Italian Chix and Rice

Another easy crockpot meal. I found it was pretty bland, so I don't know if adding more herbs would help, or maybe seasoning the chicken before adding to the crockpot would help. Regardless, it was an easy recipe and a great way to prepare a well-rounded meal and not have to spend lots of time in the kitchen.

Crock Pot Creamy Italian Chicken & Rice Casserole  
Adapted from Stacy Makes Cents
2 lbs boneless chicken
4 tsp butter 
4 whole mushrooms, chopped
2 tsp minced garlic
½ cup whole wheat flour
1 ½ cups milk
1/8 cup Italian herbs
1 tsp salt (depending on taste/preference)

 
Optional add ins/variations:
1 cup rice
1-2 cups water or chicken broth
2 cups fresh veggies – broccoli, peas, carrots, asparagus, etc.

Place chicken in crock pot, turn on the low setting. I added in my chicken frozen...less prep time...yay! Then, in a small sauce pan, melt butter & saute mushrooms a few minutes until tender. Add garlic, turning to brown for only a few seconds, then add whole wheat flour, mixing together, making sure that all the flour is wet. Slowly pour and mix milk constantly stirring with fork. It will be lumpy at first, but have no fear – it will thicken! Add Italian herbs & salt & stir. (I did not saute the mushrooms, but rather added them into the crockpot raw and whole; I didn't want them to get too soggy)

Pour the thick gravy on top of the chicken, and close the lid. Cook on low for 7-9 hours total.

With 2 hours before dinner time, add in 1 cup of rice (wild rice takes about 2 ½ hours) and anywhere from 1-2 cups warm water or (organic) chicken broth. The ratio for rice to water is approximately 1:2.

With 1 hour left, add fresh veggies. Check after about 30-45 minutes, cooking only until vegetables are done.

Moooooo

I had mentioned several weeks ago that we would be getting a cow. No, not as a pet, but to eat. My parents, aunt and uncle and us split half a cow, three ways. It was from a local farmer, grass-fed and organic and a local butcher took care to create various cuts. As you can see from the pics, my freezer is now full of yummy and all-natural beef. 

The meat was priced per pound, so we paid $2.55 per pound for ground beef, hamburger patties, Porterhouse, rump roast and several other cuts of steak. The price per pound was amazing for the ground beef alone, since rarely does it go below $2 a pound anymore. $2.55 per pound for the other cuts is super cheap, especially for grass-fed, organic beef. Obviously, you pay it all upfront and have to have the freezer space for it all, but for us it's been a great deal. 

The other night, we tried the Porterhouse steaks and they were amazing!! Almost as tender as filet Mignon and with wonderful flavor. I'll keep you updated on how it all tastes!

Applesauce Bites

I'm always looking for healthy, all-natural and easy-to-eat snack for the kiddos, since both of them are grazers, and seriously could eat all day long! I saw these on Pinterest (of course!) and they were a hit with the kids. They're applesauce bites and all you do is take a piece of parchment or wax paper, put dabs or circles of applesauce on the paper and freeze. When ready to serve, take out of the freezer and give to the kiddos. Caution...they do melt within 5 to 10 minutes, so have the kids eat quickly or only get a few out at a time. I'm going to try this with some of the flavored applesauces too. Stay tuned :)

Crunch Wrap Supreme Thompson Style

I am so excited about this post! First of all, I LOVE Taco Bell and always have. I still remember the first time I had Taco Bell. It was 7th grade and my parents gave in and finally let me eat Taco Bell with the rest of my basketball team. Back in college, my best girl friends and I would go up once a week for a late night Taco Bell run and conversation. At that time, Ohio University, our alma mater, had the largest Taco Bell in the world :) So, Taco Bell is not only delicious, it make me think of some great time with great friends.

Even after college, I still get a craving for the Bell every few weeks and thankfully, my husband and daughter love it as much as I do. One of my favorite things to get there is the CrunchWrap Supreme. It's just awesome. The perfect combination of crunch taco, soft taco, nacho cheese, sour cream and taco meat. Plus it's portable!

My husband ran across this recipe for CrunchWrap Supremes at home and I just had to try them to see if I could "clean" them up (because we all know that Taco Bell is not known for its all-natural fare). They turned out great! Not as good as the original, but a great all-natural alternative. They were not difficult to make despite the fact the recipe is like three pages long. If you already make my homemade taco seasoning, you're already halfway there!

Homemade Crunch Wrap Supreme

For the taco sauce:  
1 Tablespoons homemade taco seasoning, found here
One 28-ounce can whole tomatoes
 
For the nacho cheese sauce:
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 cup milk, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons cream cheese
1 1/2 cups grated Cheddar cheese
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon homemade taco seasoning,
found here

 

For the Crunchwrap Supreme:
1 pound ground beef 
2 - 3 tablespoons homemade taco seasoning, found here
1 tablespoon cornstarch 
1/4 teaspoon sugar
3/4 cup water
6 10-inch flour tortillas, warmed
6 tostadas (I had trouble finding all-natural ones, so I cheated a little here!)
1 cup sour cream
2 tomatoes, chopped, tossed with 1/4 cup of the taco sauce
2 cups shredded lettuce
Cooking spray, for frying
 
For the taco sauce: 
In a food processor or blender, purée the tomatoes until smooth. Add to a small saucepan and add 1 tablespoon (or more to taste) to the tomatoes. Simmer until sauce is thickened, about 30 minutes.

For the nacho cheese sauce: 
In a medium-sized saucepan, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Whisk in the cornstarch and cook for 1 minute, and then slowly whisk in the milk. If the sauce is too thick, add a little more milk. Simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes, and then add the cream cheese, Cheddar cheese, hot sauce, and seasonings. Keep warm until ready to use.
 
For the Crunchwrap Supreme: 
Brown the meat in a large skillet over medium-high heat until halfway cooked, breaking it up as little as possible with the spoon. Add the taco seasoning, sugar and cornstarch. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring to evenly distribute the spices, and then add the water. Simmer for 5-10 minutes, until the meat is cooked through and the sauce is thick and flavorful.

To assemble the Crunchwrap Supreme, place 1 flour tortilla out on a work station. Add a spoonful of the meat mixture to the center and top with a similar size spoonful of nacho cheese. The amount you add is up to your personal preference, but make sure to evenly distribute the meat and cheese sauce between all 6 tortillas. Top the meat and cheese mixture with a tostada, and then place 1 tablespoon of sour cream on top. Add a sprinkle of the marinated tomatoes and shredded lettuce on top and then, working counter clockwise, fold the edges of the flour tortilla up over the meat, cheese, tostada, tomato, and lettuce pile. Continue to fold until it is completely wrapped and in the shape of a hexagon.

Heat another medium skillet over high heat and grease it with some cooking spray. Fry the Crunchwrap Supreme on each side for about 1-2 minutes, until it gets a nice golden brown crust. Serve with a side of taco sauce.

Chicken Bacon Avocado Salad

This dish is a perfect summer dish. Easy prep means less time in a hot kitchen and the combination of romaine, avocado, chicken and vinaigrette make it a light, yet filling main course. The dressing has a number of ingredients, but I had them all on-hand and didn't have to make a special trip to buy extra ingredients. 

Sunday's training called for: 120 minute bike

I did: 14.23 miles in 55:12 (Okay, confession time. I really do not like riding bike that much. It's a great workout, but I do not have the attention span or desire to spend 2 straight hours on a bike. I much prefer to run. I feel like I am so much more efficient, meaning I can get a great workout in a shorter amount of time. That's why I love Insanity...hard workout in short time but awesome results. Rant over)

Today's training called for: 60 minute run

I did: 6 miles in 56:40 (booyah! first 10k of the year!)

Chicken Bacon Avocado Salad

Salad Ingredients:
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• salt and pepper
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 8 cups chopped Romaine lettuce
• 8 slices bacon, cooked and diced
• 4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled (I used feta)
• 2 avocados, pitted and diced
• 2 roma tomatoes, diced
• 1/4 cup garlic vinaigrette (see recipe below)
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions
Garlic Herb Vinaigrette Ingredients:
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• pinch of salt and freshly-cracked black pepper
• 1 Tbsp. dried Italian seasonings (I used dried oregano)
• 1 1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil

To Make The Salad:

Season chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper. Grill until cooked through. Remove chicken and let rest for at least 10 minutes. Dice chicken into small pieces. Add the diced chicken, lettuce, bacon, blue cheese, avocados and tomatoes to a large bowl, and toss until combined. Drizzle or toss with garlic vinaigrette and serve immediately.

To Make The Vinaigrette:

Whisk all ingredients together until combined.

Brownie Batter Dip

Matt and I have seemed to become the go-to dessert people for our monthly small group get-togethers. (I'm not complaining...dessert is one of my favorite things to make!! ;) Last week, I made Brownie Batter Dip....yes, you read that correctly. And, yes, it was as delicious as it sounds. Plus, it was super easy!! You could use all different types of food for dipping (we used jumbo marshmallows, pretzels and strawberries) and really mix it up. 

Brownie Batter Dip
Source: Mel’s Kitchen Cafe
 
8 ounces cream cheese, light or regular, softened
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) butter, softened
2 cups powdered sugar 5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons cocoa powder, regular or Dutch-process
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-4 tablespoons milk
Chocolate chips for garnish (optional)
Pretzels, strawberries, marshmallows, graham crackers, animal crackers, or apples for dipping
Directions:
Using an electric mixer, whip the cream cheese and butter together until light and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes. Add the powdered sugar and mix well.  Add the flour, cocoa powder, brown sugar, vanilla and 2 tablespoons milk. Mix until smooth. Add additional powdered sugar or milk if needed, until the desired consistency is reached. You want the dip to be soft enough to easily dip a pretzel without breaking it, but stiff enough to hold its shape and not be runny. Garnish with chocolate chips, if desired. I mixed chocolate chips in rather than use as garnish.

Ooey Gooey Cheerio Treats

I saw this on Pinterest and thought they looked great until I checked out the ingredients...the original recipe called for 1 cup sugar AND 1 cup of corn syrup! Holy sugar high batman! I decided to "clean" them up a bit and they turned out great! There were actually a little two sweet, so I am going to use less honey next time. 

While they tasted awesome, they were pretty messy to eat, so not a great snack for toddlers. 

Training plan called for: 45 minute run
I did: 4.12 miles in 38:36




Cheerio Treats
1 cup honey (use 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup for less-sweet version)
1 cup all-natural creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
5 cups Cheerios (I used Mom's Best Honey Nut Cheerios)

In a large sauce pan, combine honey and peanut butter until smooth. Allow mixture to boil for one minute and remove from heat. Add vanilla to mixture and mix until smooth. Add Cheerios and mix until all coated. Drop mixture by spoonful onto waxed paper and allow to cool.