Crockpot Shredded BBQ Chicken

In a search for a different way to cook chicken that was healthy and we could add to our weekly meals as a protein I came across this recipe.

It was simple and easy since I could throw it into the crockpot. I was also able to find Organic BBQ Sauce and pretty clean Italian Dressing (Newman's).

The chicken came out perfect, had lots of flavor and worked great in our portioned out dinner meals. We paired it with quinoa with kale and veggies (Corn, broccoli or carrots).

This was the only picture I got. So, I'll add better pictures next time I make it.

Crockpot Shredded BBQ Chicken

2 lbs Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
1 cup BBQ Sauce
1/4 cup Italian Dressing
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
Salt to taste


Season chicken breast lightly with some sea salt and place in your crockpot.

In a mixing bowl combine BBQ sauce, Italian dressing, brown sugar and Worcestershire sauce. Stir until well combined.

Pour over chicken, cover and cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours.

Once time is up, you can serve the breast whole, or shred with 2 forks. If shredding, recover and let cook in sauce for about 10-15 more minutes to soak up all that delicious flavor.

Chicken Stroganoff

I LOVE beef stroganoff! However, since we don't eat a lot of beef I found a recipe that was chicken instead. It was amazing!

I changed up the recipe by taking out a few things and adding a few things. This is a great recipe to do what you like with. The original recipe called for onion, thyme, white wine, no garlic salt and wide egg noodles.

Chicken Stroganoff

5-6 Boneless Chicken Breasts, cut into chunks
¼ teaspoon Sea Salt
¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
12 Ounces Fresh Mushrooms
2 Garlic Cloves, Minced
2 Cups Low Sodium Chicken Broth
1 teaspoon Paprika
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
3 teaspoons Cornstarch
3 Tablespoon Cream or Half & Half
1 Cup Sour Cream
Garlic Salt to taste
Quinoa Noodles - Any noodle works


Sprinkle the chicken with the salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a wide saute pan, until it begins to simmer. Brown the chicken for a few minutes on each side - you just want a bit of color on it at this point. Set the chicken aside in a small bowl.

In the same pan, cook the mushrooms for a couple minutes, until they brown a little and give up some liquid.

Add the chicken back to the pan, along with the chicken broth, paprika, and Worcestershire sauce.

Mix to combine and then taste to see if you need any more salt and/or pepper, adding a bit if it does. Simmer, covered, for about 20 minutes.

At this point, you want to cook 4 servings worth of noodles, according to the package directions.

Mix the cornstarch and cream or half & half in a small bowl until no lumps remain, then stir the mixture into the saute pan. Keep stirring gently as it returns to a simmer, and the sauce thickens.

Stir the sour cream into the rest of the ingredients in the saute pan, and warm gently over low heat, stirring very frequently. You want it to be very warm, but don't let it boil, or it might separate.

Serve over warm noodles. I used quinoa noodles but you can use whatever noodles you want. Egg noodles are the usual for stroganoff.


Original Recipe: Chicken Stroganoff

Baked Honey Mustard Chicken

Baked Honey Mustard Chicken

1/4 Cup of Grainy, Course Mustard
1/4 Cup Smooth Dijon Mustard
1/2 Cup Honey
2 teaspoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
2 1/2 Pounds Boneless Skinless Chicken Tenderloins or Breasts
Salt and Pepper
Chives, I used dried chives
Parmesan Cheese, sprinkle
1 Package Mushrooms, diced


In a small bowl, combine the mustards, honey, garlic and the olive oil.

Spray an oven safe pan with olive oil. Dice up the mushrooms and layer them in the bottom of the pan.

Place the chicken tenderloins on top of the mushrooms. Salt and pepper the tops of the chicken according to your personal preference.

Pour the honey mustard mixture on top of the chicken. Sprinkle the chives and Parmesan cheese on top.

Bake the chicken covered at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes. Then remove the cover, baste the chicken with the sauce, and continue to cook for an additional 20-30 minutes uncovered, or until the chicken is browned on top and cooked through.

Chicken Cacciatore - Freezer Meal

Chicken Cacciatore

3 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts (I added thighs also)
1 {26 oz} jar of spaghetti sauce
1 zucchini, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped


There are 2 different ways you can make this.

1. You can load all the ingredients into a gallon sized Ziplock bag, lay it flat, freeze, and cook it in the crockpot at a later date.

2. Layer the ingredients in a foil pan, seal and pop in the freezer.

Crockpot Cooking Method: Cook from frozen on high for 8 hours or until chicken is thoroughly cooked, or thaw overnight in the refrigerator overnight and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours or until chicken is thoroughly cooked.

Oven Cooking Method: Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Cook at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes or until chicken is cooked thoroughly.

Serve over cooked spaghetti noodles if desired. We ate it just in a bowl without the noodles.


Notes: You can pretty much add any veggie that you'd like to this. Next time I'm going to add mushrooms and more veggies.

Barbecued Meatballs - Freezer Meal

Barbecued Meatballs

Meatballs:

2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups milk
2 cups oats (quick-cooking or old fashioned — can also substitute bread crumbs)
1 onion, chopped
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 pounds raw ground beef (since you’ll be freezing this recipe uncooked, you’ll want to make sure the meat is fresh, not frozen)

Barbecue Sauce:

2 cups ketchup
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped onion (optional)
1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke (optional)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Combine all meatball ingredients and mix well. Shape into one-inch balls and lay on a cookie sheet.

To freeze: Freeze uncooked meatballs on a cookie sheet for one hour. Remove from cookie sheet and transfer to airtight ziptop freezer bags.

To serve: Thaw meatballs overnight (or for 8 hours) in the refrigerator. Put in a greased baking dish and bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes. Drain.

While meatballs are cooking, combine Barbecue Sauce ingredients together in a saucepan on the stove. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for two minutes, stirring frequently.

Pour Barbecue Sauce over meatballs and bake for 10-20 minutes longer, or until done.

Crockpot Taco Soup - Freezer Meal

Crockpot Taco Soup

1 onion, chopped
1 (16 ounce) can chili beans, rinsed
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed
1 Bag Frozen whole kernel corn, no need to thaw
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
12 oz chicken or vegetable broth
2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilis, undrained
1 package of taco seasoning (1.25 ounces)
2 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts


Preparing: combine all ingredients in a ziplock bag. Flatten down so there is little to no air. Freeze.

Cooking Method: cook in crockpot on Low for 6-8 hours or High for 4-6.

Garnish with cheddar cheese, sour cream, &/or crushed tortilla chips

Make-Ahead Freezer Egg McMuffins

I'm always looking for things that save me time, keep me from having to cook all the time AND are healthy. This recipe is awesome! I make up 12 sausage, egg and cheese sandwiches at a time. Then wrap them, put them into a ziploc bag and place them into the freezer. Then we warm them up for breakfast when we need something quick.

Make-Ahead Freezer Egg McMuffins
Makes 12

2 Packages English Muffins (I use Sour Dough)
1 Dozen Eggs
12 Slices of Cheese (I use Cheddar)
12 Organic Sausage Patties (You can use bacon, Canadian bacon, or no meat)

Spray your pan of choice with olive oil. I use a muffin top/whoopie pan because the eggs come out almost the same size of the English muffins and they are the perfect thickness. Add your 12 eggs to the 12 slots in the pan you are using. Add black pepper and sea salt to your liking.

Bake eggs at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes (in a whoopie pan - if you are using a muffin pan I would cook them for 25-30 as they will be much thicker), until set. Although we normally like our egg yolks a little runny, I cooked these completely since I'd be freezing them. That's the way McDonald's makes them, too.

The baked eggs are easy to lift out with a small spatula. I just use my fingers since the whoopie pan is so easy to get them out and isn't a deep pan.

While the eggs bake, prepare the muffins by splitting them open and adding cheese slices (I folded in the corners of my cheese slices).

Add the baked eggs when they're ready and add the sausage patties to the top of the egg (or whatever meat you are using). Put the top of the muffin on and the sandwich is complete.

 

Wrap each individual sandwich.

Here are the instructions for wrapping them:


Wrap for microwave reheating. Wrap individual McMuffins in dry wax paper deli sheets. That way, you can put the wrapped sandwiches directly in the microwave for reheating. (You can also use pieces of wax or parchment paper.) After they're all wrapped, put them in freezer ziploc bags and freeze them. It takes under a minute to reheat a thawed McMuffin at full power in the microwave. A frozen one takes about 2-3 minutes at half power (turn it over after each minute).

Wrap for oven reheating. Wrap them in aluminum foil if you prefer to reheat them in the oven. This is a good option if you want to reheat several at one time. It takes approx. 30-40 minutes to reheat frozen McMuffins in a 350 degree oven. If they're thawed, it only takes about 15-20 minutes. The outside of the muffin gets crispy when these are warmed in the oven.

Feeding a crowd? Make up a bunch of these in advance, wrap them individually in foil, and reheat them all at once in the oven. They're easier to manage if you arrange them on large baking sheets for putting in and out of the oven. You'll need to increase the baking time a bit if you're reheating larger quantities.