Clever leftovers: Chicken Spaghetti

Remember how I said the Chicken Stuffed Chiles made a TON of extra filling? Well. Into the freezer it went, and today it got new life as chicken spaghetti.

A super quick dinner that even got compliments from hubs. I get the most compliments from him on my leftover-type scrap meals. Go figure!

All I did was defrost some of the creamy chicken and combine it with GF noodles (oops I was out of spaghetti noodles so penne went into the pot!) and an extra chunk of cream cheese. And peas, because I can't help myself. Peas and pasta belong together.

And yes, it is now acceptable to boil water on the stovetop because the temperatures have dipped below 100 degrees.

Chicken Spaghetti

Combine:
-Leftovers from Chicken Stuffed Chiles
-boiled GF noodles
-An extra chunk of cream cheese
-Extra shredded cheddar cheese, because I think it needed it
-Ooh, maybe a shake of chili flakes for a kick.

Serve with leftover shredded lettuce and tomatoes from the nacho bar you had over the weekend and call it a salad. Yay for no waste!

This week's menu

There is a ton of food in our fridge and freezer, because hubs randomly decided to smoke a brisket, woo!
Which means the only thing we need to get at the store this week is milk and OJ. I get to be creative with leftovers, and I'm pleased I get to skip a weekly shopping trip because it was hard to get out of bed today.

Here it is:

Monday- Chicken spaghetti + salads
Tuesday- BBQ Sandwiches + beans
Wednesday- Quesadillas
Thursday- Shrimp + grits
Friday- Leftovers, I'm working really late. Boo.

Chicken stuffed chiles

Dude, I made a really tasty dinner tonight.

Originally inspired by (I hate to admit) Rachael Ray's Cheesy Chicken and Corn Stuffed Chiles recipe. Somehow I ended up subscribed to her magazine. Still can barely tolerate her, but there's usually a couple of neat recipes. I switched up a few things and converted this meal halfway* to crock pot heaven.

Hatch chiles are a big thing in grocery stores right now. Seriously, every store flyer for the past couple of weeks has had some kind of hatch chile theme. There was a giant bin right when I walked in the store, so obviously I used those.

The best news is, the crock pot recipe made WAY more chicken filling than needed, so I can easily use the rest in enchiladas, soup, tacos, etc. I will probably end up freezing some as well.

Crock Pot Chicken Stuffed Chiles

Place in the crock pot:
3 chicken breasts, sprinkled with paprika, cumin, and pepper
1 c. salsa
1/2 block cream cheese

Cook until the chicken starts to fall apart, or until you come home from work. If necessary, shred the chicken and place back in the crock pot. Stir in 1 c. frozen corn.

Cut chiles in half and remove seeds. Fill with cheesy chicken mixture and top with shredded cheese. Bake at 450 for about 10 minutes, just until everything is heated through and the cheese on top has started to bubble.

Serve with rice.

*Full crock-pot version:
Chop the chiles and put everything in the crock pot at once. Serve over rice. I think the flavors would have a chance to mingle and this method would actually improve the recipe.

Ideas for leftover chicken:
Chicken Pot Pie
Chicken Spaghetti

This week's menu

This week school starts. Which doesn't really affect me except for my daily commute extends by 30 minutes each way. Bummer-iffic. What can you do? Carry on. And try a few new recipes. In the crock pot.

Monday- Chicken (crock pot) and corn stuffed chiles
Tuesday- Glazed pork chops (crock pot) and sauteed sweet potato
Wednesday- Burgers + coleslaw
Thursday- Black bean and quinoa chili (crock pot)
Friday- Fish tacos. They're so good we're eating them 3 weeks in a row.

Have a good week, loves.

GF Honey Nut Cheerios

Hello, old friend. It's been roughly 8 years.
I may have squealed in Target.

The best part? They're the SAME price as the regular kind! Thanks for not jacking up the price, guys. ♡

Crock pot bbq chicken

It's hot. It's still hot. It's going to be hot for a while longer.

When it's 100+ degrees outside, the A/C can only do so much. Cooking has become an event that literally has me sweating in the kitchen. I just can't do it.

Oven? Forget about it. Stovetop? Maybe. Toaster oven? For something quick. Microwave? Yes. Grill? Yes, but it's still hot out there and hubs has started boycotting as well. Crock pot? If you simply must eat something hot, okay. Sandwiches? Now we're talking! ...which is why I made sandwiches for dinner three times last week.

However sandwiches get old after a while and it's time for something with a little more dinner-feel.

Enter crock pot BBQ Chicken. It's stupid-easy.

Step 1. Put chicken in the crock pot.
Step 2. Pour BBQ sauce over it.
Step 3. Cook on low until you get home from work.

Serve with coleslaw, salad, spiralized zucchini, or something you don't have to heat up the kitchen for. Because did I mention it's hot?

P.S. These leftovers make great chicken sandwiches. And they're good straight out of the fridge cold. Kuz it's hot outside.

This week's menu

Ok folks. Here's the week's menu. Let's hope it gets used unlike last week where I scrounged up whatever I could that didn't heat up the house.

Yes, I know I have pizza on the menu. I'm craving it, I've got a forgotten block of mozarella cheese in the fridge to use up, and I think I can handle the trusty toaster oven heating up for 20 minutes. I think.

Monday- Crock pot bbq chicken
Tuesday- Pizza
Wednesday- Tuna salad sandwiches
Thursday- Grilled pork loin with sweet potatoes
Friday- Fish Tacos

Fish Tacos

Last week's menu:

was pretty much a funny joke. It was too hot and I was kinda sick so I had sandwiches and randomly scrounged freezer food. Except Thursday. Thursday I made fish tacos and they were DELICIOUS.

I got the craving from a magazine cover I saw in the drugstore. They looked so fresh, and I happened to have fish in the freezer and the last 2 corn tortillas in the fridge. I improvised the rest.

My punchy orange garage sale 25 cent placemats match the carrot :o)

Fish Tacos

Heat up a pan on the stove (I know, it's too hot to cook. but it's only on for a short while.)

Place a thawed tilapia filet in the pan and sprinkle with cajun seasoning. We like Tony Chacheres. Keep in mind that if you use a cajun seasoned salt, it's SALT and you can't overdo it. You're supposed to use it in place of salt, and use as much as you'd normally use if you were using salt. Some people can't get this through their heads and end up over-seasoning. Moving on.

Cook on each side for a few minutes until the fish is cooked. It will be white and flake in the thickest part when it's done. While it's cooking, shred some lettuce and carrot. Taditionally shredded cabbage is used but like I said, I improvised. Lettuce and carrot provided the necessary crunch and a pop of color.

Spread a little greek yogurt or sour cream on the corn tortilla, and top with the fish and greens. Nom away.

Kabobs

What? You have a bunch of sad veggies in the fridge?
Never fear, kabobs are here!

Ok I'm done being a dork about kabobs.
Kabobs are easy. They're like summer on a stick. Plus they don't heat up your kitchen when it's already 100 degrees outside. Plus it's super easy to use up all your sad veggies.

Kabobs

1. Cube your steak or chicken. Marinade in something you looked up online.
2. Soak kabob sticks in water.
3. Cut up all your sad misfit veggies. Ours included mushrooms, peppers, onions, and zucchini.
4. Spear the meat and veggies in artful succession.
5. Grill and drink wine until the meat is done.

P.S. Fellow GF blogger made kabobs this week, too, and she included PINEAPPLE. Yum.

This week's menu

Welcome to another week of me refusing to turn on the stove or the oven.

Last night we got takeaway from the nice italian restaurant down the block that makes a bomb GF chicken alfredo. Worth every penny.

Monday- Beef kabobs with baked sweet potatoes
Tuesday- Crock pot BBQ chicken with salads
Wednesday- Freezer cleanout! Choices include chicken soup, tortilla soup, honey sesame pork, and chicken spaghetti that the sweet neighbor brought over when Chris broke his wrist. It's full of gluten, so none for me!
Thursday- Leftovers
Friday- Grilled Fish and probably lots of wine.