Magic Muffin Mix

I found a neat recipe on Pinterest called Magic Muffin Mix. It's a basic muffin recipe that can be made into banana walnut muffins, blueberry muffins, lemon poppyseed muffins, or chocolate chip muffins. What I really like about it is it's healthy. It uses whole wheat flour, egg whites, applesauce, and stevia.

I still have blueberries that I bought from Bountiful Baskets a couple weeks ago, so today I made blueberry muffins. I only had 1/2 c. of Truvia, so that's all I used. I think maybe it could have used a little more, but they still tasted good with only 1/2 c. I know Truvia is stevia based, but it's not straight stevia, so if you have stevia, you will probably want to use a full cup as stated in the original recipe.

The original post is a really cute printable with pictures, so I definitely recommend clicking the link printing it off! It's way cuter than anything I could come up with!

Magic Muffin Mix

from Undressed Skeleton

Basic Muffin Mix:

1 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. stevia (or 1/2-3/4 c. Truvia)
1 Tbs. vanilla
1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp. baking soda
2 egg whites

Add-ins for Blueberry Muffins:

1 c. blueberries
2 Tbs. brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350°. Mix together stevia or Truvia, vanilla, applesauce, egg whites, and brown sugar. Slowly mix in flour and baking soda. Gently fold in blueberries. Line muffin cups with liners and fill 3/4 full. Bake 15-25 minutes (mine took 25). Makes 8-9 muffins.

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've been making snickerdoodles since I was in the 5th grade, but for some reason, I could never get chocolate chip cookies to turn out. They always turned out flat and hard. I gave up trying for several years, and just stuck to making other cookies. My husband loves chocolate chip cookies, so on occasion, I would buy refrigerated dough and bake it for him. Some time last year I decided I should probably try to make chocolate chip cookies again. I found this recipe on allrecipes.com and wow! Not only did they turn out, but they really are the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever had. Now I make them regularly.

Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

from allrecipes.com

1 c. butter, softened
1 c. white sugar
1 c. packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
3 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. hot water
1/2 tsp. salt
2 c. semisweet chocolate chips
1 c. chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°. Cream together butter and both sugars until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then mix in vanilla. Dissolve baking soda in hot water, then add to batter. Add salt and mix well. Add flour and mix well, then stir in chocolate chips and walnuts. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake 10 minutes or until edges start to turn golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool, but be sure to eat at least one warm cookie while the chocolate chips are still good and gooey.

Slow Cooker Spaghetti Squash

I was really excited to see a spaghetti squash in my Bountiful Basket this week. I'd never had spaghetti squash before and I'm always happy to try something new. I hadn't given much thought to how I was going to cook it when someone shared a link on the BB facebook page about cooking spaghetti squash in a slow cooker. I couldn't believe my luck! To me, cooking something in the slow cooker is almost like not having to cook. You throw ingredients in the pot, turn it on, and a few hours later you have dinner.

This is more of a cooking method than a recipe. After the squash is done cooking in the slow cooker, you can serve it however you want. They say you can use any sauce you'd normally use on pasta. I went fairly simple and just topped it with butter, parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. I thought it was delicious! I hope to get more spaghetti squash in the future so I can try some other variations. I also hope to try cooking other winter squash in the slow cooker. I saw a recipe somewhere for acorn squash in the slow cooker (it was an actual recipe with seasonings) so I definitely want to try that out!

Slow Cooker Spaghetti Squash

from about.com

1 spaghetti squash (pick one that will fit whole in your slow cooker)
2 c. water

Pour water into slow cooker. With a large fork or skewer, poke holes in spaghetti squash. Place in slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 8-9 hours. Split, remove seeds, and scrape strands into a serving dish. Serve as desired.

Piña Colada Pops

I've gotten a lot of pineapples from Bountiful Baskets lately and I've been trying to think of something different to do with them. As I was flipping through the new Weight Watchers magazine I saw these and just had to try them! I love frozen fruit as a treat when it's hot.

The recipe says to dip the pineapple spears into pineapple juice before rolling it in coconut, but my pineapple was really juicy and the coconut seemed to stick just fine, so I didn't bother with that step. You might try it if you have trouble getting the coconut to stick to the pineapple.

Piña Colada Pops

1 pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into 8 spears
3/4 c. shredded coconut, toasted
8 popsicle sticks

Insert sticks into ends of pineapple spears. Roll each one in coconut and place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper. Freeze for at least 2 hours.

Pizza Mac & Cheese

This dish is not pretty. It's not fancy. It's not what I would call healthy. It's easy, yummy, and my toddler gobbles it up. If that's the sort of food you like, read on! I can't remember where I got the recipe, but I think it was from a Taste of Home cookbook, most likely Fast Fixes with Mixes. I've been making it for a long time now. I usually reserve it for lunch or dinner when it's just me and the kiddo. My husband doesn't love pizza as much as I do, so I don't think he'd be much of a fan of this.

Pizza Mac & Cheese

1 box macaroni and cheese + ingredients to prepare
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. basil
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 oz. (about 17 slices) turkey pepperoni
1/4 c. shredded mozzarella

Prepare macaroni and cheese according to package directions. I use the lower fat instructions, but that's up to you. Add tomato sauce, oregano, basil, garlic powder, pepperoni, and mozzarella. Return to low heat and cook until heated through.

Banana "Ice Cream"

I'm pretty sure I found a new addiction last night so I had to share it! It's pretend ice cream made from whipped frozen bananas. If you don't like bananas, you won't like this, but I happen to love bananas. One of my favorite things about the new Weight Watchers program is that bananas (and all other fruit) are 0 points. So to eat this "ice cream" the only points I have to count are for the Nutella or peanut butter. If I don't add any of that, I can have a treat for 0 points! I love it!

The original recipe says to use peanut butter and Dutch process cocoa. I just threw in Nutella instead, but I think the peanut butter and cocoa would be yummy too, so I'll probably try that out tonight. I also halved the recipe, and it made plenty for two people. I think you could safely figure on needing one banana per serving.

First, you have to slice and freeze the bananas. I had cut some bananas into chunks and stuck them in the freezer to use for smoothies and they worked just fine, although the original recipe suggests using thinner slices. Once they're frozen you throw them in a food processor and blend away. I have a Ninja Kitchen System and it chopped up those frozen bananas into itty bitty pieces in no time. After that I had a hard time getting the bananas into the whipped stage. The chunks kept getting pressed against the bottom and sides of the blender. Finally I tried using the middle speed instead of the high one, and voila! It whipped my bananas right up. If your food processor gives you grief, just scrape the sides and keep trying, playing around with the speed a little.

Banana "Ice Cream"

adapted from Use Real Butter

2 bananas, sliced and frozen
1 Tbs. Nutella (optional)

Put frozen banana slices in food processor and process until smooth and creamy, like a soft serve ice cream. If desired, add Nutella and blend well. 

This Week's Basket

It was another awesome week for Bountiful Baskets! I'll be out of town next weekend so I'm glad I got a lot of stuff. Hopefully it will last a couple weeks until I can get another basket!

This week my basket included potatoes, mushrooms, cucumbers, romaine lettuce, spaghetti squash, plums, apricots, grapes, pineapple, watermelon, and bananas. I know I haven't been very consistent with my posts lately, and I know you need recipes before your produce goes bad, so I thought today I could include a few links for recipes I don't have on my blog.

Potatoes: potato salad, funeral potatoes, or fried potatoes with bacon

Mushrooms: deep fried mushrooms, kabobs, or sauteed mushrooms (yummy on steak)

Cucumbers: cucumbers in vinegar, various salads, or slice and eat with veggie dip

Romaine lettuce: green salad or grilled romaine

Spaghetti squash: cook in slow cooker and serve with pasta sauce (I can't wait to try this!)

Plums: plum-apple butter (I have made this and it's really good) or plum buckle (I think I'll make this this week)

Apricots: apricot freezer jam (use this recipe but use apricots instead of strawberries or use half of each)

Grapes: grape salad (I have a recipe but it's a family recipe and I can't share it, so use this one) or freeze and eat (so yummy when it's hot)

Pineapple: cut into chunks and eat, grill, or cut into spears, roll in toasted coconut, and freeze

Watermelon: cut into chunks and eat

Bananas: banana "ice cream" or frozen banana bites (careful, these are addicting)

Copycat Primanti Brothers Coleslaw

Make this and serve it on a Copycat Primanti Brothers Sandwich!

Copycat Primanti Brothers Coleslaw

adapted from food.com

1 package coleslaw mix OR 1 head green cabbage, shredded + 1 carrot, shredded
1 onion, thinly sliced
1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
6 Tbs. sugar
4 Tbs. vegetable oil (do not use olive oil)
salt and pepper to taste

Combine vinegar, sugar, and oil in small saucepan. Heat over medium, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and add salt and pepper. Cool completely. In large bowl, combine coleslaw (or green cabbage and carrot) and onion. Pour vinegar mixture over coleslaw and stir until well combined. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

Copycat Primanti Brothers Sandwich

I've never been to Pennsylvania. Therefore, I've never been to Primanti Brothers in Pittsburgh. But the Travel Channel has, and I've seen the famed Primanti Brothers sandwiches on at least three different shows. They always look so delicious. After seeing a similar sandwich from another restaurant on tv earlier this week, my husband asked if I would try to make one. What is a Primanti Brothers sandwich? It's a delicious sandwich on Italian bread with french fries and coleslaw on the sandwich. Seriously, how can that be bad? Let me tell you my friends, it is so, so good. And all I have to go off is my copycat version. I'm sure the real thing is so much more amazing, because the real thing always is.

This is quite a bit more work than your average sandwich, but you don't want to eat this every day for work. Your thighs would not thank you for that. For a rare treat, it's awesome. Just do a little prep work and you'll be good to go. I made the coleslaw first, then started working on the french fries. While the fries were cooking (I even went the extra mile and blanched them first!) I sliced the bread and tomatoes and made individual piles of meat. Just as the fries were finishing, I threw the piles of meat into a frying pan and warmed them up, then topped each one with cheese and let it melt. I put the meat and cheese onto slices of bread, then let everyone finish their own sandwiches. I went to all the extra work of blanching the fries, heating the meat, and warming the cheese because a review of the recipe I found said that's how it's done at Primanti Brothers. The recipe is for one sandwich, so it basically gives you an idea of how much of everything to add to each sandwich.

Copycat Primanti Brothers Sandwich

adapted from food.com

2 slices Italian bread
5-6 slices deli meat (we used ham, turkey, and roast beef)
2 slices provolone cheese
1/4 c. Copycat Primanti Brothers Coleslaw
2 slices tomatoes
1 c. hot french fries
mayo

Warm meat in skillet. Top with cheese and melt. Spread mayo on one slice of bread, then add meat and cheese, coleslaw, tomatoes, and french fries. Top with remaining piece of bread. Enjoy!

Roast Chicken

A few days ago my husband and I decided we wanted to smoke a couple chickens. Unfortunately after I put them in the brine, the wind started howling. It's kind of pain to keep the heat up in our smoker when the wind is blowing, so we didn't want to mess with that, but I'd already put the chickens in the brine so I needed to cook them. I decided to just toss them in the oven and roast them. It turned out to be super easy and the chicken came out moist! It didn't really have a ton of flavor because I didn't load it with spices, but it just tasted like good chicken.

I wanted to share it with you because it's a great way to get yummy meat that you can use in a lot of other dishes. At my local grocery store whole chickens are almost always 99 cents a pound if you buy a package of two chickens. I paid like $11.00 for two chickens. Even if we invite family over, we almost always have one whole chicken left to cut up and save for leftovers. You can turn it into chicken sandwiches, chicken salad, chicken tacos, chicken caesar salad, chicken noodle soup, or chicken pot pie, just to name a few ideas.

I am a big fan of brine. You can find articles that explain the science of how it works, or just take my word for it that it works. It makes the meat tender and delicious. A few years ago I brined a turkey for Thanksgiving and it was the best turkey I've ever had (except my uncle's smoked turkey, of course). Every year since we've brined our Thanksgiving turkeys and when we got a smoker and started smoking chickens, we brined them too. A brine usually includes water, salt, sugar, and various other spices. You mix it up and submerge the bird. Turkeys need to sit in the brine for at least 8 hours, but chickens only need 4-6 hours. The most difficult thing about brining is finding a container large enough to fit the birds and all the liquid. For chickens, I use a 40-cup Rubbermaid rectangular container I bought at Wal-Mart. I can fit one gallon of brine and two chickens in it and still fit the lid on it, which is nice because it keeps me from spilling it when I move it from the counter to the fridge. If you have a large stock pot, that would work too. Just make sure you can fit it in your fridge.

If we had smoked these chickens I would have made a dry rub to put on them after I took them out of the brine, but since we were roasting these ones, I went simple and just rubbed olive oil, salt, and pepper on them. I put half an onion and a few whole cloves of garlic in the cavity of each bird. That's it! I didn't bother to truss them. I read an article that said a chicken will cook more quickly and evenly if you don't truss it. Since I'm lazy anyway that was all the excuse I needed not to do it. If you want to make your bird look pretty, I'll let you google how to truss a bird.

Roast Chicken

1 gallon cold water
3/4 c. kosher salt
1/4 c. brown sugar
2 Tbs. paprika
1 Tbs. pepper
2 whole chickens
1 onion, quartered
8-10 cloves garlic
olive oil
salt & pepper

For brine, combine water, kosher salt, and brown sugar. Stir until salt and sugar are dissolved. Add paprika and pepper and mix well. Submerge chickens completely in brine. Cover and refrigerate for 4-6 hours. If the brine doesn't completely cover the chickens, turn them over after 2-3 hours. Remove from brine and pat dry.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Rub chickens with olive oil, salt, and pepper.  Place two quarters of onion and 4-5 cloves of garlic in each chicken. Place on rack in roasting pan. Roast at 450 degrees for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 375 degrees. Continue roasting for about 2 hours. Halfway through I flipped my chickens over so that both sides would be crispy, but it's not necessary. Every 20-30 minutes, baste the chickens with the juices from the pan. Chicken is done when a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 180 degrees.

Today's Basket

Woo hoo! I feel like I hit the Bountiful Basket jackpot today! A little girl helped me load my produce today so I didn't actually pay attention to everything I got until I got home and set it all out for its photo shoot. I got so much stuff! And I'm excited to eat it all!

Today my basket included pineapples, bananas, mangoes, honeydew, green apples, apricots, plums, tomatoes, a cucumber, kale, acorn squash, celery, and romaine lettuce. All for $15! I think we'll just eat most of the fruit as snacks, but I have a few ideas for the other stuff.


Pineapples: cut them up and store them in the fridge for snacks or grill them

Bananas: freeze them and blend them up with a little Nutella or peanut butter for an ice cream-like treat or dip them in melted peanut butter and chocolate and then freeze them (it's hot, I want my bananas frozen)

Mangoes: peel and eat


Honeydew: cut it up and stick it in the fridge for snacks


Green apples: apple pie, apple cobbler


Apricots: snacks


Plums: snacks, mix with apples for plum apple cobbler, or plum apple butter

Tomatoes: green salad, pasta salad, bacon macaroni salad, Fritos salad

Cucumber: all the same ideas as the tomato, tomatoes and cucumbers just go together


Kale: kale chips, zuppa toscana

Acorn squash: roasted with brown sugar


Celery: ants on a log or chop and freeze for later use

Romaine lettuce: green salad, Caesar salad, Fritos salad

Patio Potato Salad

I do not like potato salad. I love potatoes, but alas, I do not love eggs. Not even a little bit. Every summer at some random potluck barbecue I'll see potato salad and think about how good it looks. I'll take a little scoop, taste it, and remember that I don't like potato salad. It really shouldn't matter that I don't like potato salad, but the problem is that my husband loves it. We've been married for almost eight years and I've never made potato salad for him, but he asked if I would this week.

I started browsing the internet for recipes. I asked him if he likes pickles in his potato salad. He doesn't. I asked him if he likes celery in his potato salad. He doesn't. I already knew he didn't want onions so I didn't even have to ask. He just wanted a simple potato salad. Do you know how hard it is to find a recipe for that? All the recipes with the best ratings are potato salad with a twist: bacon, ranch dressing, even sweet potatoes. Finally, I found a highly rated recipe on Taste of Home's website that didn't have any weird ingredients, but it did include cooking a sauce. I didn't think that was commonplace, but it only called for 1/4 c. mayo, which was a plus for me since the hubby doesn't like mayo. The egg to potato ratio also seemed very reasonable to me, and gave me a glimmer of hope that maybe I could eat this potato salad!

So I hard boiled three eggs and chopped up the ginormous potatoes from last week's Bountiful Basket. I followed the recipe, subbed a little onion powder for the diced onions, and stuck it in the fridge to chill. When it was time to eat, I put a little scoop of potato salad on my plate. I stabbed a potato with my fork and took a bite. Drum roll please...I liked it!! It's not overly eggy, but still has eggs in it so the hubby feels like it's classic potato salad. It was sweet, which I didn't mind, but I think it was a little too sweet for my husband, so next time (yes, I liked it so much I'll make it again!) I'm going to reduce the sugar. If you are a potato salad connoisseur and know you don't care for a sweet sauce, I suggest you also reduce the sugar. And since you're probably normal and like onions in your potato salad, you should definitely add the onions.

I know the recipe looks like a lot of work. It does require a few steps, but none of them are hard so don't be scared. You need to refrigerate it for at least an hour before you serve it, which is nice because you could make it in the morning and let it chill out in the fridge while you cook dinner. To cook the potatoes, peel and cube them. Put them in a pan and cover them with cold water. Turn your burner on to medium-high heat and set your timer for 25 minutes. Check them for doneness after 20 minutes. Drain them when they're done and let them cool while you're working on the sauce. To hard boil eggs, place them in a pan, cover them with cold water, bring to a boil, boil for 1 minute, remove from heat, cover, and set timer for 12 minutes. Transfer to ice water bath until cooled, then peel and chop.

Patio Potato Salad

from Taste of Home

1/3 c. sugar
1 Tbs. cornstarch
1 to 1 1/2 tsp. ground mustard
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. celery seed
1/2 c. milk
1/4 c. vinegar
1 egg, beaten
1/4 c. butter, cubed
1/4 c. chopped onion
1/4 c. mayo
7 medium potatoes, cubed and cooked
3 hard boiled eggs, chopped

Combine sugar, cornstarch, ground mustard, salt, and celery seed in saucepan. Add milk, vinegar, and egg and stir until smooth. Add butter. Bring to a boil, cook and stir for two minutes or until thick and bubbly. Cool. Stir in onion and mayo. In large bowl, combine potatoes and hard boiled eggs. Add dressing and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.

Mexican Shredded Beef

We really like Mexican food at our house. I would guess that I cook something with Mexican flavor at least once a week. One of my favorites is shredded beef tacos. You cook the beef in the slow cooker all day, then shred it and serve it however you like. The leftovers freeze well, so in a few weeks you can have shredded beef enchiladas, which is exactly what I made for a dinner a few nights ago. The original recipe calls for white wine, but we're not wine drinkers and it doesn't make sense to buy a whole bottle of wine when I just need a cup, so I use beef broth instead. If you are a wine drinker go for the wine! Let me know how it turns out!

Mexican Shredded Beef

adapted from allrecipes.com

1 (4 lb.) frozen rump roast
1 c. beef broth
2 (7.75 oz.) cans Mexican style hot tomato sauce
3 Tbs. minced garlic
salt & pepper to taste
1 bunch green onions, chopped (I usually leave these out)
1 c. chopped fresh cilantro

Place frozen roast in slow cooker. Pour broth, tomato sauce, garlic, salt, and pepper on top. Cover and cook on low for 9 hours. Shred roast, return to slow cooker, and stir in onions and cilantro. Serve as desired.

Coconut Clouds

The other night I wanted to make cookies for my hubby to take to work in his lunchbox, but I was tired of all my usual cookies. I started flipping through the cookie pages of The Cake Mix Bible. Yes, I have a Cake Mix Bible. I made the first recipe I came across for which I had all the ingredients. As luck would have it, they turned out to be sinfully delicious. In fact, they are my new favorite cookie. They remind of macaroons but they're more cookie-like. Just typing this post makes me want to eat one. Or ten.

Coconut Clouds

2 2/3 c. flaked coconut, divided
1 (18.25 oz.) box yellow cake mix
1 egg
1/2 c. vegetable oil
1/4 c. water
1 tsp. almond extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put 1 1/3 c. coconut in a bowl and set aside. In large bowl, combine cake mix, egg, oil, water, and almond extract. Beat on low until combined. Stir in remaining 1 1/3 c. coconut. Roll dough into 1-inch balls, then roll lightly in reserved coconut. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake 10-12 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on baking sheet before removing to cooling rack to cool completely. 

This Week's Basket

Wow, it's already noon on Monday? Where did the time go? I did get a Bountiful Basket this week, but I am just now getting around to posting about it. I didn't get anything too wild and crazy, but I did get two heads of garlic. I know I can pickle it, but the real question is, am I ambitious enough to tackle that this week? Ha ha! If not, I guess I'll be making recipes with minced garlic! If your lettuce was wilted from being outside in the heat, don't stress. Stick it in ice water for a while and it will crisp right up.

This week my basket included grape tomatoes, romaine lettuce, potatoes, avocado, garlic, pineapple, canary melon, bananas, peaches, oranges (I think they're oranges that aren't quite ripe but I haven't cut one open so I'm not 100% sure), and strawberries. If you haven't already planned your menu for the week, here are some ideas.

Grape tomatoes: pasta salad, green salad, bacon macaroni salad, or eat them like candy, which is what I'll probably do

Romaine lettuce: green salad, lettuce wraps, or grilled

Potatoes: baked, fried, potato salad, or funeral potatoes

Avocado: green salad or sandwiches

Garlic: pickled or minced to use in various recipes

Pineapple: grilled, smoothies, or chopped and eaten raw

Canary melon: chopped and eaten raw

Bananas: I don't expect mine to be ripe any time soon, but if yours are ripe, try smoothies, banana bread, banana cream pie, or just peel and eat them

Peaches: smoothies or peel, dice, sprinkle with a little sweetener (I like Truvia), and pour fat free half & half on top

Oranges: smoothies, fresh orange juice, or orange dreamsicle cookies

Strawberries: strawberries & cream, smoothies, or dip in yogurt and freeze

Josh & MarKell: Hoping to Adopt

I have some good friends that are hoping to adopt a child. I've known them both for a long time, and they are amazing parents to an adorable little girl. They posted some links on facebook and send me some adoption cards to carry in case I happen upon someone who might be interested in the adoption process. I've been thinking about how I can help them, because to be honest I don't think I know many people who might need a good family for a baby. Then it occurred to me that I think that, I don't know it. And maybe I don't know anyone personally, but maybe someone who reads my blog might know someone, or maybe someone I'm friends with on facebook knows someone.

So I decided to write a short post about them and get their information out there, and hopefully it will reach the right person! You can read all about them at their adoption website. Please pass the information along. If you are interested in the adoption process, watch this amazing video about how adoption has touched so many families.

Slow Cooker Hawaiian Chicken

This is another recipe that I've been making for several years, one of my go-to recipes. Shortly after we got married I got a cookbook called 101 Things to Do with a Slow Cooker. It's filled with super easy recipes for the slow cooker that use common ingredients. This was one of the first recipes I tried from it and it's probably my favorite. You can use any barbecue sauce you like. You can also use frozen chicken breasts, although I think it makes a thinner (but still good) sauce.

Today I'm really excited about this recipe because I tried something new. I bought a 5 lb. package of chicken breasts. I used 4 in the slow cooker today for this recipe. I had 3 leftover. I also had about 10 oz. of crushed pineapple left because instead of an 8 oz. can I used half of a 20 oz. can. I remembered looking at a blog post about throwing all the ingredients for a slow cooker meal into a freezer bag and freezing it, so that when you are ready to cook it you just have to throw it in the slow cooker and turn it on. The recipe I had read about was some sort of teriyaki chicken. This seemed kind of similar to that, so I mixed up an extra batch of sauce, put the chicken breasts in the freezer bag, poured the sauce in, and stuck it in the freezer. I can't wait to see if it works! I'll keep you posted.

Slow Cooker Hawaiian Chicken

4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used 4)
1 (16 oz.) bottle barbecue sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray's Honey Chipotle)
1 (8 oz.) can crushed pineapple, undrained (or half of a 20 oz. can, whatever)

Place chicken breasts in slow cooker sprayed with cooking spray. Mix barbecue sauce and pineapple together and pour over chicken. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours.* Serve over rice.

*I cooked mine on low for 6 hours, shredded it, and put it back in the slow cooker on low for another hour, maybe hour and a half. I prefer it shredded but it's up to you!