Mellow Monday: Cheesy Chicken, Bacon & Tater Tot Bake

Good Mellow Monday to you!

Today I  re-started my jogging routine.  I usually try not to start new routines on Monday because I once read that people who start diets on a Monday are more likely to fail...but it just so happened that I woke up earlier than normal today, so I decided to utilize my free time wisely.  I must admit it was nice to be out enjoying the cool breeze, meditating with each step and starting my day with a little Momma Goose time...even on a day I try to be mellow.

I'll also admit that while I started my day on a healthy note, today's slow cooker recipe is not one of the healthiest I've ever posted.  However, with a little tweaking and a smart portion, even the dieter in me will be satisfied.  I got today's recipe through Ziplist.com, an amazing website/app that I will be blogging on later this week.  (As a side note, Ziplist.com, got the recipe from another one of my favorites, Food.com!)

Photo by: Chef on the Coast

Cheesy Chicken, Bacon & Tater Tot Crock Pot Bake

Ingredients:

• 1 (32 ounce) bag tater tots
• 0.5 (3 ounce) jar bacon bits (I used Oscar Mayer - only 25 calories per serving)
• 5 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 1/2 cups grated colby cheese*
• 1 1/2 cups grated monterey jack pepper cheese*
• 3/4 cup milk (I used skim milk)
• salt and pepper

*Instead of using 3 cups of cheese, I used 2.5 cups of a pre-shredded Colby Jack blend.

Directions:

1. Grease the bottom of the crock pot.
2. Layer 1/2 the tater tots on the bottom of the pot.
3. Sprinkle with 1/4 of the jar of bacon bits.
4. Combine the two cheeses, and sprinkle 1/3 of it over the bacon and tots.
5. Top cheese with the chicken breasts.
6. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Top chicken with another 1/3 of cheese.
8. Sprinkle with another 1/4 of the jar of bacon bits.
9. Add remainder of the tater tots.
10. Top with final 1/3 of the cheese.
11. Pour milk over the top.
12. Set crock pot to high and cook 3-4 hours.

Enjoy your Mellow Monday and this ooey, gooey cheesy recipe!!

Momma Goose