Crock Pot Street Tacos & Menue

So I know there isn't 7 recipes', but hopefully with this and Andra's drumsticks, leftovers, and hopefully a date night ;) you should be covered! These are a huge family favorite. We all love them! Brayden loves the heat so I always double the cayenne pepper, but you don't have to. I think it is pretty hot the way it is. Hope you love them like us!

Crock Pot Street Tacos

For the spice rub:
1T. chili powder
1 1/2 tsp cumin or smoked cumin
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, or more to taste
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 lbs flank steak
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped

Serving Options:
corn tortillas
shredded lettuce (we love shredded cabbage instead)
grated cheese
tomato
sour cream
salsa
cucumbers (odd I know, but DELICIOUS)

Mix all of the spice together in a small bowl for the spice rub.  Rub the spices into each side of the steak, using all of the mixture. Place the spice rubbed steak in the bottom of the crock pot.  Place the chopped onion, bell pepper, and jalapeno on top of the steak.  Cook for 7-8 hrs on low.  After the cook time has lapsed, remove the steak from the cock pot and shred with two forks.  Serve immediately or return to the crock pot for a few hours until you are ready to eat. 

Serve on corn tortillas with your favorite toppings. 

Sesame Chicken Rice Bowl

I haven't tried this one yet, but I love Chinese food! This is also a bit more ingredients than I typically like to use. But I am excited to try it.

Sesame Chicken {Gluten Free}

1 1/2 lbs of chicken breast, cut into bite size pieces

1/4 cup plus 1 Tablespoon of San-J’s Wheat-Free Tamari Sauce

2 1/2 Tablespoons of rice vinegar plus 1 teaspoon 

1 cup gluten-free chicken broth

1/2 cup sugar 
1/4 cup cornstarch plus 2 teaspoons
2 egg whites, lightly beaten

1/2 cup canola oil

1 teaspoon garlic, minced
Red Pepper flakes
3 TBL sesame seeds
4-6 green onions, chopped
4 C cooked jasmine rice

In a medium bowl, combine sugar, 1/4 cup of the tamari sauce, 2 1/2 Tbl vinegar, and chicken broth. Set aside. In a separate bowl, combine chicken pieces, remaining 1 Tablespoon of tamari, and 1 teaspoon of vinegar. Marinate chicken for at least 30 minutes. Once the chicken has marinated, add egg whites and cornstarch and stir until well-blended.

In your wok (or large skillet), heat oil over med-high heat. Cook chicken (in about 3 batches) until golden on both sides- this will take 3-5 minutes. Remove chicken from wok with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Cover with foil to keep the chicken warm. If you have more than a couple tablespoons of oil left in the wok, discard the remaining oil ( leave just a few tablespoons in the wok). 

Reduce the heat to med. Cook the garlic and pepper flakes for about a minute. Then add tamari sauce mixture. Increase heat to med-high and cook sauce for about 15 minutes. Stir remaining two teaspoonfuls of cornstarch into a little water and whisk it into the sauce. Once the sauce is thickened and bubbly, add the chicken and sesame seeds. Top with green onions and serve over jasmine rice.

Tomato Basil Chicken

This Tomato Basil Chicken will have you grabbing your fork at the 30 minute mark, which is great news when you need to have a nice, hot meal on the table quickly.  

Ingredients: (4 servings)

• 2 chicken breasts 
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
• 2 tsp minced fresh garlic
• 4 Tbsp cold butter
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
• freshly grated Parmigiano reggiano cheese, for garnish

Written Directions:

Season chicken breasts with kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper.  Add a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to your skillet.  This may seem like quite a bit, but it will form the base for the sauce.  While waiting for the oil to heat up, go ahead and get your water going for the pasta. When the oil is HOT, add the chicken breasts.  After about 4-5 minutes, the chicken breasts should be ready to turn.  By the way, when did chicken breasts get SO HUGE?!   You'll want to cook them on the second side another 4-5 minutes,or until the juices run clear when you pierce them with a small sharp knife.  If you pounded yours out thinner, they will cook faster than this.

After the second side has been cooking for about 4 minutes, go ahead and add in the fresh tomatoes that you have chopped up.  Next, add the fresh basil that you have chopped into ribbons, the cold butter, the minced garlic, and you will probably want to add some more kosher salt and black pepper to season the sauce.  Now give it all a good stir so all those flavors will marry together.  
When your chicken is "done," turn the sauce down on the lowest setting to keep it all warm until the pasta is cooked, which should be any minute now.  At this point, if still waiting for the pasta, you can remove the cooked chicken to a cutting board, and after resting just a couple of minutes, cut the chicken into slices on the bias.   Divide the pasta among individual bowls, and top each with half of a chicken breast, sliced into pieces, and equal portions of the tomato basil sauce.  Top with more fresh basil and freshly grated Parmigiana reggiano cheese.

Honey Balsamic Chicken Tenders

Hey girls!! I know, I am a week behind. I am sorry. But life is life. It just happens. Sorry. I am back on the band wagon though!! I am really going to try and focus this weeks meals on being healthy. I normally just make what is easy, and cheap. But this week, I am going to try to stretch my dollar a big farther and maybe make a few less meals, but better for me. Because let's be honest, I need to finish losing this baby weight. Go me!!n 

Honey Balsamic Chicken Tenders

:i am planning to serve this with veggies. ie: broccoli and asparagus. or cauliflower and brussle sprouts  

Ingredients

• 2 medium (1.5 lbs) chicken breasts
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 Tbsp olive oil (divided)
• to taste salt & pepper
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 3 Tbsp honey

Instruction

1. Slice the chicken breasts on a diagonal into six strips each. Place the strips in a quart sized zip top bag along with ¼ cup of balsamic vinegar, one clove of garlic (minced), 1 Tbsp of olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix the ingredients in the bag and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
2. When you’re ready to cook, heat the second tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, cook the strips until browned on both sides (about 2-3 minutes each side). You may have to do two batches. Place the cooked chicken on a clean plate.
3. Turn the heat down on the skillet to medium-low and add the butter and last 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar to the skillet. Use a spoon to stir the mixture and dissolve the sticky bits off of the bottom of the skillet. Once the mixture has dissolved together, add the honey, increase the heat, and allow the sauce to simmer until thickened (about five minutes).
4. Once the sauce has thickened, season to taste with salt and pepper (I just used a pinch of each). Add the chicken back to the skillet and toss to coat in the warm balsamic sauce. Serve immediately

Recipes for the lunch time dilemma

I am in the same boat as you, Andra. Lunch is a hard meal to plan for. Leftovers are good but usually not enough for the whole family. With Darin working from home 3 days a week, I have to be a little more creative than pb & j. Enter the quesadilla. You can put anything inside a tortilla and call it lunch. So here are 3 quesadillas that are easy, yummy, and our favorites.

Crispy Black Bean Quesadillas
4 flour tortillas (you can also use corn or whole wheat)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 c. red onion (I hate crunchy onions so I omit this ingredient and use a couple shakes of onion powder instead)
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. paprika
2 T. fresh cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
pepper jack cheese (I love pepper jack the best but you can use cheddar if you don't have the p.j.)
Toppings:
sour cream
avocado
salsa

Put black beans in a bowl. Add onion, cumin, paprika, cilantro, salt, and pepper. Stir together and lightly mash the beans with the back of a spoon. This makes the quesadilla easier to flip because the beans aren't rolling out everywhere. Spoon some bean mixture onto half of a tortilla. Sprinkle on some cheese. Fold the tortilla over. Spread a little butter on the outside of one side of the tortilla. Place into a non-stick skillet over medium heat, buttered side down, then butter top half. Let cook for a few minutes until the tortilla is brown and crispy. Flip. Allow the other side to get brown and crispy and the cheese melted. I put a lid on the pan to trap the heat so the cheese melts all the way. When it's done, cut into triangles and put on toppings.

Pesto Turkey Quesadillas
*quantities of ingredients are up to you, use more or less based on your taste and family size
Flour tortillas (whole wheat, spinach, sun dried tomato are all delicious)
Thinly sliced lunchmeat turkey (my favorite is Oscar Meyer black peppered turkey)
Provolone cheese slices (swiss or cheddar is also good)
Pesto (I buy a small jar, or you can make your own)
Roma tomatoes, sliced

Spread a spoonful of pesto on half of a tortilla. Layer on turkey and cheese. Fold tortilla over and butter one side. Place in non-stick skillet over medium heat, buttered side down, then butter top side. Cook until tortilla is crispy and brown. Flip. Cook other side until crispy and brown and cheese is melted. Remove from pan, cut into triangles and serve with tomato slices on top.

Peanut Butter & Banana Quesadillas
*quantities of ingredients are up to you, use more or less based on your taste and family size
Flour tortillas
Sliced bananas
Peanut butter
Cinnamon sugar mix
Sometimes as a special surprise I throw in a few chocolate chips or white chocolate chips

Spread a spoonful of peanut butter on half of a tortilla. Evenly place bananas on peanut butter. Add chocolate chips if desired. Fold tortilla over and butter one side. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mix. Place in non-stick skillet over medium heat, buttered side down, then butter top side and sprinkle on cinnamon sugar mix. Cook until tortilla is crispy and brown. Flip. Cook other side until crispy and brown. Remove from pan and cut into triangles.