Slow Cooker Chicken Enchiladas

I’ve been trying to use my Sundays to prepare better for the week ahead. I’m not exactly a master of food prep, but I am getting a handle on preparing a few meals (or parts of meals in some cases) ahead of time for quick reheating or assembly on weeknights.

One of the easiest ways to prepare an awesome make ahead meal is to use your slow cooker, like in this recipe for Slow Cooker Chicken Enchiladas. You just throw the ingredients for the chicken into the slow cooker and wait. Later that day, assemble the enchiladas and either cover and store for a weeknight, or cook for that evening’s dinner!

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
  • 4 tablespoons taco seasoning mix
  • 1 medium red onion, chopped
  • 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chilies
  • 1 (14.5 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 8 flour tortillas (I used the “fajita” size); can substitute corn enchiladas to make gluten free
  • 2 (10 oz) cans enchilada sauce (I used one red, one green)
  • 3 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend, divided
  • 1/4 cup sliced green onions
  • 1/4 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
  • optional toppings: sliced black olives, sour cream, cilantro

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Tex Mex Stuffed Peppers

The school year has begun. I don’t have kids, but I am married to a teacher, so this time of year gets pretty hectic. Which means it’s about time I started stocking my fridge and freezer on weekends so weeknight dinners are a bit more manageable.

These Tex Mex Stuffed Peppers are a super tasty (and easy) make-ahead meal. You can cook these over the weekend and reheat during the week, or freeze before cooking, thaw, and cook when ready to eat!

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 4 tablespoons taco seasoning
  • 1 cup jarred salsa (mild or medium)
  • 1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 (8 oz) box of yellow rice, cooked according to package directions
  • 6 bell peppers
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend

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Rockfish Tacos

This weekend, my fiancé went fishing with a friend and his friend’s father. They had quite a successful trip, and came home with a ton of Rockfish! Rockfish, also known as striped bass, is a mild whitefish that can be prepared many different ways, so I was jazzed!

We had some that night on the grill (yum!), but there was plenty left over, and my fiance’s friend was nice enough to send us home with more fish. I had a hankering for fish tacos, so these Rockfish Tacos are the end result! Rockfish, or striped bass, is the perfect balance of flaky and meaty, so it works wonderfully in tacos.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, diced
  • 1 tablespoon minced jalapeno
  • 1 tablespoon minced shallot
  • 1 tablespoon cilantro chopped, plus more for garnish
  • the juice and zest of 1 lime
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 large fillet rockfish (striped bass), skin removed (~1.5 lb)
  • 1 tablespoon Mexican seasoning or taco seasoning
  • 8 corn tortillas, 6 inch
  • 1 avocado, sliced
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced red cabbage
  • 1 lime cut into wedges, for serving

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Mexican Night

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I need to clean out my fridge to make room for all of the leftovers I plan on hoarding from my relatives. (I love that they end up feeding me for the whole weekend) The best (and tastiest) way to do this is to make tacos for dinner.

Ingredients

  • Chicken
  • Taco Seasoning (recipe below)
  • Yellow Rice
  • Lettuce
  • Tomatoes
  • Onions
  • Green Pepper
  • Guacamole (recipe below)
  • Cheese (I used pepper jack and cheddar)
  • Taco shells or soft tacos
I usually have most of the above lying around, which is why this is my favorite recipe to get rid of a bunch of ingredients. As a side note: I live alone, so I just buy a bunch of chicken on sale, put the pieces in individual freezer bags, and pull them out the day before to defrost in the fridge.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook the rice according to directions. While the rice is cooking, put 1 tablespoon olive oil in a pan on medium heat. While that warms up, season the chicken with the taco seasoning.

  Taco Seasoning Recipe

Taco Seasoning
    •  4 parts chili powder
    • 4 parts ground cumin
    • 2 parts paprika
    • 2 parts salt
    • 2 parts black pepper
    • 1 part garlic powder
    • 1 part onion powder
    • 1 part crushed red pepper flakes
    • 1 part dried oregano

     Mix. Store remaining spice mix in an airtight container.

Brown the chicken on both sides and place in the oven for 20 minutes. While the chicken and rice are cooking, chop all vegetables (tomatoes, green peppers, onion and lettuce)
To make the guacamole, cut avocados removing the seed. Put in a bowl and mash with a fork. Add onion, some chopped cilantro, chopped onion, 1 teaspoon lime juice, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, a dash of black pepper, and some of the chopped tomato. Mix.
Homemade Guacamole
Make sure to leave yourself enough onion and tomato to have as a topping for your tacos. Once the chicken is finished cooking, cut into bite size pieces and serve.
Not to shabby of a spread!
Each person can build their own taco to their liking. I usually take the leftovers and combine them for lunch the next day too. Yum!
Finished Product
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