Slow Cooker Green Beans, Sausage, & Potatoes (Meal Plan)

When planning our Abundant Harvest haul for this week, I noticed some really great deals in their add-ons! The one I was most excited about was 6 heads of lettuce for just $10! Then and there, I decided that we would challenge ourselves to a full week of salads. Every night I wanted to eat a salad, prepared a different way. It sounded like great fun, and would help me achieve my goal blood sugar numbers. (As I mentioned a couple weeks ago, I've been diagnosed with gestational diabetes.) I then chose all the rest of my add-ons around what would go great with salad. 

Unfortunately, just before pick-up day, it was brought to my attention that the lettuce was being refunded, as it was too late in the harvest season to accommodate the orders. WAH! That certainly threw my entire planning off course, but here is what I received:

Fruit -

1 small Cantalope
12 Figs
8 white peaches

Vegetables -
1 Celery bunch
1 Lettuce head
1 radish bunch
2 pattypan (1 small yellow, 1 large white)
4 sweet corn cobs
2 large orange tomatoes
3 large green tomatoes
6 small red tomatoes
5 small yukon potatoes
1 bunch chives
1 bunch shallots
2 green bell peppers
3 red onions (1 is bigger than a softball!)
1 large bunch Sorrel

Herbs -
1 bunch Catnip
1 bunch mint

Meat/Dairy -
2 lb hamhocks
12 oz precooked/nitrate free Italian sausage
2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
12 oz pork breakfast sausage links
1/2 gallon raw whole milk
2qt raw milk Kefir
1 dozen eggs

There are many of these things that we still have to use, but we went through a good bit for our meals this week. 

I am sad to say that more things than I’d like to admit from LAST week, ended up getting thrown out. We just didn’t come up with uses quick enough, and we were dealing with a very cluttered fridge where things were overlooked! Live and learn!

Here is what I DID make happen this week:

Tuesday

Tuna Salad 

made with with lettuce, sorrel, celery, carrot, tomato, chives, radish, cranberry, walnut, parmesan cheese and balsamic vinegarette, tuna, sliced mozzarella stick

Wednesday 

Lemon pepper tilapia, mashed potatoes, frozen mixed vegetable medley

Thursday

Tomato Basil Chicken, quinoa 

My friend Taylor's homemade blueberry pie

Friday

cheat day 

(fast food burger…let’s not talk about it)

Saturday

For breakfast we made an amazing medley of farm fresh goods that was better than anything I’d eaten. Fresh eggs (look at the color of those yolks!), sausage, and Yukon gold potatoes.

Saturday Dinner

Slow Cooker Green Beans, Sausage & Potatoes 

(see recipe below!)

Sunday

Taco Salad

with lettuce, sorrel, onion, tomatoes, radish, seasoned ground beef, 

black olives, taco sauce, sour cream, shredded Cheddar cheese and tortilla chips.

 (this one messed up my numbers because it was SO good, I couldn't resist a second serving!)

Monday

leftover taco salad

Tuesday 

Bacon Bratwurst Bites, sautéed squash with garlic, macaroni and cheese

Overall my eating habits have changed a lot since being diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes. I don’t snack all day (the way anyone normal at 8 month preggers wants to!) and I actually read nutrition labels! 

Almost everyday my lunch was a tuna sandwich or salad of some sort. I never grabbed for any frozen convenience food. I didn’t have any soda, and only one sugar-free Starbucks coffee. 

Best of all, I am practicing something I have always struggled with - portion control! My biggest problem aera now is the after dinner desserts! I’m not beating myself up too hard, but it certainly is cheating. It’s hard when my husband has such a sweet tooth though, and is always baking something.

Now on to a new recipe for you all!!

This was actually the second time we made this. The first time was about a week ago. I was out with a friend when a crazy craving struck me over the head and I HAD to have it! 

I immediately texted my husband and asked him to throw a bunch of random ingredients into the crock pot. I just started listing off stuff I knew we had, and crossed my fingers they actually went together. My friend and I were a few hours out, and it was ready with perfect timing once we came back.  Needless to say, it was so good, we did it again this week!

Slow Cooked Sausage, Green Beans & Potatoes

Ingredients:

2 large fistfuls fresh Green beans

2 large red potatoes

half white onion (chopped)

2 tablespoons dried sage (chopped)

1 ½ teaspoons dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried Rosemary

3 Italian sausage links (also great with Kielbasa!) 

2 small cans mushrooms

1 can Cream of Chicken and Mushroom

1 ½ cups water

1.Rinse green beans and potatoes. Cut off the ends of green beans, and then chop to desired size. Dice potatoes. Add to crock pot with can of cream of chicken and mushroom and water.

2. Add seasoning and mushrooms

3. Slice sausage and add to crock pot.

4. Turn crackpot on high, and let simmer for about 3-4 hours or until beans and potatoes are tender.

Full Plate Thursday

Shared with:
~ Creative Ways Link Party, Fabulously Frugal Thursday, Full Plate Thursday, Home & Garden Thursday, The HomeAcre Hop, It's a Party, Share Your Cup Thursday, Showcase Your Talent Thursday, Thursday Favorite Things.
~ Anything Goes, BFF Open House, City of Links, Crafting Along, Fabulously Creative Friday, Fabulous Finds, Feathered Nest Friday, Flaunt It Friday, Foodie Friday, Foodie Friends Friday, Freedom Fridays, Friday Favorites, Fridays Unfolded, Frugal Friday, Get Him Fed Friday, Handmade Hangout, Home Sweet Home Friday, Junkin' Joe,  Party Bunch, Pin Junkie Pin Party, Pinworthy Projects, Rattlebridge Farm Foodie Friday, Show and Tell Friday, Simple Meals Friday, Weekend Re-Treat, Weekend Social. 
~ Dare to Share, Link Party Palooza, No-Rules Weekend, Saturday Sharefest, Say G'Day Saturday, Serenity You, Show and Tell Saturday, Showstopper Saturday, Sparkles of Inspiration, Super Saturday, Weekend Potluck, Weekend Recipe Link Party.
~ Creative Collection Link Party,  Creative Style Link Up, DIY Inspired, DIY Sunday Showcase, Happiness Is Homemade, Nifty Thrifty Sunday, Share Your Creativity, Silver Pennies Sunday, Submarine Sunday,  Sunday Brunch, Sunday FUNday, Think Pink Sunday. 
~ A Round Tuit, Amaze Me Monday, Busy Monday, Clever Chicks Blog Hop, Craftastic Monday, Frugal Crafty Home Blog Hop, Gathering Spot, Homemade Monday, Homestead Barn Hop, In and Out of the Kitchen, Inspiration Monday, Mad Skills Monday, Make Your Home Sing Monday, Masterpiece Monday, Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Menu Plan Monday, Mod Mix Monday, Mommy Monday, Much Ado About Monday, Pinterest Foodie Link Party, Sweet Sharing Monday, This Momma's Meandering Monday, Tutorials & Tips Link Party.
~ Anti-Procrastination Tuesday, Backyard Farming Connection, Be Inspired, Brag About It, Create ~ Link ~ Inspire, Fat Tuesday, Handmade Tuesday, Hearth & Soul Hop, One Project At a Time, The Scoop, Share It Link Party, Show & Share Party, Tickle My Tastebuds Tuesday, Turn It Up Tuesday, Totally Talented Tuesdays, Treasure Box Tuesday, Tuesdays At Our Home, Tutorial Tuesday, Two Cup Tuesday, You're Gonna Love It Tuesday.