New post - This one's an original by me! Crockpot Chicken soft tacos

I figured I would share one of my originals since I have found some many great things by "copying" others on pinterest! :)  This meal is a family favorite in our house.  I came upon it just trying out new ideas for getting more veggies in my family's diet.  I use a core list of basic ingredients each time but change up some of the extras each time, including the color of bell peppers that I use each time.  I love this crockpot meal because prep is fast and easy, and I love coming home in the afternoon to the smell of a yummy already cooked meal!  This feeds our family of four, each of us having about 2-3 tacos, and I usually have meat and sauce left over to have chicken nachos the next day. 

Prep time takes about 15 minutes.

Ingredients:
~1 lb chicken breast
3 bell peppers ( I usually use a mix of colors)
2 vine ripened tomatoes
small amount of water or chicken broth
avocados
soft tortillas (I like the fresh tortillas from our local Kroger)
sour cream
shredded cheese (the queso cheese mix is really good with this)
lime wedges
Add ins:
onion
minced garlic
fresh cilantro
~ 1tsp cumin

I first chop the peppers, tomatoes, and any other fresh ingredients that I may be using(onion, garlic, cilantro, etc.) and put them into a blender with a little bit of water/chicken broth.  I add more liquid if the veggies don't blend down well.  I blend until it reaches a thick sauce consistency.  I pour half the mixture into the crock pot then put the chicken in and pour the remaining half on top.

Here comes the best part.  I put the lid on, set the heat (low for ~8 hours and high ~6), and WALK AWAY!  Love it!  I did come back at about 5 hours to break up the chicken with some tongs to let the juice sink into more of the meat.  It should fall apart when you poke at it.  I also added a little more water to mix to keep the sauce from getting too thick.



Once done, just load up your tortilla with some meat and scoop some of the sauce on top (for your veggies serving!), then top with avocado, cheese, sour cream, etc.  One of the best additions that has become a staple for us is squeezing a lime wedge over the taco one done.  Yum!!

I am not a great photographer, and the pictures really don't do it much justice, but it is really good!!  Hope you all enjoy this one as much as we do!

Week 11 - Bonus Post!! :)

Ok, so I tried a couple new recipes that I had to share with everyone, so there is a bonus post this week!  The first is one that I posted a picture about this morning that got a little buzz on my facebook page.  I decided to make a special breakfast, since my husband took off today to have a family day while our son is on spring break.  I looked up the recipe for the cinnamon sugar pull apart muffins on Pinterest, since we are all fans of cinnamon rolls.  I got up a little earlier this morning to put it together, and it was well worth it!  While it took a little longer than I thought to put together, I am betting the next time will go a little quicker having one try under my belt.  I had to make some adjustments to the recipe found on Wendy See Wendy Do.  When I went to make the muffins this morning, I found that I was out of nutmeg, so that was eliminated, but I figured that it wouldn't be a big deal.  I also had to use a mini muffin pan as I do not have a regular muffin pan.  Despite the adjustments I had to make, they were still delicious!  Instead of layering them in stacks of 5-6, I layered them in stacks of 4 to fit in the smaller muffin pan.  I think I liked having the smaller pan thought b/c it made more in quantity and the smaller size was perfect for my kiddos!  The smaller size would also make it a perfect finger food for parties or brunches. :)  The only change I would make for next time is doubling the recipe.  They disappeared quickly!!!

The other recipe I tried out this week was a ground chicken gumbo.  I stumbled upon this on the All Recipes site while looking for something to do with the ground chicken I bought from Sprouts a couple weeks ago.  I will definitely do this one again!  I left out the celery this time as my crew, including me, doesn't really like celery.  I think I will try it next time though.  Instead of dicing the green pepper and onion, I blended it down to more of a smooth, almost puree-like texture.  I do this with most recipes when dealing with these ingredients b/c if I don't they will end up on the side of my hubby's, son's, and daughter's plates.  I through everything else together according to the directions, but I did add a little more chopped okra that what was called for (~1 and 3/4 cup) b/c I love okra and so do my kids!  I heated up the leftovers tonight, and it was as good, if not better than the first night!  It has been a yummy week here!

Week 6 - Crockpot Soup

Well, this would have to count as my first not so successful post.  I made a crockpot soup from pinterest that I thought would be really yummy and easy.  It does not link back to the original post, but here is the picture and recipe.

Super easy super yummy crock pot soup: can of rotel, can of corn, can of black beans (drained & rinsed), 2 frozen chicken breasts, 8 oz cream cheese, 1 packet dry ranch dressing, 1 tablespoon cumin, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon chili powder. Put all ingredients in crock pot and cook 6-8 hours. Shred chicken, and enjoy!

I followed the directions, but mine didn't quite look this great.  You have to come and and stir the soup from time to time  to break up the cream cheese.  Mine still ended up pretty thick and a little burned on the sides.  The kids liked it, but it was far too rich my my hubby and I.  I think we have gotten used to lighter and healthier eating recently, so it didn't quite hit the spot.  We didn't even save the leftovers, which I usually love to do.   

I am not even sure what I would to this soup that might make it more our taste.  I guess I will settle to the fact that I have others that we like instead. :)

Oh well!

Week 1 - Pizza Pinwheels

I found this quick and easy dinner on Pinterest.  We needed to do some cheap and easy meal planning for the week, and this recipe fit the bill.  I tried it out yesterday, and while the prep was a little harder than I thought, it was a hit with the entire family. 

http://www.tablespoon.com/recipes/pizza-rolls-recipe/1/
 
I let my 4 year daughter help with the cheese, pepperonis and Parmesan.  I recommend grating your own fresh mozzarella.  It melts better and tastes so good!  I wasn't exact with the amount of pepperoni or Parmesan, especially since my daughter was the one shaking out the Parmesan.  I am not sure if we got more on the pizza rolls or on the stove top!

I used the Pillsbury thin crust pizza dough instead of the Pillsbury classic pizza dough.  I don't like the rolls to be too doughy, so I thought the thin crust was a safe bet.    Rolling the dough was a little trickier than I thought.  It warmed quickly at room temperature and stretched quite a bit while I was trying to roll it.  After a couple tries, I was able to get it all rolled up and started to slice.  Slicing also posed a small issue, as the dough would pull off when I was slicing towards the middle of the roll.  I was able to reassemble each roll when I placed it on the baking sheet.

I made the mistake of placing the rolls upright instead of on it's side.  For some reason, I was afraid that if it was on it's side, the cheese would burn on the baking sheet.  Silly me!!  I didn't stop to think that the cheese would cook the same upright or on it's side..  I had one that accidentally flipped on it's side, and it turned out perfectly!  The others that I had placed upright, were very brown on top.  They still ate well though!

I served the rolls with some store bought marinara sauce warmed up in the microwave.  Everyone ate at least 2 rolls, and I have 3 picky eaters on my hands!  They have all requested that it be put in the meal rotation at least once a month.

End result - My rolls were definitely not as pretty as those pictured above, but they were still delicious! This is a great recipe that takes about 30 minutes start to finish, and I would definitely recommend it to those who need quick yummy meals during the week.