Cinnamon Roll Casserole.

I promise this ins't turning into a food blog. But today's breakfast was too good to not share. Part of our Family Sabbath Day Plan is having breakfast together. Usually Ross gets the girls up and gets them cereal or bagels or whatever while I mozzy my way to the fridge and pop open a Diet Coke. Not bashing on cereal for breakfast. I love cereal for breakfast, but I wanted our Sabbath Day breakfast to be something to look forward to. And simple. I am not a morning person. The requirement of being exciting and simple is a tall order, I know.

Hence my Crock Pot love. I love everything about my crock pot. It is Heaven sent. And I love breakfasts. Breakfast in a crock pot? GOLDEN. I woke up at 5 to get these bad boys cooking and went back to bed until a reasonable hour. I could have started them the night before and just had the pot sit on "warm" until morning, but I wanted it hot and fresh. So...5 AM. Totally worth it.

Cinnamon Roll Casserole: 

• 2 or 3 12 oz tubes of cinnamon rolls. (I made with two, but next time I would do 3)
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 C. Heavy whipping cream
• 3T Maple syrup
• 2t Vanilla
• 1t Cinnamon
• 1/4t Nutmeg

NIGHT BEFORE PREP: (highly recommend, but totally okay to do before throwing everything in the pot.  Bust open the cinnamon rolls and cut into quarters. I used scissors and just snipped them. Put in a bowl. Cover and keep in fridge.

In separate bowl, mix the eggs, cream, syrup, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cover and keep in fridge.

WHEN YOU ARE READY TO COOK: Spray your pot with cooking spray. Place just enough  cinnamon roll pieces to cover the bottom of the pot. (about half) Re-stir the egg mixture if prepped the night before. Pour liquid over the roll pieces. Use one of the icing packets to drizzle and save the other for later. Place remaining roll pieces on top.

Cook low 2 1/2-3 hours. I did mine on low for 2 and then high for the last half hour and it was awesome. I'm a texture person, so I needed to know the dough was 100% cooked. Drizzle the last packet of icing before serving.

BAM. Awesome breakfast. I used 2 roll tubes and it was plenty for our family of 5. We even had a little leftover. Next time I'd do 3 tubes so we can have more leftovers.

Crock-pot Freezer Meals

Let me start off by saying that I am not a food blogger. I don't take pictures of my food, I don't love to cook, and my only passion for food is eating it. I used to enjoy cooking before I had children. Now every 5 seconds I hear, "Mama, I hun-gee." Granted, it's usually the sweetest "Mama" you've ever heard, but it gradually grows more and more impatient and demanding as the seconds between the statement and food in their tiny paws grow longer. 

So, I am not a food blogger. But I am pretty handy with freezer meals. My family survived off of them for probably a year after little #3 was born. With 3 kids in just barely 3 years, cooking was at the bottom of my to-do list. I love freezer meals. I spend an hour or two every couple weeks and whip these bad boys up so all I have to do it throw it in the pot, hit the time, and I'm done. Sometimes I get lazy and simply skip the freezing part and just dump everything in the pot for the day. Totally up to you. 

These are our tried and true family favorite freezer meal staples. Generally I shop at Costco for frozen chicken breasts, a couple whole chickens, and a 4 pack pork roast. Maybe some pork chops. Everything else I get from my favorite grocery store. Canned veggies I prefer to get from the organic/natural section: They just taste better in my opinion. Some of these are Whole30 since I did that for a while, some are Paleo, and some are just plain delicious. Unless otherwise noted, throw all ingredients in the bag (or pot) and call it a day. I'm all about minimal effort. 

1) Slow Cooker Carnitas: (Whole30/Paleo)

• -1 4lb pork roast 
• -2 C. Chicken broth or stalk 
• -4 Cloves garlic
• -2t. Chili powder
• -1t. Oregano
• -1/2t. Coriander
• -1t salt

Cook low for 8 hours or high for 4. Shred pork and we usually do this as a burrito salad, or tacos, or whatever your heart's content. 

2) Sweet and Sour Meatballs:

• 1 (16oz) pkg frozen fully cooked meatballs
• 1 onion - diced
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 (16-18oz) bottle sweet & sour sauce
• 1 cup pineapple tidbits, drained

Cook low for 4 hours or high for 2. Serve over rice. 

3)BBQ Cranberry Pork:

• Pork Roast
• 1 can cranberry sauce (We like the whole berry kind)
• 1 C. BBQ Sauce 

Cook low 6-7 hours or high for 4. We serve this with mashed potatoes with the cranberry sauce over the potatoes, too. 

4) Thai Peanut Pork: (Whole30/Paleo)

2 lb. boneless pork-chops

2 red bell peppers thinly sliced

⅓ cup soy sauce (Skip for Whole30/Paleo)

⅓ cup chunky peanut butter (Sub almond butter for Paleo/Whole30)

1 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated

1 cup chicken broth 

3 tablespoons honey (Skip for Whole30)

2 cloves of garlic

½ tsp red pepper flakes

Cook low 5-6 hours. Serve with rice. Or salad. Or potatoes. You have options. (I usually make 2 of these because we like it so much.)

5) Chipotle Pork With Pineapple Coleslaw: (Whole30/Paleo) 

• pork roast, about 4 lbs
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder (more if you like it spicy!)
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 cups chicken or beef stock
• 1 teaspoon all natural liquid smoke
• Optional serving toppings: avocado slices, freshly torn cilantro, bbq sauce
• For the pineapple coleslaw:
• 4 cups coleslaw
• ½ cup mayonnaise (Paleo/Whole30 mayo)
• 1 ½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 2 cups fresh pineapple
• sea salt and pepper, to taste

Cook low 8 hours or 4 hours. Prepare coleslaw. Shred pork. Serve with the coleslaw either on top or on the side. 

6) Slow Cooker Chicken: (Paleo/Whole30)

• 1 whole chicken (4-5 lbs.), rinsed and patted dry
•  2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
•  1  tsp. dried thyme
•  1 tsp. garlic powder
•  1 tsp. sea salt
•  1 tsp. paprika
•  1 tsp. ground black pepper
•  1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)

Place some quartered potatoes and baby carrots along the bottom the the pot. Add in chicken and other ingredients Cook low 6-8 hours. After, you can broil the chicken for 5-10 minutes if you like it brown and a little crisp. 

7) Taco Chili:

• 1 lb. ground beef or turkey
  1 medium onion chopped
  1 can corn drained
  1 can black beans drained
  1 can navy beans drained
  1 8 oz can tomato sauce
  2 14 oz. cans diced tomatoes
  1 small can diced green chiles
  1 package taco seasoning

Cook low 4-6 hours. Break up ground meat and stir before serving. 

8) White Chicken Chili:

1 medium onion chopped

1 can chopped green chilies

2 cans white beans (drained)

2 t. cumin

2 t. chili powder

1 lb chicken 

1 t. salt

1 t. pepper

2 C. Chicken stock

Cook low 4 hours. Shred chicken and stir before serving. 

9) Honey Sesame Chicken: 

1 lb chicken

1 cup honey

2 T sesame seeds

1/2 cup soy sauce

1 t. salt

1 t. pepper

Cook low 4-5 hours. Serve over rice or as lettuce wraps.

10) Beef Stew: Paleo/Whole30)

1 large onion, diced

1 ½ lb lean stew meat

2 cups beef stock

1 ½  cups V-8 juice

⅓  cup barbeque sauce (Paleo/Whole30 BBQ Sauce) 

3 clove of garlic

1 lb carrots cut up

Cook low 8-9 hours or high 6 hours

11) Mediterranean Pork Chops: (Paleo/Whole30)

2 cups chicken broth

4 cloves of garlic

2 tbsp paprika

2 tbsp poultry seasoning

2 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp dried basil

6-8 thick cut pork chops

Cook low 8 hours or high for 4. Serve with Salad, potatoes, whatever your heart's content. 

12) Balsamic Chicken:

 4-6 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts

2 - 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

1 medium onion thinly sliced

4 garlic cloves

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar 

1 tsp each: dried oregano, basil, and rosemary

1/2 tsp thyme

Cook low 8 hours or high for 4. Serve over angel hair pasta. 

13) Cilantro Lime Chicken:

1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts

Juice from 2 limes

1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

1 (16 oz) bag frozen corn

2 minced garlic cloves

1/2 red onion, chopped

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 tsp cumin

Cook low 8 hours or high for 4. We do this over a salad, or as tacos or burrito bowls. 

14) Creamy Chicken and Tomato Soup: (Paleo/Whole30)

8 skinless boneless chicken breast

2 tablespoons Italian Seasoning

1 tablespoon dried basil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 large onion, chopped

2 14 oz. can of coconut milk (full fat), shake before opening can to avoid separation

2 14 oz. can diced tomatoes and juice

2 cups of chicken broth

1 small can of tomato paste

1/2 jar of your favorite tomato sauce (The natural section has a great sauce that is all pureed veggies that we LOVE in this soup)

Cook low 9 hours or high for 5. Shred chicken and stir before serving. 

15) Red Beans and Rice:

1 pound red beans

7 cups water

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

3 celery stalks, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped or minced

2 cans chicken broth

1-1/2 pounds sausage

2 tablespoons Creole Seasoning 

Cook High 7 hours and serve over rice. 

I'm sure we have more, but these are definitely our family staples. Generally I like to whip these all together at once and be set for a good while, but when life gets crazy, I just plan and shop for the meals that week . With school and work schedules, I love being able to throw one of these bad boys in and forget about it. Enjoy!!