June 7th...Getting my "crock-pot on" with Summer Chicken recipe!

I love my crock-pot!  It is my clean out the fridge, cupboards, go-to and last minute toss it all in, meal maker! My Mom got me the "jumbo" crock pot so now I'm a mean, lean, crock pot cooking machine! lol had to say that.  OK focus...I was craving something sweet the other day (be honest, everyday) and wanted the sweetness with out the extra calories or any funky fake ingredients.  So I Googled a couple of recipes and mixed and matched ideas and here's what I came up with...Summer Chicken with Peaches, Pears and Cranberries!

Here's what you need...boneless and skinless chicken thighs, canned peaches, and pears, cranberries, squash, onion, chicken stock, cinnamon and 2 bay leafs...

Peel and chop squash into bite size pieces, layer on bottom of crock pot.  Chop up onion, pears and peaches and divide into two.  Add one layer of mixture including the cranberries and place 2 Bay leafs on top...

Then add your chicken thighs and other half of fruit mixture.  Sprinkle 1 tbsp of cinnamon, and garlic powder on top and add a dash of salt and pepper...

Cook on high for 3 hours then on low for 90 mins...

And here it is!  I found this to be light and refreshing with the fruit.  I would definitely next time add some extra spices, like Curry or Cumin...it just needed a little extra kick.  The squash was rich with flavor and the chicken very tender.  For my family I served this on rice, and myself I made cauliflower rice.  This recipe turned out to be more like a light stew so you want to serve it with something that will catch the juice or have it in a bowl like soup, enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:

- 1 butternut squash (1.5 lbs.), cubed

- 1 sweet onion, sliced

- 1 pear, sliced

-1 peach, sliced

- 1 cup raw cranberries (I used frozen)

- 1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs

- 1 cup veggie or chicken broth (optional)

- 2 bay leaves

- Sea salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cinnamon...add any extra spice you like!