Meal Plan Monday

I'm going all Crock Pot again this week except for yesterday (Sunday) and Saturday.

Sunday- Pioneer Women Breakfast Burritos. Yummmy. I made enough to have leftovers. I'm going to wrap them up in tortillas and freeze so we can have yummy Breakfast Burritos when ever we want!

All these recipes come from Make it Fast, Cook it slow.

Monday- Slow cooker Sloppy Joes w/ turkey, oven fries.

Tuesday- Chili, cornbread

Weds- Tamales (w/ leftover pork from last week), Spanish rice. I'm so excited to try this one!

Thurs- Chicken Parmesan, roasted asparagus. Mom's coming to visit! Sorry, Mom, it's not low fat but it will be yummy!

Friday- Sushi!!! Eli and I are going on a date (finally!) while Mom stays with the (hopefully) sleeping baby!

Saturday- Homemade Spaghetti

I made several new things last week.

PW Restaurant Salsa I have been making homemade salsa for awhile now but always use fresh ingredients so I was a little weary of this because she uses canned ingredients. Well, I was wrong to worry because this stuff is great! I will be making all my salsa like this from now on! Beware it is on the hottest side because of the whole jalapeno but if you wanted to mild it down you could just leave that out or remove the seeds. Try it, you won't regret it!

I made my first loaves of sourdough bread. The first was okay and I must say I've been getting better and better! I also made buttermilk biscuits from scratch for the first time. They weren't as soft and fluffy as my Grandmas but I'll work on it! If anyone has any suggestions on improvement let me know.

Meal Plan Monday

I really want to use my crockpot a lot this week. I was sick last week and I'm still feeling a little weak and don't really feel like doing a lot of cooking. And it's a good excuse to try out some recipes from my new cook book Make it fast, Cook it slow.



Sunday-Mustard Crusted Salmon, roasted new pototes with rosmary, brocclli made by Eli. We didn't do this on Saturday because Eli had been taking care of the baby all day and I could tell he was too tired to do a lot of cooking!

All the rest of the meals will be cooked in the slow cooker and all come from Make it fast, Cook it slow.

Monday- Turkey Stuffed Peppers

Tuesday- Hickory-Smoked Brisket, Baked Potatoes, veg

Weds- Peking Pork Chops

Thurs- Chicken Tacos

Friday- Leftovers

Saturday- Sweet and Spicy Salmon

And because it's the end of the month and I won't go to the store before next Monday, I'll go ahead and add:

Sunday- Cajun Pulled Pork Roast

Garage Sale, Homeade Yogurt and Ethan's Surprise

Unfortunately this post will be photoless. My camera's batteries are down and I don't have anymore AA in the house. Well, I do but they're the cheap kind and they don't work in the camera. But they work great in Ethan's toys. The next camera we get will plug in to recharge!
I am getting ready to have my last garage sale for this year. We still have a ton of things left over from last time and I have found many more things around the house I want to get rid of. I'm hoping to make some extra $ for our trips this month!
We are going to a dinner with Eli's co-workers tomorrow night and he just told me we are suppose to bring something! I'm thinking about my Aunt Linda's broccoli cornbread. I have won an award with this recipe:)

Broccoli Cornbread
1 10oz pkg frozen chopped broccoli, thawed
2 boxes Jiffy cornbread muffin mix
1 1/2 sticks butter, melted
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1 8oz carton sm curd cottage cheese
1 med chopped onion

Mix all together and bake in 9'X13' greased pan @350 for 35-40 minutes. This freezes well and make sure to put it in the fridge because it will go bad if you don't! It took me awhile to figure out where that smell was coming from.

Do you know how easy it is to make your own yogurt?And in your crock pot??? Are you excited yet? I got this off of A Year of Slow Cooking. Where else, right?
All you need is 1/2 gal of whole milk (sometimes I use 2%) and a 1/2 cup of plain natural yogurt. After you make it once, you can use your homemade as your "starter".
Eli loves yogurt and I wanted Ethan to start eating it with his fruit (he loves it too!). But it's rather expensive if you eat as much as Eli does! I just couldn't see adding another $10 or so to our grocery bill each month just for a treat. But making my own we can save so much!

Crockpot Yogurt
Pour 1/2 gal milk into crockpot on low. Leave for 2 1/2 hours. Turn off and leave for another 3 hours. After 3 hours have passed, remove 2 cups of the warm milk and whisk in 1/2 cup of room temp yogurt. Add to crockpot, mix and replace lid. Wrap the whole thing in a big bath towel and leave over night (6-8 hours). I don't open the lid until I'm adding the starter yogurt so the crockpot stays warm. When you get up in the morning you will have yummy yogurt!
I have done this twice now. The first time I got up in the middle of the night to put it in the fridge after the recommended 6-8 hours. It was good but a little too runny. I made it again last night and left it all night until 8ish this morning. It was much thicker. I also think it helps to have the starter yogurt at room temp.
Just add a little sugar or splenda and some fruit an you have a very cheap, good for you breakfast or snack!

As for Ethan's surprise, you will just have to wait till I get some batteries in my camera!

Meal Plan Monday

It has been 100+ here for the past few weeks. It's hot. Outside and in. So I will be using my crockpots as much as possible.

Sunday: Chicken cooked on the grill...Thanks Eli. Broccoli, black eyed peas
Monday: Crockpot- Cowboy Beans- This recipe comes from "A year of Slow Cooking" I have found so many great recipes there. When I began looking for recipes for a slow cooker they all seemed to have the same few ingredients: Cream of something (chicken, mushroom, celery), Chicken or beef, and a packet of some over salted chemicals. Stephanie has brought a new life to slow cooking! She uses fresh, natural ingredients that are tested on her own family. So you know they have got to be good! I will be using a lot of her recipes over the next few weeks. Or at least until it cools off.
1 pound dried pinto beans, soaked overnight
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 pound lean ground beef or turkey (optional)
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1-2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce (Lea & Perrins, made in the USA is gluten free)
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1(10-ounce) can Rotel, or traditional chopped tomatoes, your choice
1-2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
7 cups water
sliced jalapenos, optional
The Directions.
Serves 8-10 as a side dish, or 5 as a main course. Sort pinto beans, and soak overnight in lots of fresh water. If you live in a climate where the house gets terribly hot overnight, put the beans in the refrigerator to soak to keep icky bacteria from accumulating.In the morning, drain your beans, and pick out any that have split open, or look discolored and shrively.Pour into a 6 quart slow cooker. Brown hamburger and onion on the stove, and drain fat. While the meat is cooking, add the rest of the ingredients into your slow cooker. Start with 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce and apple cider vinegar. Add the meat, and top with 7 cups of fresh water. Stir to combine. Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or on high for about 6. My beans took 6 hours on high to tenderize, and then they sat on warm for another 3 hours. We're at sea level. If you live in a higher altitude, your beans will take longer to soften.Taste the beans. If you'd like your beans to have more of a tang, add some more Worcestershire sauce and apple cider vinegar. Top with sliced jalapenos, if desired.

Tuesday: Pork loin Crockpot
4 pounds boneless pork shoulder
1 onion, sliced in rings
2 cups ketchup (a 24oz bottle seems to be exactly 2 cups. weird.)
1/2 cup warm water
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon gluten free Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
The Directions.Use a 6 quart crockpot. Trim meat, and place into your crockpot. Add sliced onion. Squeeze in 2 cups of ketchup, and then pour 1/2 cup warm water into the ketchup bottle and shake. Pour the ketchup-y water into your crock. Add vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire, Tabasco and salt.Cover and cook on low for 8-10 hours, or until meat shreds easily with a fork.Serve over rice, or make sandwiches on rolls or sliced bread.

I got a great deal on Pork Loin at HEB ($1/1 lb) I've never cooked Pork Loin before. Eli is going to cut it for me. I couldn't handle it :~(. I found this recipe on A year of slow cooking. I'm going back today to get more pork! Eli says it is the best cut of pork and we have already eaten 4 pieces of it. For this recipe I will be halfing it because I don't want to use all my pork at one time.
Wednesday- Charro Beans made in the crockpot, cornbread- I love Jiffy! It's just the right amount and just the right sweetness.




Thursday- Crockpot Chicken Adobo- from A year of slow cooking

--3 to 5 pounds of chicken meat

--1/4 cup soy sauce (La Choy and Tamari wheat free are gluten free)

--4 cloves garlic, chopped

--1 tsp black pepper

--1/2 tsp salt

--1/2 cup apple cider vinegar (can use regular white)

--4 bay leaves

--1 1/2 cups shredded carrots

--1 yellow onion, sliced in rings

The Directions.

If you have the time to assemble the chicken in a plastic zipper bag with the salt, pepper, soy sauce, garlic, and vinegar the night before, do so. The chicken will be much more flavorful if left to marinate overnight. Then dump out in the morning on top of the vegetables.I used a 6.5 quart crockpot. If you use 3 pounds of chicken, everything will fit in a 4 quart or larger.


Rub the chicken with salt, pepper, and crushed garlic. Set aside. Slice the onion in rings and place the rings at the bottom of the crockpot. Add in the shredded carrot. Put the chicken on top. Pour in the soy sauce and vinegar. Cook on low for 7-8 hours, or on high for 4-5. This is done when the chicken is cooked through and has reached desired tenderness.





Friday- Leftovers





Saturday- Homemade Pizza.......For the last 2 weeks I have been planning to make homemade pizza. I still haven't done it. So this week, I will plan on doing it on a weekend day and maybe I'll do it this week!