Almond Butter Chicken Salad

I saw a version of this on pinterest but tweaked it to suit my purposes. This is SO good - I gave Sam a taste of my leftovers last night and he drove to the store at 9:30 at night to get more almond butter so he could have it for lunch today. I have always been kind of anti chicken salad because I hate mayo, so this was appealing to me. I also have always been afraid of the canned chicken in my cupboard, so feel free to use fresh chicken if you aren't super lazy.

Ingredients:
12 oz can of chicken (I use the ones from Costco) or about 1 1/4 c shredded chicken
1/2 cup chopped apples (or just whatever looks good)
1/2 cup chopped red grapes
7 T almond butter
1 1/2 T honey
Sliced almonds

Serves 4-5 (about 1/2 cup per serving)

Just mix it all up. It is yummy on bread, croissants, pita, or even just in a bowl with a bunch of lettuce. My only negative is that almond butter is expensive. Don't ask me if you can use peanut butter - not wanting to die, I haven't tried it. But you are welcome to. :)

Sally's Taco Salad

This recipe was contributed by Rachel Nielson.

My mother-in-law Sally has made this taco salad for years.  It is so tasty.  I've eaten it at their home countless times, but I finally made it myself the other night, and it was so easy.  

Ingredients:

-package of ground beef
-one can of Classic Stagg Chili
-tortilla chips
-one packet of Hidden Valley Ranch mix, prepared (this is the secret ingredient, I think!)
          -1 cup mayo and 1 cup milk to make the ranch
-chopped iceberg lettuce
-chopped tomato
-shredded cheddar cheese
-olives (optional)

1. Make and refrigerate the ranch.  This "homemade" ranch is so easy and sooooooo yummy--it really makes the entire salad!  Don't go with the pre-made stuff in the jar!  The ranch packets are so much better.

2. Brown the ground beef, pour off the grease, and add the can of chili.  Make sure the chili is heated through.

3.  Prepare the toppings (lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, olives, etc).

4.  Put a bed of tortilla chips on a plate, top with the beef/chili mixture, top with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, olives, and of course, the tasty ranch

YUM!

Pinapple Soy Pork Chops

 We bought a grill this week, and I am one happy woman. It is amazing how easy it is to whip up an impressive tasting meal on a grill. On Sunday, I made one of our mom's old classics and was reminded how yummy it is. Enjoy!

Pineapple Soy Pork Chops

About 4 pork chops (I use boneless because I am anti-bone, but either would work)

Soy Sauce (about 1/2 cup)

Pineapple juice (about 1 cup)

Fresh pineapple for grilling

Mix 1 part soy sauce to 2 parts pineapple juice and pour over the pork chops in a dish, baggie, tupperware, whatever. NOTE: My mom did equal parts soy sauce and juice, but I like a stronger, sweeter pineapple flavor and less salt. Play around with it until you find your favorite ratio. Marinate the pork chops for at least four hours, but the longer the better. Grill until the internal temperature is 155 degrees or white with no pink but still juicy. I like to cut fresh pineapple spears and throw those on the grill to eat with it. 

Yum!

Crockpot BBQ Chicken

Rachel found this great recipe here and Pinned it.  We've been loving it ever since!  I usually double it.  I make one batch in my crockpot and put everything for the second batch into a freezer bag.  Then I dump it into the crockpot and just cook it for a bit longer on another lazy day.  YUM!!!!


Crockpot BBQ Chicken


4-6 pieces boneless skinless chicken breasts (She throws them in frozen... even easier!)

1 bottle BBQ sauce (Sweet Baby Ray's all the way!)
1/4 c vinegar
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 c brown sugar
1/2 - 1 tsp. garlic powder

Mix BBQ sauce with all ingredients listed under it.  Place chicken in crockpot.  Pour sauce over it and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours. Toward the end you can shred it up if you would like.  Then let it cook a bit longer and use it on rolls for yummy sandwiches!  You pretty much don't even have to stir it... how easy is that!?

Cranberry Chicken

Rachel keeps telling me over and over that she's the only person ever to post on this blog anymore, so I decided to contribute something new.  If you think about it, our lack of posts should just serve to reassure you that we truly ARE lazy chefs!  We are never going to be like Rachel Ray, whose recipes in her "30 Minute Meal" cookbook take me hours to make!  Sheesh!  No experimenting in the kitchen around here!

This recipe was my favorite of the loads of freezer meals that my awesome mother-in-law made for us when my son was born.  I love my meat a little sweet.  I haven't really made it a ton since then, but last month Rachel and I did a big cooking day when we made several freezer meals in one day---once again, so we could avoid cooking for a while---and we made this meal.  It reminded me of how crazy-easy it is.  You can throw all of the ingredients in a ziploc bag or a small foil pan in the freezer, or you could make it fresh.  Either way, it's yummy and great served over rice.

Cranberry Chicken

Chicken Breasts (4 - 6 or more....depends on how much sauce you want)

1 can whole cranberry sauce
1 package dry onion soup mix
8 ounces catalina dressing

Mix ingredients together.  Pour over chicken.  Bake for 1 - 1 1/2 hours at 350 degrees.  (Depending on whether or not it's totally thawed.  I usually bake it for an hour.)  Serve over rice.