Santa Fe Chicken Burritos

These burritos were ridiculously easy and were a big hit with the whole family.

Add the following to crock-pot and set to LOW:

2 cans black beans, drained

2 cans whole kernel corn, drained

2 cups of thick & chunky salsa (a 1 lb. jar)

6-8 chicken breasts or thighs, chopped

Cook for 3 hours. Then add:

8 oz. cream cheese

Cook on LOW for 1 more hour.

Serve in warmed flour tortillas.

Kielbasa Sauerkraut Stew

2-1/2 lbs. red potatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings

1-1/2 lbs. kielbasa, sliced
2 cans sauerkraut, drained & rinsed

1 red bell pepper, chopped
3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut crosswise into rings
3 cups chicken stock
1/2 tsp caraway seed

1 cup shredded Swiss cheese

Place potatoes and onions in crock-pot and cook on HIGH for 1 hour. Place remaining ingredients (except cheese) in crock-pot. Cover and cook on LOW for 4 hours. Serve sprinkled with cheese.

Hawaiian Chicken

• 6 skinless chicken breasts
• 2 large cans pineapple chunks, juice reserved
• 1/2 bag frozen broccoli florets
• 2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 cup cornstarch

Place chicken breasts, drained pineapple, and frozen broccoli in crock pot . Whisk pineapple juice, lemon juice, cornstarch, ginger, and brown sugar. Pour over chicken mixture. Cover and cook 4-5 hours on LOW.

Cook as much rice as needed for your servings. Serve over rice.

Cincinnati Chili

Add the following to crock-pot and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours:

1 lb. ground beef

1 large onion, diced

1 cup chicken stock

2 cans diced tomatoes

2 cans kidney beans, drained

1 1/2 tsp. vinegar

1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
3 Tbs. chili powder

1 Tbs. cumin

1 Tbs. cocoa

1 Tbs. brown sugar

1 tsp. allspice

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. cayenne

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 bay leaves

You will also need:

1 pkg. thin spaghetti

1 pkg. oyster crackers

cheddar cheese

Cook spaghetti in salted water until al dente. Ladle chili over spaghetti. Top with cheddar cheese and oyster crackers. Enjoy!

Gretchen's Lentil Soup

My friend, Gretchen, found this recipe on the back of a Stonyfield yogurt container and made it for dinner. It was easy to make, inexpensive, healthy, and her kids scraped their bowls clean. I couldn't wait to try it! Of course, I had to convert it to a crock-pot recipe. ;)

5 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp pepper
4 stalks celery, chopped
4-5 carrots, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 1/2 tsp chili pepper
2 cups lentils
2 quarts chicken stock

juice of 1 lemon
2 cups whole milk plain yogurt

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, optional

Add all to crock-pot, except lemon juice and yogurt. Cook on low for 6 hours. Turn crock-pot off and add lemon juice. Stir gently. Garnish with a generous dollop of yogurt and a bit of fresh parsley.

ETA: I served this to my kids with cornbread for lunch. They licked their bowls clean. I kid you not. This soup is delicious!

B & B Soup

(aka Bean & Bacon Soup, but we thought that name was too boring.)

1 (16 ounce) package dried navy beans
9 cups water
1/2 pound bacon
2 onions, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
4 teaspoons chicken bouillon
1 bay leaf
1/3 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
4 cups water

1.Cook the beans on HIGH in 9 cups of the water for one hour. Drain, rinse, and dump back in crock-pot. (If you soak & rinse your beans, you can skip this step.)
2.Cook the bacon to your desired texture (soft or crisp, whatever you prefer) and drain except for 1/4 cup grease. Coarsely chop the bacon. (In a pinch, I used a jar of real bacon bits instead and used 1/4 cup butter for the next step. It was fantastic this way.)
3.Add the onions and celery to the reserved grease and bacon and saute until soft, do not drain. Add the chicken base or cubes, 4 cups water, beans, bay leaf, salt, pepper, and cloves, and cook on LOW for 6 hours.

Serve over cornbread.

The kids (and adults) all loved this soup. Everyone asked for seconds. Great flavor!

Super Quick Stew

1-2 lbs. stew meat
2 cans Italian diced tomatoes
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 packet of onion soup mix (and water required) *
1 small bag frozen mixed veggies
1 small bag frozen broccoli

*can substitute 1 family-size can of french onion soup

Dump it all in the crock-pot and leave on low all day. Super simple. Super delicious!