Chicken Breasts with Peppers

I made this a few months ago and loved it!  I took the picture and then promptly lost the recipe so I couldn't post it - so frustrating!!!  But we've been doing some organizing and I finally found the recipe.  It's amazing what you find when you clean.  ; )

Chicken Breasts with Peppers

2 Tb olive or vegetable oil
2 medium red, green or yellow peppers, cut into thing strips
1 tsp garlic powder
1 envelope (or 1/4 cup of your homemade mix) onion soup mix
2 boneless chicken breasts, halved (meaning if you bought them butterflied, or the halves of the breast were connected - cut them into separate halves. You should end up with 4 halves like the one pictured above)
1 c water
1/2 tsp basil leaves

In large skillet, heat oil and brown chicken over medium-high heat.  Remove chicken.  Add peppers and cook, stirring frequently, two minutes or until peppers are crisp-tender.  Stir in onion soup mix blended with water and basil; bring to a boil.  Return chicken to skillet and simmer uncovered eight minutes or until chicken is done, turning chicken once.  Makes 4 servings.

Adaptations:
For a Food Storage meal- use canned chicken and peppers or another veggie.
For the Crockpot - dump all the ingredients in the pot!  Cook for the typical 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 on low.  You could absolutely use frozen peppers and chicken without thawing first - just toss them in as is!  You may brown the chicken first if you prefer.

Slow Cooker Enchiladas

2 lb meat

20 or so corn tortillas, quartered (I use a pizza cutter)

1 pkg taco seasoning (1/4 c)

3/4 c water

1 can beans of choice (black, kidney, etc)

1 12oz jar salsa (Herdez, baby!)

1 can cream of whatever soup, reserve 1/2 cup

2 c shredded cheese

Toppings: olives, green onions, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce

Cook meat taco seasoning, water and all but 1/2 cup of soup all day in the crockpot - your basic 6 hours on low. Remove meat mixture to large bowl. Shred meat if necessary - mix together and add beans, salsa and cheese.

In the crock pot (don't bother to rinse it out) place a double layer of tortillas to cover the base. Layer meat mix and tortillas in alternating layers.

On the top layer (meat or tortilla - it doesn't matter what you end with, just use up your ingredients) add rest of soup, green onions, cheese, black olives, whatever you'd like.

Cook on high 2 hours.

Serve over lettuce and tomatoes.

Chicken Taco Filling

1 pkg (4T) taco seasoning

1 c chicken broth

1 lb chicken breast

Place all in crock pot and cook on low 6-8 hours. Use two forks and shred.

To freeze, place meat and juice in freezer bag, press out air and seal.

Crockpot Macaroni and Cheese

8 oz macaroni, cooked and drained (2 cups dry)

13 oz can evaporated milk

3 c shredded cheese

1/4 c melted butter

Mix all ingredients together and put in freezer bag. Freeze flat. When time to serve, thaw and put in crock pot 2-4 hours on low.

This is a cinch to double (so you use the whole box of pasta) and have an extra.

Angel Chicken Pasta

Adapted from allrecipes.com

6 chicken breasts

1/4 c butter

1 packet Italian dressing mix

1/2 c milk

1 10.75oz can of cream of mushroom soup

4 oz cream cheese with chives

1 lb angel hair pasta

Chop up chicken and place in crockpot. Mix up sauce till blended and stir into crock. Cook 2 hours on high and 2 hours on low - longer if using frozen chicken. During last 20 minutes cook and drain pasta. Mix up pasta and sauce and serve.

Pork Barbacoa Salad with Fixins

from Jessica

Pork Barbacoa Salad (Café Rio)

1 pork sirloin tip roast (Costco-three in a package)

1 large bottle of Pace Picante Sauce – medium or hot

1-cup brown sugar

Put roast in crock-pot. Mix picante sauce with brown sugar and pour over roast. Cook on high 4-5 hours. Remove roast and cut across the grain about every 3 in. Shred and put back in crock-pot with sauce. Turn to low to keep warm.

from Jessica

Cilantro Lime Rice

Uncle Ben’s long grain rice, cooked according to directions for 6 servings. (I just cook 2 cups of rice)

Grated lime peel

Juice of 1- 1 ½ limes

Sweeten with about 2T sugar (or a little more) ½ c water

Chop fresh cilantro (about ¼ of one bunch)

Cook rice according to directions for 6 servings. When about done add the lime juice, rind, sugar, water and cilantro. Steam for 10 mins longer to absorb liquid.

To assemble salad, layer: Mixed greens, chopped Cilantro, lime rice, Pork Barbacoa, Goya Black bean soup or plain black beans drained, Seven Sea Green Goddess Dressing. Top with Cheddar Cheese

If you'd like to make your own dressing:

CAFE RIO SALAD DRESSING

1 1/3 cups sour cream
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 bunch of cilantro
1 package ranch dressing mix
4 tbsp. salsa verde (green salsa)
2 cloves of garlic
1/8 tsp. Tabasco sauce
juice of one lime

Mix together in the blender... and that's it!

Sloppy Joes

from Amy

1 lb ground beef

1 onion

1 can of condensed tomato soup

2 T brown sugar

2 T mustard

1/4 c ketchup

1 T cider vinegar

s&p to taste

Brown burger and onion. Add rest of ingredients.  Simmer 15 min.  Can also add shredded cheese.  Easy to cook in crock pot as well on low.
 Food Storage:  Use canned ground beef  and dehydrated onion (and I also add other dehydrated veggies like carrots, peppers and celery.)

Taco Soup

1 can kidney beans

1 lb ground beef

1 can Mexican style chili beans

1 - 16 oz can tomato sauce

1 can (from the tomato sauce) water

1/4 cup or 1 pkg taco seasoning (I always halve mine - I'm a wimp)

1 large onion

1 - 16 oz can corn

1 - 16 oz can tomatoes

1 - 4 oz can chilies

1/4 cup or 1 pkg ranch dressing mix

Cook beef and onions till beef is done.  Add rest of ingredients and heat through.

Vegetarian - leave out the beef.

Food Storage - use onion powder or dried onions, use canned beef.

Elegant Cheese Fondue

from The Pampered Chef

1 -10.75 oz can condensed Cheddar Cheese Soup

1 c shredded Swiss or Cheddar cheese (4 oz)

1/4 c apple juice

1 small garlic clove

1/8 t Tabasco sauce

Combine and heat through - use a crock pot if desired. Can melt in microwave for 3-4 minutes, stirring after each minute.

Dippers: French bread cubes, bite-size veggies or cooked ham cubes.

Mexican Lasagna

6 corn tortillas
1 can of kidney beans
1 can of black beans
jar of salsa (I used 16 oz)
1 c. grated Monterey Jack cheese
2 packets Goya seasoning (optional)
1 small can of diced green chilies

Make foil strips to act as handles for your crockpot. I ripped off a piece about 18" long and folded into four the long way to make a strip. Lay 3 strips in the crock placed like spokes on a wheel.
Place a tortilla in the bottom. Top with some salsa, some beans and some cheese. Repeat layers ending with cheese.
Place in the crockpot until cheese is melted. Mine was done after 2 hours on high. 

Some notes: The original recipe called for 1 c. chicken instead of black beans, didn't use Goya, and used pepper jack cheese. 

We topped with guacamole and sour cream. I had fully intended to have lettuce and tomatoes too but I totally forgot until we were almost done!

We ate this with cornbread and I would definitely suggest at least one more side to fill you up. 

French Dip Sandwiches

adapted from Dinner's Ready

1 pot roast, anywhere from 2 to 4 pounds
1 green pepper, sliced
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
mozzarella slices
1 McCormick Au Jus sauce packet (found in the gravy mix aisle)
Rolls /buns

In crockpot, dissolve Au jus packet in 3 cups of cold water then add the roast. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours (I cooked mine about 8 hours on low before adding the peppers and onion for another hour). One hour before you plan to eat, shred the beef then slice the peppers and onions and add to crockpot. When it is finished, remove meat and veggies with a slotted spoon. Place mozzarella slices on buns and put under low broil until cheese is melted and lightly browned. Fill the rolls with the meat and veggies, then divide the Au Jus sauce into smaller bowls for dipping.