Pepper Steak

I'm so behind in my posts. I've skipped a bunch (don't worry I'll go back to them eventually) and am moving on to tonight's meal. Pepper steak. 

You can find the links to the recipe and the original post in my other reviews. I'm posting from my phone today and I'm just too lazy to look for links. You're welcome. 

Crock-pot pepper steak was ok. Not my favorite but definitely far from the most disliked (teriyaki pork chops, yuck!) of the recipes. None of my kids would eat this, they didn't like the way it looked. The taste wasn't bad but we won't be putting this on the "make again" list because I don't want to eat an entire crock pot full of this stuff myself! 

Meal #2- Teriyaki Pork Chops

Welcome to night #2. This was in the fridge for my husband and children yesterday so they'd have something to eat while I FINALLY went Christmas shopping. Alas, my dear husband doesn't quite understand the crock-pot and called 1 hour before dinner time to see how long he should cook it for.

I did not like this recipe at all. The pork chops held together while I took them out of the crock-pot and we were able to cut them with a fork. They were very dry though. The taste was like beef jerky. NOT. FOR. ME. My beef jerky loving 9 year old quickly ate hers and was very pleased but I will not be putting this into the "make again" pile. We added a loaf of french bread and a steam fresh bag of broccoli in cheese sauce to this meal. 

Still feeling brave? Then here's what you need to know to make this for your family:

The goods:

• 4 pork chops, about 1 in thick
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• ⅓ cup chicken broth
• salt & pepper to taste

How to make it yummy:

1. Sprinkle salt & pepper on pork chops if desired, place in a gallon-sized freezer bag. In a small bowl mix garlic, brown sugar, soy sauce, and chicken broth together, add to bag. Place flat in freezer, when ready to use thaw in fridge overnight. Cook on high 4-5 hours or low 6-7 hours.

This is the final product. I gave half of mine to my husband and the next time we have pork chops I'll be back to my trusty old Shake N Bake.

Again, here's the link to the original post. 

Now, it's time for a snack! 

Meal #1- Pineapple Chicken Burritos

This freezer crock-pot meal never made it to the freezer. I just prepped this one right in the cooker for tonight's dinner. Super easy prep. Just took a couple of minutes. A few cans to open and I was done.

This recipe called for rice, I used brown. I also used 2 cups of cooked rice instead of 1. This made enough filling for 12 large burritos, enough to feed my family twice. This was a good meal. I'll be able to add this to the "make again" pile.

If you'd like to try this recipe here's what you need to know:

The goods:

• 3 fresh or frozen chicken breasts
• ½ (20-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained *I purchased an 8 oz can and called it a day*
• 1 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup medium salsa
• 5-6 burrito sized flour tortillas *I had enough filling to make 12 burritos*
• 1 (10 oz) cans green enchilada sauce
• 1 cups shredded cheddar/monteray jack blend
• 1 cup cooked rice *I used 2 cups of brown rice NOTE: 1 cup uncooked yields 2 cups cooked* 

How to make it yummy:

1. Place the chicken, pineapple, beans, and salsa in a gallon size ziplog freezer bag. Zip close and place in freezer. When ready to use thaw in fridge for 24 hours.
2. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. Remove the chicken and shred. Mix the chicken back into the crock pot with the rest of the ingredients.
3. Mix in the cooked rice.
4. Fill 5-6 of the burrito tortillas. Place in in a 9×13 pan. Pour 1 can of the green enchilada sauce over the burritos.
5. Top with 1 cup of the shredded cheese and place under the broiler on the middle rack until the cheese is nice and melted. About 5 minutes.

Here's a photo of 3 of the burritos. I forgot to take a picture of the whole pan before we dug into it so you'll have to settle for a photo of the leftovers.

The link to the original post can be found here. Thanks to Mommy's Fabulous Finds for the recipe. 

10 Crock-Pot Freezer Meals

I'm not sure if I should thank Rene and Robin for this post or beg them not to post anymore links like this. I saw "10 Easy Crock-Pot Freezer Meals" pop up in my facebook news feed and I was DONE. Two of my favorite things, crock-pot and easy! I was compelled to go shopping the same day I saw the post and I prepped the morning after. Once I set my mind to something, I do it, even if it means travelling to the grocery store much too late at night.

The basics, it's 10 meals, all crock-pot meals ( and boy do I loooove my crock-pot! ) and all huge time savers if you have a busy life. I armed myself with a list and went shopping. I didn't need to buy some of the basics, the things you probably already have in your pantry. Brown sugar, soy sauce, worcestershire (I can spell it, can't say it!) sauce, honey and the spices. My total, including the freezer bags, was $104.37. Not bad for a family of 5 for 10 days. I did spend a bit more than this though because a lot of meals didn't come with any sides. I purchased vegetables and salad ingredients for most of the days. 

What are the meals you ask? Let me tell you. There's:

Savory Pepper Steak

Sweet & Sour Meatballs

Teriyaki Pork Chops

BBQ Cranberry Chicken

Honey Bourbon Chicken

Pork Carnitas

Southwestern Chicken Chili

Sausage & Peppers

Apple BBQ Pork Tenderloin

and

Pineapple Chicken Burritos

Prep took me 2 hours. That's nothing when you think about how long you'd normally spend cooking dinner over the course of 10 days. Easy peasy. There's 9 in the freezer and 1 in the crock pot right now. I'll let you know how to recipes turn out as we try them. Tonight it's the pineapple chicken burritos. In the meantime, take a look at the original post here and see if you'd like to save some time and make 10 crock pot freezer meals for your family. Or you could just lay low for a while, let me test out the recipes on my family, and then decide. Your call. I hope to be back with good news shortly!

A place to share about all of those awesome pins

Sometimes I go months without logging on to Pinterest. Sometimes. Other times I spend all day looking at delicious recipes only to realize that my own family is starving and I have nothing to feed them, because I've spent 9,000,000 hours pinning recipes. Oops! I've been asked a few times to share about the things I've tried so here goes nothing. I'll start sharing some of my experiences here. If there's something I've pinned that you're curious about, just ask. I probably have made it. I'm addicted! If you don't follow me there yet, do it! Here's the link: Super Awesome Pants AKA Nicole.

So, here we are 3+ months later

The kids bathroom looks great. Fantastic really. It's not done but it's oh so much better than it was before. 

How to Build Floating Shelves - Step by Step | The Family Handyman

How to Build Floating Shelves - Step by Step | The Family Handyman

I really want to make these for both bathrooms. Wish me luck. Yikes! They go on and on about how easy it is and then they rattle of a huge list of things you need to make them. They are so pretty. I have to try.