Lately, I have been finding that I am spending more time in the kitchen and less time with Samantha. And as much as I love her
"helping hands", when the burner is on and the oven is hot, I'm more afraid for her safety in our tiny kitchen.
Don't get me wrong, I think it's absolutely adorable when Samantha grabs onto my leg and tugs at it to see what Mommy is doing...that is until your trying to hold your pants up with one hand, stir the pot with the other hand, hold your child with another hand, keep her hands out of danger with another hand, maybe do a jig and keep a smile on your face!
So, when my friend offered on Facebook to get a few of us girls together and assemble
a month's worth of slow cooker freezer meals I was 100% game! Simply thaw, add a few fresh ingredients, throw in the slow cooker and I get the rest of the day to
play with Samantha!
Well, after a wonderful morning with some amazing ladies. We all chopped, sliced, diced and assembled 5 recipes. In a normal family, each recipe can then be divided up into aprox 5 seperate meals! My family...not so normal, so I'm going to split each bag into 2 and get some leftovers for the lunch the next day! (Wink...which means even more family time!)
So goodbye Pizza Friday and hello healthy slow cooker family meal!
IN THE BAG- 2 cups onions, 2 cups carrots, 2 cups zucchini, 1 red pepper, 1/2 t grated lime peel, 2 T lime juice, 2 T soy sauce, 2 T flour, 4 garlic cloves, 2 lbs. cubed boneless, skinless chicken breast. TO COOK- Dump contents of bag in slow cooker. Cover with 3/4 cup chicken broth and 3 T peanut butter (whisked together). Cook on low for 5-6 hours. For the last five minutes, add in 1 can of coconut milk and 1 bag of frozen peas. TO SERVE- To make it spicy, add 1/2 teaspoon of red curry paste before serving (I kept our unspicy for the kiddos). Garnish with chopped peanuts and cilantro. Serve over rice.
IN THE BAG- 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, 2 lbs. of chopped butternut squash, 2 medium onions,chopped, 8 minced garlic cloves, 1 oz fresh ginger, 2 T curry powder,1 t ground coriander, 1 t ground cumin, coarse salt TO COOK- Add the contents of the bag and a can of coconut milk to a slow cooker and cook on low all day. 25 minutes before serving, add another can of coconut milk and a bag of frozen peas. TO SERVE- Garnish with chopped cashews and cilantro.
BBQ Chicken adapted from this recipe by Mama and Baby Love
IN THE BAG- 2 cups sweet potatoes, 2 cups red and green bell pepper, 1 cup carrots, 2 cups onion, 3 cups zucchini, 2 T flour, 1.5 lbs chicken, 2 cloves garlic, 1t salt TO COOK- Dump bag plus one bottle BBQ sauce into crock pot, cook on low for 6-8 hours. TO SERVE- Serve on rice with some fried veggies
IN THE BAG- 2 cups carrots, 2 cups bell peppers, 1 lb cubed boneless skinless chicken breasts, 3 cloves garlic, 1 t salt, 1/2 t pepper, 8 oz. orange juice concentrate (orange pineapple will work as well) TO COOK- Cook on low in crock pot, 4 to 6 hours TO SERVE- Garnish with clementine slices (use 4 clementines) or mandarin oranges (two cans) and green onions (two, chopped). Serve on rice. Stir fried veggies make a great side.
IN THE BAG- 2 cups red and green bell pepper, 1 cup carrots, 2 cups onion, 3 cups zucchini, 2 T flour, 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, 2 cloves garlic, 1 t salt TO COOK- Add the contents of the bag with 3/4 cup of dijon mustard, and 1/4 cup of maple syrup and 1 T of rice wine vinegar to a foil lined glass pan. Cook at 450 until a meat thermometer reads 165 degrees. TO SERVE- Garnish with fresh rosemary and serve.
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