Zesty Shredded Chicken

This is a copy-cat recipe I found for Cafe Rio shredded chicken. Honestly I have never had Cafe Rio shredded chicken (because if you don't get the sweet pork you are crazy), so I can't say it's comparable but I really like it, and it's so easy. We will make burritos, soft tacos or quesadillas with the meat.

Zesty Shredded Chicken
3 chicken breasts
4 oz. zesty Italian dressing
1/2 TBS minced garlic
1 pkg. ranch dressing
1/2 cup water
1/2 TBS chili powder
1/2 TBS cumin

Place all ingredients in slow cooker and cook on high for 6 hours or low for 8 hours. Shred chicken and let simmer in juice another 30 minutes. Makes 8-10 servings. 3 WW SP/8 servings

A Favorite Meal

This is not really a recipe but an idea. We love grilled chicken and in the form of chicken tenders is the best. They are a lot healthier than legs, thighs and wings and if you marinate them right, they are oh so good. And they take less time to cook than a chicken breast.  We love the Lawry's Balsamic Herb marinade. We have tried all flavors and that is our favorite, with sun dried tomato being a close runner-up. We will usually marinate the chicken all day.

One of our favorite meals is grilled chicken tenders, some pasta-roni and grilled asparagus , It is simple and so good. We usually have this a couple times a month.

Teriyaki Chicken

This recipe is AWE-some and super easy. I love slow cooker meals, I mean seriously, you put food in and you get to let it do it's thang and then eat it. Seriously so good. BTW, I got this recipe from THIS cooking website which is one of my favorites to get recipes from, she's knows her stuff.

Teriyaki Chicken
5 chicken breasts
1 and 1/2 cup water
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tsp granulated garlic (I use garlic powder)
1 tsp sesame oil (totally worth buying, found by the Asian section in the store)
3 TBS cornstarch + 4 TBS cold water

Spray the inside of your slow cooker and place the chicken in it. Combine water, brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic powder and sesame oil, stir, and pour over the chicken. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 7 hours. When the chicken is cooked through, remove and break into smaller chunks. I don't completely shred the chicken. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and cold water, stir until dissolved and pour into liquid in the slow cooker and stir together. Return the chicken to the slow cooker and mix with the sauce. Allow to cook for another 30-60 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Serve over rice with some roasted veggies on the side. 7 servings= 10 WW SP

Steel-cut Oatmeal

Steel-cut Oatmeal
2 apples, peeled, cored, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 cups fat-free milk
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup uncooked steel-cut oats
2 TBS brown sugar
1 1/2 TBS butter, cut into 5-6 pieces
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 TBS ground flax seed (optional)
1/2 tsp. salt

Put all ingredients in slow cooker and stir to blend. Using a liner makes things so easy, but if you don't, make sure to spray the inside before putting the ingredients in. Cook on low for 7 hours. Spoon oatmeal into bowls. Makes 7 3/4 cup servings. I seperate mine into containers so that the portions are all the same. The best thing about this meal is that it keeps you full for a long time. I'm not going to lie though, it takes a while to get used to the taste and texture, but after getting used to it, instant oatmeal tastes nasty and this is so much better for you.

Optional garnishes: chopped nuts, raisins, maple syrup, additional milk, butter or brown sugar.