Teriyaki Chicken & Rice Bowls {Crockpot}

This is an easy and healthy dinner to throw together for the family. I love a good crockpot recipe. I added some fresh broccoli florets to the sauce at the end but you could add any vegetable you'd like.

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
salt & pepper
1 cup honey
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 cup ketchup
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
4 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 6 Tbsp water
sesame seeds (optional)
stir-fry vegetables of choice (optional)
rice or noodles, cooked

Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper and put in the crockpot. Combine the next 7 ingredients in a small bowl and pour over the chicken. Cook on low for 3-4 hrs or on high for 1 1/2 - 2 1/2 hrs until chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken from crockpot, leave sauce, and cut into bite size pieces. Dissolve the cornstarch in the water by stirring then add to crockpot sauce. Cover crockpot with lid and allow sauce to thicken on high for 10 min. Add any chopped up stir-fry vegetables of your choice to sauce and allow them to cook for 1/2 hour or until desired firmness. Add the chicken back to the sauce with the vegetables. Serve chicken with sauce and vegetables over a bowl of cooked rice or noodles. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Recipe Adapted From: Just Get Off Your Butt and Bake

French Dip Sandwiches

My family loves roast beef, so needless to say these french dip sandwiches made with a pot roast are a hit. This is a simple supper to make and very tasty. You can cook your roast in the oven or in the crockpot. Both ways are delicious.

French Dip Sandwiches

by Chelsey W.

1 beef roast (I like rump roasts, buy whatever size fits your family)

salt & pepper

1-2 packets of Lipton onion soup mix (1 for small roast, 2 for large one)

water

1 Au jus sauce packet (found by gravy mixes)

provolone or swiss cheese (optional)

crusty rolls

butter

Place frozen or thawed beef roast in roasting pan with a lid (for oven version) or in a crockpot. Salt and pepper roast generously on all sides. Fill pot with water until it's about halfway covering the roast. A little less water if using the crockpot. Sprinkle 1 packet of onion soup on a small 2-3 lb roast and 2 packets for a larger roast. Cover roast with lid and cook in the oven at 275 degrees until fully cooked. Cooking time depends on the size of the roast and if it was frozen or not. Check it after about 4 hrs in the oven. You want the meat to shred easily when you pull on it with a fork. If its tough it needs more cooking time. I like to turn the roast over half way through cooking. Keep an eye on oven roasts to make sure there is water and it doesn't all evaporate. You want drippings. If using the crockpot prepare roast the same way and cook it on high for 6-8 hrs. When fully cooked remove fat from the meat, shred it with a fork, then place it back in the juices. Stir in the packet of Au Jus powder to roast juices. Let the meat continue to cook for at least 1/2 hr. Slice crusty rolls (firm outside) and butter both sides of bread. Broil buttered sides up in oven or place on a griddle until golden brown. Place shredded beef on the rolls and add a slice of cheese if you'd like. Put roast juices in small bowls and use to dip sandwiches.

Bajio Chicken {Crockpot}

I found this recipe and was excited because I wanted a good chicken recipe like this one to use in chicken salads, burritos, tacos, and quesadillas. Sweet pork salads are really popular and found at many restaurants. I actually don't care for the sweet pork and usually choose the chicken instead. This is a copycat recipe from the restaurant Bajio made by Your Homebased Mom. I don't think Bajio's chicken is sweet like this is but it's good and is super easy to make. You can then use the chicken for whatever you want. I made some tacos and they were yummy! I've adapted this a little to how I like it. You can add more brown sugar if you want it sweeter or more salsa and green chilies if you want it spicier. This makes a lot of tacos, around ten for us.

Recipe:
3 large chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
3/ 4 c salsa
1 T cumin
1/2 c brown sugar (more if you want it sweeter)
4 oz can of green chilies
6 oz (1/2 can) Sprite

Put all the ingredients in a crock pot and cook for about 5 hrs until chicken is done. Remove the chicken and shred it, then return it to the crock pot for another hour. I tasted the sauce and decided to add more sprite and salsa. You can add more brown sugar too, just make it to your taste. After the final hour you can leave it juicy or thicken the juice a little by mixing together some cornstarch and water in a bowl and then pouring a little in. Serve as a burrito, salad, taco, or quesadilla. It goes great with rice and beans or whatever other Mexican food toppings you enjoy.