Hellobee Boards

Anything in the crockpot!

Eta: this is the first time my phone didn't autocorrect "crockpot" to "crackpipe!" Score!

-Parmesan panko crusted chicken tenders
-Parmesan fish
-zucchini lasagna
-turkey taco night
-Swiss chicken

We love cheese in our house.

Chicken Tortilla Soup in the crock pot
(half tomato sauce/chicken broth base with black beans, corn, gren chiles, shredded chicken, cilantro, and diced tomatoes. Topped with cheese, avocado, more cilantro, sour cream, and tortilla chips)

Pulled pork (cooked in the crock pot as dry as possible, I don't like it very saucy. Pioneer Woman's Dr. Pepper Pulled Pork recipe is really good) with rice and grilled pineapple.

Apple and cheese stuffed chicken breasts. Easy! http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/8546/apple-stuffed-chicken-breast

We do pretty simple cooking, I thought the crockpot would change my life, but it's simply gathering dust.

I do most things in the oven, last night we also had a salmon filet, but cooked on the grill in a foil packet. We always cook extra and make it for the second night...some ideas below:

Night 1: Salmon filet/Night 2: Creamy Salmon pasta
Night 1: Grilled Tbone steaks/Night 2: Steak Salad
Night 1: Mexican pork tenderloin/Night 2: Pork noodle soup
Night 1: Meatloaf/Night 2 Meatloaf sandwiches
Night 1: Roasted chicken/Night 2: chicken salad sandwiches

We love carbs in my house so we do a lot of pasta dishes, casseroles, ect.

On of our favorites is a "twist" on tator tot casserole.
1 cup instant rice (brown or white)
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 pound of browned hamburger or turkey
handful or so of Colby jack cheese (or cheddar or whatever you have)
1/4 cup of milk
some black pepper (to taste, we use a lot we love it)
1 can of green beans (optional, I usually make them separate on the stove, I like to mix in my DH the veggie hater does not)
Top with tator tots

Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or so until the tators are cooked and it's warm all the way through. I usually double and freeze one or use it for leftovers for lunch the next day.

pasta with greens and crumbled sausage--this is my absolute go-to

@edelweiss: I made a pasta with crumbled sausage and corn and a dollop of sour cream, that melts into a sauce. So good!

I like the Skinny Taste Swedish Meatballs!

We like double duty food too.

We make chicken taco meat with 4-6 boneless skinless chicken thighs, 1/2 a packet of CHICKEN taco seasoning (I don't know why it makes a difference, but it really does), and 1 cup of salsa (we use those 8oz cans of Herdez salsa bc its the perfect portion). Throw it in the crockpot all day, shred, and eat.

Usually we only eat half of the meat for dinner, so to the meat and juices left in the crockpot, we add a box of chicken broth, onions, celery, and carrots, a cup of frozen corn or canned hominy, and a small can of enchilada sauce and let it simmer for a few more hours - voila chicken tortilla soup or posole! We just add some crushed chips on top of our bowls with cilantro and avocado and a wedge of lime when its time to serve.

The soup can just go in the freezer or fridge for a second meal or you can freeze the leftover meat and use it for another day.

We also make a big piece of pork butt, shoulder, or country style ribs in the crockpot with just some salt, pepper, onion powder, a few bay leaves and a few dashes of Worchestershire sauce and let it sit in the crockpot all day. When we get home, half of it becomes carnitas for Mexican food and then the other half gets tossed with BBQ sauce for pulled pork.

We made Mrs. Bunny's chicken parm bake and it was super delicious and easy!

A really easy dinner I made last night for DH that looked fancy pants is something I call "Cheater's Orange Chicken." Bake a tray of frozen popcorn chicken bites in the oven according to directions and let them get crisped and then cool them down. Then stir-fry your favorite veggies until tender-crisp (bell peppers, onions, celery, carrot slices) and then add the sauce below and the chicken and toss together until the sauce is thickened. Serve over rice!

All-Purpose Stir Fry Sauce

2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 cup cold water
10 oz. jar your favorite jam or preserves (approx. 1 cup)
4 tablespoons soy sauce (Reduce to 3 tablespoons if using popcorn chicken, since its already seasoned. Use 4 tablespoons if using raw/plain meat).
4 cloves minced garlic or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons minced ginger or 1 teaspoon ginger powder
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or 1 teaspoon Sriracha
*Optional: 1 tablespoon or more of vinegar for twang.

Directions

1. Whisk water and cornstarch together. Then add in the remaining sauce ingredients. Whisk together. If necessary, add a little water to the sauce to total 2 cups. Keep in fridge.
2. Use about 1 cup of sauce for every pound of meat.

Our favorite jam to use for everyday stirfry is apricot, but plum works awesome too and I use orange marmalade with a little extra vinegar for orange chicken.

commenting to follow! I have this recipe pulled up to do later this week. It's so quick, easy, and tasty!

http://www.canadianliving.com/food/lime_grilled_chicken_breasts_with_avocado_salsa.php#.Up_oB-p7AOI.email

We do it over a bed of spaghetti or with a salad or something on the side.

Slow Cooker Gyro Meat
Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1 pound ground beef (85% lean is good) or lamb
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon paprika
½ teaspoon cumin
2 cloves garlic, minced (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
½ cup onion, very finely minced (or 2 tablespoons onion powder)

Directions

1. Mix all of the ingredients until really well incorporated. Form into a ball or a loaf. Can freeze at this point if you want.
2. Place the meat in your crock and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.
3. Cool meat on a cutting board for 10 minutes. Slice thin.
4. Serve with pita bread, lettuce, tomato, cucumbers, Greek Yogurt Sauce, and hot sauce.

Notes:
• You can just cook the meat mixture in a frying pan and have crumbled beef gyros instead of the sliced gyro meat if you’re in a rush. It will have the same flavor, but the texture will obviously be a little different.