Easy Slow Cooker Orange Chicken

This is exactly the kind of thing I've been wanting to cook lately:

Easy  -  (Check!!  You just throw all the ingredients together!)

No heating up the kitchen  -  (Check!!  All it takes is 3 1/2 hours in the slow cooker, no oven or stove!)

Yummy  -    (Check!!  Definitely yummy!)



Easy Slow Cooker Orange Chicken


Ingredients:

4-6 chicken breasts (amount depending on family size!)
1 18oz jar of Sweet Orange Marmalade
1 bottle of barbecue sauce (I like Sweet Baby Ray's but to each your own)
1/4 cup of Aloha Shoyu low sodium soy sauce (this is the best soy sauce everrrrrrrrrr)


Directions:

Place the chicken breasts in the slow cooker and cook on high for 3 hours.  Remove from slow cooker and dispose of liquid.  You can shred, chop or keep the chicken as is.  Place the chicken back into the slow cooker.  In a bowl mix together the marmalade, barbecue sauce and soy sauce and pour over the chicken.  Cook on high for a half hour (make sure you remember to put the lid back on!)  Serve over calrose rice cooked in a rice steamer, yay for sticky rice!!!

Coconut Chocolate Chip Baked Oatmeal

I'm not sure if this was a dessert or breakfast...... oh yeah, it was breakfast!!  This is so delicious!!


Coconut Chocolate Chip Baked Oatmeal


Ingredients:

1/2 cup rolled oats
Salt to taste
1/4 cup applesauce
Smidgen of turbadino sugar (just a smidge!!!)
Few drops of coconut extract
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup coconut milk
1 tbsp. melted butter
Dark chocolate chips and unsweetened coconut (as much or as little as you want,need,DEMAND!)


Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Combine all ingredients.  Pour all ingredients into a small pan or ramekins - or a vintage yellow Pyrex!  Cook for 20 minutes or until firm.

Southwestern Chopped Salad

It's hot outside so I've been making salads.  After Caleb had this one the other day he said "That was the best salad I ever had.  Only make this salad for the rest of your life."  I responded "What if I make it Asian....".  He quickly said "No." I countered again with "But what if I..."  "No!" I tried again with a "Wha....." and got a "NO!!"  Caleb can be a brat sometimes..........  but I get it.  It's a delicious salad.  I put all the topping options in bowls so the kids could choose what they wanted to put on it and it was a total hit.


Southwestern Chopped Salad


Ingredients:

2 chicken breasts, grilled and diced into 1 inch pieces
1 bell pepper, diced (any color - I like red but received some complaints I didn't use green)
1 14oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup sweet corn (fresh or frozen, if frozen make sure to leave time for it to defrost)
1 tomato, diced
1 package of romaine hearts (wash and chop into smallish pieces)
1 avocado, diced
Tortilla chips
Salsa
Spicy ranch dressing

Directions:

You can add all the ingredients together in a large bowl, or you can do like I did and let your family pick and choose what they want to add to their salad.  To make the dressing, Hidden Valley Ranch makes a Spicy Ranch mix that you can use, or you can also add about a tablespoon of taco seasoning to regular Ranch mix when you make your ranch dressing.

Laundry Detergent

I've been making laundry detergent for a couple of years now and I love it.  It lasts for a long time and works well with our family members who have sensitive skin.  There are a lot of recipes out there for it, this is the one I have been using.  (This last time I made it I substituted one of the bars of Fels Naptha with Zote, that is the pink grated soap in the last picture.  If it doesn't work as well as the Fels Naptha I will update).  Some people put scent crystals in theirs (you can buy them in the laundry aisle) but I feel like that adding those extra chemicals in it is defeating the whole purpose of making the detergent yourself (unless you are making it for economical reasons).  You could always add essential oils to it if you HAVE to have it smelling pretty!

Homemade Laundry Soap

Ingredients:

Borax, 4 lb. box

Fels Naptha soap, 2 bars

Arm & Hammer baking soda, 4 lb. box

Arm & Hammer Super Washing soda, 55 oz. box

Oxy Clean Free Stain Remover, (half of a 3 lb. container)

Directions:

Grate the soap with a hand grater.  If you want the soap smaller you can even pulse it in a food processor after grating, but it isn't necessary, as soon as water hits the soap it starts to dissolve.  Find a large container to mix all the ingredients in (like a bucket, I use a ginormous bowl).  I mix them together by adding about a quarter of each ingredient and then mixing them together, then adding the next quarter and mixing it together and so on.  Transfer it to a container with a lid to store it in.  Use 1 to 2 tbsp. per load depending on the size of your load.  Easy!!!

Fruit Salad

Fruit Salad

Ingredients:

2/3 cup fresh orange juice
1/3 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups cubed fresh pineapple
2 cups strawberries, hulled and sliced
2 bananas, sliced
2 oranges, peeled and sectioned
1 cup seedless grapes
2 cups berries

Directions:

Bring orange juice, lemon juice and brown sugar to a boil in a saucepan.  Reduce heat and simmer until slightly thickened, around 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.  Let cool.

Layer the fruit in a large bowl (you will want to put the more delicate ones like the berries on top).  Pour the cooled sauce over the fruit.  Cover and refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours before serving.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

Caleb, my teenage food snob, declared this chicken to be 'on point' and a 'flavor explosion in my mouth.'  Either he has watched way too many Guy Fieri cooking shows or this chicken is just that good!!  (Or possibly both could be true, let's go with that!!)


Sweet and Sour Chicken


Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 in. pieces
1 1/2 cup cornstarch
3 eggs, beaten
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup granulated sugar
4 tbsp. ketchup
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp. low sodium soy sauce (Ahola brand is the best!)
1 tsp. granulated or minced garlic

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Place cornstarch and beaten eggs in separate bowls.  Dip chicken into cornstarch and then dip in beaten eggs.  Meanwhile, make sure the canola oil is heating up in a large pan over medium high heat.  After all the chicken has been covered with the cornstarch and egg fry it in the oil until browned.  Remove chicken from the pan when browned and place in a 9X13 greased pan.  In a bowl whisk together sugar, ketchup, white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, soy sauce and garlic.  Pour over the chicken and bake for one hour.  Yum!!

Carne en su Jugo

Since Colby is serving a mission in Mexico, we have enjoyed embracing the Mexican culture.  Every Monday we have Mexican Food Mondays - it is our favorite day of the week because that is the day we hear from Colby via email and we get to eat delicious food as a bonus!!  In one of Colby's emails we asked what his favorite meal he had so far was, and his answer was Carne en su Jugo.  Thom decided right then he was going to make it and we were SO GLAD he did.  It is delicious.  It is a popular soup in the city of Guadalajara, where Colby was living close to at the time.


Carne en su Jugo


Ingredients:

4 fresh tomatillos, husks removed
3 serrano chile peppers, seeded and chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled
3 cups water
6 slices bacon
2 pounds flank steak, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
4 tsp. chicken bouillon granules
2 (15 oz.) cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 onion, chopped
6 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
Black pepper to taste
Limes and radishes for garnish

Directions:

Combine the tomatillos, peppers, garlic and water in a saucepan over medium high heat; bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool.  Transfer the contents to a blender and blend until smooth.  Set aside.

Cook the bacon in a skillet until crispy, about 10 minutes.  Drain on a paper towel lined plate.  Crumble the bacon and set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and cook the flank steak until browned.  Pour the tomatillo mixture over the beef and bring to a boil.  Stir the chicken bouillon into the mixture and reduce heat to medium.  Cover and simmer until tender, about 1 hour.

Meanwhile, heat the pinto beans in a saucepan over medium heat until warm; reduce heat to low to keep warm until needed.  Stir the bacon and pinto beans into steak mixture.  Serve with possible garnishes of onion, cilantro, black pepper, lime and radish.  (We also used avocado and cotija cheese).

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins

(Obviously the muffin is the bottom one!  The top one is Chocolate Chip & Coconut Banana Bread Muffins, found here.)
 

I love this recipe for three reasons:  (1) You can use applesauce OR oil (I know you can do this in most recipes but I prefer someone to try it out first!!)  (2) I like recipes that use cocoa powder instead of having to melt baking chocolate (read: laziness) (3) I can use goodness from my garden (zucchini).  Wait, make it four reasons I like it!! (4) It is super delicious.


Chocolate Chip Zucchini Muffins
Recipe adapted from Taste of Home


Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup applesauce or canola oil
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup baking cocoa
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. baking powder
2 cups shredded peeled zucchini

In a large bowl, beat the sugar, applesauce, eggs and vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour, cocoa, salt, baking soda, cinnamon and baking powder; gradually beat into sugar mixture until blended. Stir in zucchini. Transfer to muffin tins. (approx. 24) 

Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from muffin tins to wire racks to cool completely.

Healthy Almond Joy Bites

So thankful to my friend Dionne for giving me the recipe for these yummy treats!!  Sometimes you just REALLY need a chocolate fix and these are perfect for that!  It doesn't hurt that they also have two of my latest obsessions, coconut and almond butter, in the mix either!!

Healthy Almond Joy Bites

Recipe from Dionne

Ingredients:

5 oz. bag unsweetened coconut (I got it from the bulk bin at Winco, I used 1 1/2 cups)

2/3 cup coconut oil, melted (plus 1 tbsp. for chocolate coating later)

1/2 cup almond butter

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:

Mix 2/3 cup coconut oil, vanilla, coconut and almond butter in a large bowl.  Place in refrigerator until a little set.  Roll into 1 inch balls and place on cookie sheet with wax paper/parchment.  Place cookie sheet in freezer until balls are frozen.  Meanwhile, melt chocolate chips and 1 tbsp. coconut oil in microwave at 30 second intervals until smooth.  Dip the frozen balls into the chocolate topping.  Put back into freezer for a few minutes until set.  Store in the refrigerator or freezer.

Overnight Oats in a Jar

So confession:  I have never had oatmeal before.  I know - weird.  In my defense, I grew up in sunny Arizona, where eating hot cereal for breakfast could possibly put you on the road to heat exhaustion.   I have seen these oats in a jar thing on pinterest, and they looked yummy and all, but since I didn't know what oatmeal tasted like I was just like, "Meh, I'll pass."

WHAT IN THE WORLD WAS I THINKING???

I have been missing out people.  This was the most delicious, dessert like breakfast I have ever had!!  I.  LOVE.  IT.

This recipe can be completely customized to your personal tastes, so here is the bare bones and you just need to take it and run with it.  Make it your own.  I have seen it made with yogurt, but I don't really care for yogurt, so this one is yogurt free.  If you want to add it, go for it.

Overnight Oats in a Jar

Ingredients:

1/4 cup quick oats
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk (or almond,skim, soy)(I used Silk coconut milk, found in the dairy section right by the regular milk)
1/2 tbsp. chia seeds
1/2 cup berries (today I used strawberries and blackberries)(and more like a 1/2 cup of each)
1/2 banana (ok, ok, I used the whole thing, IT WAS SO DELICIOUS!!!) 
sweetener to taste (brown sugar, honey, stevia - whatever you like best)
dollop of almond butter
pinch cinnamon

For the topping:

1 tbsp chopped pecans (or any nut)
Granola for crunch factor

Directions:

Place all the ingredient in a jar; shake, cover and refrigerate overnight. I only had the oats sit overnight, I have to be honest.  I didn't want the fruit all mushy, but I am weird like that.  I know, but remember, I just barely found out oatmeal was good!!  There are so many weird things about me, you don't even know!!  Add your favorite crunchy toppings such as nuts, granola, etc and enjoy the next day.  Other things you could add - vanilla or almond flavoring, puffed rice cereal, coconut, gojis, sunflower seeds, pepitas, dried fruit instead of fresh fruit - whatever you have that sounds good!!!

Flourless Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Flourless Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

recipe adapted from Tasty Kitchen

Ingredients:

⅔ cups rolled oats
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup peanut butter (I used crunchy, but creamy would be good too)
1/2 cup brown sugar
2  eggs
1-½ tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips


Directions:


Preheat oven to 350ºF.
In small bowl, mix together the oats and baking soda; set aside.
In a large bowl, beat peanut butter, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth. Mix in dry ingredients with a wooden spoon, then gently fold in chocolate chips. Using a cookie scoop drop the cookie dough onto prepared cookie sheet.
Bake cookies for 9-11 (I did 11) minutes and remove when edges barely begin to turn a golden brown.  Cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheet then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining cookie dough.  Makes 16-20 cookies.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Kapree and I love hummus, and since it's a 60 Day BMS approved food we've been having a lot of it lately.  I really like the smokiness of this recipe, from the roasted red peppers and the cumin.


Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

Ingredients:

1 jar (12 oz.) roasted red peppers (drained) (don't give me crap because I didn't roast my own!!!)
2 cans (15 oz. each) garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup lemon juice
3 tbsp. tahini
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. pepper

Directions:

Add all ingredients to blender; cover and process until blended.  Transfer to a serving bowl.  Chill in refrigerator for one hour before serving.  Garnish with additional red peppers or additional garbanzo beans if desired.  Serve with pita bread, pita chips, crackers or tortilla chips.

Green Chile Stew

Thom loves green chile stew, and I have been looking for years for a good recipe for it.  I'm pretty sure I don't need to look anymore, this was fantastic!!!

Green Chile Stew
Recipe adapted from Shockingly Delicious

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. olive oil

2 lbs. boneless pork, cut into 1-inch cubes

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup flour

1 15 oz. can fire roasted chopped tomatoes

2  7-oz. cans chopped green chilies

1 fresh jalapeno chopped

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp. sugar

1 cup chicken or beef broth

 

Directions:

 

Heat olive oil in dutch oven.  Add pork and cook until browned.  Add onion and garlic and stir with the meat.  Add the flour and stir for 2 minutes.  Add the tomatoes, green chiles, jalapenos, salt, pepper and sugar; mix all ingredients together.  Add the broth.  Lower heat, then cover pot and simmer for 1 or 2 hours, until meat is tender.