Slow cooker meal, again

Tonight is another slow-cooker night. I wasn't sure that I'd be home today to cook, and so set up dinner this morning.  It turns out that I've been here most of the day and could have easily cooked, but it does smell *so* good in here!

Sloppy Joes with a Kick


1 - 1.5 lbs lean ground turkey
1 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1/2 cup ketchup (I actually use a little less because there is so much sugar in ketchup)
1/2 cup water
2 Tbsp Splenda
1 Tbsp mustard
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
8 whole wheat hamburger buns, split (and toasted, if desired)
1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar (if desired)

1. In a large skillet, cook ground turkey, onion, and garlic until meat is brown and onion is tender. Drain off fat if necessary. (I use just a little bit of olive oil here, since we use ground turkey breast and it is very lean, and doesn't give off much fat.)

2. Meanwhile, in 3.5-4 quart slow cooker, combine other ingredients except buns and cheese.  Stir in meat mixture.

3. Cover and cook on low heat for 6-8 hours or on high heat for 3-4 hours.  Spoon about 1/2 cup meat mixture onto each bun bottom. If desire, sprinkle with cheese and serve with sweet pepper strips. Replace bun tops.

If you want, you can add some hot sauce or jalapeno to this.

Also, if you are going to let this cook much more than 6-8 hours, be prepared to add a little extra water - it does tend to dry out.

Tonight we'll finish this with a salad from a bag and/or cole slaw and call it a meal.  The kids love this, so I don't make it spicy, but Robert likes to add hot sauce when it is served.

 And, of course, you can also do this with ground beef, but we use turkey to save on fat and calories.