So, remember the other day when I made slow cooker pork tacos?  Yeah, we still have pork left.  Which is not a bad thing, but I needed to find a way to use up some of the meat pronto.  We don’t like to waste food at my house.

One of my favorite ways to use up leftovers is in casseroles.  I know many people are not big casserole fans, but I’m not one of those people.  We eat casseroles for dinner (and breakfast) all of the time, and the Tall Boy never complains.  He likes to eat and doesn’t like to cook, so he knows what’s good for him.

This.

This is good for him.  And you.  You should totally make this.

It has a cornbread base, is soaked with enchilada sauce like a savory poke cake, and then layered with shredded pork (chicken would work just fine here, too).  I added some chopped chipotles in adobo because I’m wild and crazy like that.

And cheese.  I added cheese, too, because a casserole just isn’t a casserole without cheese.  AmIright?

Also some cilantro, because I add cilantro to every Mexican-themed dish I make.  It’s the Kitchen Meets Girl Law or something.

Oh, and are you interested in winning $5,000 and a trip for two to New York City?  Yeah, I’ve got my hand raised.  Here’s what you do:  click here to enter the Country Crock Stars contest.  Share a photo of your favorite casserole, and share in 100 words how you demonstrate creativity and resourcefulness in the kitchen.  3 finalists will win $5,000 and a trip to New York City, and 12 semi-finalists will win cookware.

XO, Ashley

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

I’m back with another slow cooker meal.  Are you surprised?

And since Cinco de Mayo is just around the corner, I thought I’d Mexican it up a bit.  Pork taco style.

You know I love my Mexican foods, so anytime I end up with shredded meat, it turns into tacos at some point.  Quite frankly, I could eat tacos every.single.day. and never get tired of ‘em, but maybe I’m just weird.

I could also eat an entire bag of tortilla chips and a jar of salsa every day, but that’s another story.

This pork was so tender that I had a difficult time getting it out of the crock pot – it just fell apart on its own!  It was flavorful enough to stand on its own, and we certainly had enough meat to make multiple meals out of it.  Fortunately, my husband doesn’t mind eating leftovers, so I got out of cooking for a few days.  Bonus!

I loved the cilantro-lime salsa on these, and while I think adding some diced onion, green pepper, and/or jalapeños would be fabulous, I left them off simply because Doodle won’t eat something if it’s been in the approximate vicinity of even one of those things.  If you don’t live with a picky eater, add ‘em!

The recipe for these pork tacos  came from my eMeals Slow Cooker meal plan, which I’ve been using a lot lately.

If you think your family would love the Slow Cooker Plan, use the code SLOW for 15% off!

XO, Ashley

*I was not compensated for this post. I am an eMeals affiliate and this post does contain my affiliate link. However, all opinions are straight-up my own, and I used eMeals even prior to my affiliate relationship. I really do love it! You can read my disclosure policy here.

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Let’s talk kid-friendly meals for a minute, okay?

I have only a very small rotation of meals that Doodle will eat without turning up his nose, deeming it “gross,” or deciding that he is “not hungry.”  These meals basically include: spaghetti, tacos, grilled (plain) chicken, Tilapia, and…Sloppy Joes.

To be honest, I’ve never been a huge Sloppy Joe fan.  However, since I live with a picky 5-year old and a husband who likes to eat meat, I’ve had no choice but to convert.  But I’m not caving in to the traditional, boring old Joe.  Nope, if I’m making something that’s basically ground beef and tomato sauce…well, I’ve got to up the ante.

Tex-Mex style it is!

If you like bacon and jalapeño, and the smoky flavors of chili powder, cumin and coriander, then this is the sandwich for you!  Give this version a try the next time you want to jazz up your usual weeknight rotation.

And…if you have any (picky) kid-friendly meals, please link ‘em up below!

XO, Ashley

There are three things I want to tell you about this Szechuan Orange Chicken:

1: It tastes even better than take-out;

2: It’s super quick and easy – I’m talking less than 30 minutes from start to finish; and

3: It has less than 300 calories per serving – including the rice!

This Szechuan Orange Chicken turned out amazing – just mix up a quick sauce using fresh ginger, garlic, orange juice, soy sauce, and sesame oil, and you’ll never be tempted to spend those extra calories on take-out again.  Load up your dish with some broccoli and carrots, and you can feel good about eating it, too.

I love healthy meals that don’t taste healthy, don’t you?

Let’s talk about the rice for a minute, okay?  I’m like most of you – I have a super busy weeknight schedule, and very little time to get healthy dinners on the table.  That’s why I love using Minute Rice.  Seriously, I use Minute brown rice at least once a week.  It has the same nutritional values as regular long cooking brown rice, but it is ready in just 10 minutes – just one-quarter of the time of regular brown rice.  It’s my go-to side dish for weeknight meals, and I always keep a box on hand in my pantry.

Did you know both Minute Brown and Minute White are also gluten free?

While my chicken and veggies were sautéing,  I quickly boiled up some water and cooked my rice.  In less than half an hour, I had a tasty, healthy dinner on the table for my family.   Who needs take-out when you can eat like this?

XO, Ashley

Minute® Rice is so quick and easy to prepare and is great pantry staple. When meal time seems like a hassle, Minute® Rice is a go-to ingredient your whole family will love and allows you to have more quality time doing what your want with your loved ones.

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This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Minute® Rice.  All opinions are my own.

This is the easiest manicotti you’ll ever make.

Unless, of course, your Pyrex baking dish explodes in the oven during the last five minutes of baking.

And when I say “explode,” that’s really what I mean. Biggest.Mess.Ever.  Not only that, but a ton of ingredients down the drain and no dinner to boot.

As the Tall Boy was scraping the mess out of the bottom of the oven (he’s a keeper!), he said, “This still looks good, even like this.”

Anyway, new weekend, new baking dish…another attempt at the manicotti.  When I pulled the dish out of the oven, Doodle yelled downstairs, “Dad!  The manicotti dish didn’t explode this time!  We can eat it!”

And we did.  We ate the heck out of it.

I have to be honest, I’m not the most patient person in the kitchen.  And even though the Tall Boy loves manicotti, I rarely make it, because I’d rather gouge my eye with a hot poker than stuff an entire pan of delicate pasta shells.  But with this method, there is no stuffing involved.  Simply soften some no-boil noodles, dollop on some filling, and roll.

Easy-peasy!

I made my own sauce here, but for an even easier/quicker version, you could certainly use your favorite jarred sauce.  I also added sausage to my sauce, because the guys I live with insist on eating meat with their meals.  However, this filling was rich enough on its own that I think the dish would stand well enough on its own without meat.

XO, Ashley

So here’s the real deal.

I don’t usually prepare chicken with skin-on. Or with bone-in.

I have this thing about raw meat as it is, but when you add in the fact that I have to deal with skin and bones, there’s sort of a double (triple?) ewww factor involved.  If I’m being totally honest, my husband often handles the raw meat since it ooogs me out.

This recipe is one of my all-time favorite ways to prepare chicken.  Every time I make it, the Tall Boy says it’s “restaurant-quality;” although now that I type that out, I’m not sure he means that as a compliment or not.  I’m going with the former.

The best thing about this chicken is that it is packed full of flavor.  Even better?  The actual prep time is nearly non-existent–you’ll spend the most time in prepping this recipe mincing your garlic.  Quickly infuse some olive oil with the garlic; add in some white wine, lemon juice and zest, and a few spices.  Pour the mixture into a pan, top with chicken, and bake.

Easy, right?

Now, I have to admit that the first dozen or so times I’ve made this dish, I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts.  And the recipe worked just fine.  However, I decided to give it a go with the bone-in, skin-on kind…and yeah.  Definitely do that.

What’s your favorite easy chicken recipe?

XO, Ashley

Can I entice you with the idea of a three-ingredient dinner?

Okay, seven ingredients, if you count the water, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. And technically, you don’t really need the bay leaf. So six ingredients.

And I suppose if you counted the bread and the cheese, we’re up to eight. Cheese is really optional though…so, yeah, we’re back down to seven.

Look, any way you cut it, there’s not a whole lot going on here but a ton of flavor.  Let me break this down for you:

When I was pregnant, the Tall Boy and I had this whole list of things we were are were not going to do as parents.  Preparing special meals for a kid was top on the “what we’re not going to do” list.

But OMG, have you met my kid?  Food is his absolute last priority in the entire world {which is sort of devastating for someone who blogs about food}.  You can threaten him with just about anything, and it won’t make a bit of difference on how much he eats or the speed in which he eats it.

Quite frankly, we’re at the point now that if we can get him to eat a decent serving size of anything, we’ll make it.  Because, really, three bites of chicken and half a dozen grapes doesn’t seem like enough to sustain anyone, five years old or not.  And I’m thinking if this kid doesn’t eat he’ll get scurvy and the school will report me and I’magoodmomsowillyoujusteatsomethingplease?

You know what he ate?  A ton of this french dip sandwich.  Not only that, but he asked for more of it the next night.  I’m on a roll here, guys.  We may be eating this every night from now until the time he heads off to college.

Anyway, the point of this story is that this meal got the thumbs up from the pickiest eater I’ve ever met.  So it’s gotta be good.

XO, Ashley