Shredded Tex-Mex Crock-Pot Chicken

I love a good crock-pot meal!  I have instituted another meal day!

We do Breakfast Wednesdays and now I am doing Crock-Pot Tuesdays!

It is nice to have my meal almost put together in the morning and then we can play longer in the afternoons!  This will really come in handy when the town pool opens!

This chicken had really great flavor and we loved it in burritos and nachos.

Try this easy dinner on one of these hot summer days coming up!

Shredded Tex-Mex Crock-Pot Chicken

(http://www.goodlifeeats.com/)



• 4 chicken breasts (mine were even frozen and it turned out great)
• 1 1/4 tsp cumin
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/3 cup chicken broth (I just used water!)
• 1/3 cup (packed) cilantro leaves, chopped (didn't add since someone at my house HATES cilantro)
• 2 limes, juiced
• 1 large onion chopped (not finely though)
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and minced (I just sliced mine)
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Heat your oil in a medium sized pan.  Add your chopped onion and saute for 5 minutes.  Add your cumin, chili powder, coriander, paprika and garlic.  Saute for another 2 minutes.

Now add your chicken broth or water to deglaze the pan.  Basically you are trying not to leave behind any flavor and getting all those brown bits off the bottom of the pan!  Turn your heat off and set aside!

Sprinkle the chicken with the salt and pepper.  Add to crock pot and then squeeze your lime juice on top.  Add your cilantro, jalapeno, and pour your onion-garlic mixture over top!

Cook on low for 3-5 hours.  Remove when done and shred your chicken.  You can now add your onion mixture to your chicken or I left it out and it still had tons of flavor.

Now it is up to you to eat it up!  Serve as soft tacos with shredded lettuce, avocado, tomato, cheese, sour cream, refried beans, salsa or whatever your heart desires!

Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken

I have started doing at least one crock pot meal a week!  It just makes my afternoons when the kids get home so much easier sometimes to have dinner most of the way done!

We like chicken and rice.  I would eat it once a week at least!  Brown rice would be better and I will probably start trying to add that in!

This was a simple recipe and it even provided sauce to put on your rice!  My chicken was flavorful and not dry and the sauce was yummy!

I am excited to have another easy meal to make!

Crock Pot Teriyaki Chicken

(found on pinterest via http://www.lakelurecottagekitchen.blogspot.com/)

• 12 boneless skinless chicken thighs~about 3 lbs (I used about 5 chicken breasts)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup soy sauce
• 6 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 3/4 tsp ground ginger
• 3/4 tsp minced garlic (I minced about 4 cloves garlic)
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 4 1/2 tsp cornstarch
• 4 1/2 tsp cold water
• Hot cooked rice
• Veggies of your choosing~broccoli, snap peas, etc.

Place chicken (I even used frozen chicken and it worked great) in your slow cooker~I always try to spray with non-stick spray before I add my ingredients.

In a bowl, combine sugar, soy sauce, cider vinegar, ginger, garlic and pepper.  Pour over chicken.  Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours.

Remove chicken and let it rest.  Skim any fat from cooking liquid and place in a sauce pan and bring to a boil.  Mix together your corn starch and cold water.  Gradually stir into boiling sauce and stir until sauce is thickened.

Serve sauce with your chicken and rice.  Next time I am going to add cooked broccoli and sugar snap peas to this to make a sort of stir fry with the sauce!

Yummy!!!

Crock Pot Barbecue Chicken

I found this recipe idea on Pinterest.  Yes pinterest again, but it is a great site with lots of people sharing their great finds!

The best part about this chicken is that it was cooked in the crock pot.  I love a meal that is done earlier in the afternoon, especially when you have kid activities in the after school.

Try this and you wont be disappointed!

Crock pot Barbecue Chicken

(found on pinterest via http://www.forkinit.blogspot.com/)

• 4-6 pieces chicken breasts (can even use frozen ones)
• 1 bottle BBQ sauce (she used sweet baby rays, I used what I had on hand)
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2-1 tsp garlic powder

Mix BBQ sauce with vinegar, red pepper flakes, brown sugar and garlic powder.  Place chicken in your crock pot (I try to spray with non-stick spray every time to make for easier clean up).  Pour the sauce over the top and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours.

We ate this with baked potatoes, broccoli and Cheddar and Herb biscuits~a recipe I will share!

Creamy Crockpot Hot Cocoa

YUM, YUMMY, YUMMIRIFIC!!

I had this first at a friends house and then had to make it on my own.  Rich, creamy and oh so delicious.

I did make a few adjustments to make it a little healthier!  I thought it was still just as good and maybe not so heavy with the adjustments.  I will give both recipes and you can decide!!

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Creamy Crock pot Hot Cocoa

(found on pinterest from MrsHappyHomemaker.com)

• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream (I only did 3/4 cups)
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz)
• 2 cups milk chocolate chips
• 6 cups milk (I added another 3/4 cups)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Stir all ingredients together in your crock pot.  I basically halved the cream and then added more milk to make up the difference.  I will definitely do this all the time!

Cover and cook on low for 2 hours ~ coming back to whisk occasionally.  Garnish with marshmallows or whipped cream if desired. 

Enjoy on these cold winter days!  Great to start and have ready when kids get home!

Pork Carnitas

I found this recipe in my All You magazine.  It is a crock pot recipe and I definitely need the crock pot on busy after school days!

The pork turned out tender and had lots of great flavor.  Definitely a great easy recipe that produced great leftovers for lunches too!

Pork Carnitas

(All You magazine October 2011)

• 1 3 lb. boneless pork roast
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 large onion, quartered
• 2 cloves garlic, cut up

I always start with spraying my crock pot with non-stick spray.  When I remember this I am always happier when it comes to clean up!

Place your pork roast into the crock pot.  The recipe says to chunk your roast into 2 inch pieces with fat trimmed.  My roast was frozen, so I kept it whole which may help prevent it from drying out too!

Sprinkle pork with salt, chili powder, cumin and oregano.  Place onion and garlic over the top and around your roast.  Cover and cook on low until meat is tender and falling apart~about 6 hours.  Shred pork and serve hot!

Serve in tortillas with shredded cheese, lettuce, sour cream, avocado, spanish rice, beans, salsa or whatever you love!

Classic Minestrone Soup

I found this in my All You Magazine and since cold weather is upon us, I had to give it a try!

It was simple since you cook it in your crock pot!  The soup has great flavor and very healthy for all you trying to balance the candy intake!  It came out a little thick, so I added more water in the end to thin it out a little.  Either way it was great and will definitely be made again!

Classic Minestrone Soup

(October All You Magazine)

• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 ribs celery, sliced
• 1 large onion, chopped (I used dried onion, just for simplicity)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (I used 3, we love garlic!)
• 4 cups chicken broth (I added 4 cups water and 4 bouillon cubes~next time I will add 5 cups and 5 bouillon)
• 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes with liquid
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1 cup small shell pasta or macaroni
• 1 cup shredded escarole or kale (I used my shredded zucchini instead)
• 1 15.5 oz can white beans, drained
• Grated Parmesan cheese

Combine carrots, celery, onion and garlic in slow cooker.  Pour in broth and stir in tomatoes, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper and Italian seasoning.  Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours.  I added the shredded zucchini about half way through cooking.

Thirty minutes before serving, stir in pasta, escarole (if using) and beans.  Cover and increase heat to high and cook until pasta is tender, about 30 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Serve hot with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top!

Chicken Spaghetti

I found this recipe on Jack and Jill's Kitchen! It was really good and everyone loved it! My family has been kind of tired of regular spaghetti and this was a great change!

You make it in the crock pot which was a big bonus for me!

I halved the recipe for my family and it made a lot even halved!!

Make sure that you add an hour to your when you start! Once the chicken is done and shredded it needs another hour with the saucy stuff!

Chicken Spaghetti

(found on Jack and Jill's Kitchen)

6 chicken breasts (I added more just because I was planning on feeding more than just my family) ~ I even used frozen chicken
1 onion chopped (I always use a sweet variety)
1 pkg. sliced mushrooms ~I didn't add these because of the boys
2 pkgs dry spaghetti sauce mix - use McCormick
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup butter (can substitute with chicken broth. I used 1/4 cup each butter/broth)


Cook in crock pot 4-6 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low. I found my chicken was done sooner, so watch!

When done shred the chicken with a fork then add:

2 8 oz pkg. cream cheese
2 cans of cream of chicken soup

Stir. Cook on low for 1 hour longer. Serve over angel hair pasta.

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

I found this recipe on Jack and Jills kitchen and had to try it! It took me a while to do it, but it was a complete success! Todd loves Beef Stroganoff and I hate to make it! It seems to be a lot of standing at the stove, so when Jill posted this recipe and said how good it was at her house I had to try it!

Even better was when I got mushrooms from Bountiful Basket this last week and had a recipe ready to use them! This was a simple recipe with great flavor and best of all I used my crock pot! I next time will use the low fat cream cheese, not to say it wasn't great with the real deal, but I kept thinking about that whole thing of cream cheese in there!

All I can say is I got a big thumbs up from the hubby and that makes it a keeper for me!

Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff

• 2 lbs cubed stew meat, cut into smaller pieces
• 2 (10.75 oz) cans cream of mushroom soup
• 1 chopped onion (I cheated and used dry chopped onions)
• 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 packet lipton onion soup mix

Spray your crock pot with non-stick spray and add all the above ingredients. Combine together and cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for 5 hours. (mine seemed to be done about 1 1/2 hours early cooked on low, keep an eye on it in the end)

Just before serving add:

• 8 oz cream cheese (regular or low fat works)
• 1/2 to 1 cup sour cream
• fresh mushrooms - sauted in butter before adding

Serve over wide egg noodles or rice! We did the noodles and really like it that way! The beef came out shredded and I really really liked it that way! YUMMY!

Rotisserie Chicken - Crockpot Style

I got this recipe from Melissa W. who got it from Heather S.! Yes a long chain, but good recipes are always worth finding! This chicken had great flavor and it fell apart when it was done! I have to admit, I think I am not a whole chicken fan! Something about all the bones and parts, I am just not to fond of dealing with! I will say though that this recipe is a keeper and I will definitely make again! If I don't buy another whole chicken for a while, I think I will use this to rub onto chicken breasts!

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Rotisserie Chicken - Crockpot Style

• 1 whole chicken (4-5 pounds)
• 2 tsp kosher salt (if you want it as salty as the ones in the store, add another 1 tsp)
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder

Place whole chicken in a crock pot. A 6 quart crockpot fits a 5 lb bird nicely! (don't forget to rinse your chicken and get the neck and other stuff out of the center!)

In a bowl, combine all of the dried spices. Rub the mixture all over the bird, inside and out. Place the chicken back into the crock pot, breast side down.

Do not add water!

Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 8 hours. The meat is done when it is fully cooked and has reached desired tenderness. The longer you cook it, the more tender the meat!

Slow Cooker Southwest Chicken Stacks

I wanted something quick and easy tonight, and I found a great recipe! I even loved it because I used food storage to make it! The corn was from the garden that I froze, and the salsa was also made from my garden!

I found this crock pot recipe on www.mykitchencafe.blogspot.com. She has some great recipes! The kids gave it a thumbs up and it can be eaten any way your family likes it! The recipe recommends to put this on top of chips, my boys had it in a tortilla!

Eat it any way you want and super simple because you make it in the morning!

Slow Cooker Southwest Chicken Stacks

• 2 cups frozen corn
• 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 large frozen chicken breasts (I would add more than that)
• 1 1/2 cups salsa

Lightly grease the bottom and sides of the slow cooker. Pour frozen corn into the bottom of the slow cooker and place frozen chicken breasts on top. Cover with beans and salsa. Cover slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours. Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred with forks (I just shredded it in the crock pot). Return to slow cooker and stir until the chicken, corn, beans and salsa are combined.

Serve on a bed of tortilla chips and top with additional garnishes: lettuce, tomato, avocado, sour cream, cheese, etc.

Bajio Chicken

I found this on Jack and Jills kitchen and she has a great picture of it on her blog! It turned out really yummy and my kids loved it too!! Even better is, You make it in your crock pot!!

Bajio Chicken

• 5 chicken breasts (I did only 3 for my family)
• 1/2 cup salsa
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (more to taste, she added at least an extra 1/8 cup)
• 1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies
• 6 oz Sprite (1/2 can)

Combine all ingredients in a crock pot. Cook on low for 5-6 hours. Remove chicken and shred. Return to crock pot and cook 1 more hour. Thicken the juices with a little corn starch mixed in water. Serve with flour tortillas, lettuce, cheese, black beans, rice and nay other taco fixings.

If you want it spicier rather than sweeter add a hotter salsa and more green chilies. She has a pico de gallo recipe on her site with this one too!

Apple Cider Beef Stew

Kora loved this stew and loved the sweet potatoes too!

I also halved this recipe for my family of four eaters. FYI - Christian thinks that his picture looks awful, but we really did like it.

2 lbs. stew meat
6 carrots, sliced
6 potatoes, sliced ( I used sweet potatoes this time)
2 apples, chopped
2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cups apple cider

Place apples and vegetables in crock pot. Add meat lightly sprinkled with salt and pepper. Pour cider over meat. Cook on low for 8 hours. You can add flour if you want the sauce to be thicker. I also added a little brown sugar with my sweet potatoes!

Mom's Chili

It is feeling "chilly" outside and doesn't that just make you feel like eating "CHILI"!

This is my mom's recipe and it turns out great everytime! I think you could adapt it to go in your crock pot too!!

Mom's Chili

5 cans (15 oz) kidney beans

(other option is to use 1 lb dried kidney beans and soak in 6 cups water overnight)

2 onions chopped (I had large onions and only used 1)

1 clove garlic (I added 2 cloves)

2 lbs ground beef

3 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

1-3 tsp chili powder

1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

1 tsp paprika

4 cups tomato juice

(I added a can (14.5 oz) of crushed tomatoes or could use diced also)

Cook the ground beef and drain. Add all ingriendients to a stock pot and you may need some water depending on how thick you like it. Simmer together for at least one hour on low. (Or put everything in your crock pot and turn on low for a few hours!)

Slow-cooker Lasagna

Totally bad pictures, but it turned out good! I think next time I will do it the 4 hours instead of 5 and then add some more spaghetti sauce. It may have been a little dry because I cooked it a little long too! It was perfect for my day yesterday! We had soccer games at 5:00, and it was wonderful to have lasagna waiting and ready when we got home!

Super simple too!

Slow-Cooker Lasagna
from Kraft food and family magazine
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1 lb ground beef ( I added 2 cloves garlic to this)

1 jar (26 oz) spaghetti sauce (next time I am going to add 1 can of tomato sauce with this)

1 cup water

1 container ricotta cheese (15 oz)

1 pkg (7 oz) mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

1 egg

2 tbsp, chopped fresh parsley (I just sprinkled the dry stuff)

6 lasagna noodles, uncooked

Make it:

Brown the meat in large skillet; drain and add garlic if you want. Stir in spaghetti sauce and water. Mix ricotta, 1 1/2 cups mozzarella, 2 tbsp parmesan, egg and parsley.

SPOON 1 cup meat sauce into slow cooker; top with layers of half noodles, broken to fit, and half cheese mixture on top of noodles. Cover with 2 cups meat sauce. Top with remaining noodles, broken to fit, cheese mixture and meat sauce.

Cover with lid.

COOK on LOW for 4-6 hours (try 4 first) or until liquid is absorbed. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses; let stand, covered, 10 minutes or until melted.

French Dip

Can I just say that I love the crock pot?! I am a big French dip fan and this one is my favorite recipe for it. I made it the other night and have been enjoying the leftovers all week. My family will all eat it, it's just not their fav.
1 roast (not really particular on the type, they have always come out great whatever I have used)
2 cups of water
1 package dry onion soup mix
1/4 cup soy sauce

Make sure to trim any fat off the roast. Put all in crock pot. Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours. Take out and shred meat or cut (if you have a slicer this works well). I always do this ahead of time then put back in crock pot until ready to serve. Serve on buns with dipping sauce. I just get all the meat out when ready to serve and ladle out the juice left in the crock pot to dip. Yum!!

Potato Soup

This is a recipe I decided to try for potato soup not only because I love potato soup but I wanted one for the crock pot. It makes it so easy and it is really become one of my favorites. We had this for St. Patrick's Day and made it green.


5 cups of potatoes, diced
1/3 cup chopped onion
3 cups chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/8 tsp pepper
Combine in crock pot. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or until potatoes are tender. Add:
8 oz. cream cheese
bacon pieces
Stir until blended may take a few minutes for cream cheese to melt and mix. Add fresh chives (I use bottled sometimes and they are still good. I think chives really makes this soup. I love it!!) to the top of your soup and serve.
This makes quite a bit. It feeds our family of seven with no leftovers (I will be doubling it next time!)

Flautas

Flautas is what the initial recipe was for, but I decided not to fry mine! I wrapped up my tortillas with everything and grilled them on the stove! They turned out great, next time I will try the frying!

The chicken shredded perfectly from the crock pot and it had great flavor!
Grilling instead of frying!! Super simple and really good chicken!

Flautas

(from Realmomkitchen)

3 chicken breasts

1 tbsp fajita seasoning (or your own combination of Mexican seasonings

1 tsp garlic salt

10 flour tortillas

1 cup shredded cheese

oil for deep frying

toothpicks

toppings of your choice to dip them in such as salsa, guacamole, sour cream, etc.

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Place your chicken in a crock pot with the fajita seasoning and garlic salt and cook on low for at least 6 hours. About 1 hour before you want to eat, remove chicken from the crock pot. Shred the chicken and allow to cool for about 30 minutes. Then mix in shredded cheese. Now it's time to fill the tortillas. Warm your tortillas in the microwave. They will be easier to roll up. Put some of the chicken at one end of the tortillas and roll up jelly-roll style and secure with a toothpick. Then deep fry these until golden brown and enjoy dipping them in whatever you like!

Sweet Pulled Pork

I found this recipe on Mmmm....cafe and thought it looked good and had to try it!

It was really good and super easy!!

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1/2 cup ketchup

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 Tbsp vinegar

4 Tbsp soy sauce

1 small pork roast

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Place pork roast in crock pot. Mix ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, and soy sauce until blended. Pour mixture over pork roast and cook on low for 4 1/2 hours. Shred pork.

Continue to cook on low for 30 minutes to allow juices to cook in.

Serve over your favorite rice!

Refried Beans

We had these at our mini enrichment class and loved them!! Jennifer Jones made the beans and they were so yummy!! You got to try them!!

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3 cups pinto beans (washed)

10 cups water

1 med. onion

1 pkg. taco seasoning

2 tsp salt

3 cups grated cheddar cheese

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1 1/3 cup salsa

1 can chopped green chilies

1 small can chopped black olives

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Put beans, water, and onion in crockpot for 6 hours. Blend 1/2 to 3/4 of the beans in blender (after the 6 hours). Stir in the remaining whole beans for texture. Stir in all other ingredients except olives and 1 cup cheese. Put beans back in crockpot and warm. Top with cheese and olives.

Perfect Pot Roast

I have had this recipe for a while that I don't even remember where I found it!

All I know is that it truly lived up to its name and was really great!!

2 tbsp oil

1 (3LB) Beef Chuck Roast

1 pkg dry Italian Salad Seasoning Mix

1 pkg dry Ranch-Style dressing mix

1 pkg brown gravy mix

1 (14.5 oz.) can beef broth

Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the roast on all sides in the hot oil. Place roast in crock pot. (I always spray my crock pot with PAM for easy clean up)

In a small bowl, mix together the Italian salad dressing mix, Ranch dressing mix, and gravy mix. Sprinkle evenly over the roast. Pour in beef broth.

Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours. You can use the juices as an au jus, or thicken with flour or cornstarch to make a yummy gravy.