Weekly Menu #6

Monday
Pesto Chicken and Pasta
Side Salad

Tuesday
Tequila Lime Shrimp with Cumin Rice
Grilled Veggies

Wednesday
French Onion Salisbury Steak
Buttered Corn on the Cob

Thursday
BBQ Chicken Potato Skins
Sweet Potato Fries

Friday
Pocket Burgers with Crispy Onion Straws
Grilled Veggies

And as always, check out these snacks and desserts to bring an extra big smile to your kiddos face!

Be sure to check out our other weekly menus here.


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Weekly Menu #5

Now that we've had a few nice days, I'm really itching to cook on the grill. Just the other night we threw some hot dogs on the grill because it was a last minute decision and we didn't have anything else to grill, and then sat around by a fire once the sun went down and it was awesome! So we'll start incorporating a few more grill ideas as we move forward. Hopefully it will get so nice outside that we can do an entire week full of grilled dinners!

Monday
Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms
Flattened Redskin Potatoes

Tuesday
Cha Cha Chicken Tacos with mango Tango Salsa

Wednesday
Spicy Italian Beef Sandwiches
Cucumber Salad

Thursday
Grilled Bourbon Pork Medallions
Grilled Rosemary Chive Potatoes
Waldorf Salad

Friday
Lazy Lasagna
Caesar Salad

Here are some suggested snacks and desserts to go along with your menu this week.

Be sure to check out our other weekly menus for ideas and inspiration for your family's meal planning.

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Weekly Menu #4

I'm not sure about you, but I am ready for winter to end!  It has been so snowy and cold here and I just can't wait for a little sunshine... and grilling! I did put a grill recipe in this week, but I am just going to make on my grill pan indoors. The key lime flavor will transport me to a tropical location in all this cold. I also threw in a few of my favorite slow cooker recipes, since we aren't anywhere tropical and nothing says "burr" better than a warm meal in the slow cooker.

Slow Cooker Beef and Noodles

Sometimes I make the simplest of dishes, that I feel like I shouldn't even need to put recipes up for them... but then I remember that just like myself, most people make simple meals most nights of the week. And now that we are posting weekly menu plans, I need to make sure we have a couple staples in each week's menu plan.

Slow Cooker Beef and Noodles are one of these dishes. It is pure comfort food and is so super easy to make. It seriously only has 4 ingredients (ok it really has 8 if you include the salt, pepper, water and chives I added for the picture), and takes about 2 minutes of prep. And it is simple enough that even the pickiest of palettes will gobble it up.

Weekly Menu #3

For this week's menu, we are going back to some of our original recipe posts! Boy you can tell we've come a long way in our picture presentation, lol! Even though the pictures aren't a scrumptious looking, we promise the recipes are. The Creamy Garlic Ranch Pork Chops are one of our most viewed recipes ever. And of course we only included 5 because we know you're going to have pizza and PB&J's for dinner sometime this week, right? Isn't that what all busy families do??

Weekly Menu #2

Here is our round up of our 2nd Weekly Menu plan. All of these dinners are sure to please! We can say this with confidence because these our our recipes and our pictures, not just ones we have taken off the internet and use stock photos. Our pictures may not be magazine worthy, but this is what you can expect your food to really look like (heck, sometimes we even post half eaten pictures because we could not hold our husbands off long enough to take a good pic:).

And we're adding a couple dessert/snack recipes now to go along with our menu plans. Just check out the suggested recipes below the daily menu plan.

As always, change the recipes up to fit your weekly schedule. We only post 5 because we assume you'll have leftovers and probably eat out or on the run sometime this week.

Monday
Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Bowls

Tuesday
Sausage 3-Cheese Stuffed Shells
Simple Italian Side Salad

Wednesday
Sweet Garlic Chicken Legs
Hassleback Potatoes

Thursday
Hearty Beef Stew

Friday
Honey I ate the Pork
Better Than Rice-a-Roni Rice Pilaf
Steamed Veggies

Here are some great dessert recipes to go along with your weekly dinners:

Enjoy!!

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Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Bowls

When I was looking over the Magical Moms' Recipe Box I discovered that we don't have enough slow cooker meals.  Both of our families are very busy with lots of after school activities which means that we know how important it is to be able to make quick and easy weeknight meals.  This recipe does require you to make the rice separately from the slow cooker, but you can make minute rice quickly and easily.
Just an FYI... Rule #1 of making anything in the slow cooker is DON'T forget to turn in on.  Luckily it only took me about 45 minutes to realize that I had plugged in the slow cooker, but did not turn it on.  HAHA!  I am still laughing at myself!

Ingredients:

• 3 Chicken Boneless Chicken Breasts
• 2 Cups of your favorite Salsa
• 1 Can of Corn (drained)
• 1 Can of Black Beans (drained and rinsed)
• 1 teaspoon Cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon Oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1/8 teaspoon Black Pepper
• 1/2 Tablespoon Minced Garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
• 1 teaspoon Chili Powder
• 1/4 Cup of water
•  A Handful of Fresh Cilantro (chopped)
• 6 Servings of Basmati Rice (cooked)
• Juice of 1/2 Lime
• 2 Cups of Shredded Cheddar Cheese
• Sour Cream (optional)

In the slow cooker combine salsa, corn, black beans, salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, minced garlic, Cayenne pepper, water and chili powder and stir.  Add the chicken breasts, cover with mixture, and cook on low for about 6 hours.  

Remove chicken from slow cooker.  Chicken will be tender and shred very easily.  Return the chicken back the the slow cooker and mix to combine with all of the goodness.

Cook rice according to instructions.  I actually used to bags of boil-in-bag Basmati rice.  When rice is done, fluff and add cilantro, lime juice, and a little salt.  Put rice in bowl and add chicken, beans, and corn mixture.  Top with cheddar cheese and a little sour cream.  

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Spicy Chicken and Black Bean Soup

Ingredients:

• 1 Can of Corn
• 2 Chicken Breasts Cooked and Cubed/Shredded
• 1/4 teaspoon Cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon Onion Powder
• 1 Can of Rotel Tomatoes (undrained)
• 1 Can of Black Beans (drained and rinsed)
• Chicken Broth
• Fresh Cilantro
• Cheddar Cheese
• Sour Cream
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Combine corn, chicken, tomatoes, beans, cumin, onion powder, and chicken broth in slow cooker.  Cook on low for about 4 hours.  Serve topped with cheddar cheese, sour cream, and cilantro.

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Crock Pot Apple Sauce

Fall is the perfect time to pick apples.  I like to bake a variety of things with the apples we pick, but I LOVE to make applesauce.  My grandma often made homemade applesauce and I always looked forward to eating it.  This recipe is so simple and the perfect addition to any meal.  I love the balance of sweet and tart apples so feel free to mix up the variety of apples you use.  And remember applesauce is just as good warm as it is cold.  I make a double batch of this and freeze a little more than half to use throughout the winter.

Ingredients:

• About 6 lbs or 12 Apples (I used Gala Apples)
• 3/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 3/4 Cup Apple Juice
• 3 Tablespoons Brown Sugar (you can start with less and add more after you taste it)

Peel and slice apples.  Place them in the crock pot with cinnamon, apple juice and brown sugar.  Cook on low for about 8 hours.  Stir to mush into applesauce.  I like my apple sauce a little chunky, but you could also you a potato masher to eliminate more of the chunks.  

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Shake It On- Slow Cooker Garlic Chicken

This is a recipe that isn't really a recipe because I don't measure any of it.  The first time that I made this I had a bulb of garlic that needed to be used so I just went with it from there.  I had seen a few different recipes for 30 or even 40 cloves of garlic and a whole chicken.  But I was seriously scared to try that much so I started out small.  This was not my first time making a whole chicken in the slow cooker, as a matter of fact I cook it that way often.  8 Spice Lemon Chicken, Slow Cooker Rotisserie Chicken, and BBQ Rubbed Slow Cooker Chicken are a few of my family's favorites.  All of these recipes are incredibly easy and they are sure to please even the pickiest eaters!

Ingredients:

• 15 Garlic Cloves (or 1 bulb)
• 1/2 of an Onion
• Salt
• Pepper
• Paprika
• Rosemary
• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 6 lb Whole Chicken
• White Wine

Serves 6-8

This fed my family of  TWICE!!!

Rinse and pat dry the chicken.  Peel garlic, slice onion, and place in the bottom of the slow cooker.  Sprinkle all sides of the chicken with the spices.  Place chicken in slow cooker breast side up.  

 Place a couple tablespoons of butter under the skin of the chicken.  Place about a half a cup of white wine in the bottom of the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Chicken will be so moist and delicious!  It will fall apart!

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BBQ Rub for Slow Cooker Chicken

 

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 3/4 teaspoon Black Pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon Salt
• 3/4 teaspoon Onion Powder
• 1 Tablespoon Paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon Chili Powder
• 1/4 teaspoon Ground Mustard
• A Couple Dashes of Cayenne Pepper
• 4-5 lb Whole Chicken

Combine all ingredients, except chicken, in a small bowl.  Mix spices together to make it easier to evenly distribute them.  Clean and rinse inside of chicken.  Pat dry with a paper towel.  Cover with spice mixture and you can even put some inside the chicken.  Place chicken in slow cooker.  Add about a cup of water to the bottom of the slow cooker.

Cook on HIGH for about 4 hours or low for about 6 hours or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.

I served with Fried Noodles and Steamed Broccoli.

I can get two meals out of this chicken, I will use the leftovers to make BBQ Chicken Wraps

Maple Herb Pork Tenderloin

I thought taking on the challenge of no oven for a week might be pretty difficult, but we are doing pretty well with it.  A few weeks ago, I attended a Pampered Chef party and one of the items that I purchased was the Maple Herb Rub.  As soon as I smelled it I knew that it would be perfect on pork.  It was delicious!  Next I plan on using it on pork chops cooked on the grill.  

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs of Pork Tenderloin
• About a Tablespoon of Pampered Chef Maple Herb
• Olive Oil
• 3/4 Cup Water

Serves 6-8

Trim the fat from the pork tenderloin. Drizzle a little olive oil on the pork and sprinkle all sides of the tenderloin with the Maple Herb seasoning.  Place in slow cooker with water at the bottom.

Cook on low for about 5 hours. Slice and serve

I served with Slow Cooker Fresh Green Beans and Better than Rice A Roni (and healthier) Rice Pilaf. 

Make sure you check out my friend Pamela's Pamper Chef Specials

Slow Cooker Ranch Pesto Chicken and Pasta

Since it is July and SUPER hot here, I am trying to avoid turning on the oven.  Gosh that sounded like something my grandmother would say:)  I would prefer to grill every night, but that just isn't realistic either.  This week my oldest son started summer sandlot baseball so I am in need of some quick and easy meals for the family.  This slow cooker recipe is perfect.  I can throw it in the crock pot and head to the pool for the afternoon.  All I have to do is boil some pasta and throw it all together.  SUPER EASY!

Ingredients:

• 4 Boneless Chicken Breasts
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons of Dry Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Packet
• 1/2 teaspoon Minced Garlic
• 1/3 Cup Chicken Broth
• 3 oz of Pesto
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1/4 Cup (plus more for garnish) Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1 pound box of Tri-color Rotini Pasta
• 8- Diced Cherry Tomatoes

Serves 4

In a small bowl (I use a pyrex measuring cup) combine pesto, minced garlic, Hidden Valley Ranch Mix, and chicken broth- mix well.  Place chicken in slow cooker and pour mixture over top.  Set slow cooker to low and cook for about 4 hours.

Boil water and cook pasta according to box.  Drain pasta and toss with olive oil.  Pour pasta into slow cooker and mix with chicken and sauce.  Add Parmesan cheese and toss.  Serve pasta and chicken with a little more Parmesan and diced tomatoes.  Enjoy!

I often make my own pesto here is the recipe and another one of my favorite dishes- Pesto Chicken



This recipe was featured on the Magical Moms' July Menu.  Be sure to check out all of our monthly menus



Lots of AMAZING recipes on the Magical Moms' June Menu, Marvelous May Menu, Appetizing April Menu, and March Madness Menu.

Slow Cooker Rotisserie Style Chicken

 I know that I have said this a million times before, but I don't always have time to make a fancy dinner.  I like to pretend that I do so I really like to use my slow cooker.  I know that a rotisserie chicken is something that you can pick up at the hot foods section of the grocery store, but you never really know how long those have been there or what is on/in them.  I think it is just as easy to make it at home.  Just season it and throw it in the slow cooker.  A 4 pound chicken is PLENTY for our family to have for dinner and then I like to use the left overs to make Perfect Picnic Chicken Salad for sandwiches later in the week.  Cook once- eat twice!  YAY!

Ingredients:

• 4-5 lb Whole Chicken
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons Montreal Steak Seasoning
• 1 Tablespoon Paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon of Onion Powder  

Place four loosely made balls of foil in the bottom of the slow cooker.  This will keep the chicken elevated.  The juices will all go to the bottom.  The chicken will be plenty moist so don't worry.

Next is my least favorite part, clean out the inside of the chicken and rinse.  Pat it dry with paper towels.  Next coat all sides and inside of chicken with spices and place in the slow cooker.

Cook on High for about 4-5 hours or until internal temp of chicken has reached 165.  Remove chicken from slow cooker and let rest for about 5 minutes before carving.

If you like this then make sure to check out our Slow Cooker 8 Spice Lemon Chicken.

BBQ Pulled Pork {Cincinnati Style}

Tracy and Scott lived in Cincinnati for about 6 years.  During that time they fell in love with several of the local restaurants, pizza places, and even Cincinnati Chili.  Montgomery Inn is a restaurant that started in the 1950's in Montgomery Ohio.  The owners now have three locations (all in Ohio), their products can be found on the shelves of grocery stores in 23 states, and they ship Ribs and Chicken all over the U.S.  Sometimes I can find the Montgomery Inn BBQ sauce at a grocery store here in Northern Virginia, but most often friends bring it when they come to visit.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
• 1 Tablespoon Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons Ketchup
• 2-2 1/2 lbs of Pork Tenderloin
• Montgomery Inn BBQ Sauce (that's what makes it Cincy Style)

Place pork tenderloin in slow cooker.  Mix together brown sugar, vinegar, and ketchup.  Poor over meat.  

 Cook on low 4-6 hours or until meat pulls apart easily with a fork.

Remove from slow cooker and shred with two forks.  Coat with your favorite BBQ sauce.  If you can get your hands on it, make sure you use Montgomery Inn sauce.  

This recipe is the recipe that Tracy used for her BBQ Pulled Pork Mac and Cheese Sandwiches.

This recipe was featured on our 30 Days of Dinners June Menu, Make sure to check out all of the other great recipes on this month's menu!

Spicy Italian Shredded Beef Sandwiches

Scott's Aunt Wendy gave us this recipe about a year ago and I am just now getting around to making it.   I am so disappointed that I haven't made it sooner. It is SO easy and and SO delicious!  I love anything that I can throw in the slow cooker and forget, but this is one recipe my family raves about!

Ingredients:

• 3-4 lb Roast
• 1 Packet of Italian Dressing Mix
• 8 oz of Beer
• 1 12 oz jar of sliced Pepperocini
• 3 Table spoons of Juice from Pepperocini
• 12 oz of beef broth

Sandwiches

• French Bread or Rolls
• Butter
• Provolone Cheese Slices

Drain Peppers reserving 3 tablespoons of juice.  Place roast in slow cooker.  Combine all ingredients and pour over roast.  Cook on low for about 8 hours.  

Remove meat from slow cooker.  Shred meat with two forks.   

 Place shredded beef back into crock pot with the juices.

Lightly butter the bread and toast on a griddle.  Pile on the Spicy Beef and add a slice of provolone cheese.  I also serve a side bowl of the au jus from slow cooker to dip the sandwich into.  

This recipe was featured in Two Magical Moms March Menu Madness.  Check out the entire menu and try out some of our other YUMMY recipes!

Slow Cooker Loaded Potato Soup

This is one of the easiest recipes you will EVER make!  I made my grandmother's potato soup recipe one time and boy was it difficult.  It was way to much work for something I knew I could make in the slow cooker.  So when I came across the original recipe to this potato soup I was so excited to try it.  Our version is a staple recipe in our house.  Perfect for a fall/winter day and it leaves me leftovers for my lunch too!
Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup diced onion
• 1 can Cream of Chicken Soup
• 1 block of Cream Cheese (don't use fat free, it won't melt.  some times I use about 3/4 of a block to make it not so thick)
• 1/2 teaspoon Pepper
• 1 bag of Shredded Hash Browns
• 28 oz of Chicken Broth 
• 6-8 slices of Bacon cooked crispy and crumbled
• Scallions

Combine hashbrowns, cream of chicken soup, pepper, onion, and chicken broth in slow cooker.  Cook on low for about 5 hours.

For the last hour, cut cream cheese into cubes and place in slow cooker.  Add in crumbled bacon and stir.  I usually stir a few times to help the cream cheese melt and evenly distribute.

Top with a little more bacon, some shredded cheddar, and scallions.

This recipe was featured on our Appetizing April Menu. Check out the entire April menu for a variety of dinner ideas!