Perfect Pineapple and Jerky Chicken

i had never ever bought a fresh pineapple before. i lumped them together with things in the produce section that i sometimes suspect are made of plastic...just there to make the grocery store LOOK cooler....because they look impossible to actually EAT. like fresh coconut. really?? is this for the elite few whose kitchen is big enough to store a jack-hammer? and cactus? who is eating this?

i definitely felt this way about rutabaga. and then i found a cool recipe for BEEF AND RUTABAGA STEW. it looked great and easy. and so i bought one of those suckers.

and the stew turned amazing. and even though peeling the wax off of this turnip was a bit aggravating...and cutting it into 1-inch cubes required a lot of patience (and even more bicep), the fact that it tasted like potatoes in my stew for hardly any of the calories and carbs really made it all worth it.

so, that's when i turned my attention to the other produce that seemed uneatable. fresh pineapple was on sale. and so i bought one. i brought it home. and cut it up into slices. and? delicious. sooo much better than the canned stuff. **yum**

i also am currently cooking a new recipe. yes. that's right. while i am blogging i am also cooking. because its in my crockpot. i love cooking in crockpot. i feel like such a multi-tasker! the recipe is JERK CHICKEN STEW. the recipe called for turkey...but i used chicken. check out the recipe in that link! you pretty much put spices on chicken and put the chicken in the bottom of a crockpot....and then pour this lovely mixture on top!

after 7 hours of cooking it on low, you stir in some cilantro and lime juice. i dont know yet how it turned out....since, as i said, it's still cooking. but that bowl full of onions, garlic, tomatoes, poblano peppers, and black beans smelled sooooo good. i did make a few modifications to the recipe to make it a lot LESS SODIUM. i used garlic powder instead of garlic salt. i also used no-salt added diced tomatoes and a fresh chopped poblano instead of canned tomatoes with green chilies. and instead of chicken broth, i used a cup of water and salt-free chicken bouillon. so, hopefully, when i get home from the gym tonight, my house will smell amazingly wonderful and i will have THIS waiting for me in the crock pot!!!