Dump chicken is not an appetizing name for dinner.

In the absence of a personal chef, I have come to love my slow cooker.  I feel almost pampered coming home to hot, ready-to-eat food.  When I was working, we averaged about 2 slow cooker meals a week (Plus one night of leftovers!)  This school year I have realized that it is only slightly easier to make dinner as a stay at home parent.  With after-school activities at least three days a week, we are still arriving home around 5 each night and then, you know, I'm pretty tired from all the bon-bon eating to start cooking at that point.

Is crock pot food going to win me any culinary awards?  No.  Is it healthier, cheaper and more appetizing than take out three nights a week?  Yes.

Most important for me when I was working were meals that didn't have a lot of morning prep.  My favorites were make-ahead freezer meals that thaw and go right into the slow cooker.  Some people call these "dump" meals, as in "dump chicken" or "dump stew."  Let's just be brutally honest here: In my brain dump = poop.  I'm not referring to something we are going to eat as "dump," but I still like the concept.  I would usually make 5 meals worth of a recipe and, if I was diligent about it, have a freezer stocked full of ready-to-go meals.

These men are attending a slow cooker festival.  I just made that up.

Just in case you are looking for some new freezer and/or crock pot meals, here are some of our favorites.  One of my blog-reading pet peeves is when I have to scroll through 8 paragraphs of someone's musings on garlic bulbs and their cat, Lester, in order to find the recipe. I also get annoyed when people feel the need to show photos of the entire process.  To avoid annoying others like me, I've just given you the recipes. There are a few links to original pins in case you like reading about cats and garlic.

Reason #768 why we don't have a cat.

Pineapple chicken enchiladas
This recipe requires some extra work once you're home, but makes up for it since you can make a bunch ahead.  I line up 5 ziploc bags in an assembly line.  Then they go into the freezer, thaw the night before and hop right into the slow cooker.  You can also use leftovers for some delicious nachos.  The recipe serves 4-6.  Multiply as needed.

-2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
-1/2 can (20 oz) crushed pineapple, drained
-1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
-1 cup salsa

-1 pkg tortillas
-1 can (10 oz) GREEN enchilada sauce
-1 cup shredded cheddar, monterey jack or mexican blend cheese
-1 cup cooked rice (good if you have it on hand, find to leave out too!)

1.  Place chicken, pineapple, beans and salsa into freezer bag.  Freeze until ready to use, then thaw overnight.  (I've read that you should never put frozen food into your slow cooker.)  Cook on low for 6-8 hours.  If you are a working parent get yourself a slow cooker with a "keep warm" function.  I left the house by 6:30 am, we would eat around 6 pm and none of us ever suffered any food-borne illness.
2.  Remove food from slow cooker with slotted spoon and shred chicken.
3.  Mix in cooked rice.
4.  Fill tortillas and roll.  Spray 9x13 pan with cooking spray and place burritos in pan.  Top with enchilada sauce and cheese.
5.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

This recipe comes from a great site, Mommy's Fabulous Finds http://www.mommysfabulousfinds.com/2013/10/easy-crock-pot-freezer-meals-2.html



Cranberry Dijon Pork Tenderloin
This is another great assembly line freezer meal.  It is NOT a slow cooker recipe, but I have served it for holiday dinners because it is that good!

-2 pork tenderloins (they usually comes in pkgs of 2)
-1 can whole cranberry sauce (The one with berries in it, not the disgusting, smooth gelatinous variety)
-2 T dijon mustard
-1 pkg onion soup mix

1.  Combine all ingredients into a freezer bag.  Close the bag and mush the sauce together (The fun part!)
2.  Freeze, then thaw completely before cooking.
3.  Bake at 400 degrees for 40-50 minutes.  Slice and serve.


Orange Scented Pork and Veggie Stew
Yet another great assembly line, slow cooker freezer meal.

-Pork shoulder or butt (I don't even look at the poundage, whatever looks like it would fit in the slow cooker), cubed
-2 cups baby carrots, whole or 4 regular carrots, diced
-1 small white onion, diced
-1 can (28 oz) stewed tomatoes or Italian plum tomatoes
-2 c chicken stock
-1/2 c orange juice (If you're feeling extra gourmet, add 1 T orange zest as well)
-1 c white wine (Fine to skip, just substitute extra OJ)
-1 T dark brown sugar (Regular brown sugar works fine too)
-2 cloves of garlic, minced
-salt and pepper to taste

1.  Combine ingredients in freezer bag, thaw completely before cooking.
2.  Add all ingredients to slow cooker.  Cook on low 6-8 hours or high 3-4.
3.  Serve over egg noodles.

Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Soup
I haven't tried to "freezer meal" this one yet, but I don't see why you couldn't.  It can easily be vegetarian and gluten free too.

-1 butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded and cubed
-1 white onion, diced
-1 carrot, peeled and diced
-2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
-2 cloves garlic, mined
-1 spring fresh sage (Seriously, who has fresh sage?!?!  Use dried sage or rosemary if you've got it)
-1/2 t salt
-1/8 t cayenne (or more to taste)
-pinch of ground cinnamon and nutmeg

-1/2 c canned coconut milk (1/2 c of half and half is better, but you do you)

1.  Place all ingredients EXCEPT coconut milk into slow cooker.  Cook on low 6-8 hours or high 3-4.
2.  After cooking, add coconut milk (or half and half) and puree using an immersion blender.  You could certainly dump everything into a real blender, but that seems messy and immersion blenders are super fun!

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/284008320229110635/


Peach Ginger Chicken
This is my newest find.  I wasn't feeling the chicken thighs in the original recipe, so I substituted 2 boneless, skinless breasts.  We ate this over brown rice with a side of SteamFresh Asian veggies. There are two other bags chillin' in the freezer.  It would also be good as shredded chicken sandwiches.

-2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
-1 c peach jam (See original recipe for a homemade, slow cooker jam recipe if you're into that.  I bought some Smucker's)
-1 T low sodium soy sauce
-1 T grated fresh ginger (Best Rachel Ray tip I ever learned:  Keep ginger root in a baggie in your freezer for a crazy long time.  Grate it frozen into recipes whenever you need it)
-3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1.  Add chicken to freezer bag.

2.  In a medium bowl, combine jam, soy sauce, grated ginger and minced garlic.

3.  Add sauce to freezer bag.

4.  Thaw and add to slow cooker.  Add 1/4 c water to slow cooker.  Cook on low for 3-6 hours until chicken shreds easily.

5.  Return shredded chicken to slow cooker to combine with sauce.

http://newleafwellness.biz/2014/04/09/slow-cooker-ginger-peach-chicken/


I hope these save you time and money!  I'm always looking for delicious new recipes so please feel free to share your favorites with me.

Everything bad is good for you.

When I was little, I spent hours playing with my doll house and pretending to be Laura Ingles Wilder in the backyard.  Our five year old spends hours watching strange adults play with toys and open Surprise Eggs on YouTube.  In elementary school I could disappear with a book for four hours.  Our eight year old would spend four hours a day playing Minecraft if we let her.

Why is this adult playing My Little Pony?!?

I don't mind that our kids get some screen time.  Who am I trying to kid?  A LOT of screen time. I want them to have a working knowledge of technology and pop culture.  Plus, the time to myself is GLORIOUS! However, I have never once seen one of my kids set down the iPad or walk away from the t.v. voluntarily.  I sometimes worry that technology is sucking all of the creativity out of them and re-wiring their little brains.  I am also annoyed that their go-to topics of conversation are John Cena and cat videos.

Please stop with the cat videos.

I had often said that one day I would do an experiment where I let the girls play with their iPads with absolutely no time limit. That day arrived in August, as the movers pulled up to our new Arkansas house in a gigantic truck.  My husband had to be at work, so to keep the girls out from under foot I said "Play with electronics for as long as you want."  They thought their mom had surely been replaced by an alien.  Can you guess what happened?  They played with their iPads ALL DAY LONG.  They set the little brain-sucking devices down for food and bathroom trips (I hope!) and that was it. When the batteries died, they sat on the floor next to a plug.  The movers commented on what well behaved children I had.  I refrained from replying "They're not actually this well behaved, they're just zombies."

Someone mentioned a book to me once called "Everything Bad Is Good For You."  I haven't actually read the book, but it's an interesting thought to ponder.  I ponder it often.  It makes me feel better about myself.  They cited the example that someone can sit for hours and read a book and no one blinks an eye, but sit for that long with your tablet and that is bad, bad, bad.  But really, is one worse than the other?  In each case you are staring at something and avoiding contact with others.

This is probably the book.  I may have to read it. 

 (While looking for the book online, I also came across this interview from the 4th love of my life, NPR)

On the other hand, I just read an article that talked about how hours spent watching YouTube videos activates the fight or flight response in a child's brain and is making children fat or distracted, I forget which.  Is that actually a thing?  I'm sure when I was young there was an article about how video games were doing just that to me.  Twenty years before that it was probably Saturday morning cartoons.

Could it be that all this technology is just a different avenue for kids to interact and a new platform for creativity?  The eight year old will link worlds in Minecraft with a friend who has come over, play, talk and laugh for as long as I let them.  Is that really so different from playing a board game?  She also recently spent an hour writing out plans for a Minecraft theme park.  That is development of literacy skills, people!  The girls are constantly asking to film themselves doing "challenges" or making their own Surprise Egg videos.  And since I refuse to buy the ridiculous Surprise Eggs, they make their own by wrapping little crap up in paper.  So, see?  They are thinking creatively and using problem solving skills.

Surprise!  It's a plastic egg with tiny plastic crap inside.
I refuse.

I'll just keep telling myself that they are developing twenty-first century skills instead of numbing their brains.  Now, if I can just get them to start coding, they can support us in our old age.

I wonder what else I can stick to the wall...?

As most of you know, we are big Harry Potter fans in this house.  I decided to frame some quotes for HPfan#1's room.  Thanks to the Internet and some frames I already had, she got some no-cost room decor.  Harry Potter gives good advice, too.

"It is our choices that show what we truly are far more than our abilities"
 (Albus Dumbledore) 

As we approach the end of elementary school, I think we will talk more and more about good choices.

"We've all got both light and dark inside us.  What matters is the part we choose to act on.  That's who we really are." (Sirius Black)

Amen, brother!

"It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies but just as much to stand up to our friends."
(Albus Dumbledore)

That Dumbledore is full of deep stuff for elementary school and the future!

The end result is pretty cute if I do say so myself.

(Side note: It could just be me, but hanging pictures in this formation is REALLY hard.  Too much math and I never get it right the first time, resulting in lots of extra nail holes. However, this time after one nail-hole mishap I remembered these little Command hanging strips we had lying around and will probably never hang a picture with a nail again.  Just sharing because I was excited about the successful, no-swearing-involved picture hanging experience.)




While making these signs I was thinking about what other signs I'd like to post for our girls.  Here are some I may create in the future:

Pursue a passion, not a job.

Don't be an a**hole.  But don't be a doormat, either.

Get someone else to hold the picture, step back and assess before you hammer in the nail. (This works on a literal and metaphorical level! Also, I did not follow my own advice on this project, resulting in one excess nail hole.)

Never let your desire to be polite override your gut feeling.

Travel as much as you can before you have kids.

Boys have COOTIES.

Learn to say "No." gracefully.

Never pass up an opportunity to go to the bathroom.

Kindness and a sense of humor help almost every situation.


What life advice can you offer for my list?