Making Crock Pot Meals Even Lazier

I love my crock pot. Last winter, we used it pretty often. The only thing was, there was not a lot of variety in our crock pot meals. And you had to wake up early enough to cut up all the ingredients, or brown the meat first. It took WAY too long. But the pay off was still worth it...leave for work, come home and magically, dinner is all ready! Then recently a light bulb went off for me. I could use a day off of work to do all the cutting and hard stuff and put each unprepared meal into a bag in the freezer. Then all I would have to do in the morning is dump the contents of the bag into the crock pot. Brilliant! So I started looking for recipes where there aren't any stages like "add biscuits for the last 30 minutes" or "brown the beef in the seasonings and butter or whatever first". This morning, I only did two meals, but I found a whole bunch and intend to do more so I can use trusty ol' crock pot all fall and winter long!

Cilantro Lime Chicken

Ingredients:

1 16oz jar of salsa

1 packet taco seasoning mix

3 tablespoons cilantro

juice of 1 lime

3 lbs bonesless skinless chicken breast

Directions: When it's time to make it, cook it on low for 6-8 hours. Shred it up and serve with rice or tacos or some kind of salad. Pretty much whatever's easiest.

Beef Stew

Ingredients:

1 lb stew meat

2 potatoes cubed

1 cup baby carrots

(you could add celery, but I find it detestable)

1 tablespoon herbs provence

2 cloves minced garlic

if your husband doesn't hate onion, 1 chopped onion. or if he does hate onion, sneak in some onion powder

1 can/bottle of beer or 2 cups beef broth

Directions: Cook on low for 8-10 hours. If you WANT to do a little extra work here, you can combine 3 tbls melted butter with 3/4 cup flour to make a gravy. Add that to the stew and let it thicken for 15-20 minutes.

And there you have it, people. Do a little work one day so you can be lazy on the other days. It took me about 30 minutes to prepare both of these lovely little recipes.

Favorite Things: Bon Iver

'm trying to make Saturday "Favorite Things" day, so here's a second post for today.

If you don't know about Pandora, you have probably been living under a rock. In case you have in fact been living under a rock and don't know what Pandora is, they describe themselves as a music genome project. You tell them the name of a song or artist that you like, and they create a radio station that will play similar music. It is also the reason my iPhone battery dies so quickly. I can't remember which station started playing Bon Iver, but I'm thinking it was the Sufjan Stevens station. I took notice, but it wasn't until I heard Roslyn on the New Moon soundtrack that my attention was fully rapt. I could not stop listening to that stupid song; even after a million plays, I wasn't tired of it. So I downloaded Blood Bank and For Emma Forever Ago, two of his albums. I was NOT disappointed! Listening to Bon Iver makes me feel like I'm in a womb, warm and cozy and sleepy. It is perfect for hibernation of all sorts, whether it be the long winter slumber or an afternoon nap.

Husband and I have been listening to Bon Iver around the clock since it's been cooler. It just sounds like autumn music! If you haven't heard any Bon Iver yet, be sure to check him out. Our favorite songs are Flume and Woods .