Slow Cookers: A love story.

 Do you know what my favorite kitchen gadget is? My crock pot. Absolutely, 100% without a doubt, I could not live without it. Don't get me wrong, I have some pretty handy gadgets. I have a mandolin that lets me slice my fruits and veggies. I even have my own dehydrator! Still, without the crock pot, food just wouldn't taste as good.

If you use a crock pot, and by use I do not mean own one but it sits in the cabinet all the time, I'm sure you understand me completely. But if not, please allow me to explain myself. No other kitchen gadget allows you to dump all of your ingredients, including RAW chicken, into a pot and then forget about it for 4-8 hours. I love that I can prep everything the night before and then wake up just 10 minutes earlier (AKA 4:20am) to put everything in my crock pot and come home to delicious smells awaiting me. It's so nice to know that when I've worked all day and then sweated myself out at the gym that I don't have to do any additional work to eat. Another perk? You can make things that may seem really difficult with no trouble at all. Like pulled pork. Mmm...I love me some BBQ but very few people own their own smoker, I know I don't. Good thing I don't need one! All I have to do is pick out my pork shoulder, season it with a little salt and peppers and toss it in that crock pot with a wee bit of water. 8 hours later I walk in the door and my hardest decision is what sauce to use. Seriously guys, I could go on and on about why slow cookers are so great.

Now take this love and couple with it the fact that I can make recipes that fit into my diet and you have a match made in heaven.  That's what today's recipe is! I don't remember when or how but a while ago I discovered SkinnyMs on Pinterest. So many of her recipes look amazing and she has an entire section of her website dedicated to slow cooker recipes. This is where I found Slow Cooker Polynesian Chicken. It was so easy to make and is quite yummy paired with some brown rice. My secret? Make extra rice so that when you go to store your leftovers you can store them on a bed of rice. This will allow the sauce to soak in to the rice and the next time you eat it, it'll be even better than the first!

Now that you know how crazy I am for loving a kitchen gadget, I'll leave you with the recipe!

What you'll need:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
1 20oz can of pineapple chunks in juice
2 Tbsp lite soy sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp freshly grated ginger - just buy the root! The flavor is so much better than powder.
1/3 cup honey
2 Tbsp cornstarch

What you do:

1. Drain pineapple juice into a bowl and add the soy sauce, honey, garlic and ginger. Whisk to combine. Add cornstarch and whisk until combined.
2. Put chicken in crock pot, then add pineapple. Pour liquid mixture over everything and cook on low 4-5 hours. Add the bell pepper for the last 15 minutes and cook.

WASN'T THAT EASY?!?!?!
Lauren