Today's meal is brought to you by busy fall days, when all you want to do is cozy up by the fire, but all you have time to do is run around and put fires out. Slow cooker meals are perfect for busy moms who may have a few minutes here or there during the day to dump ingredients, then forget about them. You can come home after a hard days work and dinner is done. This savory filling soup is perfect for a cold fall evening. 

Ingredients: 
1 large chicken breast (frozen is fine) 
2 tablespoons butter
3 cans chicken broth, (approximately 6 cups) 
3/4 cup wild rice
1/2 small onion, diced
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp dried sage
1/4 tsp dried rosemary
1/4 tsp lavender
2 bay leaves
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Dump all ingredients into crock pot. Cook on high for 3 hours, or until chicken can easily be shredded and rice is cooked through. 

Couldn't be easier! 

Enjoy!

Have you ever been to the fast casual restaurant Cubby's in Utah? It's seriously to die for. Fresh, healthy, good for you food with such great flavors. If you live near one, run there now. Seriously, what are you doing still reading this post? Go! 

I recently had Cubby's wild rice & kale salad. It's full of chicken, apples, and packed with savory flavors. I don't live within a days drive of a Cubby's, so figuring out how to make this salad on my own was a must. This salad isn't 100% up to the deliciousness they have created, but its darn near close. Make it today and your body and taste buds will thank you. 

Ingredients: 

Salad: 
1 head of kale, finely sliced into 1/8 of an inch strips
1 chicken breast, cooked, then diced
1 apple, diced
1/3 cup toasted almonds, chopped
1 cup wild rice, cooked
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1 avocado, diced
3 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

Dressing: 
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lavender honey
1/2 tsp kosher salt
sprinkling of fresh ground pepper

Directions: 

Once your kale is chopped, toss it with the lemon juice to allow it to soften. Cook your rice and while the rice is still hot, mix it with the kale to soften it further. Allow it to cool for 10 minutes. Add in your other salad ingredients, dress to your taste level, and toss. Can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. 



Enjoy!

Arroz con pollo, or rice with chicken, is a traditional dish of spain and latin america. It is very similar to paella. Think of a large pan full of deliciously seasoned chicken, yellow rice, and a sprinkling of vegetables. This is the perfect satisfying meal for a crowd. 

Ingredients: 

1/4 cup olive oil

6 chicken thighs 

1/2 cup sofrito

1/4 cup pimento olives

1 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp cloves

4 cups rice

6 cups chicken broth

1 cup roasted red peppers 

Directions: Add oil to a large pan with a lid.  Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper and brown on all sides.  Remove the chicken and add olives and sofrito and stir.  Add cumin and cloves.  Mix in the rice and stir on high for 2 minutes.  Add chicken stock and cover for 20-30 minutes. Add peas with about 5-10 minutes left.  Garnish with canned roasted red bell peppers.

We hope you and your family enjoy this filling delicious and easy meal! 

Have you ever tried to make fried rice at home and come back with results that are no where near as good as what you can get in a restaurant? It seems easy enough, but the flavors and techniques that restaurants use can be trickier than you imagine. Below is our ham fried rice recipe. It has a deep delicious asian flavor that will make you feel like you are eating delicious Chinese take-out. Our most important tip? Use day old rice! Using rice made the same day wont give you the texture or flavor you are looking for. So if you can, make your rice a day ahead and only pop it out of the fridge right before you are ready to serve it. 

Ingredients: 

1 cup uncooked brown rice, cooked with 1 tablespoon butter, left in fridge overnight

6 slices canadian bacon, chopped

1 head broccoli, chopped

1 small package edamame beans

1 carrot, shredded

2 eggs

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp fish sauce

salt & pepper to taste

Directions: 

Chop and fry up your Canadian bacon in some oil in a hot pan. Add your eggs, some salt, and pepper, and scramble them. Once cooked through, add your vegetables and cook until warmed through and the broccoli is slightly wilted. Add your rice, soy sauce, sesame oil, and fish sauce. Stir everything together and salt and pepper to taste. 

It seems so silly that a little trick like using day old rice could make or break your recipe, but it really does make such a huge difference. Also, using Canadian bacon instead of chicken adds such depth of flavor. Then using the sesame oil and fish sauce will take your home made meal and make it restaurant ready. Enjoy!