Slow Cooker Chicken Stock

Chicken Stock is a staple in the Ladybug house. It goes not only in soups, but in many other dishes throughout the week, so I always need lots on hand!

When I have leftover chicken bones from a big cook day or any other chicken meal, I save them and either freeze them or pop them in the slow cooker to make a batch of stock.

Slow Cooker Chicken Stock

Chicken bones from 1-2 roasted chickens, with some meat left on (you can use chicken thighs or legs instead)

2 Carrots, cut in half

3 Celery Stalks, cut in half

2 Onions, quartered

4 Cloves Garlic, whole

6 Sprigs Thyme

10 Peppercorns

Salt (optional)

12 cups Water

Add all the ingredients to a slow cooker and cover with water (however much fits, mine fits 12 cups usually). Cook on Low for 8 hours for the best flavour. Strain it into a big bowl (removing the meat & veggies). Let cool and skim off fat before using.

I freeze my stock in small plastic containers (usually a 1 & 1/2 or 2 cup size) or ice cube trays for easy use in soups or meals.

Now for some soup!

For more Freezer Friendly ideas for your Big Cook Day, check out my Freezer Meals page.

~Adel~

Freezer Meals: Big Cook Spring 2013

It's the end of April and I finally ran out of my stash of freezer meals from the last big cook day. I'm already going crazy with the thought of having to do one more day of cooking at meal time, so it's time to do a Big Cook Day again! 

I didn't have a whole day to devote to cooking today, so I did the shopping first thing in the morning, then I had a few hours in the afternoon to get the bulk of the cooking done and managed to squeak in a few more meals while I made dinner.

It was a multi-tasking day today!

First....preparation! If you haven't already read it, check out my Preparing for a Big Cook post and the post of my last Big Cook Day.

I shopped before cooking, so I had a huge stack of meat sitting on the table that needed to be dealt with right away ...food safety is important!

I started with the easy roasts that just needed to be divided up and prepared a bit: Lamb Roast x2 (just stuck it with a bunch of garlic cloves to "marinade" while it freezes), and pork tenderloins with onions and rootbeer for Easy Rootbeer Pulled Pork x2. Then off to the freezer...

Then we moved on to all the chicken dishes. 

First I shredded the roasted chickens (super cheap & easy way to get chicken if you don't need breasts), and made Slow Cooker Chicken Stock (12 cups) with the left over bones...

...and Creamy Chicken Lasagna x2 with the meat...wrapped up & off to the freezer.

Then it was on to the dump & pour chicken dishes...Greek Chicken x2 & Orange Chicken x3...off to the freezer with them too! 

I took a break here because I had to take over care for Uncle Ladybug while Daddy Ladybug got ready for hockey. We went for a drive in the country and a walk in a the park for an hour, then it was back home to make dinner.

Uncle Ladybug kept a close, hungry eye on the Warming Chili (x2...one for dinner, one for the freezer + leftovers in individual servings) simmering on the stove while I made more chicken dishes for the freezer...

Salsa Chicken x2, Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken
 & Hawaiian Chicken x2. 

The Chili was delicious and the freezer is now full! Uncle Ladybug is off to bed and now I can put my feet up after a busy day...good thing the kids are visiting Nana & Papa Ladybug today!

How's that...18 meals plus chicken stock in 4 hours (including shopping) spread over the day. 

Yay! Now I can quit cooking for a while! 

~Adel~

Recipes used in this Big Cook Day:

• Lamb Roast 
• Easy Rootbeer Pulled Pork
• Slow Cooker Chicken Stock
• Creamy Chicken Lasagna
• Orange Chicken
• Greek Chicken
• Warming Chili
• Salsa Chicken
• Slow Cooker Teriyaki Chicken
• Hawaiian Chicken

For many more freezer friendly ideas for your Big Cook Day or to see what I made for any of my other Big Cook Days, check out my Freezer Meals page.

Warming Chili

Warming Chili

2 lbs Lean Ground Beef

1 cup Celery, chopped

1 cup Onion, diced

1 cup Green Pepper, diced

1 can Red Kidney Beans, rinsed

1 can Six Bean Blend, rinsed

2 cans (28 oz each) Diced Tomatoes

1 15 oz can Tomato Sauce

1 cup Water

1 Tbsp Cocoa Powder

2 Packages your favourite Chili Seasoning (or 1/2 cup of home-made mix)

salt & pepper as desired

In a large stock pot, brown ground beef. Strain browned beef to remove any oil. Add celery, onions & green peppers. Cook for 5 minutes until veggies are tender. Add remaining ingredients and stir well. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 1 hour. Can also be made in the crock pot using pre-browned beef (High for 4 hours or low for 8). Great freezer meal. This recipe makes enough for 12 servings...lots left to freeze for another meal or lunches.

Serve with sour cream & shredded cheese.

Perfect way to warm up on a cold day.

For more Freezer Friendly ideas for your Big Cook Day, check out my Freezer Meals page.

~Adel~

Hawaiian Chicken

Hawaiian Chicken

4 Chicken Breasts, chopped

1 Carrot, diced

2 cloves Garlic, minced

1 can Pineapple Tidbits and juice

1/4 cup Butter, melted

1 cup Ketchup
1 cup Tomato Sauce

1 Tbsp Worchestershire Sauce

1 Tbsp. Lemon Juice

1/4 cup Flour

1/4 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Pepper
1/8 tsp ground Cloves

1 cup Brown Sugar

Add first set of ingredients in the slow cooker in the order given. Mix remaining ingredients together and pour over chicken. Mix well. Cook on high for 4 hours (or 8 on low). 

Serve with rice. 

Great freezer meal and easy dump & pour meal for a Big Cook!

For more Freezer Friendly ideas for your Big Cook Day, check out my Freezer Meals page.

~Adel~

Garden Fresh Pasta Primavera

Garden Fresh Pasta Primavera

Cooked Penne Pasta (about 4 cups)

1/2 cup Butter

1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Onion, diced

2 cloves Garlic, minced

2 Carrots, sliced

1 bunch Asparagus, chopped in bite sized pieces

1 cup Fresh Mushrooms, sliced

2 Ripe Tomatoes, diced

1 cup Light Cream (half & half)
1 tsp Italian Seasoning
Salt & Pepper (to taste)

1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, grated

In a large skillet, melt butter and heat oil together. Sauté onion until soft and add carrots & asparagus  Cook until tender-crisp. Add Mushrooms, tomatoes, garlic & seasoning  Cook for 2 minutes then add cream. Cook until heated through. Add parmesan cheese and salt & pepper as desired. 

Serve hot, this dish is best freshly made.

Perfect for a beautiful spring day!

~Adel~

Easy Rootbeer Pulled Pork

Easy Rootbeer Pulled Pork

2 Pork Tenderloins

1 Onion, diced

1 can Rootbeer

1 bottle BBQ sauce (we like Bullseye's Guiness BBQ Sauce)

6 Kaiser Buns

Butter

Garlic Powder

Put diced onions in the bottom of a slow cooker. Add pork tenderloin on top and empty a can of rootbeer over the meat and onions. Cook on Low for 8 hours (or high for 4 hours). Remove meat and onions and place in a large bowl. Add 1/2 cup of rootbeer liquid from the slow cooker. Shred the pork with two forks and mix in bottle of BBQ sauce.

Serve piled on garlic kaiser buns, cut in 1/2. Spread butter on each half of the bun and sprinkle with a little garlic powder. Broil in oven until lightly browned. 

Delicious with a side of Coleslaw.

~Adel~

Slow Cooker Herb & Garlic Chicken Stew

Slow Cooker Herb & Garlic Chicken Stew

4-5 Chicken Breasts, cut in bite sized pieces

1/3 cup flour

1 cup Yellow Potatoes, diced

1 Onion, diced

2 Cloves Garlic, minced

1 & 1/2 cup Carrots, cut in 1" pieces

1 & 1/2 cup Fresh Mushrooms, Quartered

1 & 3/4 cup Chicken Broth

Salt & Pepper to taste

1 cup frozen peas

1/2 cup (125g) Herb & Garlic Cream Cheese (use 95% fat free for a healthier option)

Combine chicken breast pieces and flour in the bottom of the slow cooker. Add potatoes, onion, garlic, carrots, and mushrooms in the order listed. Combine chicken broth and salt & pepper and pour over the stew. Cook in a slow cooker for 4 hours on High (or 8 hours on low). Add frozen peas and cream cheese for the last half hour.

Serve with Aged White Cheddar Biscuits and a wonderful salad for a hearty meal.

~Adel~

*If you want to freeze this, omit the mushrooms, peas & cream cheese for freezing and add them at cooking time according to directions. In my experience the mushrooms make the dish dark looking and unappetizing!*

Aged White Cheddar Biscuits

Aged White Cheddar Biscuits

4 cups Flour

2 & 1/2 Tbsp Baking Powder

1/4 cup Sugar

1 tsp Salt

2 cups Aged White Cheddar Cheese

2/3 cup Cooking Oil

1 & 1/2 cup Milk

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl and add cheese. Mix to coat cheese. Add wet ingredients and stir until just moist. Add more milk if needed to make a soft sticky dough. Break into 24 relatively equal pieces and place on baking sheets. Bake at 425F on middle rack for 15 minutes until tops are lightly browned. Serve hot with butter. 

Perfect side to comfort food like stew or soup.

~Adel~

Lil' Bakers

I make Banana Muffins about twice a week, it's a house staple for breakfast & snacks!

This time Lady & Bug seemed very interested in what I was doing and had to get in on the action. They dragged their little chairs over to the counter and asked to stir. I gave them a couple of bowls and my dirty measuring cups & scrapers. The also wanted to use the banana peels - why not, you can't make banana muffins without bananas!

They had a blast. Pretend baking is a daily part of play in the Ladybug house, so this time it seemed a little more realistic. They pretended to bake muffins and lucky for me, there wasn't a huge mess to clean up. I was only left with some dirty hands and dishes that I would have to wash anyway.

A little pretend baking never hurt anyone! Maybe one day I'll be brave enough to handle the mess and let them really help me make muffins.

~Adel~

Death to the Pre-Dinner Stress: The Life-Saving Menu Planner

I try to keep my life as efficient and simple as possible. Time is precious to me and so over the years I've devised a menu planning system that works for me & my family's craziness.

A menu has been my life saver.

I'm sure most people can relate to staring at the inside of the fridge/cupboard when you're starving an hour past the usual dinner time, trying to figure out what to make. I sure know that feeling and it drove me insane.

When I went out to work, I found it extremely stressful to come home and try to figure out what to make. Now that I'm at home, it's just as hard, with two little ones hanging on my legs screaming that they're hungry and everyone else pecking around the kitchen like a bunch of chickens trying to find something to take away the hunger pangs.

Not any more!

I started with just one 4 week menu. I modelled it after the menus they had in the group home I used to work at - perfect for a revolving door of cooks and perfect for a busy house. There is a column for each day of the week and each day is broken down into three meals. I don't really use the breakfast or lunch spots like I should, but there are many days that I wish I did...one day I'll get there. Each meal includes the main dish and any sides to help keep a balanced & healthy meal.

I started using this menu about 3 years ago & it worked well at first, but over time I found that it was too much repetition. The same meal every 4th Monday became hard to deal with...so I tried a 6 week rotation. It worked better, but come summer we wanted lighter meals and BBQ. Last year I adjusted my meals a bit and created 4-week summer & winter menus. Of course I couldn't stop there, this year, I added fall & spring ones too!

Over the years I've added a few helpful things to my menus:

• snacks/desserts to have available for the week (helpful for grocery shopping)
• a list of the meals that can be done in a big cook (for quick reference)
• a list of breads/desserts that I need to make for the week
• the cooking time for each meal (so I can have dinner ready on time to keep the crying children and pecking chickens at bay)
• a space for notes

I update these menus every season using the notes I've made; what was a hit and what wasn't, what needed to be changed to a different night or took too long, what cost too much $, or what needed more/less to feed us all. Over the years I've been able to save a lot of money on groceries and reduced the amount of wasted food, just because of a menu. It's a work in progress, but one I'm grateful for every day as 4:00 rolls around and I start to get into meal preparation mode.

Why do I need a menu?

• saves the meal preparation/planning stress
• saves time wasted trying to decide what to make
• saves money
• helps with grocery shopping - I always know what to buy each week
• helps plan for big cooks (which save you time and money too!)
• stress causes health problems...a menu planner could really be a life saver!

Did I mention that my menu is my life saver???

Now I look at the menu the night before and take out the meat needed or a pre-frozen meal (from my awesome big cook days) and make sure I have all the ingredients ready - no more staring into the fridge/cupboard trying to decide what to make and finally giving up and ordering pizza. There is very little stress with meal times now...sure the kids still hang on my legs crying for food and attention, but that time has been significantly shortened to the time it takes me to whip a salad up or make a side dish.

Feel free to use my Blank Menu Template to create a menu for your own family and relieve your dinner stress!

~Adel~

*Update*: Curious minds want to know what meals are on my menus...I will post all my menus in a later blog at the beginning of each season. My Spring Menu is already posted.