Instapot Chicken Tacos

3 -4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1 cup pineapple juice

Taco Seasoning * (I make my own, but you can use store bought)

*1 Tablespoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp salt

Tortillas or hard shells

Anything you like on your tacos – lettuce, grilled onion, tomato, cilantro lime rice, cheese, avocado, jalapeno, sour cream, etc

Place chicken in the instapot pot. Sprinkle with seasoning. Pour pineapple juice over chicken. Place lid on instapot, making sure valve is closed. Set level on high and pressure cook for 10 minutes. Once timer is done, allow instapot to do a natural steam release for about 8 minutes. You can then open the valve. Once all steam is released, remove top. Shred chicken with 2 forks in the juice so it absorbs more flavor. Discard remaining juice. You can add more seasoning if you wish. Build your taco!

Crock Pot Chicken Teriyaki

Yields 1 gallon bag with 3 servings

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs

½ cup honey

½ cup soy sauce

¼ rice wine vinegar (can substitute red wine or apple cider vinegar)

1 small onion, diced

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 inch ginger root peeled and minced (or 1 tablespoon dried minced ginger)

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1 14.4 ounce bag frozen stir fry vegetables

Gallon sized plastic freezer bag- if you plan to freeze for later

Cooked rice to serve with if desired

Directions:

1. Label freezer bag if planning on freezing
2. Add all ingredients to bag- add chicken last so it will be first when poured into crock pot. If cooking immediately, add chicken to crock pot first and then all other ingredients on top.
3. Remove as much air from freezer bag as possible, seal, and freeze.
4. The night before cooking, move bag to refrigerator to thaw.
5. When ready to cook, pour contents of freezer bag into crock pot.
6. Cook on low setting for 8 hours, or medium for 6 hours until chicken is fully cooked.
7. Serve over cooked rice.

Almost Stuffed Peppers

Yield: 4-6

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef

2 cups water

1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained

1 large green pepper, cut into ¼ slices

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 ½ teaspoons salt

½ teaspoons Italian seasoning

½ pepper

1 ½ cups uncooked instant rice

Directions:

In a large skillet, brown beef; drain. Set aside and keep warm. In the same skillet, combine water, tomatoes, green pepper, onion, and seasonings; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered, until vegetables are tender. Stir in rice; cover and remove from the heat. Let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in beef; return to stove and heat through. 

Sausage Eggroll in a Bowl

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 pound ground sausage

6 cups coleslaw mix or shredded cabbage

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon minced ginger (can used dried)

1 tablespoon soy sauce

¼ green onions for garnish, chopped

Directions:

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add sausage and cook, stirring often to crumble, until cooked through. Do not drain.
2. Add coleslaw mix, garlic, ginger, and soy sauce to the skillet with the sausage. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until cabbage has softened a bit. 
3. Remove from heat and top with green onions and serve immediately.

Sausage and Egg Casserole

Ingredients:

1 pound ground sausage

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (I recommend Tillamook brand)

1 can Rotel

One dozen eggs, beaten

1 cup milk

Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. In a skillet, lightly brown ground sausage, drain and cool.
2. Combine sausage, cheese, and Rotel in a bowl. Put in container with lid and store in refrigerator overnight. Or, put into a plastic freezer bag and freeze for later.
3. When ready to bake, thaw if frozen and preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
4. Mix sausage mixture with the eggs and milk. Salt and pepper to taste.
5. Pour into a 9 x 13 glass pan and cook for 35 minutes, or until center is firm.

Tangy Chicken Quiche

Ingredients:

1- 9 inch frozen pie crust

1 ½ cups cooked, chopped chicken

4 eggs

1 cup heavy cream

½ cup creamy Italian salad dressing

1 cup shredded Swiss cheese

Paprika to sprinkle on top

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Pierce frozen pie crust several times with fork. Bake for 10 minutes in 400 degree oven.
3. Remove pie shell from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees. 
4. In a large bowl, beat eggs and mix in chicken, heavy cream, Italian dressing, and Swiss cheese. 
5. Pour mixture into pie crust. Sprinkle top with paprika and bake for 35-40 minutes or until center is firm.

Note: Can substitute cooked, chopped ham for chicken and sharp cheddar cheese for Swiss cheese for a different variation.

Pasta with Chicken and Basil Cream Sauce

Yield: 6-8

Ingredients:

1 package (12 ounces) bow tie pasta (or any small pasta)

1 tablespoon butter

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into thin strips

½ teaspoon garlic salt

1 cup milk

1- 3 ounce package cream cheese, cubed

½ teaspoon dried basil

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Cook pasta according to package directions, drain. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, melt buttler. Sprinkle chicken with garlic salt; cook 2 minutes on each side or until no longer pink. Add milk and heat just to boiling; stir in cream cheese and basil. Reduce heat, stirring constantly until cream cheese is completely melted and chicken is thoroughly cooked. Remove from heat, stir in Parmesan cheese. Toss hot pasta and sauce; serve immediately. 

Hearty Stuffed Potatoes

Yield 2 servings

Ingredients:

2 medium baking potatoes

½ cup cottage cheese

3 tablespoons mayonnaise

2 teaspoons mustard

½ teaspoon dill weed

½ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon pepper

½ cup shredded cheddar cheese, plus extra to top potatoes

1 hard boiled egg, chopped

1 Roma tomato, thinly sliced

Directions:

Wash and dry potatoes, bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour or until tender. Cool. Cut a thin slice off the top of each potato. Scoop out pulp, leaving a thin shell. In a bowl, mash the pulp with cottage cheese, mayonnaise, mustard, dill, salt and pepper. Stir in ½ cup cheddar cheese and egg. Spoon into potato shells. Top with the remaining cheese. Place on a baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until heated through. Garnish with tomato.