What's on your Menu today (CROCK POT RECIPE & PHOTO FRIDAY) RNYers/VSGers?

Good morning Menu Friends! Yes we made it to the Weekend!  I hope we have lots of Crock pot recipes and Halloween pics today!  So what is everyone doing this weekend?  Hubby & I are getting our snow tires put on our cars, we are painting our upstairs hallway, ensuite bathroom & powder bathroom. We also need to tidy up our back patio for Winter you know put lawn chairs away, the garden hose that kind of stuff. And of course hike our dogs!  

So forgoing a QOTD today so that we can all post our Crock pot/Slow Cooker recipes!  Here is my Crock pot recipe. I have made this many times and it turns out perfect every time! It's a SPICY Chili, note I said spicy, this sucker has a major kick, so if you like spicy keep as is, if you don't like spicy then take the spices down a bit. It can be made with ground beef or turkey, whatever you prefer.

2 lbs of ground beef

1 (16 ounce) can of red kidney beans, rinsed & drained

1 (16 ounce) can of chickpeas, rinsed & drained

1 (16 ounce) can of diced tomatoes, drained

1 (8 ounce) can of tomato sauce

1 medium onion finely chopped

1 red (or green, I prefer red) bell pepper chopped

1 package of raw sliced mushrooms (I cut them up to smaller pieces)

2 cloves of garlic minced

3 tablespoons of chili powder (note I use 2 tbsp)

1 tablespoon of cayenne pepper (note I use 1/2 tbsp)

2 teaspoons of salt

1 teaspoon of ground black pepper

Cook beef in a large skillet over medium heat and then drain & discard any excess grease.  Combine all ingredients into the crock pot and stir well.  Cook on Low for 10 hours or High for 4 hours.  Serve hot with a sprinkle of cheddar cheese,  Easy and delicious!!

My photos for Halloween Theme Photo Friday are Dogs in their "Court Jester" collars that they wear when we give out candy, they are very popular with the kids and they love all the attention from the kids. And the dogs sitting on the front porch as I decorate the front of the house with "spooky"stuff and lastly hubby and I being goofy at Walmart trying on different masks & stuff, rrrrrrr matey!    
 
Time since surgery: 2 yrs & 11.5 months

B: can of solid white Clover Leaf tuna with Kraft Balsamic dressing

L: 3oz of grilled Tandoori chicken breast with hot sauce

S: two babybel cheese

D: 4oz of grilled Tandoori chicken breast with hot sauce and maybe a bite or two of garlic Naan if I have room

S: two babybel cheese & Protein Chicken Soup (tried it last night, LOVE it, it pretty much tastes just like Lipton Cup a soup!!)

TOTALS: 842 calories, 129 protein, 9 carbs, 34 fat

PatchMD vitamin patches are on (multi, iron, B12, vitD/calcium)

Liquids: 4 coffees down (one with Miralax) I take my coffee with lactose free milk & one Splenda. Lots of ice water with SF Ocean Spray cranberry juice mixed in

Exercise: Hiking dogs when I get home, they are loving the cold weather and pretty much trot/run the whole time, I am trying to keep up with them LOL LOL!

Haven an amazing weekend my friends!  

Morning everyone!

here's my recipe! I've made this often and it's tasty every Time! 

Note: I never bother cubing the meat. I always use the slow cooker low for 8 hours usually does it. And if you don't have oranges, I just through in a splash of OJ!

Pork Carnitas

Ingredients
* 4 pound boneless pork butt, fat trimmed and cut into 2 inch cubes
* 1 1/2 tsp salt
* 3/4 tsp pepper
* 1 tsp ground cumin
* 1 onion, peeled and halved
* 2 bay leaves
* 1 tsp dried oregano
* 2 Tb fresh lime juice
* 2 C water
* 1 medium orange, juiced and keep the spent halves
Instructions
1. Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat to 300 degrees. Combine all the ingredients in a large Dutch oven, including the spent orange halves and juice. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat, uncovered. Once it simmers, cover pot and transfer it to the oven. Coo****il the meat falls apart when prodded with a fork, about 2 hours.
2. Remove the pot from the oven and turn on the broiler. Use a slotted spoon to remove the meat from the pan and place it on a large foil-lined jelly roll pan. Remove and discard everything from the pot except for the cooking liquid. Place pot over high heat on the stove and boil until it thickens and syrupy, about 20 - 30 minutes. You should have about 1 C of liquid remaining when it is finished.
3. While the liquid is reducing, use two forks to pull each cube of pork into three equal sized pieces. Once the liquid has reduced, gently fold in the pieces of pork into the pot. Try not to break up the pork any further. Taste and add additional salt and pepper.
4. Spread the pork back onto the foil lined pan and evenly spread the meat around so there is a single layer of meat. Place the jelly roll pan on the lower middle rack of the oven and broil until the top of the meat is well browned and edges are slightly crisp, about 5 to 8 minutes. Using a wide metal spatula, flip the pieces of meat and broil the other side until well browned and edges are slightly crisp, 5 to 8 minutes. Serve immediately in a tortilla with all your favorite toppings.?

Menu:

b: protein shake

L: leftover turkey chili. Again hahah

D: tbd

have a great weekend everyone!

Wow that sounds yummy!!! I am for sure going to try this! Thanks for taking the time to post! Have a great weekend and stay warm!!

Holy smokes that sounds so good.  

agreed! 

Ah your pix are so cuuuuute! Here is mine from our Halloween costume contest at work last week. My coworker and I were both dressed as Alice in Wonderland (long story!). 

And here is a fav crock pot recipe!

Italian Red Wine Roast Beef

2 1/2 lb beef round roast
1 small onion, sliced thinly
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup red wine, I used a cabernet
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine all the spices in a small bowl. Stir to combine and set aside. Place the roast in the bottom of a crockpot. Sprinkle the spices all over the roast, turning to coat thoroughly. Top the roast with the onions and pour the wine and water into the bottom of the pot.

CROCKPOT: Cook on low for 8-10 hours or until the meat is falling apart. When the meat is done cooking, shred gently and then toss in the juices to keep it moist.

I'm giving a training from 8:30 -12:30 today and they are providing lunch. Usually I have a back up meal packed, in case it's not WLS approved, but today I'm too tired to care. So no idea what's on the menu, but I haven't eaten enough in the past few days for it to really matter if my calories are high.

Have a Happy Friday, everyone!

Love it JB!

Really, really creepy.

Are you feeling any better?  Hope so!

You are a beautiful Alice! I can't wait to hear the "long story" another day! Ha ha ha 

That roast beef sounds amazing, might do that this weekend, hubby & I love roast beef and will pick up the ingredients grocery shopping this weekend!

Hope training goes well well, thats a good way to start the weekend!  Have a great weekend!

Aaaaaarrrrgggh Daisy - Love it...Dogs look awesome as well!