Comfort Meals for Travel Nurses to Try This Fall

This article provided by: Titan Medical

We get it at Titan Medical, as a travel nurse you are constantly on the move and we are here to make your fall evenings easier by sharing simple comfort meals to throw into your crock-pot to do the cooking. Comfort foods according to oxford are defined as: food that provides consolation or a feeling of well-being, typically any with a high sugar or other carbohydrate content and associated with childhood or home cooking. Now you can cozy up to a homemade meal that took hardly any time to throw together!

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Comfort Meals

White Chicken Chili

Chili of any type is always a great option for comfort meals during the fall season! Here is a great White Chicken Chili recipe!

Ingredients:

• 2-3 Chicken Breasts
• 1 Can Corn
• 1 Can Black Beans (Drained)
• 1 Can Rotel
• 1 Packet Ranch
• 1 Tbsp Chili Powder
• 1 tsp Onion Powder
• 1 tsp garlic Powder
• 1 8 oz pkg Cream Cheese

Directions

1. Drain and rinse the black beans. Place chicken at the bottom of the crock-pot, then pour out the whole can of corn (undrained), Rotel tomatoes and black beans on top of chicken.
2. Cube cream cheese and add into the mixture
3. Top with seasonings and ranch dressing mix then stir together
4. Cook on low for 6-8 hours
5. Take chicken out and shred, then add back into the chili and stir
6. Serve alone or with baked potatoes, corn bread or even tortilla shells

Salsa Chicken

Easy is sometimes best when you are a travel nurse! Therefore, this salsa chicken recipe is a great option!

Ingredients:

• 4-5 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup salsa
• 1 10 oz can cream of chicken soup
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Spray the inside of your slow cooker with some nonstick cooking spray or use crock-pot liner
2. Place chicken breasts into the crock-pot
3. Sprinkle taco seasoning on chicken
4. In a bowl, combine cream of chicken soup with salsa
5. Pour mixture evenly over chicken
6. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours
7. When chicken is ready, take chicken out and shred with two forks. Put shredded chicken back in the pot
8. Stir in sour cream
9. At this point you can turn off your slow cooker or put it on the “keep warm” setting
10. Stir and serve on warm soft tortilla shells or on a salad or mix in 1-pound cooked pasta

Chicken, Broccoli & Rice Casserole

Casseroles mix a variety of foods including meats, veggies and sometimes a starch. Making these the perfect comfort food!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Broccoli
• 1 small onion chopped
• 1 cup long grain brown rice rinsed and drained (don’t substitute rice type)
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 lb broccoli cut into small pieces
• 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt optional, for extra creaminess
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions

1. Place onion, brown rice, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, dried thyme, salt and pepper in bottom of slow cooker.
2. Pour in broth and stir until well combined.
3. Add chicken to the slow cooker. Sprinkle chicken with additional black pepper.
4. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours, until chicken is cooked through and rice has absorbed almost all of the broth.
5. When the slow cooking time is almost finished, cook the broccoli. You can steam it on the stove or in the microwave, or roast it in your oven. (It is also possible to cook the broccoli in the slow cooker by adding it on top of the rice and chicken during the last hour of cook time.)
6. When chicken and rice are done, remove chicken to a cutting board.
7. Add the plain Greek yogurt, Parmesan cheese and cheddar cheese to the rice in the slow cooker. Stir to combine.
8. Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces and add to the slow cooker along with the cooked broccoli. Stir and serve.

Crock-pot baked Ziti

Pastas are great options for comfort foods, they are full of carbohydrates and are very filling!

Ingredients:

• 2 (25 oz) jars of pasta sauce
• 15 oz tomato sauce
• 1 lb penne pasta (uncooked)
• 15 oz ricotta cheese
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup freshly chopped basil
• 2 cups of grated parmesan cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

1. Combine ricotta, eggs, salt, pepper and basil in a bowl and stir well
2. In a large bowl, combine both pasta sauces and tomato sauce together.
3. Grate Parmesan cheese and set aside
4. Grease the inside of a 6 qt slow cooker or use slow cooker liner
5. Add 2 1/3 cups of pasta sauce to the bottom of the slow cooker
6. Add 1/3 of the uncooked penne
7. Dot on half of the ricotta mixture and spread out evenly
8. Add half of the Parmesan cheese (1 cup)
9. Layer by adding another 2 1/3 cups of sauce mixture
10. Add an additional 1/3 of the uncooked penne
11. Dot on the remaining ricotta and spread out
12. Sprinkle on the remaining Parmesan cheese (1 cup)
13. Add the last 1/3 of the uncooked penne
14. Top with the remaining 2 1/3 cups of sauce mixture
15. Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours, until pasta is al dente
16. During the last few minutes, add mozzarella cheese to the top and allow to melt
17. Serve alone or topped with red pepper flakes and served with garlic bread

We hope that you found these comfort meals helpful for your travel nurse assignment this fall. If you have any comfort meals you think others would love this fall please comment them below! If you are looking for great recipes for meal prep, Meal Prepping for Travel Nurses on the Go is a resource.

If you are a new travel nurse or looking into becoming a travel nurse:

Travel Nurse Guide: Step-by-Step (now offered in a PDF Downloadable version!)