#2,685: Texas Roadhouse Pot Roast

We don't eat at Texas Roadhouse, so I can't vouch for the comparison to what they serve, but I can tell you that we loved this recipe!  I also highly doubt that Texas Roadhouse serves this as sandwiches, but that's how my family enjoys roasts the most.  

We eat some form of a roast fairly regularly and it's always hit or miss if my kids enjoy it or not.  I wasn't sure if they were going to be fans of this one, and in fact, would have bet they did not.  They completely proved me wrong!  We had 3 different meals leftover this week so we had a leftovers night, and both of the girls chose this meal over the other choices.  I'd say that's a good sign.  I too ate the leftovers but ended up making these as sort of nachos (chips, leftover meat, and some cheese) , which was also absolutely delicious!  We loved this recipe and I'd definitely make it again!

As I mentioned above, I served this as shredded beef sandwiches.  I just shredded the meat with 2 forks, and then put it back into the sauce to soak up more flavor.   

2 - 2.5 lb chuck roast

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 bell pepper (any color), chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed

1/2 cup tomato sauce

1/2 cup BBQ sauce

2 beef bouillon cubes

1 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 cup water

Place roast in the bottom of the slow cooker.  Top with vegetables, BBQ sauce, tomato sauce, water and spices.  Cook on low for 8-10 hours.  

#2,069: Copycat Chipotle Corn Salsa

I have to admit this is close to the original recipe but not exactly....but that's because I am NOT taking the time to broil a poblano pepper!  I don't love heat in my salsa that much, and I'm just too lazy for that.  So I omitted the poblano but made it with the rest of the ingredients as listed below.  I loved this.  I ate this on top of a salad, with tacos, and as a filling for a quesadilla.  I'm a fan!  But I love pretty much all corn salsas so it's not hard to impress me with this.  Maybe someday I'll try this with a roasted poblano...but this just wasn't the day/time for it.  :)

16 ounces white sweet corn, fresh or frozen and defrosted (I used canned)

1 large poblano pepper + 1 teaspoon high heat oil (I omitted)

1 small red onion (approx. 3/4 cup)

1 jalapeno pepper

1/2 cup fresh cilantro

juice of 2 limes + 1 lemon (approx. 1/2 cup)

large pinch sea salt

Start by lining a cookie sheet with tinfoil and then set the oven to broil. Using your hands, coat the poblano pepper with the oil and place on the cookie sheet. Broil the pepper in the oven for 5-7 minutes on each side, while keeping a close eye to make sure it doesn’t burn. Once both sides are brown, remove from the oven and set aside in a large bowl. Cover the bowl and allow the pepper to sit for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile prepare the salsa by finely chopping the red onion, jalapeno pepper (core and seeds removed), and fresh cilantro. Place into a large bowl and set aside.

Once the pepper has cooled, put on dish gloves and use your hands to peel the outer layer of skin off. Next cut off the top and slice the flesh away from the core. Finely chop the pepper and place it in the bowl with the corn.

Pour the citrus juices into the bowl along with a large pinch of sea salt and stir until well combined. Taste test and add more salt if needed.

Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for up 4 days.

#1,814: Copycat Crunchwrap

This picture doesn't really cut it, but I swear there is nacho cheese and a tostada in there!  Although this recipe was supposed to also have lettuce and tomatoes (yum), my kids would have never touched it.  So I just did the nacho cheese sauce and the sour cream.  One kid loved it, and 2 thought it was "just ok."  And the big one (aka my husband) wouldn't even try it.  Big babies.  I had a bite of it and I thought it was good!  I'd make this again for my oldest, but the other 3 prefer a regular taco.  I think a Crunchwrap Supreme with sour cream, lettuce, beans, tomatoes, cilantro, and black olives would be awesome!

1 lb ground beef

1 packet taco seasoning mix

1 can nacho cheese (or queso cheese dip)

6 burrito-size flour tortillas

6 tostada shells or corn tortillas

1 cup sour cream

2 cups shredded lettuce (I omitted)

1 tomato, diced (I omitted)

1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend

In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, cook and crumble the ground beef until no longer pink. Drain grease. Stir in the taco seasoning mix, and water it calls for on package. Cook according to package directions.

Warm the nacho cheese sauce or queso cheese in a microwave-safe bowl. Place the flour tortillas on a large plate. Microwave for 20 seconds to warm them.

Lay one flour tortilla on a flat surface. Spread 1/2 cup of taco meat onto the center of the tortilla. Drizzle a couple Tablespoons of nacho cheese over the meat. Top meat with one tostada shell or crispy corn tortilla *see notes below. Spread a thin layer of sour cream over the tostada shell. Top with lettuce, tomato and shredded Mexican cheese.

To fold the crunch wrap, start with the bottom of the flour tortilla and fold the edge up over the center. Continue to work your way around, folding the flour tortilla over the center fillings. There will be a spot left open in the center; cut a piece of another flour tortilla and tuck it in the center, so it's fully covered.

Repeat with all remaining tortillas, tostadas and fillings. You'll have 6 crunch wraps total.

Spray a large, non-stick skillet with cooking spray. Heat over medium heat. Place one crunchwrap seam-side down onto the skillet. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes, or until golden-brown. Carefully, flip over and cook other side until golden-brown. Repeat process with all crunchwraps. Serve immediatley.

#1,637: Copycat Starbucks Frappuccino

I have been accumulating a lot of starbucks gift cards over the last several years, and usually use them to buy one of their awesome travel mugs.  But I had a birthday coupon so I decided to go in and actually get one of their overpriced, but delicious drinks and am now totally addicted to their light frappucchinos.  Darn you Starbucks!  Fortunately the closest (of 5!) Starbucks in our town does not have a drive thru and I'm way too lazy to get out of the car, so I've been making these at home for WAY less than what they cost at Starbucks.  See the cup in the photo...I reused one from one of my trips...I really did make that one myself.  :)

I drink at least 2 of these a day now.  At least I'm getting in my calcium/dairy for the day (I use cashew milk though which only has 25 calories per cup, as well as stevia so it's much healthier too). 

1⁄2 cup brewed coffee (dark, chilled)

1 tablespoon sugar substitute

1⁄2 cup skim milk (I use cashew milk)

1 1⁄2 cups ice

Blend in a blender, then pour into a glass  and enjoy. 

#898: Copy Cat Honey Baked Ham

When my mom asked me if I would have Easter this year I asked if I had free reign over the menu.  She made me promise I'd make a ham (of course I would).  However, I've never made a ham before except for a small boneless one we get from Meijer that weighs about 3 lbs.  I knew this was not the kind of ham I was supposed to get.  In fact she was adamant that I needed a Honey Baked Ham.  Well I didn't know where to get one so I Googled it and was thrilled to find this recipe.  I'll admit I was also a little thrilled by the butane torch it called for using!

The recipe below is for a  3 1/2 lb ham.  My ham was 11 lbs!  I quadrupled this recipe.  And I ran to my friend Kim's house to borrow her butane torch.  :)   Personally the butane torch is not needed.  Yes I used it because I borrowed it and Kim went thru the trouble of finding it for me and dropping it off, but honestly it really didn't do anything for our meal. 

This was such an easy recipe and really, really good.  The juice and brown sugar mixture do NOT need to be doubled or quadrupled like I did.  It is way too much and I threw most of it out.  I would definitely make this again and I would say my first attempt at a ham was a success!

3 1/2- lbs ham (spiral cut smoked, fully cooked)
1/2 - cup pear or apple juice (I used a apple harvest blend)
1/2 - cup orange juice
1/2 - cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
1/2 - cup honey
hand held butane torch

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 375°F. Place the ham, cut end down, in a large baking pan.

Mix the pear or apple juice with the orange juice in a bowl and mix.

Pour the juice mixture over the ham and bake for 15 minutes basting frequently with juices. Remove from oven.

Mix brown sugar and honey together in a small bowl.

Brush mixture over ham and bake for another hour or until internal temperature reads 140°F.

Using a butane torch carefully caramelize the glaze to the crust using small strokes.

#891: Skinny Shamrock Shake

Pretend this is a super bright green color.  I just bought and now cannot find my food coloring!  Brian, Allison and I all looked all over the place to see if I maybe put it away in some obscure place but alas it is gone (hopefully temporarily because I need it for my colored deviled eggs!).  (PS...I eventually found my food coloring stuck in the bag w/my shallots in the pantry.  I knew I saw them somewhere!!) 

I love Shamrock Shakes.  I never get them though because I know they aren't very healthy and once I drink one, I want to go back daily to get another one.  So when I came across this healthier version I was excited to try it. 

This is quite close to the original recipe.  No it's not the same, but maybe if I had a McDonald's cup and their ridiculously large-holed straws, and if I had topped it with whipped cream, then maybe it would have been exactly the same.  Regardless, I loved it.  I loved it A LOT.  I want to make another one right now but I have to convince Brian to eat the rest of the frozen yogurt so I DON'T make more.  Mmmmm!!

¾ cup fat-free frozen vanilla yogurt (I used no sugar added vanilla ice cream from Edy's)
½ cup fat-free milk
⅛ teaspoon peppermint extract or mint extract
5 drops green food coloring
2 packages Stevia, your favorite sugar substitute (I omitted, it doesn't need it!)
3-4 ice cubes

Ingredients for Topping: (I omitted)
Fat-free or Light whipped cream, optional

Combine all shake ingredients in a blender and blend on high speed until smooth.  Stop blender to stir with a spoon, if necessary, to help blend everything.

Pour into a 16 oz glass. Top with light whipped cream, if desired and enjoy immediately.

Makes 1 (16 oz) serving at 5.5 ww+ pts.

#791: Sonic Pomegranate Limeade

Okay this is supposed to be a copy cat recipe of Sonic's Cherry Limeade, but do you know how expensive cherry juice is??  So in an attempt to still make this but not spend $12 on cherry juice, I decided to get some Pomegranate juice instead.  I love pomegranate juice anyways so I wouldn't care either way.  (I originally found this link on Pinterest and the website it is linked to is not working.  Don't know who the original author is to give credit to).

Regardless of this not being cherry flavored like it was supposed to, this is delicious.  I loved it.  I will totally be making this again.

12 oz (or 1 can) Sprite (I used diet sprite)
3 lime wedges
1/4 cup cherry juice (I used pomegranate juice instead)

Fill a 16 oz glass with 2/3 ice. Pour Sprite over ice. Add 3 lime wedges. Add cherry juice and serve with straw. Makes a 16 oz drink.

This drink (with 1/8 c pomegranate juice) is 1 ww+ pt.

#787: Chick-fil-a Inspired Bites

I hate when I forget to take pictures of a meal.  I've never eaten at Chick-fil-a, but if it's anything like this chicken we ate tonight, I hope to go there in the near future.  This was a delicious chicken.  We all enjoyed it and the girls could not get enough, even picky Chloe!  Fantastic recipe.

It's supposed to be served with a dipping sauce, but we ate our with catsup.
 

2 Large Boneless Chicken Breasts, cut into bite size pieces (I used 4 medium sized chicken breasts)

1/4 Cup of Pickle Juice (shhh, don't tell my family)

3/4 Cup Milk

1 Egg (I used egg substitute)

1 1/4 Cups of Flour2 Tbs. Powdered Sugar

2 Tsp. Salt

1 Tsp. Pepper

1/2 Cup of Peanut Oil (I used vegetable oil)

 

Mix together the egg, milk & pickle juice. Seal in a Ziploc bag and add chicken pieces. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours. (Mine marinated for about 5 hours) 

Combine flour, powdered sugar, salt & pepper in another Ziploc bag. Shake well to combine. Remove chicken from marinade and add to dry mixture. Shake bag vigorously until chicken bites are covered well in dry mix.

Heat oil in large pan until it sizzles (test with some drops of water). Not too hot!

Drop in chicken bites and cook for 3-5 minutes and turn until completely cooked thru and outer coating appears brown and "crispy". Remove and place on a plate covered with paper towels to absorb almost all the peanut oil.