Crockpot Chicken Tacos

We painted our kitchen cabinets over the weekend (will post about that soon!) so our house, and especially our kitchen, is a huge mess. I needed a quick and easy dinner idea that involved little cooking and preparation so I could try and get some order restored to the household. This recipe was fast, easy, and best of all, the only prep was throwing everything in my beloved crockpot.

Ingredients

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 jar of salsa, any flavor (I used mild)

2/3 cup of water

Whole wheat tortillas

Taco toppings such as: shredded cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, onion, corn, black beans, sour cream, etc.

Put chicken in the crockpot and cover with the salsa and water. Cook on low for 8 hours. Shred chicken with a fork and return to the crockpot. Put meat and toppings in whole wheat tortillas. Enjoy!

Zucchini Soup (Made with Two Ingredients!)

On this unseasonably cool, dreary and rainy day in July, all I want to do is snuggle up with a book and some soup. So, here’s one of my favorite summer soup recipes that’s quick and delicious, and only has a few ingredients! It is good served both hot and cold, depending on your preference.  

Ingredients

1 wheel of Laughing Cow cheese (I use the Garlic and Herb flavor)

3 large zucchini, peeled and cut into 1-inch slices

In a stockpot, bring lightly salted water to a boil. Add the pieces of zucchini and boil until cooked through. Drain and set aside to cool. Unwrap the wedges of Laughing Cow and put in a blender. Add the zucchini and puree until smooth. Pour back into the stock pot and heat through, if desired. If you want, you can season the soup with salt and pepper to taste, but I usually eat it plain. Serve with bread. Enjoy!

Pineapple Curry Chicken Recipe

My mother-in-law makes this often and I got the recipe from her a few months ago. It's delicious and fast with little cleanup because you cook everything in one skillet. It's great for leftovers and tastes better the next day because the spices have time to settle and blend. Oh, and it's not spicy, for those of you who don't like spicy foods. If you do like a little spice, get a different type of curry powder than the mild one I use here.

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 can crushed pineapple
1 can coconut milk
1 can bamboo
1 small onion, diced
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ginger powder
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
Brown rice (I use the quick cook kind to save time)

Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and cook in a skillet with the butter and onion until the chicken is cooked completely through.  Add the powdered sugar, ginger, and curry, and stir well. Add the pineapple (don't drain!) and drained bamboo. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 5 minutes, then add the coconut milk. Stir well to mix everything. Serve with brown rice. Enjoy!

Yield: 4 large servings

(I also sometimes cook this ahead of time and then freeze it into individual servings if we have a really busy week. It reheats great.)