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!

Crock Pot Pork Chops

4-5 small pork chops
1/2 chopped onion
4-6 small apples or 3 -4 large Apples, Peeled & Chopped into small pieces
3 Tbsp of butter
1/4 Cup of brown sugar
Few splashes of OJ
Few shakes of Cinnamon and Nutmeg

Sear the pork in a hot pan. Brown outside to seal in moisture. Transfer into crock pot. Add fresh apples, chopped onion, brown sugar, orange juice,butter, seasonings, salt & pepper. Cook for 2-4 hours. Cook side of garlic mashed potatoes if you can.