Our Go-To Busy Day Recipe

We discovered this recipe when we were first married and it has become a staple in our household.  I was searching for slow cooker recipes to try out our lovely new crockpot.  I adore Mexican food and was shocked when I discovered it was possible to make tacos in the crockpot!  This takes honestly 2 minutes to prepare the slow cooker and 5 minutes of prep to take it from the slow cooker into tacos.  After you make it the first time, you won't even need the recipe again - it's that easy!!  We've shared this many times with friends because it delicious, easy, and can be made pretty healthy, too!



Crockpot Tacos
Serves 4

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can black beans, drained
1 can corn, drained
1 cup salsa
Small or medium sized tortillas
Optional:  lettuce, shredded cheddar cheese, ranch dressing, hot sauce, peppers and onions, or other taco toppings of your choosing

1.  Place chicken breasts in the bottom of the slow cooker.  Mix the salsa, corn, and beans and place overtop of the chicken (I skip mixing them and just pour half of each, then repeat).
2.  Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 2-3 hours (I recommend low - we tried it on high once, but the flavors did not infuse into the chicken as well).  When it is finished, shred the chicken (I just use a fork - it should come apart very easily).
4.  Warm tortillas according to package directions or place them directly on the oven racks at 250 degrees for just a couple of minutes until warmed but not crisp.
3.  Assemble your tacos.  Place a large spoonful of the chicken mixture on the tortilla, then add your favorite toppings.  (We took the suggestion from the original recipe I saw and use lettuce, cheese, and ranch, but if you want a healthier version, skip the cheese and dressing and opt for veggies and hot sauce instead.)

Avocado Chicken Salad

I do not like mayonnaise.  Thus, I normally am not a big fan of mayo-based salads (pasta salad, potato salad, chicken salad); however, there have been a few chicken salad dishes I've liked in my life (especially Jenny Craig - weird, I know, but it's tasty).  Anyway, I came across the idea of making an avocado chicken salad and from making the Zucchini Enchilada Boats, I needed a way to use up some of the same ingredients anyway.  Bonus - it's pretty healthy!  I replaced any mayo with a bit of greek yogurt.  Avocado is a little fattening, but it's good MUFAs and the chiles help speed your metabolism!  As you know, I don't really measure, but I'll try to give approximate amounts.

Ingredients

2 cups cooked shredded chicken*
1 avocado, flesh removed and smashed
2 serrano chiles, finely diced**
1/4 c. cilantro, chopped
2 tbsp green onion, chopped
2 tbsp plain greek yogurt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp kosher salt
juice of 2 small limes***
salt & pepper to taste

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix until combined.

Serving Options:
The first time, I ate it in a wrap - sundried tomato tortilla, the chicken salad, mixed baby greens, a sprinkle of feta cheese, crushed red pepper, and a dab of pesto (my recent obsession) - just because that's what I had on hand.

I think it would be great it a whole wheat wrap with the addition of diced tomatoes and red onion.

It could also be served with pita or regular corn chips for a party.

Toss on top of a green salad with a hard crumbled cheese and cherry tomatoes.


__________
*I place chicken breasts, frozen or thawed/fresh, into the crockpot with some chicken stock and let cook 6-8 hours on low; then shred.
** Use less or omit if you are not a spicy fan
***I would probably normally just say 1 normal lime, but because of the current Mexican lime shortage, they are tiny right now!

Mini Pizzas in No Time!

My best friend introduced me to these wonderful English Muffin Pizzas.  They are super easy to make on a night when you don't have much time or energy.  They are completely customizable and perfect for those days your kid brings some unexpected friends over!  I've added a few extra steps if you would like to make them taste a little better than basic kid food pizza - but they're great no matter what.  I also buy "light" versions of some of the ingredients to make it a little healthier.  This is one of those things I just make on the fly without a recipe - so feel free to tweak it to your liking.  Hope you enjoy!

English Muffin Pizzas
Makes 12

1 pkg 6 English muffins
1 jar (8-12oz) Pizza sauce
1 pkg shredded mozzarella cheese (you will not use the entire package)
1 pkg pepperoni (you will not use the entire package)
Optional: Other pizza toppings of your choice
Optional: Garlic salt or garlic powder and Italian seasoning

1.  Slice muffins and lay each slice face up on a baking sheet.  (I recommend to line it with parchment paper for easier clean up from the melted cheese.)  Optional:  Sprinkle seasonings on each muffin.  Place in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 5 minutes to lightly toast the tops of the muffins.  (This helps prevent the sauce from making the muffins soggy.)
2.  Optional:  Place pepperonis in a single layer on either a broiler pan or crinkled foil on a baking sheet and place in the oven for 5 minutes to help heat and crisp them.
3.  To assemble pizzas, first spread about one tablespoon of sauce evenly on each muffin.  Place a small handful of cheese on top.  Then place 3-5 pepperonis and/or other toppings of your choosing.
4.  Cook in the  preheated 350 degree oven for about 10 minutes, until cheese is melted and the muffins are toasted.

Pizza-Pasta Bake

I was on my way home from work the other day, and realized my husband was gone for work and we had nothing prepared for dinner.  We generally keep our meat in the freezer so we didn't really have anything to make quickly.  I began brainstorming and remembered we had some pepperoni and always have most types of shredded cheese stocked in the freezer.  I checked when I got home and we also had pizza and pasta tomato sauces, but nothing to make a quick pizza on.  So I made up my own dish and made my pizza on pasta!  (I'm sure it's nothing new, but it was to me, and I didn't use a recipe - so this is my creation!)  I am going to put a combination of what I used and what I would recommend since I was using what was available in the freezer/pantry, but you could get larger amounts at the store.

Gretchen's Pizza-Pasta Bake 
Serves 8

1 pkg penne pasta (I used organic brown rice pasta - gluten-free!!)
2 1/2 c. tomato sauce (pizza or pasta sauce, I used a little of both)
2 1/2 c. shredded mozzarella (or other Italian) cheese (mine was a blend of provolone and mozzarella, and I also added some grated parmesan on top)
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tbsp Italian seasoning (could substitute oregano and/or basil, but I recommend getting some Italian seasoning anyway if you don't have it already - I use it on everything!)
1/4 tbsp crushed red peppers flakes (optional, adds spice)

1.  Cook pasta al dente, according to package directions.
2.  Toss the drained pasta with the garlic, seasoning, and pepper.
3.  In a 9"x13" casserole dish (prepped with nonstick spray), layer 1/2 of the pasta mixture.  Then layer 1/2 of the sauce, followed by 1/2 of the cheese.  Create an entire layer of pepperoni (so they cover most of the cheese without overlapping) on top.  Repeat all four layers with the remaining ingredients.
4.  Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 25-30 minutes.

Step 3

Step 2

Step 4

Potayto, Potahto.

I love red roasted potatoes, but they generally have too much rosemary for me.  So, I adapted the recipe and added more of my favorite spices.  Result?  Totally fabulous!!!

Red Roasted Potatoes
(adapted from marthastewart.com)

2 lbs baby red potatoes, quartered
2 2/3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
salt and pepper to taste

1.  Place potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet.  Toss with oil and spices, then spread in a single layer.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
2.  Roast in a 425 degree oven (stirring once halfway) for about 30 minutes until potatoes are soft inside with a crisp outer layer.

Best-Ever Biscuits!

I am not always the biggest fan of biscuits.  They tend to be somewhat crunchy; I prefer softer breads.  I found this recipe recently (from http://monstermama-monstermama.blogspot.com, but she got it from another blog...) and thought it seemed pretty easy so I gave it a try:

7-Up Biscuits
Makes 9

2 c. Bisquick
1/2 c. sour cream
1/2 c. 7-Up
1/4 c. melted butter

1.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2.  Cut sour cream into the Bisquick mix, then add 7-Up.  Mix until well blended and forms a soft dough.
3.  Pat out dough (on parchment or Bisquick-sprinkled surface) to form a square.  Cut into 9 even squares.
4.  Pour melted butter into a 9" square baking pan.  Place individual biscuits on top of melted butter.
5.  Bake 12-15 minutes, until golden brown.

How did it turn out?  Fabulous!  My husband immediately wanted to make sure I saved the recipe and would be making them again soon.  I actually made a batch the next morning for Sunday school.  The best part is that they have butter baked in, so you don't really need to add anymore!  They would be great with a jam, or just plain next to your Thanksgiving dinner!  Enjoy :)

(pictures to come)