slow cooker

The big kids and I have been in San Diego this past week, which is why I haven’t had time to blog. We’re finally getting back into our usual routine, and back on east coast time. My kids go back to school the day after Labor Day so we’ll be working on getting back on our (horribly early) morning schedule next week. I know many of your kids are already back at school. With that being said, the make ahead meals I’ve been posting on here are a great way to eliminate dinner time stress and make your life easier. Here’s a tasty recipe to try next week. If you’re from the mid-west like me, you’ve had your share of broccoli cheese casserole over the years. This is a healthier, vegan version, but the result is just as tasty and comforting as you remember. Happy Eating!

Recipe adapted from: Whatvegankidseat.com

Yesterday I threw this delicious bag of frozen goodness into our crockpot and dinner was practically done. Now if I can just break down and buy an instant pot to cook my brown rice, things would be even quicker. Anyway, back to the recipe. The key to its tastiness is the homemade teriyaki sauce recipe you’ll find below. It was sweet, salty and delicious. The recipe comes to you from What Vegan Kids Eat, a great place to find healthy vegan recipes your whole family will love!

As you can see, it goes great with my favorite La Croix!

Happy Cooking!

🙂 Erin

I thought it might be helpful to make a post for each freezer meal we made, in case some of you found the idea of making fourteen meals at once pretty daunting.

Last night, I “cooked” the black bean fajitas that my husband prepared on Tuesday. You can find the details below with a link to the official recipe page. Basically, it’s a mix of beans, peppers and onions that you can serve for dinner any way you’d like. If any of you have made Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken in the past where you throw some frozen chicken breasts, a jar of salsa and taco seasoning in the crock pot and call it a day, think of this as the vegetarian version. You can serve them as black bean fajitas, nachos, tacos or just put them on top of brown rice, which is what we did. We also sliced up some lettuce, avocado and tomato to put on top. The flavor was sweeter than I expected, but it was really delicious. I was nervous the kids wouldn’t eat it because of all the red peppers and onions, but they all devoured it quickly. A meal that all three of them will eat?! Where am I right now? This meal is definitely a keeper. If I had it to do over again, I’d double or even triple the recipe to make it last longer. Ours was pretty much gone in one sitting. Hope your family likes it too!

Black Bean Fajitas/Tacos/Bowls-Quick and Dirty Version (You know how I like it.)

Ingredients

3 Bell Peppers-any color, or omit them altogether

and just add more beans-buy frozen peppers to save $$

1 Small Onion-chopped

1 can Black Beans-15 oz.

2 cloves Garlic, minced or 2 T pre-minced

1 tablespoon Honey

1 tablespoon Apple Cider Vingar

1 tablespoon Chili powder

2 teaspoons Cumin

1 teaspoon Paprika

1/4 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper

Directions

Throw all those ingredients in a crockpot or gallon freezer bag. When you’re ready to cook, let it simmer in there on low for 6-8 hours or if suddenly it’s 2 pm and you realize you forgot to start cooking, I learned that it can also cook on high for 3-4 hours. If you’re cooking this from freezing, there is no need to thaw it before tossing it in.

Tips: If you’re feeling carnivorous, feel free to throw in some frozen/thawed chicken breasts to the crockpot at the same time as everything else, or add in some cooked ground beef 10 minutes before serving.

🙂 Erin