Game Time!

I told you last week that my resolution for 2013 was to play more board games with my kids.  Let's just say I am doing very well on that resolution.  Very well....if you get my drift.  

My boy minis went back to school today, and I have to admit, I'm going to miss these goofy guys.

Now that they're back in school, we're all back to our hectic schedules, which means it's going to be tough to find time to play all these board games I am committed to.  To free up a little bit of time, I decided I would go for dinners that require less prep time.  And to me, less prep time means one thing.  

The beloved crock pot.

I got this recipe from my mom.  Apparently she has no measuring devices, so bear with me on this.....

Italian Beef

• roast (my mom suggest round rump roast, I used chuck roast.....I would HIGHLY suggest trying the round rump roast first)
• onion salt
• garlic salt
• oregano
• basil
• season salt
• pepper
• dry onion soup mix
• peppercini peppers (I added the juice as well)
• red pepper flakes

1.  Put the roast in the crock pot.

2.  Sprinkle each of the seasonings over the roast.

3.  Add water, until the roast is just covered.

4.  Cook on low until roast is thoroughly cooked.

5.  Remove and shred roast.  Return to crockpot.

Fill your crockpot.

Remove meat and shred.

 Return shredded meat to the crockpot.

Serve on toasted hoagie buns with toasted cheese (Mr. McGhee had pepper-jack, I had muenster).

We had our italian beef sandwiches with kale chips and zucchini/squash chips.  I have posted the recipe for zucchini chips before.  This time I added sliced squash and cooked it the exact same way as the zucchini.

Slice the squash/zucchini very thin.

Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with sea salt and bake until crispy.

Delish.  A very tasty dinner that left me with plenty of time to play our new favorite game with the minis.

Crockpot Fajita

I was having one of those days and then I remembered when all else fails, make Mexican!  I love Mexican food.  It's easy.  It's easy.  It's tasty.  Everyone eats it without complaining.  And nobody judges you when you pour yourself a nice tall glass of iced tequila to drink with your dinner.  

And then, after dinner, all the minis are left wondering what the heck it is about Mexican food that makes mama so happy?

I tried this recipe a couple of weeks ago and I quickly realized it will be added to my school-year dinner rotation.  It was very easy and everyone loved it.

Crock Pot Chicken Fajitas 

• 1 yellow onion, sliced
• 3 sweet peppers, sliced
• 1 ½ pounds boneless chicken breast or thighs (I did a mix of both)
• ½ cup chicken broth
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons cumin
• 1 ½ tablespoons chili powder
• Squirt of lime juice
• Tortillas
• Fajita fixings (avocado, sour cream, salsa, etc)

1.  Combine sliced onion and peppers in the bottom of a greased crockpot. 

2.  Lay chicken on top of veggies. Pour chicken broth over top. 

3.  Sprinkle everything with cumin, salt, and chili powder. 

4.  Give a nice quirt of lime juice over the top. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours (or on High for 4-6 hours). 

5.  When meat is done, shred with two forks and stir back into juices. Serve meat mixture with slotted spoon on tortillas with your choice of fixings.

Peppers and onions on the first layer.

Chicken and spices on the next layer.

Cooked, shredded, and ready to be served.

Delish!