Thank the GOOD Lord for CrockPots!

I like to use the excuse, "I'm too busy" or "On a diet" to avoid cooking meals for my family :)  Mainly due to the fact that I honestly, just don't ENJOY cooking! I think half of it is because I am a BAD cook and the other half is because I hate the clean up that is involved after most decent meals.  So, with that said its' been awhile since I've had the "time" to cook.  Well, thanks to Pinterest I have a new found love for Crock Pot Recipes!! Can I get a "Woot! Woot!"?!  Now, don't judge me because this is quite the feat, but today is my SECOND day in a row to cook a full meal :)  I know, right?! I have (again thanks to Pinterest) discovered Crock Pot liners which makes the 'other half' of my HATING to cook less of an excuse.  I love that I can be prepped and cleaned before noon with dinner on the timer to be nice and warm and appetizing right about the time Dillon gets home from work to eat!  They BEST part is that the kids always tend to get hungry a little earlier, so this way-they can get their dinner and settle down at the table in time for Dillon to get home....change clothes...go through the mail...and we can finally sit down as a family while dinner is still HOT and the kids are already happily chowing down :)

Last night I made my very first Pot Roast....it was quite possibly the BEST thing I've made to date.  My husband is a "meat and potatoes" kind of guy so it was up his alley too!  For probably the second time EVER since we've been married (4 years tomorrow) he got seconds on his meal! YAY FOR ME! I've included the Pot Roast recipe as long as the Orange Chicken recipe I just put in the Crock Pot for tonight! 

*Coming soon @ the O.Ink blog....RECIPE CARDS! YAY! Now you'll have plenty reason to get cookin'!

This easy, popular slow cooker pot roast is made with only 4 ingredients plus the water! Use a good lean beef chuck roast in this recipe, or look for a cut of beef with "pot roast" on the label.

Ingredients:

• one beef pot roast of your choice
• 1 box, (2 envelopes) Lipton Onion Soup Mix
• baby carrots
• new potatoes
• 2 cups water

Preparation:

Place beef pot roast in crockpot and sprinkle with Lipton onion soup mix. Add carrots and new potatoes. Pour water over pot roast. Cook on low 8 to 10 hrs or until tender.

Thicken the gravy with a little flour or cornstarch which has been mixed with cold water. If you are really on the ball, when you put the roast on, put a batch of bread in the bread maker and set the timer so they will be finished at the same time. When you get home, all you need to do is fix a salad and dinner is done.
Pot roast recipe shared by Diane

Tip: The juices tend to be watery by the end of the cooking time, so when the roast is done, keep it warm and pour juices into a medium saucepan. Bring the juices to a boil and simmer briskly until reduced and more flavorful, about 8 to 10 minutes.

ORANGE CHICKEN:

Ingredients:
• 3-4 boneless chicken breasts, chopped into small chunks
• 1/3 cup flour
• olive oil
• 1/2 T salt
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 3 T ketchup
• 6 oz. frozen orange juice concentrate (thaw or throw it in the microwave for 45 seconds)
• 4 T brown sugar

In a bowl, mix the orange juice, brown sugar, vinegar, salt, and ketchup.

Pour the flour in a small bowl.
Cover the chicken breast chunks in flour and shake off the excess.

Pour a small amount of olive oil in a skillet and brown the flour-covered chicken.

The chicken doesn't need to be fully cooked since it's going in the crock pot.

After the chicken is done cooking, pour the pieces into the crock pot.
Then cover the chicken with your sauce mixture and give the pot a stir.

Cook on low for 5-6 hours or on high for 2-3.