Chicken Parmesan Subs

This one is for those ones of you who roast two chickens each week and are looking for new ways to use the leftovers. If you don't roast two chickens, that's okay, just cook any kind of chicken for this recipe!

Cheater Chicken Parmesan Open-faced Subs

2 c (? depending on how many servings you're making) cooked chicken: shredded or cubed
1 jar pasta sauce
1/2 c or so of bread crumbs
shredded mozzarella cheese
sandwich rolls (or loaf of french bread)

simmer the chicken in the pasta sauce until heated through. stir in the bread crumbs and simmer for a few minutes until the sauce thickens a little bit.

split open the sandwich rolls and spoon the chicken mixture onto each half of the rolls. sprinkle with shredded cheese and put under the broiler until the cheese melts and turns a little bit brown. serve open-faced and enjoy!

Sweet and Spicy Slow-Cooker Chicken

I made this meat for the 5 de Mayo lunch at work and it was a HUGE hit and super easy. I got it from Mel's Kitchen Cafe (the same place the pb recipes came from for that April birthday party)

1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 (14 ounce) can petite diced tomatoes, undrained
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Coat the inside of your crockpot with non-stick cooking spray. Place all ingredients in the crockpot. Cook on high for 4-6 hours or on low for 8-10 hours, or until chicken shreds very easily with a fork. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Chicken will absorb liquid after it is shredded.) Serve in tacos or however your little heart desires.

Since I had to bring it to work with me I was a little nervous, but it worked perfectly. My mom cooked it for me (just dumped the things in the crock pot) then put it in the fridge - pre-shredding. When I got to work I turned it on high for a little bit to warm it up then literally just wiggled a fork around in it and it fell into shred. Then I left it on warm for a few hours until we were ready to eat. All of the juice was completely absorbed (but it wasn't dry at all) and, for those of you with non-tomato eating families, you can't even tell there are tomatoes.

French Dip Sandwiches

Bryana turned me onto a meal planning website called E-Mealz.com that has super easy, family friendly recipes and corresponding shopping lists. They even have specialized meals based on different grocery store sales (not Safeway yet) and meals based on diet points, etc. Although I haven't yet signed up for the service, they allow you to print 3 sample menus from each category- I think there are like 8 or 10 categories! The first meal that I tried was from the "Any Store" menu and it was these delicious French Dip Sandwiches....

1.5lb chuck roast
1 packet onion soup mix
1 can beef broth ( i only had chicken broth so i used that instead)
1 loaf french bread ( i had french sandwich rolls on hand)
8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese (optional)

Combine beef broth and onion soup mix in crock pot. Add roast. Cook on low for 8 hours. Remove meat to slice or shred. Slice bread in half lengthwise and add beef (and shredded cheese if you want*). Slice. Serve with bowls of au jus for dipping.

* if you choose to add cheese, wrap the sandwiches in foil and heat @ 375 for 25 min to melt everything together.

Now really, wasn't that the easiest recipe ever!