Slow cooker Honey Chicken

Slow cooker week is ending on the upswing! Tonight's slow cooker entree is Honey Chicken.

Stacy at Delighting in the Days sent me links to a few yummy recipes. I was very excited to try this one! Again, this hits the "frugal mark" with only using staple ingredients.

I served Honey Chicken with salad, rice and a mango, lime, cilantro concoction.

This meal is perfect for super busy days! My favorite part is that it took me less than 10 minutes to prepare. It also only took 4 hours of slow cooking until it was ready! I know I infamously forget to start a slow cooker meal in the morning. You can easily prepare this at lunchtime to have ready for dinner.

This recipe is a keeper!

Be sure to go visit Stacy at Delighting in the Day's. It is very inspirational and you will glean a lot from her.

Speaking of inspiration, I hope you were inspired to start using your slow cooker more! I know I have been. What a blessing during very busy weeks!

This will not be the end of slow cooker recipes at the Frugal Flamingo. In fact, I am preparing lunch for a crowd tomorrow by using my slow cookers. yes I have two.

Now go. Go get slow cooking!

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Slow Cooker Barbeque Beef

Slow cooker week has hit a bit of a downturn for me. I “messed up” a recipe I greatly anticipated. It is embarrassing to admit how this fallacy occurred. I was planned. I was even organized. However, I “overlooked” a few pantry ingredients I thought I had on hand.

My friend Sheila shared with me her Barbeque Beef Recipe. I know it is yummy because she has a large family that loves it!

I chose this recipe because it is a great example of a choosing a recipe with “frugal” ingredients. All of the ingredients are pantry staples (except in my pantry of course). There are no cans to buy. The most expensive ingredient is the meat. To decrease your cost on meat, buy it only when it is on sale.

This recipe is so simple and easy to make. I can’t imagine “messing” it up. ahem.

Slow Cooker Barbeque Beef

4-6 lbs. beef (chuck roast, brisket, etc.)
1 tablespoon onion salt
1 tablespoon celery salt
1 teaspoon garlic salt
¼ cup Liquid Smoke
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce

Place meat in crock pot. Sprinkle with dry seasonings. Pour liquid Smoke and Worcestershire sauce over all. Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours until done.

Print Recipe | Printable grocery list

So what did I do wrong?

I did not have onion salt.

I did not have garlic salt.

I did not even have celery salt.

I should have bailed on the recipe. However, I was committed to the plan.

I threw in onion powder, garlic powder and regular salt. After a few hours of cooking, I sampled the recipe. It wasn’t salty enough so I threw in more.

Now I ruined it because it got too salty. Normal folks would leave it be. Instead, I threw in more liquid smoke and it just snow balled from there. The good news is that my kids ate it with smiles and grins. It didn’t work for me. The Rockstar Nurse poured bottled barbeque sauce on his.

Just in case you thought I was a kitchen goddess, I have proved you wrong.

I am definitely going to make this recipe again, but with the correct ingredients. Do you have a similar beef recipe? Is it a family favorite?

Stop by tomorrow for one last slow cooker recipe this week. Goodness knows what I will do this time!

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Slow Cooker Angel Chicken

The slow cooker celebration continues!  Tonight’s recipe is a bit against all I believe as a Frugal Flamingo.

• It throws health out the window
• It contains processed ingredients
• It is not a frugal recipe.

So why share it here?  A friend passed this along to me to consider for Slow Cooker week.  The recipe looked so interesting.  Plus, she is a fantastic cook, so I decided to try it. 

As I purchased my ingredients, I recognized how expensive this recipe is compared to my Tortilla Soup.  I decided to turn it into a great example of what can drive up a grocery bill!

 If you are not choosing your recipes wisely, you will have difficulty lowering your bill.  Cans and seasoning packets can add up quickly! Not to mention the health aspects.

However, I believe there is a time when a more costly recipe is still a wiser choice.  It is cheaper than eating out!  It is almost always cheaper.

We all thought this meal was da bomb.  Well, hubby hasn’t eaten it yet, but I have faith he will like it too. I can see this recipe making my menu rotation every 4-6 weeks. It won’t make my week night menu, but it would be an awesome meal to have waiting when we arrive home from church on Sunday.  For me, Sunday lunches have been a weakness for ordering out.   

I believe in balance and moderation.  It is ok to have a non frugal recipe and somewhat gluttonous recipe once in awhile.  If it is a frequent choice, your wallet and thighs may get angry.

So here is your recipe:

Angel Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
¼ c. butter or margarine
1 envelope dry Good Seasons Italian Dressing
½ c. white wine (or cooking wine)
1 can Campbells Golden mushroom soup condensed—look in the soup aisle—it is there, tricky to find sometimes.
½ of an 8 oz. tub of cream cheese with chives and onion—dairy case with cream cheese
Hot cooked angel hair pasta

To make in crockpot: Layer chicken in the crockpot. Pour sauce over all and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Chicken breasts cook quickly so do not let go too long or they will dry out. If sauce becomes too thick (or you know you are going to be gone more than 6 hours), you can add some canned chicken broth to it to thin. Sauce should be thin enough to pour over chicken and pasta.

To make in oven: In saucepan, melt butter. Add dressing mix, white wine and blend well. Stir in undiluted soup. Blend in cream cheese. Heat gently and stir until smooth. Arrange chicken in baking dish and pour sauce over all. Bake at 325 covered for one hour. Serve over pasta.

*of note: I used 1 1/2 lbs of chicken and it was plenty of sauce.  Also, may add a little less wine to please the kids palates a bit more.

Here are your links to print: Print Recipe | Printable grocery list

Personally, I would like to take it over the frugal edge next time and add shrimp and mushrooms. It would be superb.

Are you anxious to try it?

Join me tomorrow as I share yet another slow cooker recipe.  Subscribe to the Frugal Flamingo via email, RSS or on Facebook.

Slow cooker Tortilla Soup

Tonight my slow cooker produced a yummy soup. I heart soup. If I could, I would serve soup almost every meal. Personally, one of the reasons I love making soup is that it is a really frugal option. Many soups allow you to be creative with ingredients. Plus, they are a great way to sneak in a lot of veggies.

My Tortilla Soup is affectionately referred by my kids as Chip Soup. It is amazing how a subtle name change can electrify your child's palate.

Child: What is for dinner?

Me: Tortilla Soup.

Child: Eww.

Me: But it is chip soup!

Child: Ooh! I love chips! Yeah!

It works I tell ya. I have proof 4 times over.

This Tortilla Soup is a combination of a lot of recipes. I finally created a concoction that we enjoy. It is healthy, hearty and inexpensive. The best part is that I usually have most of the ingredients on hand so it can be a quick go to meal.

Flamingo's Tortilla Soup

• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
  
• 2 TBS cumin
• 1 TBS chili powder, optional
• 29 oz diced tomatoes
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 TBS lime juice
• 1-2 cans beans (2-4 cups)(can use pinto, northern or black)
• 1- 1 1/2 lb cooked ground turkey or shredded cooked turkey/chicken
• onion
• 1 can green chilis
• 1 cup sour cream, optional
• crushed tortilla chips, optional
• additional sour cream, optional
• shredded monteray jack cheese, optional
• corn, optional
• diced carrots, optional

If using ground turkey, brown in pan with onion. Throw all ingredients in slow cooker except for cilantro and sour cream. Cook on low 4-8 hours. About 30 minutes before serving, put in sour cream and cilantro. I also add my beans and rice the last 30 minutes so they don't get too mushy.

This recipe involves creative freedom. You can add diced carrots or corn. You can use left over cooked chicken. You can add a variety of beans. You can even add brown rice. It is yummy to serve with shredded monteray jack cheese, a dollap of sour cream and crushed tortilla chips.

My husband likes a really hearty soup. So, I add a lot of beans. If you have anti-bean eaters, you could easily add rice.

The kids love to add crushed tortilla chips on top , thus the name "chip soup".

You will see that there are many "optional" ingredients. That is because I have made this soup many times with or without the ingredients.

Obviously, you could simmer this on the stove top, but I usually slow cook it so that it is ready to eat whenever we are ready!

I included links below to print your recipe and or your shopping list!

Print Recipe

Printable grocery list

Slow cooking is so much fun...and we are just getting started!

Did you use your slow cooker tonight?

This post is being linked to Tasty Tuesday!

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It’s official. It’s slow cooking week.

Can you believe it?  Slow cooker week has officially arrived!

I am very pleased with the recipes that I received. I actually received enough that I had to “pick” and choose.  This was not an easy feat considering how delish they all sounded!  If you sent me a recipe and I am not using it this week, do not lose heart!  I will be using them in future posts.

So here is my slow cooking menu for the week (all of the following main dishes will be made in the slow cooker):

Monday: Tortilla Soup, rolls and salad

Tuesday: Angel Chicken, pasta, broccoli

Wednesday: Honey chicken, rice or orzo, peas

Thursday: Barbeque beef on rolls, baked sweet potatoes

Friday: Lasagna, salad

Intrigued? You will just have to hold on to your slow cooker!  I will be posting one recipe each day so you will have to stop back! 

To make life easier, you can subscribe via Frugal Flamingo via email, RSS or on Facebook.

In the meantime, hop on over to Organizing Junkie for a lot of menu planning inspiration.

A cheap ol' meal for St. Patrick's Day

I made my menu plan and I forgot about St. Patrick's day being this week. I am not a fan of corn beef and cabbage, but I found this recipe so I am going to try it again.

Corned beef is cheap this week. Really cheap. It is only $1.29/lb at Weis and cabbage is only $.29/lb. I am sure it is on sale for a really good price at other stores too.

So, why not try it? If it is terrible....well, it's only 1 meal to live through. Then you never have to make it again.

A Slow Cooker Affair

Across the room I see him.  In the physical sense, he is nothing special.  The smell of him makes me warm inside. I spend little time with him, yet he works and gives back to me greatly.  We create something magical together. I want that more.

Of course I am eluding to “him”…my slow cooker.

Oh how he it makes me smile.

With my dinner prepared by 9am today, I wondered why I do not use my slow cooker every day? With this new busy season set to begin, I am determined to not only be planned, but to produce wonderful slow cooker meals several nights each week.

Starting on March 28th, we are going to celebrate slow cooker week here on the Frugal Flamingo! Here is where you come in.  I know you have at least one slow cooker recipe that is a family favorite.  So, share with me your recipe!  I will sift through the ones I receive plus my own to create a 1 week meal plan using only slow cooking!

How exciting is that I tell ya?

I strictly adhere to blogger ethics, so the recipe may not be posted on someone else’s blog.  If it is, simply send me their blog link. 

Email me at frugalflamingo@gmail.com or leave a comment with a blog post link.

I can’t wait to hear from you!