Two More Wins

The crockpot cooking continues! This week I've had two more successful dinners. And not having to ask Daniel to cook when he gets home (which happens to coincide with at least one kid's bedtime) is nice. Unfortunately, the blog where I gleaned several of my new recipes has shut down. Luckily I had already copied these onto paper.

The first, Orange Beef Stew, is a good alternative to pot roast because the meat has no connective tissue or fat to scare meat-phobics like me away from the dish. My mother-in-law was here the afternoon we popped it in the pot, and we were so convinced the steak wouldn't defrost, cook and soften in four hours that she actually prepared something else in the meantime. But it was ready - and it was good. The spinach and water chestnuts really made the dish for me, and the orange flavor came through without overpowering. It was perfect served over rice.

Orange-Beef Stew

4-5 pounds of flank steak (cut into smaller sections, not tiny, just enough to fit into the bag, you can cut them up more after they are cooked)

2 cups orange juice

2 tablespoons of cornstarch

2 tablespoons of soy sauce

1 tablespoon of sugar

2 tablespoons of minced garlic

8 green onions chopped

Add day of cooking:

2 packages of frozen spinach

1 8 ounce can of water chesnuts

2 teaspoons of beef bouillion 

Assemble all ingredients (except spinach, water chesnuts and beef bouillion) into two freezer bags. Place in freezer. Day of cooking, place in slow cooker and add spinach, water chesnuts and beef bouillion. Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4. Serve with rice or couscous or make sandwiches. 

I was excited about the second, Healthy Mama Barbecue Chicken, because the freezer bag included the components of a homemade barbecue sauce (tomato sauce, Worcestershire, brown sugar) and vegetables. I opted for chicken breast instead of thighs and drumsticks, but Daniel requested I give the "scary meat" a try next time. The sauce was sweet and the chicken fell apart when cut along the grain with a fork, but I think it could have come out before the four-hour mark because the peppers, zucchini and onion were a tad mushy for my liking.

Healthy Mama Barbecue Chicken

3 medium unpeeled sweet potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

2 large green pepper, cut into strips

1 large red pepper, cut into strips

1 zucchini, chopped

1 medium onion, sliced

1 tablespoon quick cooking tapioca

2 pounds chicken thighs or drumsticks

1 8-ounce can of tomato sauce

2 tablespoons packed brown sugar

1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon yellow mustard (I wasn't sure if this meant actual mustard or the spice so I did a little of both)

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon salt

Dump everything into two gallon freezer bags, shake it up, seal, label and put in the freezer. The day you want to cook it, put it on the counter for 30 minutes then in the crockpot on high for 4 hours.

Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures for you. But I am glad I have one more bag of each of these in the freezer. IMPORTANT: Each recipe makes two freezer bags worth. I only cook one at a time. Unless you have an oversized crockpot, two probably would not fit anyways. Also, one bag of Orange Beef Stew could have served about four adults. Because I only put two chicken breasts in each bag of Healthy Mama Barbecue Chicken, it is really better suited for two adults. But had I followed the recipe and used thighs and drumsticks, it may have gone farther.