EASY Crockpot Ranch Chicken Tacos

So last night was a game night which means super simple dinner before the friends come over. Our house seems to be the game house and truthfully, we LOVE it that way!! After all, we have the 60-something inch tv, the huge couch, and a kegerator. Pretty sure it doesn't get better than that (except for the annoying pit bull :) whom I love). 

Before I left for work in the morning I put all the ingredients in the crock pot and set it on low. One awesome thing about this recipe is that is uses FROZEN CHICKEN BREASTS!!!! Only thing Mike had to do was shred the chicken about an hour before dinnertime. During the day Mike sent me a message that I was to go on a mission after school. Avengers in 3D came out this week so I had to go to Target and pick it up. The husband and I are obsessed with the superhero movies and love to spend our very few weekends together watching our 3D tv :). Sorry. Hope I'm not rubbing it in too much. lol. 

Anyway, it was a good thing I decided to do these crockpot tacos because by the time I got home we had no time at all!! Luckily all we had to do was heat up the tortillas and stuff!!

Here they are!!

EASY Crockpot Ranch Chicken Tacos

INGREDIENTS:

     1 can chicken broth (however I recommend only using about half or 3/4 of it)

     1 packet of taco seasoning

     1 packet of Ranch reasoning

     2-4 chicken breasts FROZEN!!!!

     tortillas

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place FROZEN :) chicken breasts into the crockpot. Cover with chicken broth, taco seasoning, and ranch seasoning. Do not stir or mix. Just leave it.

2. Put crockpot on low for 6-8 hours or high for about 3-4.

3. About an hour before eating, shred the chicken and let it sit in the broth mixture to soak in the flavor.

4. Stuff your tortillas and enjoy!!!!

THAT'S IT!!! These were so simple it's crazy. Something I can definitely do in the morning before work and have a nice dinner to enjoy when I get back. Next time we are going to try to use pork or beef and see what that tastes like. I'll let you know!!

     P.S. GO RAVENS!!!!

Easy Garlic Chicken

When this says "easy" it means EASY!! Today was a rough day. Mike and I had a long night last night. We decided to do a date-ish kind of night because the friends who were supposed to come over couldn't. So, we lit the fire pit and got ourselves some cocktails and hung out. The only problem is that when the fire went out, the cocktails did not. So, inside we came to drink and watch the O's. Bad O's night, which led to a few more drinks and then some laughter with the help of Rob Dyrdek and "Ridiculousness". By then we were quite tipsy tired so we decided to head to bed. RAVENS TOMORROW!!

11:00 am came quite quickly. We had invited some friends over for the game so we knew we couldn't watch it in bed and therefore, we had to drag ourselves up. After the banana pancakes it wasn't so bad and we sat down to watch the pre-game. Apparently, our friends had also had a little too much fun at the wedding the night before so they decided to stay home. Mike's parents also claimed they were not going to come by so we lounged on the couch to watch the game. 

It was a terrible start but the Ravens started to pick it up. Then, I guess someone spiked the Gatorade because they turned into a bunch of Slop Mops. Ravens lost to the Eagles 24-23. I don't know why but I always get so depressed when the Ravens lose. I know it sounds silly, it's just a game, there's always next week...blah blah blah...but I feel very dejected. Therefore, I needed some EASY in my life for dinner. 

That brings me back to this meal. I have a friend who has started a 365 Days of Pinterest blog. I remembered that she tried out this meal and had mentioned how easy it actually was. The recipe can be found here but, like always, I'll put it below, too. I have to make a confession that I hate how recipes always write the "Prep time" on them. It makes me feel very inferior because their prep time never matches my prep time. I don't know whether it's that I move in slow motion, or that I'm definitely somewhat of a perfectionist, so I take a little more time to make sure that I'm doing it right. Whatever it is, I'm slow. This prep time claimed that it took 10 minutes to get everything ready. I'm not sure if it even took me 10 minutes. I had to trim and tenderize the chicken, but I didn't count that in the prep time since it wasn't part of the recipe. Prep is literally sauteing some garlic and stirring in some brown sugar. 

I have to say it wasn't my absolute favorite chicken ever. But, it was good. Considering how easy it was I'm sure it will be something I would make again. 

**Mike and I both agreed that maybe a little orange zest would make the glaze a little more interesting. Not sure how to incorporate this but I would probably mix it in after stirring in the brown sugar. Let me know if anyone tries it this way!!**

Easy Garlic Chicken

INGREDIENTS:

     4 boneless chicken breasts

     4 garlic cloves, minced (I used about 4 teaspoons of already prepared minced garlic)

     3 teaspoons olive oil

     4 tablespoons brown sugar

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees (Yes, 500. I was a little iffy about that too, but...it worked.) and spray or lightly grease a casserole dish.

2. In a saute' pan, saute' oil with the minced garlic until it's tender.

3. Remove from heat and stir in brown sugar.

4. Put chicken breasts in the greased casserole dish and cover with the garlic and brown sugar mixture.

5. Bake uncovered for about 15-30 minutes. 

Enjoy!!!

Alice Springs Chicken (Outback Knockoff)

 

On Tuesday, Mike had to have surgery on his shoulder. Too many years of MMA fighting and working out, plus the motorcycle accidents, has left him with no cartilage in between his shoulder bones. So, they had to break off a piece of his collarbone in order to make some. (Something like that, I'm not a good listener.) So, being the nice wife that I am...I love saying that word...I decided to make him an amazing dinner!! 

Alice Springs Chicken from Outback is Mike's favorite meal. I found this recipe for a knockoff of Alice Springs Chicken so I thought, what better way to make him feel better?!? I haven't had much luck with those "Just like insert popular restaurant item" recipes so I didn't have high expectations, however, I was totally wrong. This was awesome!! Mike loved it, too (although he didn't have that much of an appetite...figures). It was even great reheated the next day. So, if you like bacon, chicken, honey mustard, and cheese, TRY THIS OUT!! 

"Alice Springs" Chicken
INGREDIENTS:
    4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
    Salt
    6 bacon slices
    1/4 cup regular mustard
    1/3 cup honey
    2 tbsp. mayo
    2 tsp. dried onion flakes
    1 cup slices fresh mushrooms (We're not mushroom fans so...no mushrooms for us)
    2 cups shredded Colby/Jack cheese (We used cheddar)
    
DIRECTIONS:
Sprinkle and rub the chicken with salt. Cover and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

While the chicken is in the refrigerator, cook the bacon in a large skillet until crisp. Remove bacon and set aside *DO NOT DISCARD GREASE*

Saute chicken in the bacon grease for about 3-5 minutes on each side or until browned. Place the chicken in a 9"x13" casserole dish or pan.

In a small bowl, mix the mustard, honey, mayo, and dried onion flakes.

Spread some of the honey mustard mixture over each piece of chicken, then layer the mushrooms, bacon, and shredded cheese. (I kept the cheese off until about 15 minutes before the chicken was ready. Then I even added a little more right before I served it and put it under the broiler for a few. I thought the cheese would melt all off if I put it on too early.)

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until chicken is done.

Serve with leftover honey mustard for dipping.

Recipe Courtesy of: Debrapate blog


   

Baked Zucchini Sticks with Sweet Onion Dip

MMMMmmmmmmm, this was DELICIOUS!!! First off, we did this as our side for the meal, but this would be a great appetizer, too. It's perfect for finger foods if you're looking for something healthy(er) and it even tastes great heated back up. So make A LOT because you're going to be craving some leftovers the next day. Trust me!!

I found the recipe for this here and decided I would go for it. Lucky for me we have a wonderful little produce stand right down the road from my house so I stopped on the way home and picked up 2 zucchini. It calls for 3 medium-sized zucchini. They want you to eat!!! I only used one because it was just the two of us and because we were using at as a side. This still made plenty for just us.

Here is one downside of this, however. The prep time for this is about an hour. Initially, you have to let the zucchini sit for an hour....just so you know. It's not a hard process just a little time consuming.

So here we go...

Baked Zucchini Sticks with Sweet Onion Dip
INGREDIENTS:
     1-3 medium sized zucchini (depends on how much you want. The other ingredients won't change much.)
     1 tbsp. salt
     1 cup Panko or bread crumbs
     1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
     1 tbsp. pizza seasoning or italian herbs
     2 large eggs

Sweet Onion Dip  
     1 tbsp. butter
     1 medium onion
     2 tbsp. cider vinegar
     2 tbsp. honey
     1 tbsp. prepared mustard
     1 cup mayo

DIRECTIONS:
1. Cut each zucchini into 3" sticks about the diameter of your finger.

Photo Courtesy of: kingarthurflour.com

2. Put the zucchini sticks in a colander over a bowl and sprinkle with the salt. Let them drain for about an hour. (I forgot to use the bowl, but mine still worked) While the zucchini are draining start working on the dip.

     a. melt butter in a medium-sized frying pan over moderate heat, and add 1 medium onion sliced.

     b. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onion softens, and then caramelizes. When the onions are medium-brown remove them from the heat

     c. Put the onions, cider vinegar, honey, and prepared mustard into a food processor and process until fairly smooth. (I don't have a food processor, so I used my hand blender. It took a little longer, but it worked)

     d. Remove from processor and stir in the mayo. 

3. Rinse the zucchini to get rid of any excess salt. Then, pat them dry.

4. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. and Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with olive oil. (I didn't have parchment paper so, I didn't use any. I just sprayed the baking sheet.)

5. Combine the Panko, parmesan, and pizza seasoning or italian herbs and mix until combined

6. Beat the eggs in order to make your egg wash.

7. Dip your zucchini sticks into the egg wash and then roll them in the bread crumbs. 

8. Place on the baking sheet and bake for about 12 minutes. Remove them from the oven and turn them over. Bake for another 12-16 minutes or until golden brown. 

YUMMMMMMM!

Recipe courtesy of: kingarthurflour.com

Make ahead Frozen Breakfast Burritos

"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day" Well, I'm definitely guilty of not eating my Wheaties. It's not that I'm not hungry or too late to make breakfast. It's usually that it just takes too much effort at 7am. Yup...I am LAY-ZEE in the mornings! I would say out of 5 work days I eat breakfast maybe 2 of them, and that's if I'm motivated enough to drive through the Dunkin' Donuts drive-thru on the way to work.

I've seen a lot of recipes about frozen breakfast burritos that you can heat up quickly in the morning. Yesterday I was bored at home so I figured I would try this out. I looked at a few different recipes to get some ideas of how much of each thing I needed, but ended up just winging it. 

I have to be honest, I have not yet eaten one of these burritos so I can't make any promises about their taste after being reheated, but I know they would have been good if I ate them right away.

Frozen Breakfast Burritos (makes about 9-10 burritos)

INGREDIENTS:

     9ish eggs

     2-3 cups onion, chopped

     1-2 cups pepper, chopped (I used green but it doesn't matter)

     2 cups shredded cheddar cheese or enough slices of American for each burrito (How come they don't make shredded American cheese??)

     2 cups cooked sausage (I used the pre-cooked stuff you throw in the microwave and just cooked it a little with the peppers and onions)

    splash of milk

     tortillas (Whole wheat for me!!)

DIRECTIONS:

In a saute pan, throw a little slab of butter and the chopped onions, peppers, and sausage. (If you used the pre-cooked sausage you can also throw it in with the eggs.) Let them cook until the onions are transparent or the sausage is browned. When these are done put them in a cereal bowl and stick them to the side.

Crack the eggs into a separate bowl and wisk together with a splash of milk. Pour them into the same pan you used for the onions and scramble. (I like to add the peppers, onions, and sausage here because I like them to be incorporated all together. Up to you.)

Lay out your burrito on a flat surface. If you are using American cheese break it in half and put one half in the middle of the burrito. (If you are using shredded wait until the end.) Then layer your eggs, sausage, peppers, and onions. -If you like a little hot sauce throw that in now, too- Don't layer too high because then you will have trouble folding your burrito. On top throw on the shredded cheese or the other piece of American.

Now comes the complicated part...folding. Here is the easiest way I have found to do it. Rotate your burrito so that the fillings are horizontal. Fold the tortilla in half and then tuck your fingers so that you create a pocket around your filling. (The edges do not need to be "rolled" under the filling. That won't matter.) Then fold in the sides. Nothing fancy, just one fold. Finally, roll the pocket up until the seam is on the bottom. I wish I had pictures because its really hard to explain, but I'm sure if you YouTube folding burritos you can find a good explanation.

Roll your burritos up in aluminum foil and throw them in the freezer. It seems between the many recipes I've read, you can microwave them on high for about 2-3 minutes and they will be good to go.

Wordle Wall

Wordle is something that my kids and I do in class. I love it and totally reccommend it for any other teachers out there. (Or if you just want to have fun!!) Another great generator much like Wordle is Tagxedo. Mike and I actually used Tagxedo in our wedding for our table numbers. (I'll post a pic when we get the pics back!)

But anyway, I came across this idea from Pinterest one day and thought it would be PERFECT for my Tech classroom. It's a Wordle Wall!!

 I will admit first off that it took me almost 2 days to get it all done, but I probably did it the long way.

In the forum where I found this, the teacher said that she printed the words out and then laminated them. I'm not sure what kind of printer she used, but my printer doesn't print letters that big, so......I went back to 1980 and did it the old fashioned way.

First, I hung bulletin board paper on the chalkboard, used Microsoft Word to create fancy letters and projected the words onto my chalkboard. I traced the letters and cut them out and then laminated them. (This is part of the reason it took me so long to get it done. I had to cut each letter out TWICE. Once from the bulletin board, once from the laminate.) Because I'm a bit of a spacial perfectionist instead of going at it and hot gluing from the get, I decided to tape the words where I thought I wanted them, first.

***That's another little tip. If you have those horrible brick walls that 

NOTHING sticks to, use hot glue!! It works great! Make sure you get the high 

heat gun, though. Guarantee your posters will stay up most of the year if not the whole 

year. The old school blue tacky putty works good, too***

Then, when I finally got it right, I hot glued away! Drum roll please......................................

I am SOOOOOOOO happy with the way this turned out. I also like the fact that I left a lot of room and there is the opportunity to add more words. I can even let the kids help me with this now!! 

Here are a few more shots I took.

Halfway through

Taped up before the commitment

DONE!! Love it!!

Stuffed Chicken Breasts

This is another one of those recipes where you can really change up what you decide to "stuff" your chicken with. I like this kind of thing because then you can kind of do the same things each week for dinner but it doesn't get as boring so quickly. It still seems different.

Truthfully when I do this it's all guesstimation. There are many different options for stuffed chicken. Originally I did the broccoli and cheese stuffed chicken from Eat Yourself Skinny. I followed it almost exactly only I used American cheese instead of swiss. Tonight I made bacon, stuffing, and cheese stuffed chicken, so I'll use that for the recipe, but please be open about what to stuff with. Mike and I literally just sat on the couch tonight and we were like, "I think I'm going to use bacon. " "You should use bacon AND stuffing!! That would be awesome!!" And so it happened. :)

Stuffed Chicken Breasts
INGREDIENTS:
     2 chicken breasts, cut in half
     1 egg
     1-2 cups bread crumbs
     4 slices american cheese or about 2 cups of shredded cheese
     4 pieces bacon, cooked but not crispy (we used turkey bacon)
     3ish cups of stuffing
     salt and pepper to taste
     toothpicks

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a medium sized baking dish with non stick spray.

Pound out chicken breast halves until it's about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick.

Wisk egg into a bowl and pour bread crumbs into a separate flat dish. I use a small baking dish usually used for making dips. Place to the side until you are ready to dredge.

Now, layer your stuffings on top of each other. I usually break the cheese up into smaller pieces to make it easier to place them where they belong. I break the bacon into two pieces as well. It just seems to make it easier when it comes time to roll. Don't pile on too much stuffing or it will just squeeze out of the sides when you roll.

Now, roll the chicken up so that the ends meet and the stuffings are completely covered. In order to keep in place use toothpicks. I use toothpicks to close up the sides of the chicken as well. It just seems to keep the cheese in better.

You're ready to dredge. Roll the chicken pockets in the egg wash and then place in the dish with bread crumbs. Make sure the entire pocket gets covered in the bread crumbs. Do this with each of the chicken breasts and then place them in the greased baking dish.

Bake about 20-30 minutes or until you see the bread crumbs browning on the top. Enjoy!!