Kahlua Pork

Serves 6-8
Prep time: 5 minutes, Cooking Time: 8 hours*
(*Note: the original recipe claims the cooking time was 16 hours (no, that is NOT a typo!) on low. I cooked it for 8 hours on high and mine was burnt!)

3 lb pork shoulder blade roast, lean, all fat removed
1 tbsp liquid mesquite smoke
1 tbsp coarse sea salt
Romaine lettuce (optional)
Rice (optional)
Hoisin sauce (optional)

1. Place pork in the crock pot and stab it all over with the tip of a knife. Rub sea salt all over pork. Drizzle the liquid smoke all over and set crock pot to low; cook about 16 hours. (I've left the original directions here so you can try or not try this yourself. Mine was cooked on high for 8 hours and was burnt.)

Results: I had mine wrapped in romaine lettuce with rice and hoisin sauce. Chris and Henry ate theirs plain. Steven wouldn't touch it, even though it was dessert night, and we were having Chocolate Chip Cheesecake for dessert. He didn't get any dessert. Overall, this was just OK. I've had better pork from the crock pot. The liquid smoke was....interesting. At first, it smelled awesome, like someone was cooking bacon. But by the end of the day, it smelled like we had a campfire going in our kitchen. I think I am being a bit negative though, because I was so disappointed at how BURNT this was! We had parts of the pork that I could barely cut with a sharp knife...they were practically beef jerky! I think I would try this again, though, because it was SOOOOOO easy! I'll watch the cooking temperature next time.

This recipe came from Gina's Skinny Recipes. She put a pretty little flower on hers. Maybe I should have tried that!

Crock Pot Salsa Chicken

Serves 6 (you can make this serve 8 by adding one more chicken breast)

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1-10.5 oz can cream of mushroom soup
1 packet (1-1/4oz) low-sodium taco seasoning
1-16 oz jar salsa
1 cup frozen corn
1-15 oz can black beans, rinsed & drained
1 cup reduced fat sour cream
Baked tortilla chips

1. Place the chicken breast in the bottom of the crockpot. Mix soup, salsa, and taco seasoning together and pour over chicken. Cook on low for 8-10 hours.

2. Before serving, shred the chicken in the crockpot with 2 forks, add corn, beans, and sour cream. Cook for a few more minutes until everything is heated through.

Serve with tortilla chips

Results: I found this recipe on Two Pink Hippos. It looked so good, so I added it to the menu for this week. It did not disappoint! This was sooooo good and filling. Chris liked it. Henry said it was "The bestest thing you have ever made." and had two servings. I think this one was a hit. (And in case you are wondering, Steven didn't have any because he was TAKING A NAP! That is not a typo. My six-year old son, who gave up naps when he turned one, was TAKING A NAP! I will take a sleeping child over fake gagging over my gourmet food any day!)

Henry ate two servings, and enjoyed being a "chef" by putting the chicken on the tortilla chips. He said adding the corn was his idea, but it really wasn't.

As an added bonus, this was so easy to make! At 9:24 a.m., as we were getting ready to leave for swim class, I remembered I needed to start the crock pot. I got everything going, and we were out the door at 9:31 a.m. Perfect! Thanks Two Pink Hippos!