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Simple Recipes

Make Your Own Bagged Salad And Avoid Preservatives

With bathing suit season right around the corner, I’m sure there are a lot of people eating salads to get ready for the warmer weather, so I thought this might be a great time to repost my very first Simple SolutionsDiva.com video, how to Make Your Own Bagged Salad.  Bagged salads at the store are so easy, but they do have to use preservatives to keep the salad fresh until you buy it.  This is a great way to avoid the preservatives and still have the convenience of bagged salad ready to eat in the fridge!

Bagged salad

To Find The Zyliss Lettuce Knife, Click Here!

Perfect for Easter Brunch: Sangria Di Cava

Sangria Di Cava, a refreshing sparking white sangria, is perfect for brunch!
Sangria Di Cava, a refreshing sparking white sangria, is perfect for brunch!

Refreshingly light and lovely for a brunch, this sparking white sangria recipe comes from the Columbia Restaurant in St. Augustine, Florida.

Ingredients


1 375ml bottle of Cava (or any sparkling wine)
¼ ounce Torres 5 Brandy (or any Spanish brandy)
¼ ounce Gran Torres Liqueur (or any orange liqueur)Splash of lemon-lime soda
1 Orange
1 Lime
Cherries for garnish
Simple Syrup*

Preparation

Cut orange and lime in half. Fill large pitcher with ice and combine the wine, brandy, liqueur, lemon-lime soda, the juice of half of an orange and the juice of half of a lime. Stir. Add simple syrup to obtain desired sweetness. Slice remaining orange and lime into thin slices. Garnish glasses with orange, lime and cherry.

* To make simple syrup, combine one part water to one part sugar in small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Chill before use. 

Crockpot Freezer Meals, Part 1: Recipes

Crockpot cooking is so easy to do — it is even easier when you prepare delicious Crockpot Freezer Meals in advance that can be thawed and popped into your crockpot at any time!  By investing as little as a half hour, you can create 4 flavorful and healthy crockpot freezer meals!

Important Note: For all CrockPot Freezer Meals, discard the freezer bag after placing contents in crockpot. Do not try to cook entire bag with contents in crockpot. (Sorry just need to clarify!)

As promised, here are the recipe links to the meals featured in Part 1 of my Crockpot Freezer Meals video:

Crockpot Mediterranean Lemon Chicken – Though this recipe from KSarahDesigns doesn’t call for cooking in a crockpot (they suggest grilling), I assure you, cooked on low for 8 hours (or 4 hours on high), produces a lovely, light chicken dish!  This would be perfect served with a rice pilaf.  Click Here For Link To Recipe!

Curried Chicken from The Gracious Pantry.
Curried Chicken from The Gracious Pantry.

Crockpot Curried Chicken – With dried fruits and warm curry, this recipe from TheGraciousPantry.com is sure to become a family favorite. Click Here For Link To Recipe!

Crockpot Freezer Meals, Part 2: Recipes

Crockpot Mexican Chicken from SimpleSolutionsDiva.com
Crockpot Mexican Chicken from SimpleSolutionsDiva.com

Crockpot cooking is so easy to do — it is even easier when you prepare delicious Crockpot Freezer Meals in advance that can be thawed and popped into your crockpot at any time!  By investing as little as a half hour, you can create 4 flavorful and healthy crockpot freezer meals!

Important Note: For all CrockPot Freezer Meals, discard the freezer bag after placing contents in crockpot.  Do not try to cook entire bag with contents in crockpot. (Sorry just need to clarify!)

Here are the recipe and link to the meals featured in Part 2 of the Crockpot Freezer Meals Video:

Crockpot Honey Sesame Chicken – This recipe from TheComfortOfCooking.com is so yummy, you may never order chinese take out again!  Click Here For The Recipe!

 

Crockpot Mexican Chicken – This is my own recipe, and I love it because it is so simple to do!

Ingredients:

5 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts

1 can Rotel Tomatoes (Choose any variety that works for you – I used with Cilantro and Lime)

1 can (4.5 oz.) Chopped Green Chiles

2 T. Chopped Garlic

2 T. olive oil

1 teaspoon Cumin

1/4 teaspoon Smoked Paprika (for a slightly smokey taste – omit if you prefer)

1 can Black Beans, rinsed (I use reduced sodium kind)

To make a thicker sauce: At end of cooking time, take 1/4 cup of sauce from crockpot, add 1 tsp. cornstarch, whisk, and add back to crockpot and stir.

 

Instructions: Combine all ingredients in Gallon Freezer Bag; mush around to distribute ingredients.  Freeze (or use right away!).  For crockpot cooking: thaw bag in fridge overnight, then pop contents of the bag into crockpot. (Discard bag; do not try to cook in the bag!)  Cook on low for 8 hours, or high for four hours. Serve with side of choice!

Crockpot Freezer Meals, Part 2

Crockpot cooking is so easy to do — it is even easier when you prepare delicious Crockpot Freezer Meals in advance that can be thawed and popped into your crockpot at any time! By investing as little as a half hour, you can create 4 flavorful and healthy crockpot freezer meals!

Important Note: For all CrockPot Freezer Meals, discard the freezer bag after placing contents in crockpot. Do not try to cook entire bag with contents in crockpot. (Sorry just need to clarify!)

Here are the recipe and link to the meals featured in Part 2 of the Crockpot Freezer Meals Video:

Crockpot Honey Sesame Chicken – This recipe from TheComfortOfCooking.com is so yummy, you may never order chinese take out again! Click Here For The Recipe!

Crockpot Mexican Chicken – This is my own recipe, and I love it because it is so simple to do!

Ingredients:

5 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts

1 can Rotel Tomatoes (Choose any variety that works for you – I used with Cilantro and Lime)

1 can (4.5 oz.) Chopped Green Chiles

2 T. Chopped Garlic

2 T. olive oil

1 teaspoon Cumin

1/4 teaspoon Smoked Paprika (for a slightly smokey taste – omit if you prefer)

1 can Black Beans, rinsed (I use reduced sodium kind)

To make a thicker sauce: At end of cooking time, take 1/4 cup of sauce from crockpot, add 1 tsp. cornstarch, whisk, and add back to crockpot and stir.

Instructions: Combine all ingredients in Gallon Freezer Bag; mush around to distribute ingredients. Freeze (or use right away!). For crockpot cooking: thaw bag in fridge overnight, then pop contents of the bag into crockpot. (Discard bag; do not try to cook in the bag!) Cook on low for 8 hours, or high for four hours. Serve with side of choice!

Crockpot Freezer Meals, Part 1

Crockpot cooking is so easy to do — it is even easier when you prepare delicious Crockpot Freezer Meals in advance that can be thawed and popped into your crockpot at any time! By investing as little as a half hour, you can create 4 flavorful and healthy crockpot freezer meals!

Important Note: For all CrockPot Freezer Meals, discard the freezer bag after placing contents in crockpot. Do not try to cook entire bag with contents in crockpot. (Sorry just need to clarify!)

As promised, here are the recipe links to the meals featured in Part 1 of my Crockpot Freezer Meals video:

Crockpot Mediterranean Lemon Chicken – Though this recipe from KSarahDesigns doesn’t call for cooking in a crockpot (they suggest grilling), I assure you, cooked on low for 8 hours (or 4 hours on high), produces a lovely, light chicken dish! This would be perfect served with a rice pilaf. Click Here For Link To Recipe!

Curried Chicken from The Gracious Pantry.
Crockpot Curried Chicken – With dried fruits and warm curry, this recipe from TheGraciousPantry.com is sure to become a family favorite. Click Here For Link To Recipe!

Oven Space-Saving Recipes for Holiday Side Dishes

Most of us don’t have double ovens in our kitchen, so cooking the holiday dinner and all the side dishes becomes a juggling act for space in the oven.  How do you manage it all?  Crockpot to the Rescue!

Crockpot cooking makes life Simple!
Crockpot cooking makes life Simple!

Check out this roundup of great crockpot side dish ideas and recipes.  With so many options, you may find your next holiday meal tradition!

Pinterest – Here is a link to some GREAT Pinterest recipes. Click Here to view!

Food.com – This great site has wonderful crockpot side dish ideas. Click here to view!

MomsWhoThink.com – They have pages and pages of crockpot ideas.  Click here to view!

These are just a few websites that offer some great ideas.  Have fun this holiday season and keep it SIMPLE!

Simple Holiday Survival Recipe: Peppermint Bark

Another favorite of Simple Solutions Diva, Peppermint Bark is an easy candy to make at the holidays!  This recipe uses dark chocolate chips, but you can use semi-sweet or milk chocolate, if you prefer.

Ingredients:

Two 10 oz. bags of Nestle Dark Chocolate Chips

Two 12 oz bags of Nestle White Chocolate Chips

3  tsp. canola oil – divided

1 tsp. peppermint extract – divided

25 candy canes or peppermint candies, crushed

Directions:

In a microwave-safe bowl, combine dark chocolate chips, 1 1/2 tsp. canola oil, and 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract, and microwave according to chocolate chip package directions (approx. 2.5 minutes on 70% power – stirring every 30 seconds until smooth).

Line a cookie sheet with wax paper and pour warm chocolate chip mixture into pan, spreading mixture to the edges.  Refrigerate until hardened, approx. 1 hour.

Once dark chocolate layer is hardened, begin second layer.  In clean, microwave-safe bowl, combine white chocolate chips, 1 1/2 tsp. canola oil, and 1/2 tsp. peppermint extract, and microwave according to chocolate chip package directions (approx. 2.5 minutes on 70% power – stirring every 30 seconds until smooth).

Pour white chocolate mixture over hardened dark chocolate mixture, quickly spreading mixture to the edges. Sprinkle crushed peppermint candies over top of mixture, and gently press candies into mixture.  Refrigerate until it is hardened.
Break into small pieces and store in air-tight containers.  Enjoy!

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