Cilantro Lime Chicken [crockpot meal]

This meal is one I found on this website. It sounds very tasty, but I have to admit that I haven't tasted it. I have it in my freezer, ready to make, and I'll see about updating this when I get it made. But, here's the recipe!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds of chicken breast
juice from 2 limes
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

1 (16 oz) bag frozen corn
2 minced garlic cloves
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp cumin 

salt and pepper to taste

- See more at: http://octobersmorning.blogspot.com/2012/10/freezer-meal-exchange.html#sthash.KVzz9qvW.dpuf

1 1/2 pounds of chicken breast
juice from 2 limes
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

1 (16 oz) bag frozen corn
2 minced garlic cloves
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp cumin 

salt and pepper to taste

- See more at: http://octobersmorning.blogspot.com/2012/10/freezer-meal-exchange.html#sthash.KVzz9qvW.dpuf

1 1/2 pounds of chicken breast
juice from 2 limes
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

1 (16 oz) bag frozen corn
2 minced garlic cloves
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp cumin 

salt and pepper to taste

- See more at: http://octobersmorning.blogspot.com/2012/10/freezer-meal-exchange.html#sthash.KVzz9qvW.dpuf

1 1/2 pounds of chicken breast
juice from 2 limes
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

1 (16 oz) bag frozen corn
2 minced garlic cloves
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp cumin 

salt and pepper to taste

- See more at: http://octobersmorning.blogspot.com/2012/10/freezer-meal-exchange.html#sthash.KVzz9qvW.dpuf

1 1/2 lb chicken breast
juice from 2 limes
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
1 (16 oz) bag frozen corn
2 minced garlic cloves
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 pounds of chicken breast
juice from 2 limes
1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

1 (16 oz) bag frozen corn
2 minced garlic cloves
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp cumin 

salt and pepper to taste

- See more at: http://octobersmorning.blogspot.com/2012/10/freezer-meal-exchange.html#sthash.KVzz9qvW.dpuf

Place all ingredients in a resealable gallon-sized freezer bag. Mix together and zip bag closed.

When ready to eat, remove from freezer and thaw in fridge for 24 hours. Cook on LOW for 8 hours (or HIGH for 4 hours).

Serve with tortillas and your favorite toppings (sour cream, guacamole, salsa, and cheese).

Things happen when you cook...

I was making Pad Thai tonight, and was only going to be using parts of a yellow and red pepper, so I picked up some broccoli as well so I'll have some veggies ready for a stir fry. So, as I was cutting things up tonight, I cut up the rest of the peppers and broccoli and put it in a container for later. I don't like to waste time, and I love having veggies cut and ready, because I'm hungry after work, and don't like to have to spend time on that before I eat!

So, as I was cooking and cutting some things for the Pad Thai, and cutting up the extra veggies for stir fry (meal #2), I kept cutting and prepped a crock pot meal for another rainy day when I want some real food but don't want to work hard for it (meal #3). All of that cutting led to a bit of a mess...

But one thing I love about cooking is all of the color... While this onion made me cry like a little baby, it was beautiful! There were lots of colors in my kitchen tonight!

No worries, though - kitchen is clean, and three meals are prepped and ready to go. I would call that a successful evening!

Pad Thai

I have had a love affair with Pad Thai for several years now, but have never attempted to make it. My friend was excited to tell me that she found a good recipe for it a few months ago, and I LOVED it! So, here it is!

Ingredients:
1T soy sauce
1T water
1T creamy peanut butter
1T packed brown sugar
1T cider vinegar
2T canola oil
1t minced garlic
1t minced ginger

1/4c chopped green onions
1/3c thinly sliced red and yellow bell pepper EACH
1/4lb Fettuccine noodles
12 medium cooked shrimp (or chicken)
Lime wedges (for garnish)
Cilantro Leaves (for garnish
Crushed red pepper to taste

Instructions:
In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, water, peanut butter, brown sugar, and vinegar until smooth; set aside.

Heat a large wok over medium-high heat, add canola oil. When oil is hot, add garlic and ginger; let cook until fragrant (about 1 minute). Add the green onions and bell peppers and stir-fry about 2 minutes. Add the cooked noodles and meat and toss to coat.

Serve Pad Thai garnished with lime, cilantro, and crushed red pepper.


Notes:
*I used about 1/2 lb of noodles, but I do think that either doubling the sauce ingredients or sticking to less noodles. The recipe had more flavor when my friend made it for me, and it's probably because of the sauce-noodle ratio. (I will probably double the sauce ingredients, because these are going to make really good left overs)
* I used 1/2t of ground ginger instead of minced ginger. This worked fine for me, and may work better for you, since most people don't keep ginger root on hand.
*I like it a little spicy, so I was more generous with the red pepper than some people might be, but the great part is that you can add it at the end, so it can be added based on each person's preference. We also added Sriracha. This is so yummy and adds a great flavor to the dish.