Everyday Food for Busy People
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I love the sound of the ingredients for this Asian Orange Chicken recipe from Family Balance Sheet.
Honey, orange juice, garlic and ginger meld together to create a fantastic sauce. I also like that this recipe uses chicken thighs and legs. They are economical. Plus, chicken with bones just tastes better than boneless.
Click here to see the Slow Cooker Asian Orange Chicken recipe on Family Balance Sheet.
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I’ve seen lettuce wedge salads around recently on blogs and restaurant menus. Honestly, I wondered what the big deal was or why anyone would want one. I mean, it’s just iceberg lettuce.
Then a friend ordered a lettuce wedge salad when we went out to eat for book club. I was sitting next to her and I really wanted to ask for a bite. It looked amazing! I refrained from asking for a taste. Elizabeth might have thought I was a bit nutty if I’d made that request.
Then one day, I decided to make one at home. And I discovered that this is the perfect salad for me to make. I hate cleaning and tearing romaine lettuce. And I’m not a fan of the stems on spinach so I end up tearing all of those off.
But with a lettuce wedge, you just rinse the head, tear off the weird and wilted outer leaves and chop. Two or three cuts with a sharp knife and the lettuce is ready to go!
I like to add chopped tomatoes, bacon bits and a drizzle of ranch dressing. If I’ve got croutons, I’ll add those too.
And for reasons I can’t explain, these salads taste like so much more than the sum of their parts. It really is better than if I served it as a tossed salad. Maybe it stays crisper?
Whatever the reason, these are good! Give them a try with a meal soon.
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Everything about this recipe says summertime. Just 3 ingredients. A slow cooker. And making use of a summer fruit.
BBQ Peach Pulled Pork is a recipe by Kate, who is one of the writers here at Eat at Home. Kate used peach salsa in this recipe. I sometimes pick up what I call “inspiration ingredients”. Things like peach salsa that might be a good spring board for a new recipe or that I can use in a different way.
I think Hawaiian Cole Slaw would be perfect with these sandwiches. And maybe a side of Sweet Potato Fries.
Click here to get the recipe for Slow Cooked Peach Pulled Pork.
To see more of Kate’s recipes on Eat at Home, click here. You can also find her recipes on her blog, Kate’s Recipe Box.
If you love using your slow cooker, check out our All Slow Cooker Weekly Meal Plan. It’s got all the planning done for you (including the grocery list) so you can go enjoy summer!
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This is one of those two step recipes that you have to plan ahead for. It’s also one of those throw-together recipes that are so nice. And it can be a use-up-the-leftovers recipe.
The thing is, you have to cook the chuck roast. Mainly, this involves throwing it in a slow cooker with salt and pepper and leaving it to cook all day.
But after that, you get to choose your own adventure for this chuck roast. You can go ahead and make the enchiladas the same night.
Or you can pop the meat in the freezer, so you’ll have the makings of a throw-together dinner another time.
Or, if by chance you have leftover roast, you can repurpose that meat in these enchiladas.
We loved this beefy version of enchiladas. Everyone in my family likes any and all kinds of enchiladas. That is, everyone but my youngest son. I used to think it was the green chilis he doesn’t like. But it may be more of a texture thing with the tortilla and sauce. I’m not sure, but sometimes he has to endure an enchilada dinner because the rest of us really like them.
Here’s what you’ll need to fix these. I’ll also add a separate recipe for cooking the chuck roast. If you happen to find roasts on sale, it’s a great meat to cook ahead and shred for enchiladas, soup, bbq, beef and noodles… Cooked meat in the freezer means easy meals! [Read more...]
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Recipes that use the slow cooker in a non-traditional way are so fun. And this copy-cat recipe for P.F. Chang’s Lettuce Wraps is one of those recipes. We love lettuce wraps. They’re great any time of year, but they do feel summery to me.
Andrea from The Greenbacks Gal used ground chicken or turkey, hoisin sauce, sesame oil and a few other ingredients to cook these up. This is another great recipe for those nights when you need to eat in shifts. The meat filling will hold up fine or can even be reheated in the microwave.
Click here to get the recipe for P.F. Chang’s Lettuce Wraps.
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Last week on grocery day I printed out the list. I added a few items to it. And when I got to the store, I realized I’d left the list on the table at home.
So much for being organized! Thankfully, I did remember a few things that were on the list.
And I have a system for efficiently shopping without a grocery list. It’s not something you want to do every time, but it will get you most of what you need on those trips where you’re list-less for whatever reason.
This is how I shopped last week. It mostly worked. It also made me really thankful to have a list to shop with. And determined to remember to stick it in my purse next time.
I also hit the farmer’s market on Saturday.
Swiss chard (first time trying and we liked it), zucchini, radishes, tomatoes, sweet potatoes and eggs. I made the Swiss chard with grilled pork chops on Saturday night. We had zucchini, bell peppers, garlic, onion and tomatoes with the scrambled eggs on Sunday after church. Delish!
Saturday night, we had a gorgeous double rainbow that stretched full across the sky. I could only fit half of it in the photo.
We also picked up our oldest daughter from the airport on Saturday night. She’d been in Bolivia all week on a trip with Compassion International. She’d had a great trip, but the almost 24 hour travel time to get home had wiped her out.
On Monday, I experimented with an idea for a new slow cooker meal. I had such high hopes for it – Lime in the Coconut Chicken. I even gave it a cute name. Unfortunately, we voted that it was not blog worthy. It was edible, but I go for much more than edible when I share recipes with you. Maybe I’ll tweak and try again. Or maybe not.
We played a new-to-us game called Spot It on Monday night. It’s a great game that has lots of ways to play, can be played with just two people or a bunch, and by little kids up to adult. Have you ever played it?
Tuesday, I grilled chicken for dinner and made sweet potato fries. I know we had some other things with it, but I can’t remember what.
And remember the swans that visited our pond last week? They came back. Maybe they’re going to visit every week on Tuesday. I hope so!
Wednesday morning, Jim and I took Meredith back to the airport. This time, she headed to Washington D.C. for one night, then onto Xiamen, China where she’ll spend the next eight weeks studying the language. She had a bit of a hard time with the good-byes this year, since she remembered how homesick she was last year on her trip to Shanghai. We’re praying that she has a good trip and won’t struggle too much with homesickness this year.
We stopped at McD’s for a clean bathroom and coffee on the way to the airport. I snapped this photo while Meredith wasn’t paying attention. She was a little teary and I didn’t want to ask her to let me take a picture of her. I’m really proud of her courage to go do something that she knows is going to be hard.
Wednesday night, I grilled smoked sausage. I think we had mac & cheese and a veggie with it. The boys headed out to youth group and Mia went to bed early. She had volley ball camp this week and topped it off with swimming in the afternoon. That’s a good way to wear a 10 year old out!
Jim was out of town on Thursday night. I made Chipped Beef Gravy over Cornbread for the four of us at home.
And Friday, the cold that I’d been vaguely aware of all week decided to kick into high gear. By Friday night, I gave in and ordered pizza for dinner. Actually, Jim ordered the pizza while I laid on the couch.
Want to shop with a grocery list that’s all made out for you? (Just don’t forget the list at home!) Here’s a sneak peek at this week’s meal plans. When you join the Weekly Meal Plan list, you get the grocery list and printable recipes with side dishes included. You can find out more about how to get them delivered to your inbox by clicking here.
Slow Cooker Plan
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Have you ever cooked fresh green beans in the slow cooker? This seems like a great method if you like your beans cooked long and slow with bacon or salt pork. My Uncle Marvin used to make beans this way, usually with a few potatoes tossed in. To this day that smell reminds me of him. He used a regular pot on the stove or sometimes, a pressure cooker. I like the idea of the slow cooker though, to keep the kitchen cool.
This recipes comes from Liz at Hoosier Homemade. I think it’s one of the first posts on her blog. She’s been sharing great recipes on her site for a long time. Click over to see her recipe and to get inspired to have your own veggie supper straight from the garden!
We’re sharing 75 days of summer slow cooker meals. This is day nine. Keep your kitchen cool – don’t miss a single recipe. Subscribe to the email list.
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Time for a slow cooked dessert. And one that is perfect for topping with vanilla ice cream.
I love this method for making Peach Crisp. It uses canned peaches, so you don’t need to wait for peaches to come in season. And you don’t have to peel and pitt them either. Save the fresh for in-hand eating with the juice running down your elbow.
All the ingredients are common pantry ingredients. Just don’t forget the ice cream to top it!
Click here to get the recipe for Peach Crisp in the Slow Cooker.
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BBQ in the slow cooker is a staple. It doesn’t get much easier than this. Kim from Makin’ it Mo’ Betta spins this classic southern, with the addition of a simple slaw to top the sandwiches. If you’ve never tried slaw on your barbecue sandwich, please do! It’s the perfect kind of crunch and flavor to top the meat.
Kim suggests a few brands of vinegar type bbq sauce for the meat. And she has a sugar free version of the slaw too.
Add potato chips and watermelon (maybe make the watermelon wild?) and you’ve got the makings of an easy summer supper.
Click here to see the recipe for Chicken BBQ & Slaw Sandwiches on Mo’Betta.
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I love pesto sauce. It’s so good on chicken. Once a Month Mom takes this a couple of steps further by making it gluten and dairy free. She also (as always) includes instructions on making this a freezer meal. Make-ahead and slow cooker – perfect for summer!
Serve this with sliced tomatoes or Tomato Artichoke Heart Salad. Don’t forget the crusty bread to go with it!
Click here for the full recipe for Pesto Ranch Chicken on Once a Month Mom.
If you love using your slow cooker, check out our All Slow Cooker Weekly Meal Plan. It’s got all the planning done for you (including the grocery list) so you can go enjoy summer!
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