes great sandwiches too. Turkey can be yummy all year long, not just at Thanksgiving!

(I have also started this process at night and had it cook all night on low. Then just put it on warm once it is all cooked until ready to serve.)