Crock Pot Hawaiian Haystacks

It's so easy, and you can make this meal as simple or as elegant as you want! Yum!

Crock Pot Hawaiian Haystacks
1 1/2 cups uncooked rice
2 cans condensed cream of chicken
1/2 package frozen broccoli
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Salt to taste

Optional topping ideas:
Chow mein noodles
Diced tomatoes
Coconut
Shredded chicken

Canned pineapple

Cook the rice with 3 cups water, and salt to taste, in the crock pot on High for about 1.5 hours. When the rice is cooked, add cream of chicken, broccoli, and cheese. Stir it together and set crock pot to "warm" until you're ready to eat it. Top it how you want, or eat it as is. Enjoy! :)

Cafe Rio Style Chicken Salad

I have a new favorite meal!!!!!! This one takes the cake, it was sooooo good!!! Let me teach you how to make this knock-off Cafe Rio Chicken Salad, so you can enjoy it too!!

Cilantro Lime Rice
2 cups uncooked white rice
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
4 cups water
1/4 cup lime juice
1 Tbsp dried cilantro
Salt to taste

In a large pot on the stove top, heat the oil and slightly fry the rice in it. Then pour in the water and other ingredients. Cover and let it boil until the water is all absorbed and the rice is tender (add more water if necessary). Stir well and remove from heat.

This is the bottom layer of your salad.

The next layer is a can of Seasoned Black Beans. Drain it and heat it in a small pot on the stove.

Now for the chicken. I got the recipe from Mandy's Recipe Box, and I wouldn't change a thing. It was perfect!

Cafe Rio Chicken
2 lbs chicken breasts
1 cup zesty Italian dressing
1 packet ranch dressing mix (mixed with 1/2 cup water)
1/2 Tbsp minced garlic
1/2 Tbsp ground cumin
1/2 Tbsp chili powder

Place all ingredients in crock pot and cook on High 5-6 hours. Shred with fork.

Top the salad with romaine lettuce, shredded cheddar cheese, and ranch dressing. Voila!! A delicious homemade meal, healthier and less expensive than eating out at Cafe Rio/Costa Vida (which might I add are my very FAVORITE restaurants). Try it. Love it. Yum!!!

Cafe Rio Style Chicken Salad
Cilantro Lime rice
Seasoned Black beans
Cafe Rio style chicken
Romaine lettuce
Shredded cheddar cheese
Ranch dressing

Layer it, in that order. Try adding a tortilla, tortilla chips, salsa, avocado, whatever you want! Enjoy!!! :) :)

Spicy Crock Pot Mac and Cheese

Here's tonight's dinner! Delicioso!!

Spicy Crock Pot Mac and Cheese
1 lb elbow macaroni
2 cups cheddar cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese
2 tbsp butter, melted
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies, drained
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook the macaroni according to package instructions, then drain. Dump in the crock pot with all other ingredients. Season generously with salt and pepper, and stir. Cook on low for about an hour, then set to "warm" until you're ready to eat it (if you don't wanna use the crock pot, cook it all in a pan in the oven for about half hour at 350). Super easy, fun twist on the regular American dish! Sure to please the whole fam.

**Optional: If you're in the mood for something meatier, throw in some ground beef! Yum! :)

Crock Pot Cheeseburger Rice

Crock Pot Cheeseburger Rice
1 1/2 C uncooked rice
3 C water
1 lb ground beef, cooked
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies
1/2 C onion, diced
2 C cheddar cheese

Montreal steak seasoning, to taste
Cook the rice and water in the crock pot, about 1.5 hours on High. Stir in all other ingredients and let it sit on "warm" until you are ready to eat it. Yummm :)

Best Crock Pot Mexican Casserole ever!

This easy recipe will make you feel so good about yourself. Everyone who eats it will call you the best cook of all time!

Okay so it's possible I'm exaggerating a tiny bit, but seriously, this stuff is GOOD. And I'm super proud of it. :) The meat adds a lot, but for a quicker version (or a vegetarian version) you can leave it out and still have a delicious, high-protein meal!

Crock Pot Mexican Casserole
1 1/2 cups uncooked rice
1 can kidney beans
1 can black beans
1 can corn
1 packet taco seasoning
1 Tbsp minced onion
1 cup salsa (your favorite kind)
8 oz sour cream
8 oz shredded cheese (any kind)
1 lb cooked ground beef OR cooked shredded chicken (optional)

Stick rice in the crock pot, set to "high," with 3 cups water. Cook for about 1 1/2 hours.

Set crock pot to "warm." Dump all other ingredients into crock pot. Mix, and let it all warm up together for a couple hours. Serves well with tortilla chips!

Seriously guys, it's so easy. And SO. YUMMY. Enjoy!

Crock Pot Ribs

So, in my post about my Super Bowl Meal a while back, I mentioned that I made baby back ribs.  But I never told you how!  Secret- it is the EASIEST thing in the world and they are so so so good.

Crock Pot Ribs


Get some raw pork ribs from the grocery store.  I prefer baby back.  But rib tips are also really good.  Put a little bit of oil in the crock pot, just enough to cover the bottom completely.  Then put your ribs in.  Then, fill the crock pot with coke.  Yes, just regular old coke!  Until the ribs are submersed.  Then pour a bunch of BBQ sauce in as well!  Depending on how many ribs you have, it usually needs to cook about 4 hours.  They are ready when they are nice and juicy and tender- easy to cut, but not quite falling off the bone.

Put them on a platter and drown them in more BBQ sauce.  My favorite- Chipotle sauce!  My 2nd favorite- Famous Dave's Rich & Sassy.  You can buy both of those sauces at Wal Mart.

They are so easy and so delicious!  Now go try it and enjoy!!!

Beef, Pork, Chicken, Mmmm!

Name that line!  Anyone?  Anyone?  Let me help you: Disney's.... Mulan!  :-)

So here's a poll:  which of those three meats is YOUR favorite?

I grew up on Pork Roast.  We had it every Sunday.  And then we ate chicken with just about everything else.  Then of course there was turkey and ham on the holidays, and the occasional barbecue of hot dogs and hamburgers.

But I realized the other day that none of those things is beef!  Weird!  Of course I have had beef before, but it was not something I grew up with much at all.  Anyway, I went to Lee's the other day to buy a pork roast, and all of their Pork Roasts were ginormous, and I was only cooking for two people.  So I looked over and saw Beef roasts!  I had never had a beef roast before, but decided to try it.

I am converted.  Totally, and fully converted.  Beef roast.  Why did I have such a shortage of beef in my childhood?!  I love it love it love it!  Brock pointed out that it makes sense that I love the beef roast more- at restaurants I always order the steak.  And I love ground beef so much in tacos and soup.  And Roast Beef is hands down my favorite lunch meat on a sandwich.  And hamburgers are just delicious.  Plus, beef is totally healthier than pork.

So there's my story of my conversion to Beef over Pork.  It is so delicious!  And now let me share with you the easiest way to cook a delicious roast!


Crock pot!!

Add some oil and some water, and put the roast in it.

Add a bunch of salt and pepper, and season the whole thing (I like Italian Seasoning the best).

Cook on low for longer time; that helps it cook more evenly.

So delicious!  You can also add red potatoes and carrots in the crock pot with it if you want to make a full meal out of it.  It is so easy and healthy and not very expensive and super tasty!  Bueno!