Meal #1: Slow Cooker Balsamic Pot Roast
Ingredients:
- 4-5 lb. pot roast (mine was 3.7 lbs)
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp. soy sauce
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- zest of half an orange
- 6-8 red potatoes, washed
1. Place meat and potatoes in a crock pot on low heat.
2. Whisk together all the sauce ingredients and pour on top of the meat.
3. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. I cooked mine for about 5 hours because I was scared to dry out the meat!
Meal #2: BBQ Chicken and Pineapple Quesadillas
Ingredients:
- 10 in. tortillas
- 1/4 cup cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup jack cheese
- 1/4 cup shredded chicken, cooked (I used a rotisserie chicken)
- 2 tbsp. BBQ sauce
- 1/4 cup pineapple
- cherry tomatoes, halved, optional
*cilantro and jalapeno pepper optional
1. Warm a large skillet over medium heat.
2. Place one tortilla in the pan and sprinkle ingredients inside. You can use another tortilla on top or fold your original tortilla in half.
3. Heat both sides until golden brown or until cheese has melted.
Tortilla with ingredients
Quesadilla! Great flavor with the BBQ sauce and pineapple and super easy to throw together!
Meal #3: Homemade Chicken-Sausage Soup
Ingredients:
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 3 carrots, chopped
- 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 6 red potatoes, cut in half
- 1lb. chicken tenderloins, cut and cooked
- 1 lb. sausage, cooked
- egg noodles
- salt and pepper to taste
*My son was sick and requested chicken soup with sausage (?!). So I made homemade chicken soup with sausage! Enjoy!
1. Mix everything up in a big pot and leave to simmer for 1-2 hours.
2. Serve hot with some bread.
Homemade Chicken-Sausage Soup
Meal #4: Easy Sesame Chicken
My husband is a huge Asian food fan. This recipe is tasty and authentic without all the grease. It was perfect with the brown rice and a side salad.
Ingredients:
For the Chicken:
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp. cornstarch
- 1 lb. boneless chicken thighs
- 1 pinch salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp. vegetable oil, for frying chicken
For the Sauce:
- 2 tbsp. soy sauce
- 1 tbsp. water
- 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
- 1 1/2 tbsp. brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp. rice vinegar
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp. sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp. cornstarch
1. Heat large frying pan with vegetable oil over medium heat.
2. Mix egg, cornstarch and salt and pepper together and pour over chicken in the pan.
3. Cook chicken until no longer pink in the middle.
4. Mix sauce ingredients together and pour over the chicken. Leave to simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Serve with Jasmine rice, or brown rice like I did with some scallions on top.
Easy Sesame Chicken - such good flavor!
If you like garlic - and lots of it - this recipe it for you! I loved it, my husband is not a huge shrimp fan, but I think this is an exception.
Ingredients:
- 2 tsp. olive oil
- 2 lbs. shrimp, deveined and shelled
- 6 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro
- 1 lime
- salt and pepper
- 6 cups of green beans
1. Heat a large frying pan at medium-high heat and add the oil and shrimp.
2. Season with salt and pepper. Flip shrimp to the other side after 2 minutes and add 4 cloves of garlic.
3. Saute until cooked through, do not overcook.
4. Remove from heat and add fresh squeezed lime and toss with cilantro.
5. In a separate pan, add the green beans and 2 cloves of garlic. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Cook on high heat for 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of water and cover green beans and cook for 8 minutes.
7. Remove cover and cook green beans until water evaporates. Serve next to the shrimp.
Cilantro Lime Shrimp with Green Beans
Meal #6: Yakisoba
I lived in Okinawa, Japan for 3 years as a kid and I remember going to dinner at the USO and having Yakisoba and teriyaki chicken on a stick. So good - I was thrilled to come across this recipe and even more thrilled that my 2.5 year old loved it. He even asked for seconds!
Ingredients:
- 1 chicken breast, cooked and shredded (I used portabello mushrooms, instead)
- 1/2 head green cabbage, chopped- 2 carrots, chopped or shredded
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 1 small crown of broccoli
- 2 inches fresh ginger
- 2 tbsp. vegetable oil
- 2 packages ramen noodles, sauce packet discarded
- 1 tsp. sesame oil
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup Worcheshire sauce
- 2 tbsp. ketchup
- 1/2 or 1 tbsp. Siracha
- 1 tbsp. sugar
1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add cabbage, onion, broccoli, ginger, and carrots. Add 1/2 cup of water, cover, and cook through for 10-12 minutes.
2. Cook ramen noodles according to package, drain and set aside.
3. In a separate bowl whisk oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, Worcheshire sauce, ketchup, Sriracha and sugar together.
4. Pour on top of vegetables. Simmer for 5 minutes.
5. In a large bowl mix noodles, chicken and vegetable mixture together. Serve hot.
Yakisoba
Meal #7: Stromboli
This recipe is easy, tastes great, and if you use pre-made pizza dough you can whip it up in about 20 minutes. My son loved it and it was easy for him to pick up and eat. Next time I make this I will add some marinara sauce on the side for dipping.
Ingredients:
- package of salami
- package of provolone cheese
- 1/4 cup banana peppers
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- pizza dough, I used Pilsbury Whole Grain Pizza Crust
1. Preheat oven according to pizza dough instructions.
2. Roll out your pizza dough. Brush with 1 tbsp. of olive oil.
3. Place a layer of salami, a layer of provolone and a layer of banana peppers on top of the dough.
4. Roll up the dough and place on a large, greased baking sheet.
5. Brush with the remaining olive oil and sprinkle with the Italian seasoning.
6. Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until dough is golden brown.
Ingredients
Pizza dough with layer of salami, layer of provolone and layer of banana peppers
Baked Stromboli
Sliced Stromboli
Phew! I hope you enjoy these meals, we sure did and I look forward to making some of these again!
Enjoy!
Brittney
