Crockpot Chicken Tacos

This week has proven difficult to feed my family. Most nights, I prepare our dinners, and we try to eat together. I like to make sure my kids are getting their share of vegetables and have a balanced meal.

But this week my big girls started a stroke clinic that is about 30 - 40 minutes from our house. It will only last a few weeks, but it's definitely a challenge for us. By the time we get home on those nights, it's nearly 7:00. I need a dinner that I can get on the table very quickly since they all need to be ready for bed by 8:00. 

This week we had frozen pizza (oh, the horror!), hot dogs (in my defense, I ate a veggie burger), and mac & cheese. By last night, I was ready to put some REAL food into my kids. So I went for an old favorite: chicken tacos.

I love this recipe! First, it is prepared in my crockpot. Surely you know how dearly I love my crockpot by now. Second, it's a complete meal! I don't feel like I have to prepare extra side dishes to go with it. And, finally, it's versatile. Some of us eat it in a tortilla. Some eat it with some Tostitos and a little sour cream or greek yogurt. Or, if you're like me, you can enjoy it all by itself with some fresh salsa on top.

Here's what you'll need.

First, take the chicken at put it right in the crock pot. I usually use frozen chicken, but I just happened to have some fresh chicken breasts on hand.

Next, you're going to sprinkle on some taco seasoning. I like to make my own seasoning (using a recipe I'll post below). I double or triple it and keep it in my spice cabinet in a ziplock bag so it's ready when I need it. For these chicken tacos, I use 1 Tbsp. + 1tsp. on the chicken. If you're using a packet of seasoning you'll sprinkle on about half.

Next, add your corn. I used frozen, but you could use canned corn as well.

Then, add a can of Rotel.

Finally, rinse your black beans and add them on top.

Now it's time to sprinkle on a little more taco seasoning. If you're using your own seasoning, use another 1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. If you're using a packaged taco seasoning, sprinkle on the rest of the packet.

Now you get to walk away and let it cook. You can cook it about 8 - 10 hours on low or 4 - 6 hours on high. I cooked mine on high and took the chicken out of the crock pot after about 3 hours to shred it so it would be ready when we got home from swimming. Then I let it cook a few more hours. You could also shred the chicken right before you eat.

And here's the finished product. Very filling and delicious! All the kids will eat this without any weeping or gnashing of teeth, which is practically a miracle in and of itself!

Crock Pot Chicken Tacos

• 4 chicken breasts (mine were pretty large, so I only used 3)
• 1 package frozen corn (or 1 can corn)
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can Rotel
• 1 packet taco seasoning (or 2 tbsp. + 2 tsp. of your own seasoning)

~Place chicken in crockpot. Sprinkle with half taco seasoning. Top with corn, Rotel and beans. Sprinkle with remaining seasoning. Mix slightly and cook on low 8 - 10 hours or high 4 - 6 hours. Remove chicken and shred with 2 forks. Return chicken to pot and stir.

Taco Seasoning

• 2 Tbsp. chili powder
• 5 tsp. paprika
• 4-1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 3 tsp. onion powder
• 3 tsp. salt
• 2-1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

~Mix ingredients. Store in airtight container in a cool dry place.

Question of the Day:

What's your best tip for feeding your family when you're short on time?

My Peanut Butter and Chocolate Nemesis

Holy sore biceps! I am really feeling yesterday's workout! But it's that good kind of soreness where you know change is happening. I got things started this morning with Insanity Plyometric Cardio Circuit. Here's what I looked like when I was finished (for your viewing pleasure):

I spent the rest of my morning taking care of these cuties.

Afterward, it was time to start making preparations for the birthday sleepover we're hosting tomorrow night. That meant lots of cleaning and this.

Muddy Buddies. These are my peanut butter and chocolate nemesis. I really can't even eat them because the next thing I know I'll have eaten half the bowl. Full disclosure: I had quite a few for lunch today. It only seemed appropriate after yesterday's post on binge eating. And there's protein in the peanut butter, right?

I needed to redeem myself with a healthy dinner. I marinated some chicken all afternoon and cooked it up with some black beans in a skillet. Then I shredded it in my food processor and threw it over a bed of spinach with my favorite salsa. So yummy!

I used the rest of the shredded chicken to make tacos for the hubby and kids.

Question of the Day:

Do you have a food nemesis? 

Zucchini Fries and a Giveaway!

My girl is finally better and back at school. Yea! I celebrated early this morning with Asylum 2's Back & 6-Pack. After the workout, I had my favorite breakfast.

Did you know I'm giving away a sample of Shakeology to one lucky winner?!? All you have to do is go to my facebook page, like it (if you haven't already), then share my page on your timeline. Make sure to comment and let me know that you shared the page so I can enter your name in the drawing. I will choose a winner when I get to 100 likes!

Monday all the stars aligned for Jeff's favorite dinner. Bi-Lo had London Broil and carrots buy one, get one. It seemed as though though the good Lord knew my man needed his meat and potatoes, and I was happy to oblige.

I was looking for something to pair with my roast and settled on zucchini fries. I've been a fan of zucchini since I was a little girl. My mom used to cook it in a can of tomato sauce and top it with some mozzarella cheese. It was my very favorite vegetable as a kid...and I was a pretty picky eater. 

So when I saw the recipe for zucchini fries, I knew I wanted to try them. You'll need about a pound of zucchini, Panko breadcrumbs (I used Italian style), grated parmesan cheese, a couple of eggs, and a splash of milk.

First, cut up your zucchini. When I first made these, I would cut the zucchini up in little slices so that they actually looked like fries. After doing that a few times, I realized it was kind of a pain. It was a pain to chop them, and an even bigger pain to coat them in the breadcrumb mix. So I decided to take a shortcut and just slice them in circles. I have 4 children. I am all about shortcuts.

The thinner you slice them, the more quickly they'll cook and the less they'll taste like zucchini. I am kind of partial to the flavor of zucchini, so mine are a little thicker.

Next mix the breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese in a small bowl.

Take two egg whites and beat them with just a splash of milk. I like to use a pie tin because it makes it easy to dip my zucchini.

Now you want to dip several zucchini slices in the egg mixture. You just want to leave them there long enough to get them nice and wet so the breadcrumbs will stick.

Next it's time to coat them in the breadcrumb mix. WARNING: Do not use all of the breadcrumbs at once!!! If you do, the breadcrumbs will start to get soggy after the first few pieces of zucchini contact them, and they won't stick to the rest of your squash. Instead, just use a little of the breadcrumb mix at a time. I also like to do this in a pie tin.

Place the coated zucchini slices on a foil-lined pan and bake at 425 for 20 - 25 minutes, flipping halfway.

These are delicious alone, but my kids and I especially love to eat them dipped in a little pizza sauce. Even my super-picky 5-year-old will eat these!!! That's nothing short of a miracle around here.

Zucchini Fries

• Approx. 1 lb. zucchini
• 1/2 cup Italian Panko breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• 2 egg whites
• splash of milk

~Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with non-stick foil. Cut zucchini into fries. Whisk egg whites and milk in pie tin. Combine crumbs and parmesan. Dip zucchini in egg mixture and then into coating (using only a small amount of coating at a time or breadcrumbs won't stick). Bake 20 - 25 minutes, flipping halfway.

Do you have a favorite simple side dish?