A week of yummy Pinterest meals!

This week, my first full week back at work and first week with Evan on formula, I decided to make life even more difficult by trying some new recipes.  Aside from the work load of preparing the chili on Sunday, I have to say I was impressed with how little time these all took and how delicious they all were!  And luckily, I was able to freeze two more portions of the chili for another cold winter evening.

Without further ado...

Sunday we woke up to a light dusting of snow on the ground and I thought, what better day than today to make a huge pot of chili.  So, I tried this recipe for Chili (Wendy's Style) from Pinterest and it was a huge hit in our house!

The chopping of the vegetables took the most time, but once it was on the stove, I let it simmer for 6 hours until the whole house smelled amazing and we couldn't wait any longer to devour it.

Here's the recipe:
Chili {Wendy's Style} Ingredients:

• 4.5 pounds ground beef, browned and drained
• 2 large yellow (sweet) onions, chopped
• 7 large green bell peppers, chopped
• 4 celery stalks, chopped
• 2 heaping tablespoons minced garlic (I use jarred)
• 2 cans Ranch Style Beans, NOT drained (15 ounce cans)
• 2 cans dark red kidney beans, drained (15 ounce cans)
• 2 cans Original Rotel Diced Tomatoes & Green Chili (10 ounce cans)
• 2 cans stewed tomatoes (15 ounce cans)
• 4 cans plain tomato sauce (15 ounce cans)
• 2 packages McCormick Mild Chili Seasoning (1.25 ounce packages)

Chili {Wendy's Style} Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a large stock pot.*
2. Simmer for at least three hours (I let mine cook all day long).
3. Enjoy!

Monday, I knew I wanted to do a crockpot meal since Scott had a meeting after school and I would be on my own with both kids until it was time to sit down and eat.  So, I chose Garlic and Brown Sugar Chicken since it was a very easy recipe and was dairy free.

The key was to use frozen chicken breasts instead of defrosted ones.  The chicken was perfect - not dried out at all like some of my experiences have been with chicken in a crockpot!  I served it with Trader Joe's frozen brown rice and some snap peas and we were good to go!

Here's the recipe:
Slow Cooker Garlic and Brown Sugar Chicken
Ingredients:
4-6 chicken breasts
1 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup vinegar
1/4 cup lemon-lime soda
2-3 Tablespoons minced garlic
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
2 Tablespoons corn starch
2 Tablespoons water
Rice or noodles, cooked
Red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions:
Spray slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. Place chicken (I used frozen chicken, thawed chicken works great too) inside slow cooker. Mix together brown sugar, vinegar, soda, garlic, soy sauce, and pepper together. Pour over chicken. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4 hours. Take chicken pieces out of slow cooker (mine basically fell apart) and pour remaining sauce into saucepan. Place saucepan over high heat. Mix together corn starch and water, pour into saucepan, and mix well. Let sauce come to a boil and boil for 2-3 minutes, or until it starts to thicken and turns into a glaze. Remove from heat and let sit for a minute or two (it will continue to thicken as it cools down).
Serve chicken over rice or noodles and top with glaze. Sprinkle red pepper flakes on top if desired.


Lastly, today with Evan's pediatrician appointment for me after work and Scott needing to run to CVS for a few items, we came home and made a new breakfast for dinner recipe.  Crescent roll breakfast sandwiches.  We already had all the ingredients so we served it up with some hashbrowns and applesauce (totally random addition, but hey it's fruit!). 

Quick, easy, and delicious!

Here's the recipe:

1 can Pillsbury Crescent rolls
4 eggs, scrambled
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
8 strips of bacon, cooked
1 egg, beaten
Black pepper

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Unroll dough on work surface; separate into triangles.
2. Top each triangle with bacon, scrambled egg and cheese. Roll up loosely as directed on can. Place on ungreased cookie sheet; curve into crescent shape. Brush with beaten egg; sprinkle with pepper.
3. Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Tomorrow I plan to make chicken fajitas in the oven.  Yes, I said in the oven.  Another Pinterest find that I'm hoping turns out great.  And with that...3 more weeks until Christmas break!