Weekly Obsession

I am awake at all hours of the night thanks to this little guy (more on Halloween later):

and during that time I cruise the Internet (thank goodness for iPhones!) for new ideas for recipes, crafts, home projects and more.  I decided to go ahead and share the things I have encountered that I love!
I absolutely love my crock pot!  I have used it for years, but not as much as I have recently.  Of course being a mom of a newborn I have to find ways to make dinner as simple and quick as possible so my poor husband doesn't live off of peanut butter and jelly for the next few months!  I have scoured websites for the best recipes for meals from a slow cooker and I have found some great ones.
As some of you saw, last week my beloved kitchen appliance bit the dust...or the kitchen floor rather.
Dumb and dumber, better known as Zeke and Mischa, our two 80+ pound dogs pulled it off the counter.  Let me go ahead and say that they have never done this with anything I've had in the crock pot before.  This day, they were incredibly hyper because they had not had exercise in three days, and I left the house for the second time that day.  Factor in leftover pot roast still in the crock pot from the night before (hey, I've been a little busy), and it was a recipe for disaster.
This is what I came home to:

So if anyone knows of where I can find a good home for these lunatics, let me know!  I'm kidding (sort of).
Today, I bought a new, and of course better one and have already put it to good use!

I will have to add a second "obsession" to this blog post, but it goes along with the first.  The free "All Recipes" app for the iPhone is fantastic! 

There is a button called the "Dinner Spinner", where you can choose your type of meal (breakfast, dinner, appetizer, etc.), ingredients (chicken, fish, beans, chocolate), and finally cook time OR slow cooker!  Pick you three and click View Matches, and a large list of recipes comes up! Give it a try, like I said, the app is free!

Some of my favorite slow cooker recipes:
BBQ Hawaiian Chicken
http://sixsistersstuff.blogspot.com/2011/06/crock-pot-hawaiian-bbq-chicken.html

The world's easiest pot roast (I add carrots and potatoes)
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/awesome-slow-cooker-pot-roast/detail.aspx

My own recipe for pulled beef or pork:
One beef or pork roast (usually beef...I'm from Texas!) approx 2 lbs
One white onion cut into large chunks
Your favorite BBQ sauce (I either make my own, or use one bottle of Sweet Baby Ray's)
Place it all into the crock pot and cook on high for 3-4 hours, or low for 6 (or until the meat easily falls apart)

My friend Brandy's Chicken Tacos:
-1/2 a packet of Taco Seasoning or you can use the whole packet (your preference.  I actually make my own taco seasoning because it has very little sodium)
-1 can of LOW SODIUM chicken broth
-1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes and liquid
-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
-Salt and Pepper
-1 avocado (optional)
-1/2 chopped sweet onion (optional)
-1/2 chopped or sliced red bell pepper (optional)
-Light sour cream
-Salsa
-Soft taco size tortillas or pitas

*In a large bowl or big measuring cup pour the chicken broth in and use a fork to whisk in the taco seasoning mixture.
*Spray the slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray.
(I use those Crock Pot Insert Bags and it helps so much with clean up!)
*Open the diced tomato can and pour all contents over the bottom of the slow cooker.
*Lay the chicken breasts on top of the tomatoes and pour the broth/seasoning over that.
*Cover and cook on LOW for 6 hours- chicken should fork apart easily. Just keep an eye on it towards the last hour or two and if it is too hot or cooking too fast then put your crock pot on warm.
*Use a slotted spoon to remove the cooked chicken to a large bowl and use 2 forks to shred it up. I add some salt and pepper at this point as well.
*Use the slotted spoon to get all the diced tomatoes out of the slow cooker and add to the shredded chicken. Then use a tablespoon and add about 6-8 spoonfuls of the liquid from the slow cooker to the shredded chicken bowl and stir it all up! Top with red bell pepper, avocado, onion, light sour cream, and salsa, or your favorite toppings!  So yummy!!!