Dinner

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Crock Pot Flank Steak Fajitas - Fix Approved!

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Would you believe I had never cooked flank steak in the crock pot before? I even texted my mom to ask her if that is something people do...then I remembered this little thing called GOOGLE and I ended up finding cooking times online and decided to go for it! It turned out soooo good, way better than the chewy mess it is when I grill it. :)

What You Need (Feeds 2):
1 lb Flank Steak
2 Bell Peppers (1 green and 1 red are my preference), sliced
1/2 Onion, sliced
2 Tomatoes on the Vine, cut into 6 wedges
1 TBSP + 2 tsp Southwest Seasoning (see below) 
 

Mmm...those tomatoes were my fav.

With 4 hours left, I started throwing in my veggies.


 

Preparation: 
1. Rub both sides of the Flank Steak with 1 TBSP Southwest Seasoning.
2. Place in crockpot and set on LOW for 8 hours. (No cooking liquid is needed, it will make its own juices)
3. Mix your veggies with the remaining seasoning, set aside in fridge for later. When there are about 4 hours left, throw in your veggies.  (If you will not be home, it is ok to put them in on step 2.)
4. Shred the steak and serve with your favorite fajita toppings!  
 

 

 

Again, this fed two of us, next time, I will get a larger piece of meat because it shrunk up A LOT in the crock pot. 

I had 3/4 cup steak, 1 cup of fajita veggies on 2 corn tortillas with a tbsp of cheese.  That is 1 red, 1 green, 1 yellow & 1/4 blue for my Fix family.

I had a side salad as well and topped it with my extra meat (that didn't fit on my tortillas), a little cheese, avocado and my favorite Bolthouse Yogurt Ranch. 

Southwest Seasoning

2 tbsp chili powder
4 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp coriander
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp sea salt

Mix all the seasonings together and put in a sealed container, it should make enough to have some left for other recipes! It is really great on anything, I use it in my burgers too! 

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Crockpot Chicken Fajitas

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I love Mexican food. Any kind.  I could seriously eat Mexican every day of the week in some form or another...it probably isn't a coincidence that Margaritas are my favorite drink too! Which, by the way, don't forget to check back on Cinco De Mayo for my Skinny Margarita recipe! 

These fajitas were really good and I doubled the amount of chicken from what the original recipe called for so that we could have extra for tonight's dinner! 

Crockpot Chicken Fajitas

Prep Time: 20 min.
Cooking Time: 2-5 hours (just depends)

What you need:

1 (14.5-oz.) can diced tomatoes (or diced tomatoes with green chiles), no salt added
1 medium onion, cut into quarters, sliced
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into strips
1 medium green bell pepper, cut into strips
1 medium orange bell pepper, cut into strips
3 tsp. ground chile powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. ground black pepper
3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
2 lb. raw chicken breast, boneless, skinless, sliced

Optional: 
8 6-inch whole wheat flour tortillas, warm OR 4 cups romaine or bib lettuce (for salads) 
½ cup fresh tomato salsa
8 tsp. low-fat (1%) plain Greek yogurt
½ medium avocado, sliced
Finely chopped cilantro

Preparation:
1. Place tomatoes, onion, bell peppers, chile powder, cumin, pepper, and lime juice in a 3-quart slow cooker; mix well.
2. Add chicken; cook, covered, on low temperature for 4 to 5 hours (or on high or 2 to 3 hours), stirring once or twice, until chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender.
3. Evenly divide mixture between tortillas or onto lettuce for salads. Top evenly with salsa, yogurt, avocado, and cilantro.

For mine, I didn't use the greek yogurt or the tortillas (obviously), instead we made ours into big mouth watering salads!

For the salad:
2 cups lettuce & fajita veggies
3/4 chicken
toppings....

That left us enough chicken for salads tonight and just enough to make the kids some quesadillas from it.  I topped my salad with tomatoes, salsa, cheese and avocado. 

If you make yours like mine and are part of my Fix family: 2 greens (mix of fajita veggies & lettuce/tomato), 1 red, 1 blue. 

If you make them according to the recipe and use the tortillas it would be: 2 green, 1 red, 1,5 yellow, .5 blue. 

 

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Southwest Burgers

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Southwest Burgers.  Don't worry, they are not spicy, they are just a perfectly seasoning burger, although adding some fresh jalapeños sounds amazing! 

This is a staple in our house, we probably eat them 3 weeks out of the month! I love them topped with homemade guac or even plain! 

When I made these, I double up! I love to individually wrap these bad boys and keep them in the freezer for my weekday lunches or quick dinners! Have you guys learned by now, I have to simplify meals?! 
 

What you need:
2 lb 93/7 or 94/6 Lean Ground Beef
2 tbsp Southwest Seasoning
2 tbsp water
2 tbsp mustard

1. Put all ingredients into a bowl except for the ground beef, stir them together.
2. Add ground beef, mix well by hand.
3. Make your patties (I make 7 4oz patties for Aaron and I, then 2 2oz, for the kids). I am a fan of measuring and using my burger press. You do not need these items though. 
4. Place burgers on grill or heated grill pan. Press thumb into middle of burger, this helps them cook evenly & not plump up, do not smash the burger with your spatula or you squeeze out the juices.  
5. I cook about 10 minutes, flipping 1/2 way through.  You can cook until your desired doneness. 
6. Throw on your favorite toppings and enjoy OR wrap them and freeze!

And if you have not learned by now, this seasoning is a must have in your kitchen at all time! You will see it on my blog often!

Southwest Seasoning:
2 TBSP chili powder
4 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp coriander
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried oregno
1 tsp paprika
2 tsp sea salt

Mix seasonings together and put in a container, there should be some left after you season the chicken! I use this seasoning for taco meat, chicken, anything really! 

For my Fix Family, this burger is 1 red! 

Chicken & Broccoli Mac

Well, it may be a new year, but that doesn't mean my kids have made a resolution to eat better! I try, but seriously, my son is so picky. I mean, we didn't have the best eating habits the first few years of his life, so I can't blame him.  He saw broccoli on his plate tonight and cried before he even let me explain to him that all I wanted was for him to try ONE bite. ONE. Stinking. Bite. There was more of a meltdown and then we got through it. 

And lately, my toddler has decided that she is no longer a meat eater. Not to mention, anything she chews that she doesn't want anymore, she spits it out...onto your hand, onto the floor, on the table, wherever, really. 

So I knew when making (in my opinion) the best healthy versions of Mac N Cheese I have had that they would beg to differ. Being the amazing mom (haha) that I am, I opted to not mix the broccoli in until after I made their plates.  

Both loved what they ate, even if there were tons of veggies left on the plate (and chicken for the toddler)!  The husband is a fan of this meal, so no complaints from him.  I opted for salad for dinner tonight, feeling a little carb loaded at the moment. 

It is a recipe from the Fixate cookbook however, I have had to modify the original due to my son's tree nut allergy.  Plus, I use a rotisserie chicken to simplify my life. So here is my version!

UPDATED: Finally! It only took almost a year from this original post to get my son to eat this WITH the broccoli in it. I set a small serving on a plate in front of him and told him he had to eat every bite and if he did, he could have a quesadilla or pbj. It worked! I did it two times now and he ate it all both times. Remember, it takes 10 exposures to a food before someone can acquire a taste for it or even want to try it...so keep placing the food in front of those picky eaters as often as you can.

Macaroni & Cheese w/ Broccoli & Chicken
{{Recipe: Adapted from Fixate Cookbook}}
Serves 8 (1 1/2C each) 

What you need: 
4oz. dry whole wheat macaroni
4tsp. organic grass fed butter (or you can use coconut oil instead) 
2TBSP. unbleached whole wheat flour
1 1/2C skim milk (or almond milk, which is used in original recipe)
1 1/4C freshly extra sharp cheddar
3C chopped rotisserie chicken breast, skin removed (or bake your own chicken breast)
6C chopped broccoli florets
1tsp. sea salt
1/2tsp. ground black pepper

Your roux should look like this...cheesy goodness! 

1. Cook macaroni per the box (do not add extra salt or oil). Set aside.
2. Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat.
3. Add flour; cook, whisking constantly, for 1 minute, or until brown (don’t let it burn).
4. Slowly whisk in skim milk; cook, whisking constantly, for 1-2 min, or until mixture thickens & there are no lumps.
. Reduce heat to low. Add cheese; cook, whisking constantly, for 2-3 min, or until melted. 
6. Add chicken, noodles, broccoli, salt & pepper; cook, stirring constantly, for 1 min, or until heated through.
7. Serve & enjoy!! 

For my Fix family, this one counts as 1 green, 1 yellow, 1/2 red, 1/2 blue

The final product. 

Wishing you all a happy and healthy New Year!