Butternut Squash Burritos

Yum Yum-these were amazing. I am absolutely addicted to butternut squash, as is my 1 year old. I cook 2-3 a week, and right when it pops out of the oven he runs over and starts hyperventilating until I get some in his mouth. The other day we just sat on the floor in the middle of the kitchen and ate every last bite of roasted squash-it was one of those moments that I will never forget as a mom. It was heaven. I love my boys, and I almost love butternut squash just as much:) Not really, but I do love it alot. Usually I just toss it in olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roast it for about 40 minutes at 400. From there you can do anything with this sugar-tasting veggie! My sweet, healthy friend told me that I had to try this dish, and after a day of thinking about it, I whipped it up. It’s great. I mean, really...a vegetarian, guilt-free version of a meal that is usually 1000 calories. I think yes. I couldn’t stop eating it, and I can’t wait to have it for lunch again tomorrow!

Butternut Squash Burritos

Printable Version

1 medium butternut squash

1/2 cup cooked rice or quinoa

1-2 tsp olive oil

1 cup chopped sweet onion

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 red pepper, chopped

1 tsp kosher salt, or to taste

2 tsp ground cumin, or to taste

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste

One 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

3/4 cup monterrey jack cheese

4 tortilla wraps

Toppings of choice: (avocado, salsa, sour cream, spinach/lettuce, cilantro, etc)

Preheat oven to 400F and line a large glass dish with tinfoil. Peel and cube squash, then drizzle olive oil on squash and add salt and pepper. Coat with hands. Roast for 40 minutes or until tender.

In a large skillet over medium-low heat, add oil, onion, and minced garlic. Sautee for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add in salt and seasonings and stir well.

Add chopped red pepper, black beans, and cooked rice/quinoa and sauté for another 10 mins. on low.

When squash is tender remove from oven and cool slightly. Add 1.5 cups of the cooked butternut squash to the skillet and stir well. You can mash the squash with a fork if some pieces are too large. Add cheese and heat another couple minutes.

Add filling to tortilla along with desired toppings. Wrap and serve. Leftover filling can be reheated the next day for lunch in a wrap or as a salad topper.

Makes 4 burritos

Recipe adapted from  http://ohsheglows.com/

Broccoli Summer Salad

How many get togethers will you go to this summer and bring the same old side dish? Boring green salad, jello, and baked beans are always on my list. However, I always WANT to bring the show stopper. Well, I just found it! My sister in-law sent me this recipe and honestly, I have made it 3 times this month! It is so refreshing and filling as well. I will admit, women seem to be drawn to it a little more than men, but even my husband tried it and liked it! Feel free to add some grilled chicken to make this a main dish rather than a side.

Broccoli Summer Salad

Printable Version

1 large broccoli crown

4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese

7 ounces chick peas or garbanzo beans

20 cherry tomatoes

¼ head purple cabbage

½ avocado

5-8 ounces creamy balsamic dressing (I used Brianna’s)

Dice all ingredients into smaller than bite-size pieces, and combine in a large bowl. Toss together and chill. Prior to serving, add avocado and add desired amount of dressing.

Recipe from Sheridan

Serves 6-8 as a side dish

Garlic Red Potatoes

• If my hubbs could chow on potatoes every night, he would be in heaven! I am always trying to find new potato recipes (usually to no avail) to change it up a little. We LOVE the Hasselback Potatoes, Baked Sweet Potato Fries, and Grilled Potatoes, and now we have one more recipe to add to the bunch. These are especially great because they have parmesan cheese on them...and if you know my hubb, food+parmesan=HAPPINESS.
  
  
  Garlic Red Potatoes
  Printable Version
  
  2 pounds red potatoes, quartered
  1/4 cup butter, melted
  2 teaspoons minced garlic
  1 teaspoon salt
  1 lemon, juiced
  1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
  
  Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
  Place potatoes in an 8x8 inch baking dish, lined with tin foil to make an easy cleanup.
  In a small bowl combine melted butter, garlic, salt and lemon juice; pour over potatoes and stir to coat. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over potatoes.
  Bake in preheated oven for 25-35 minutes.

  
  

  Serves 3.

  Recipe adapted from Allrecipes.com

Hasselback Potatoes

These are killer! Seriously, killer! My hubbs is now requesting these with every meal that can have potatoes served with it. This was such a fun way to mix it up from the regular baked potato. I can't wait to have them again!

Hasselback Potatoes

Printable Version

4 medium baking potatoes
4 tsp. minced garlic
2 tablespoons butter
Coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 425. Put the potato on a cutting board, flat side down. Start from one end of the potato, cut almost all the way through, making thin slices.

Arrange the potatoes on a baking sheet. Melt butter and stir in minced garlic. Spread between the slits. Sprinkle some salt and freshly ground black pepper over the potoates.

Bake the potatoes for about one hour or until the potatoes turn crispy and the flesh is soft.

Recipe From: Melanie

Chicken Tikka Masala

I have really been into Indian food lately, haven't I? Well, I guess I will just have to blame it on all of the other food bloggers out there...this recipe has been circulating its way across food blogs for a while, and I kept avoiding it. Avoiding it for two reasons. (1)There were two different spices, Turmeric and Garam Masala, that I had never heard or wanted to search for in a store. (2)The recipe wanted me to broil my chicken to cook it. This may sound crazy, but I was nervous! I thought it would get dry, just burn the outside, just not work period! (O how wrong I was...I can't wait to broil my chicken in the winter instead of baking it...much quicker and sooooo moist!) However, after having the recipe pop out at me on way too many blogs, I had to suck it up and make it. I AM SO GLAD THAT I DID! It was an A+ delicious meal, totally flavorful, and totally easy. Try it, don't be stupid like me and wait to see it on 18 other blogs. Enough said.

Chicken Tikka Masala

Printable Version

3-4 chicken breasts

1/3 cup plain or vanilla yogurt

1 Tbs. cumin

1 Tbs. coriander

1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

3/4 cup heavy cream

14 oz. can diced tomatoes (pureed if preferred)

3 Tbs. butter (divided)

1/2 onion

2 tsp. minced garlic

1 heaping tsp. ginger spice

1 1/2 Tbs. Garam Masala
1/2 Tbs. sugar

1 c Basmati rice

1/2 Tbs. Turmeric

1/2 cup frozen peas(optional)

Cook 1 cup rice with 2 Tb butter, 1/2 Tb ground turmeric and 2 c water. (The turmeric adds a subtle flavor - it's more about the vibrant yellow color it creates.)

Mix 1 1/2 tsp. salt, 1 Tbs. cumin, and 1 Tbs. coriander. Season the chicken breasts with the mixture, using a fork to press seasoning into breasts. Coat both sides of chicken with yogurt. Set the chicken on a metal cooling rack over a foil-lined cookie sheet and place it about 10-12 inches below a broiler for 5-7 minutes on each side. It should have a few black spots, which remove easily when dicing. Remove from oven and dice.

While chicken in broiling, dice or puree the onion and saute with 1 Tb butter over med-high heat until slightly browned. In a separate bowl mix garlic ginger, 1/2 Tbs. salt, Garam Masala, sugar, diced tomatoes.

Add to onion in saute pan and allow sauce to simmer for 5 minutes.

After sauce has simmered, add in 3/4 cup heavy cream and stir to combine. Add chicken to sauce.

Serve the rice with the Chicken Masala over the top and an option is to cook the frozen peas, drain, and top dish. They really added a nice crunch as well as more color to this bright meal!

Serves 4.

Recipe Adapted from: The Sisters Cafe

Grilled Lemon Chicken

This is a healthier take on my Lemon Chicken that I make at least once a month, and it was delicious. I am so happy that we gave this a try, it will be a perfect for those hot summer days when cooking on the stovetop or in the oven makes your house way too hot. Not to mention it is even quicker to make...man I love BBQ's! Cody said that he might even like this recipe better than the original version, which was a massive shocker to me!

Grilled Lemon Chicken

Printable Version

2 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into pieces

6 Tbsp. soy sauce (or All Natural Bragg Liquid Aminos to be gf)

Salt and Pepper

Soak chicken breasts in soy sauce for at least 30 minutes. Coat each side with salt and pepper and grill.

Serve with rice and lemon sauce (below).

Sauce:

1 1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup lemon juice

2 Tbsp. butter

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 cup water

In medium saucepan mix together sugar and corn starch. Then add remaining ingredients. Bring to boil stirring constantly. Cook until thickened.

Chicken a' l'Orange

This was a delightfully easy meal, with easy cleanup, and extremely tasty. Now that is what I love! Easy, Easy, and TASTY! I am really loving Melissa d'Arabian's recipes, she won The Next Food Network Star and I was gunning for her the entire time! Yes! Each week I am excited to see what she makes next, her meals are always family friendly and CHEAP! This meal had a ton of flavor, and the honey really tones down how strong strait OJ can be. I hope you give it a try and learn to love her recipes as much as I do! (And P.S., I think this chicken would be DELISH marinated and then grilled...mmmm!)

Chicken a'l'Orange

Printable Version

Salt and pepper

3 skin-on bone-in chicken breast halves(I used skinless, boneless and it worked great)

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1/2 cup frozen orange juice concentrate

4 tablespoons honey

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Liberally salt and pepper the chicken breast halves. Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat and sear the chicken, skin side only, until brown and beginning to crisp, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the orange glaze: In a small saucepan, heat the orange juice concentrate, honey, and salt and pepper, to taste, over medium heat, and boil for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Turn the chicken over and saute for 3 minutes, with skin up. Transfer chicken to pan with the skin side up and pour glaze over the top. Place the pan to the oven. Bake until the internal temperature reaches 160 to 170 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, brushing on more glaze halfway through, about 15 minutes in total. Remove the chicken breast from the bone and slice the meat on the bias. Transfer the chicken to a serving platter and serve.

Serves 3.

Recipe Adapted From: Melissa d'Arabian

North African Boulettes

Looks gross, tastes great! I wish there was some way to make this meal look better on camera, but if there is, I couldn't figure it out! This meal was SOOO delish! I can't wait to make it again. I can still taste the flavors in my mouth and it has been and hour since I ate it. Honestly, I can't explain the flavor, I know, I know, that sucks! All through dinner my hubbs and I were trying to think of how to explain it, and this is what we came up with, "have faith"! Have faith in me that this meal is GREAT! Enjoy! (Yes, "Boulette" means meatball, but the word "meatball" doesn't really work for my family, and Boulette seemed to be the perfect word to mask it!)

North African Boulettes

Printable Version

Sauce:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 small onion, diced
2 tsp. garlic, chopped
1 lemon, zested
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup chicken stock or broth
1 (14-ounce) can diced or stewed tomatoes, blended
1 teaspoon light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Salt and ground black pepper

To make the sauce, in a large saucepan heat the olive oil over medium heat and saute the onion and garlic until soft but not brown, about 3 minutes. Add the lemon zest and white wine, deglaze the pan, and let it reduce for a 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the stock, canned tomatoes, sugar, red pepper flakes, and cinnamon. Simmer to blend flavors, about 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.


Meatballs:

1 egg
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 pound ground beef
1/3 cup finely ground rolled oats
Salt and ground black pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, for cooking

1 cup cooked couscous

To make the meatballs mix the egg and tomato paste and stir until smooth. Add the cilantro, ginger, cumin, and cinnamon and mix until well blended. Stir in the ground beef and oats, season with salt and pepper, to taste, and combine gently after each addition. Do not overmix. Rolling with your hands into very tight circles, make about 32 meatballs, about 1-inch in diameter.

In a large saute pan, heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil over medium heat, and brown the meatballs in batches until golden on all sides. Add more oil, as needed. Transfer the meatballs to the pan with the sauce and let simmer for 20 minutes. Serve over Couscous.

Serves 4.

Recipe Adapted from: Melissa d'Arabian

Jerk Chicken Marinade

I don't know where to begin. This meal was out of this world...and even better because my hubbs surprised me with it! I came home from a killer long day at work an he had it all ready to BBQ. I am usually a little skeptical about marinades, I always feel like I put so many flavors into it and barely any of them come through after my meat is cooked. This was absolutely NOT like that. Every spice and sauce in this marinade came through and I was in heaven! My favorite part was the slight cinnamon that popped through out of nowhere. I can't even tell you enough to MAKE THIS RECIPE....PLEASE!!!

Jerk Chicken Marinade
Printable Version

8 chicken breasts
1 1/2 Tbs. ground allspice
1 1/2 Tbs. dried thyme
3/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 Tbs. ground black pepper
1 Tbs. ground sage
1 Tbs. ground nutmeg
1 Tbs. ground cinnamon
2 Tbs. salt
1 1/2 Tbs. garlic powder
1 1/3 Tbs. sugar
3 Tbs. olive oil
3 Tbs. canola or vegetable oil
1 cup white vinegar
3/4 cup orange juice
3 Tbs. fresh lime juice
a dash onion powder
1/2 tsp. minced garlic

Mix all ingredients together. Marinate chicken for at least 4 hours prior to cooking. (We threw it on the BBQ, but in the winter I plan to bake it in the oven or slice it after marinating, sauteeing in a pan and putting it on rice or into tacos! I can't wait!)


Adapted from: Blue Heaven Restaurant

Lemon Shrimp

I am not a fan of fried foods. Actually, I never, ever make them in my home. However, my father in law is an absolute PRO at them. He can fry anything that you give him, and it doesn't feel the slightest bit greasy. Since one of our favorite recipes is Lemon Chicken I decided to put a little spin on it and make Lemon Shrimp. O MY MY, what a good idea that was! Not to mention I had the fry master at my fingertips helping me every step of the way! This was absolutely delicious, I think I will have a hard time choosing between making chicken or shrimp with this meal from here on out!

Serves 4.

15-20 shrimp (your choice), deviened

1 egg yolk

1 dash pepper

1 Tbsp. soy sauce (or All Natural Bragg Liquid Aminos to be gf)

3 Tbsp. cornstarch

3 Tbsp. flour (or organic wheat rice flour to be gf)

2 Tbsp. paprika

1/3 cup corn meal

2 cups oil for frying (we used 1 cup coconut and 1 cup peanut...delish!)

Soak shrimp in egg yolk, soy sauce and pepper for 5 minutes.

Coat each piece of shrimp in a mixture of cornstarch, flour paprika and corn meal. Allow to rest for 10 minutes, this creates an even color when frying. Fry shrimp in hot oil, (you know the temperature is correct by placing a small piece of white bread in the oil. If it browns in 30 seconds, your oil is ready. This is approx. 365 degrees.) turning to fry evenly. Drain shrimp on a plate covered with paper towels.

Service with rice and lemon sauce (below).

Sauce:

1 1/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup lemon juice

2 Tbsp. butter

2 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 cup water

In medium saucepan mix together sugar and corn starch. Then add remaining ingredients. Bring to boil stirring constantly. Cook until thickened.

Coconut Chicken Stir Fry

This Coconut Chicken Stir Fry, or, as my mom would like to name it, "Chicken 'Da Bomb", was THE BOMB! It has a delicious sauce with just a slight coconut flavor, a little kick from the ginger and curry paste, and a perfect consistency. I loved the crunch from all of the vegetables and the tender, moist chicken. Melanie from My Kitchen Cafe made this recipe with Shirmp, which I would love but hubbs would not, so I subbed it out for chicken. She also combined all ingredients together, but I had to adapt the recipe to have my vegetables separate from the chicken and sauce. It was equally as delicious, and hubbs even gave the snow peas a shot and liked them! (Slowly but surely I am converting him to veggies!)

Adapted from My Kitchen Cafe
Serves 4

1 recipe Coconut-Curry sauce (below)
1 pound chicken boneless skinless chicken breasts, diced into bite size pieces
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons EVOO(extra virgin olive oil)
1 bell pepper, cored, seeded, and diced (any type will do)
8 ounces snow peas, strings removed and diced
1 cup bean sprouts
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger or 3/4 tablespoon ground ginger spice
2 1/4 cups rice, cooked

Coconut Curry Sauce
1 cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1-2 teaspoons red curry paste (I used 2 teaspoons for a doubled recipe - this paste can be found in most grocery stores in the Asian foods aisle near the Thai ingredients)
1 teaspoon light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch

Prepare the coconut curry sauce and set it aside (I doubled the sauce recipe because we love lots of sauce).

Toss the chicken with soy sauce. Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add chicken and cook, about 8 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a clean bowl.

Add 1 more tablespoon of oil to the skillet and return to medium heat until shimmering. Add bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Stir in snow peas and bean sprouts and cook for one more minute. Transfer vegetables to a clean bowl.

Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil, garlic and ginger to the skillet. Cook, mashing garlic mixture into the pan with the back of a spatula, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in cooked chicken. Whisk sauce to recombine and add to pan, bringing to a simmer. Cook until the sauce thickens, 3 to 4 minutes.

Serve vegetable mixture and sauce mixture over rice.

Homemade Applesauce

What would I do without my mother? What DO I do without her in my kitchen? Basically...she is amazing and I call her every time I am cooking anything. Each time I go home I am reminded of the delish meals that I was fed growing up. This is one of my favorite treats that she makes, but I never wanted to "venture" to match hers. Well, good news....THIS IS SUPER-DUPER EASY! Now, most meals of my mother's I just cannot match no matter how hard I try, I think it is that extra "love" she puts in them. However, this recipe is for anyone and everyone! Give it a try, it will be a go-to snack for your family (that you feel kind of healthy for eating....just try to forget about all the sugar in it!) P.S. please don't judge it by the picture...old camera=not so appetizing pic!

From: Mom

8 cups apples (about 4 large apples) I used cameo, use your fave!

1 3/4 cups 100% orange juice

1/4 cup water

1 tsp. salt

2/3 cup sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

Peel and core the apples. Cut into small chunks, no more than 3/8 inch thick. Stir apples, orange juice, water, salt, sugar and cinnamon together in a saucepan. Simmer for five minutes, so that the apples are tender, but still have a little "bite" texture to them. Remove from heat and serve warm. This would be great with ice cream....however, I just eat it plain! This applesauce refrigerates and freezes wonderfully. 

Island Chicken

Well, if you are a frequent blog visitor you know that pretty much all that our diet consists of is CHICKEN. This is actually a recipe for pork tenderloin, I just subbed the chicken in to make it more husband-friendly. Talk about a moist, uber-flavorful chicken breast...here you go. Not to mention a 3 minute prep! Got to love that! As we were eating it we kept saying how good this chicken would be on a salad, in a burrito, with rice, with pretty much anything. The next time that I make my Cafe Rio Burritos I may offer this as an alternative to the pork that is usually served! Not to mention that this is P90X friendly...I love healthy, filling meals! (P.S. you might think that this is spicy, but don't be afraid! The brown sugar balances it out and it is perfectly mild!)

Adapted From: P90X

16 ounces chicken breasts (or pork tenderloin)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. chile powder

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 Tbs. garlic, chopped

1/2 Tbs. tabasco sauce(I omitted this)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir together all ingredients and dredge each side of chicken. Place chicken in a roasting pan and bake in the oven for 20 minutes. 

Serves 4.

Honey Chili Chicken

Sweet and spicy. But not TOO spicy. I thought this was a extremely flavorful dish. My mouth didn't know which flavor to concentrate on-the sweet honey, the chile powder kick, or the fresh cilantro! I honestly put a piece of cilantro on each bite...the flavors work together splendidly. O how I wish we were eating rice...that would make this dish an A+ instead of just an A!

Adapted From: P90X

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1/8 cup shallots, chopped

1/3 cup honey, slightly warmed

1/8 cup sherry vinegar

1 /2 tsp. chile powder

1/8 tsp. ground cumin

3/4 cup chicken broth

1 tsp. cilantro

Coat a saute pan with cooking spray and place on medium-high heat. Add shallots and saute until tender.  Add honey and vinegar, spices, and broth to the pan. Bring to a boil and reduce to half. Transfer sauce to a blender and blend until smooth.

Pour over chicken breasts and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Garnish with cilantro and, if desired, serve over rice. 

Basil Pesto Chicken

Okay, so I feel silly even posting this, because it really took no talent on my end! It was completely simple, and very healthy. I am simply posting it because you all wanted to know what healthy recipes I was whipping up, and this is one of them! I am not very familiar with pesto, I have only eaten on a sandwich here and there. This was very flavorful and good! (And there was even extra for a sandwich the next day!)

2 chicken breasts

3 Tbs. pesto

Thaw chicken breasts and trim. Spread 1 1/2 Tbs. pesto on each peice of chicken and allow to marinate for about 15 minutes, turning halfway through. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. 

Asparagus Soup...just try it!

Seriously? GREEN soup? Yep, that is exactly what we thought, until we tasted it! (As you can see, I took this picture after serving myself about 1/3 cup of soup!) I hate, yes HATE potato soup. Something about having the wonderful, creamy flavor surrounding those huge chunks of flavorless potatoes just irks me. But this soup was a different take on potato soup. Everything is blended (which makes it more appealing to hubbs) and the asparagus flavor plays off of the potato in a delicious way. Even my O-SO-PICKY husband went back for seconds! I know you all think that we are crazy, but if you are looking for a healthy, totally filling and YUMMY soup, just give it a shot! (NOT TO MENTION THE 40 CALORIES PER 1 CUP SERVING!)

Adapted From: P90X cookbook

1 1/4 cup onions, diced

1/2 tsp. garlic, chopped

1 1/2 quarts chicken broth

1 1/2 pounds asparagus, chopped

2 medium potatoes (cook until irish, or 3 minutes in microwave)

1/2 tsp. yellow mustard seed(I omitted)

1 dash 17-spice mix (I omitted)

1/2 tsp. dry mustard

Saute onions and garlic in 1/4 cup of the chicken broth. Add asparagus, potato, and remaining stock. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes. (instead of simmering, I simply cooked my potatoes to irish and boiled my chopped asparagus prior to adding them to the stock.) Remove soup from heat and puree with a food processor or blender. Return to the pan and season with spices. Serve.

Serves 8.

Crock Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup

I love crock pots. Amen. 

They are simple, delicious meals that never fail. How can you go wrong! This one was perfect for a chilly winter day. The soup has the perfect amount of flavor, and the chicken shreds to moist heaven! It is also not a super-filling soup, which is nice, especially on Sundays when desserts follow! I had to put that it was from the "Winterholler Clan" because a few different sisters have claimed that it was theirs...now they all get the glory! Thanks for the great dish, girls!

From: The Winterholler Clan

4 Chicken Breasts

1 clove garlic

1/2 large onion

2 Tbs. butter

2-14 oz. cans chicken broth

1 pkg chicken gravy

1-14 oz can tomatoes

1 cup salsa

1 Tbs. Cumin

1 tsp. salt

Cook in crock pot on low for 5-7 hours. Take out chicken and shred, then replace back into soup. Serve with chips, cheese, and sour cream.(I even added an avacado to mine...yum!)

Serves 6-8.

Thai Peanut Chicken

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Chalk it up for another DELICIOUS 30-minute meal! I seriously made this in about 3 minutes. What a wonderful thing a crock pot is...
Okay, so is it just me or do ALL crock pot recipes tell you to cook on HIGH for way too long of a time? I seriously never pay attention to the time on the recipes...I have just lived and learned I guess! This was such a different recipe for us, which is ALWAYS fun! For me to cook, anyway! It ended up really well. There are a few things that I would change here and there, and I have done that. I was afraid, for some reason, that this would be way too strange for our taste buds. Well, it ends up that is was very fitting. It was FLAVORFUL, not spicy, which is always good for us, we are wimps! It was also a quick, yummy, crock pot meal, which gives it a couple more stars on my list.
Thai Peanut Chicken
Printable Version
3 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts(I threw them in the crock pot frozen!)
3/4 cup medium or hot salsa(we used mild)
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
2 Tbs. lime juice
1 Tbs. soy sauce (or this to be GF)
1 Tbs. brown sugar
½ tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. grated fresh ginger root (or 1 tsp. ground ginger)
1/3 cup coconut milk
cilantro(for garnish, a necessity to us!)
chopped peanuts(for garnish)
Place chicken breasts in a slow cooker. In a small bowl, mix salsa, peanut butter, lim juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic and ginger root. Pour mixture over chicken. Cook on low for 4-5 hours. remove chicken from cooker and shred into large pieces. Return to crock pot. Add coconut milk and turn to warm setting for 15-20 minutes prior to serving.
Serve over rice or noodles.
Top with cilantro and peanuts. My husband LOVED the cilantro, as did I. I would NEVER make this meal without it...it gives it just the right PUNCH at the end! Enjoy!
Serves 4-6
ADAPTED from Family Dinners Cookbook

Hawaiian BBQ Chicken

Talk about easy and delicious, this is it! My husband whipped this up in minutes, and we loved every bite! I highly recommend this meal, I know that we will be eating it often! I consider this a 30 minute meal, because it literally takes 10 minutes or less to prepare.

4 to 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces

1 cup Honey flavored Barbeque Sauce

1 20 ounce can crushed pineapple, undrained

1 tsp. ground ginger

1 Tbs. cornstarch

Preheat oven to 350.

Place chicken pieces in a baking dish that has been sprayed or the bottom is covered with tin foil(I do this with all of my meals that I bake to make for an easy clean up!) In a bowl, stir together BBQ sauce, pineapple (I, of course, pureed the pineapple to make this chunk-free), ginger, and cornstarch. Pour over chicken. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45-55 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

Serve over your choice of rice...ours is brown!

Coconut Chicken Curry

Okay, so I know that this SOUNDS weird, but it really isn't! I was totally scared the entire time that I was making it that Cody was going to take one bite and then we would head out to get some pizza. Well, it was the opposite! Everyone that ate it took seconds! It was very delicious, and not too spicy, not at all. Honestly, you could feed this to your kids and be just fine. The coconut milk must sweeten it up a little bit...however, you cannot taste a distinct coconut flavor. So, even if you are not a fan of the big-c, give it a try! Now, the potatoes. I am NOT A FAN of potatoes, I almost omitted them...but, these were delicious! They soak up the flavors that surround it and just crumble in your mouth...yum!

From: Melanie at My Kichen Cafe

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch chunks or strips
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika (substitute cayenne pepper if you like the heat)
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
4 red or russett potatoes, cut into chunks and pre-cooked 
1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
1 (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
3 tablespoons sugar
Jasmine rice (cooked)

Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Heat oil, curry powder, and paprika in a large skillet over medium-low heat for two minutes, until fragrant (but don't let it burn). Turn the heat up to medium and stir in onions(which I pureed) and garlic and cook ten minutes more or until onions are very clear. Add chicken, tossing lightly to coat with curry oil and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and is cooked through. Add potatoes, then add coconut milk, tomatoes (I blended mine before adding in order to make a chunk-free meal!), tomato sauce, and sugar into the pan, and stir to combine. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 30-40 minutes or until sauce thickens. The sauce thickens upon standing, but is great served piping hot (and a bit thinner), too. Serve with Jasmine rice (or your favorite rice) and garnish with cilantro, if desired.