Freezer/ Crock Pot Healthy BBQ Chicken

I loved the Freezer/ Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken so much, I started looking for other recipes that could be made in the crock pot, and also frozen ahead for later!! This one caught my eye:

I haven't done a lot of cooking with boneless, skinless chicken thighs, but I loved how they turned out in this recipe! They held together wonderfully, and stayed really juicy and moist! Plus, I LOVED that there were tons of great veggies in this dish!

Freezer/ Crock Pot Healthy BBQ Chicken

From: Mama and Baby Love

Click here for the ingredients- Stephanie has several other cool freezer recipes on her blog as well- I look forward to trying them out!! 

Instead of making two for the freezer, I made one in the crock pot for dinner, and froze a second batch! 

It is SO nice to have in the freezer to plop in the crock pot on a busy day, or when it is almost grocery day and we are out of a lot of stuff- we can still have a healthy, yummy dinner!! It is helpful to stick to the budget as well!!

So I put 1/2 the ingredients into the crock pot (Of course, I used the amazing crock pot liner- those suckers are AMAZING!!)

And the other half into a gallon Ziploc bag.

I served this over rice, but it would be great on its own too!! If your people don't like sweet potatoes, I think regular russet potatoes would taste just as good!!

This was fabulous leftover, too!!

Baking Day 3/19 Recipes and Photos

Spring is here.

Is that why it is so stinking COLD?!

Ok, ok, I know those of you who live where it is actually  cold are mocking me.

I have to say, I was very pleased that it was baking day yesterday, because it gave me an excuse to run the oven most of the day!

Here's what I made:

French Toast Bagels- I made a dozen! I updated the recipe, I added a bit more sugar to the dough and made 12 instead of 15- I like the size better this way! These suckers are GOOD!! 

Baked Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal- I made yet another batch of this- I still LOVE it!! I totally look forward to having it for breakfast! I added a little bit more nutmeg this time in addition to the other spice and it was super yummy and spicy!

Soft Chewy Wrap Bread- I have finally nailed down this recipe with all whole-wheat flour. I really like the texture of the wrap bread when I use white whole-wheat flour. They have a good, nutty flavor, but are still super soft and chewy. So good with hummus or for wrap sandwiches.....

I made a dozen Freezer Bean, Rice, and Cheese Burritos-- Christopher LOVES these!! He eats them for breakfast or lunch. I love having them for a quick dinner too!! I made them with an extra jalapeno this week and they tasted GREAT!

This photo is for Christopher. He loves Tapatio. I think Tapatio is gross.

My friend Susan stopped by and brought me these beautiful daffodils! It really made my day! They smell so wonderful- and they really make my dining table look cheery! I love when you get an unexpected dose of happiness in your day!

I made a Crustless Broccoli and Cheese Quiche, which was a little more done than before- I forgot to take it out of the oven before I left on my run!! One benefit to this was that I ran really fast on the way home!

Finally, I made a batch of chocolate chip cookies, and froze some cookie dough balls to bake later! I just put them on wax paper on a cookie sheet, froze them for about 2 hours, then bagged them up! They bake up perfectly, and I love having them in the freezer to pop out and bake for a quick dessert!

Happy first day of (freezing cold) Spring!

Freezer/ Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken- Healthy and SO GOOD!

Every so often I find a recipe that just hits home. This is one of those recipes!!

Don't you love that? This is easy, SUPER tasty, healthy, reheats well, and you can make it up in a "pack" for the freezer so that you can just plop it into your crock pot the day you want to cook it and go on your merry way! (What does it mean to "go on your merry way"? It sounds to me like that involves skipping of some sort....) (I would not skip. I have enough trouble not falling down when I am simply walking or running....)

We're on spring break. I am really, really trying not to overbook myself, even though I have extra time, so that I am able to try new recipes, get some things done around the house, and relax (Imagine that, relaxing on a break....). It's been fun collecting recipes and ingredients, knowing I'll have time to enjoy in the kitchen.

So, back to the recipe we're talking about here....

It's basically a super delicious burrito/taco bowl. 

Here's what you need:

Santa Fe Chicken

From: Skinny Taste

• 1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts- I just used 2 large (mine were frozen, and I put them into the crock pot that way. I rarely thaw meat before cooking it in the crock pot)
• 1 can (14-15 ounce) diced tomatoes with green chiles
• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed (bean juice is nasty)
• 8 ounces (1 cup) frozen corn
• 1/4 cup fresh, chopped cilantro
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• cayenne pepper to taste (I did 1/4 tsp, we're spice wimps)
• 1 can (14.4 ounces) fat-free chicken broth
• optional- for serving- hot, cooked rice, cheese, salsa, sour cream

Have you tried these things yet? They ROCK!! Basically it is that material they make turkey baking bags from, but you line your crock pot with the bag instead! At the end of your meal, you simply throw the bag away, and the inside of your crock pot is totally clean! If you have ever made the Overnight Crockpot Oatmeal and had to scrub that sucker out, you know what an awesome invention these liners are!!

So, what I did was make one full recipe in the crock pot, then made another- putting all of the ingredients except the can of broth into a Ziploc bag, so I have a meal ready to stick into the crock pot on another day! I propped my Ziploc bag up in a tall bowl so it wouldn't slump over and dump all the ingredients out.

See?? All ready! What I will do is take it out of the freezer just for a half hour or so, so it "unsticks" from the bag, then dump the whole frozen block into the crock pot with the can of broth and cook it! I love that it is all chopped and ready to go!

This is a VERY difficult recipe- you dump all the ingredients into the crock pot, and turn it on. 

*WHEW*

Now go take a break for a second. You'll be exhausted from all the labor-intensive instructions.

And here's the crock pot version:

So after I put all the ingredients (except the broth) into my Ziploc, I sealed it, then sort of squished everything around so it was flat-ish. Then I sucked the air out of the bag, so that ice crystals wouldn't form in the bag. 

Of course I labeled it:

So this is what I will need to make this meal a second time, later!

This smelled amazing the entire day! Cook it on low for 10 hours, or high for 6 hours. Right before serving, shred the chicken breasts- you can either pull them out and shred them on a plate, or just grab two forks and shred them right in the crock pot. I use the latter method, in the interests of having less dirty dishes.

Everyone in the family LOVED this!! Wade doesn't like beans, but he happily picked them out, still declaring this meal a winner!

It froze well!! I may make a freezer batch for lunches, we had two "burrito bowls" leftover, and Christopher and I both loved having a filling lunch!!

Enjoy!

DIY Frozen French Toast- Budget Friendly, Quick Breakfast!

I have been looking for even more ways to cut back in our budget. The main area that always occurs to me is  our grocery budget. There are certain things that are last-resort areas to cut, such as coffee (I mean come on, it's coffee.......), high-quality produce, and the ingredients to make all the energy bars we eat daily. 

One huge expense is cereal. I like breakfast to be quick and easy, and fairly filling, since I live in a household filled with males. All of the boys LOVE French toast, but since it can cost up to $4 for a package of 6 pieces,  it isn't a budget friendly option. 

Making it yourself, however, is! I made 48 pieces of French toast for about $7. 

I used a double pack of sandwich bread from Costco- I used white, but you could use whole wheat to make the French toast healthier!

I fill a large-ish mixing bowl about halfway with milk. I would estimate I used maybe 6 cups. This is more of a concept than an exact recipe. :) I used cow's milk, but you could use soy or almond milk if that suits your dietary needs.

Add 4-5 eggs and beat well. You can also use egg beaters if you'd like. 

I have this awesome hand mixer from my grandma. I love using it.

Then add about 1/2 cup granulated sugar (You could sub honey if you don't like to use sugar), and a few teaspoons of vanilla extract. Mix well.

Then add 3 very large pinches of salt. See the camera cord hanging in the photo? That's what happens when you try and take one-handed photos. Nice.

Spray a griddle with Pam. I have an electric griddle that holds 8 slices of bread, but before I had this one, I used 2 skillets and cooked 6 pieces at a time. If you're using an electric griddle, I heat mine to 350 degrees.

Also, I like a lot of cinnamon on the French toast, so I sprinkle a light layer over the top of the milk mixture every 4 slices of bread so that each piece gets some cinnamon. 

Dip both sides of each slice of bread into the milk mixture, and place on the heated griddle or skillet. Cook for a few minutes on each side. It should look a little crusty and golden on each side:

I don't like mine soggy in the middle, so I make sure it's cooked through. 

I set the cooked French toast on plates to cool before bagging it up for the freezer! 

I put them in sandwich sized Ziploc bags, two to a bag. I leave the bags open if they're not totally cool.

Then I seal them up and take all the air out.

They reheat in the microwave in about 1-1.5 minutes. You can also heat the slices in the toaster if you prefer.

Yum.