I find it interesting because a few different people mentioned to me this week that they usually take one day over the weekend to prep their meals for the week.  I said that I like to do this when I get it pulled together but that some weeks, this is harder than others.  Yesterday, I had the privilege of going wedding dress shopping with my brother’s fiancé and our moms.

 

 

I think they brought me for the comic relief : )  After the dress shop, we went out for mojitos and fajitas and then shopped our way through town.  I won’t even tell you about all of the amazing things I found but I was shocked to find my favorite running shoes (which I just paid over $100 for) on sale for only $55 at the local running and tri shop.  Score!  Shopping was followed by too much wine, laughter, and finally bed time.   We woke up late this morning and gathered for some much needed caffeine at the kitchen table.  With a beautiful fall day ahead, everyone pulled out their tablets and got started looking at recipes for the week.  I borrowed my mom’s and with assistance got myself set up on Pinterest, which of course opened my world to even more bloggers and recipes.

 

 

As everyone sipped their coffee/tea, we discussed new crockpot recipes and wrote down our grocery lists.  Then there was a little show n’ tell.  My pick for tonight’s recipe was this Slow Cooker Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken from Just a Taste.

 

 

It was definitely a favorite at our table and one of the first things that I pinned.

 

 

Since I wrote down the ingredients, but not the details, I accidently bought chicken breasts and chopped them into large chunks.  It turns out, that this recipe is written for chicken on the bone.  It still turned out wonderful, but I cooked it for only 4 hours.

 

 

In the past, I’ve had trouble getting my sauces to thicken.  So I liked the extra step of adding the cornstarch to the sauce on the stove.  Dinner was ready a little early (which worked out okay because I had another recipe picked out for lunch this week waiting in line for the crockpot).  When the BOY and I were ready to eat, we reheated the chicken, topped it with seeds and scallions and served it over brown rice.

 

 

I’m still new to the Pinterest thing but think that I can start a Luv What You Do board, where hopefully, maybe, one day, you will be able to collect fantastic recipes like this one.

 

 

And this recipe is seriously one of the best I’ve made all year!  The BOY agrees!

 

 

Yay for group meal planning!  Looking forward to the week ahead!

 

 

Meal Plan 9/29/13

Sunday: Slow Cooker Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken

 

Monday: Out to Eat

 

Tuesday: Leftovers

 

Wednesday: The BOY’s Grill Night

 

Thursday: TBD

 

Breakfast: Sweet Potato and Banana Baked Oatmeal

Lunch: Turkey Crockpot Ravioli Casserole

 

 

What are you eating for dinner this week?

 

 

Slow Cooker Crockpot Honey Garlic Chicken

From Just a Taste

 

Ingredients

3 large bone-in, skinless chicken breasts (2 1/2 to 3 pounds total)*

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce

1/4 cup blackberry jam (I used four berry from Door County)

1/4 cup hoisin sauce

2 Tablespoons olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup diced onion

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

1 Tablespoon cornstarch

Sliced scallions, for garnish

Sesame seeds, for garnish

 

Directions

Arrange the chicken breasts in the slow cooker so that they are not overlapping.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the honey, soy sauce, blackberry jam, hoisin, olive oil, garlic, onion and crushed red pepper flakes, and then pour the sauce over the chicken. Cover the slow cooker and cook the chicken on LOW for 4 to 5 hours until the chicken is fully cooked.

Using tongs, remove the chicken from the slow cooker (reserving the liquids) and place it on a cutting board. Remove the bones then use two forks to shred the chicken into smaller pieces. Place the shredded chicken in a large bowl.

In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of cold water to make a slurry.

Transfer the liquids from the slow cooker into a small saucepan set over medium-high heat and whisk in the slurry. Bring the sauce to a boil and cook it until it reduces and has thickened slightly, about 3 minutes. Pour the sauce over the chicken, tossing to combine. Serve the chicken topped with sliced scallions and sesame seeds.

 

*Note: Will also work with chicken breasts, but just adjust your cooking time accordingly.