Crockpot Sesame Chicken Lettuce Wraps

I was totally not feeling it today but I was motivated enough by a clean kitchen counter to make my family food for dinner! So I took the easier route and dragged the crockpot out, chopped veggies, defrosted chicken and let it go. Yummy yummy yummy! The house was smelling awesome and it tasted pretty awesome.

My quicker trick today: Tastefully Simple's Toasted Sesame Teriyaki Sauce. Now, I never just pour a full bottle of a sauce into anything anymore so note that a bottle of this awesomeness will last me through 4-8 meals depending. And why am I ok with using TS pre-made "stuff?" Because they use all natural ingredients and no craptastic preservatives ... So using a little of this leaves me with very few qualms!

BTW I totally preferred this over the other Sesame Crockpot Chicken I had made a few posts down. More flavor even with using just a little of the TS sauce. Plus I didn't add grains to this so that helped.

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Crockpot Sesame Chicken Lettuce Wraps

2-4 big boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 tsp. ginger
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
Dash of Red Pepper

2 cups tri-colored peppers chopped
1/2 red onion chopped

1/8 c. Tastefully Simple Toasted Teriyaki Sauce
1/2 c. Water

1/8 c. peanuts (non-salted)
1-2 tbsp. sesame seeds

4-6 big lettuce leafs of your choice

Set the crockpot to low cook 8 hours. Chop up the veggies and place in the pot. Sprinkle the spices generously over the chicken breasts and place on top of the veggies.

Mix the teriyaki sauce with the water and pour into the pot. Sprinkle in the peanuts and sesame seeds. Cover and cook. No reason to really stir. You may need to add a touch more water towards the end to keep it moist and move everything around to keep it from sticking.

Shred the finished chicken with two forks while in the pot and mix everything together. Serve in big lettuce leafs. I added broccoli-cut cole slaw mix and rice noodles for some texture and crunch!

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Yummy for sure! I made the mistake of thinking I picked up organic lettuce but instead picked up organic white cabbage ... Needless to say I dumped the stuffing out, added regular lettuce and enjoyed LOL Note to self: don't go grocery shopping for dinner essentials when you aren't having a "with it" day!! Ugh, yes next time it will be lettuce or big ole romaine or something ... Not cabbage leaves. It looks pretty but the cabbage leaves are tough.


Challenge Friendly: Yes. No rice noodles, especially on the cleanse.

Suz's Awesome-Sauce Pumpkin Pie

Sooooooooo it's Thanksgiving! And as much as I would LOVE to give y'all a "healthy pumpkin pie" alternative ... yeah, that's not going to happen. Maybe next year when life isn't in 100% overdrive I might stop, think and PLAN just a bit better, but, this year, there was no room for TIME. So you get my awesomeness in the form of good-ole-not-so-good-for-you-pumpkin-evilleness!

My stepmom asked me to bring pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. No biggie. I've made it before. BUT I can't just MAKE any old pumpkin pie (i.e. right off the label recipe). I have to THE BEST PUMPKIN PIE EVER. Because that's how I roll. So I meander on over to my Pumpkin Board on Pinterest to find what I would assume to be the most awesome recipe ever ... and out of the 73 pumpkin inspired recipes I have pinned, not ONE was a pumpkin pie. Oh, the irony! So I had to search Pinterest and found some awesome ideas. The best being adding brandy to the filling (mmmmmm alcohol!) and plenty of ideas for spices, etc. This is what I ended up with.

(Pic to come ... when I cut and "dollop" for presentation!)

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Suz's Awesome-Sauce Pumpkin Pie


2 Pillsbury Deep Dish Ready-to-Bake Pie Crusts

2-12 oz. cans Evaporated Milk (Used fat and cholesterol free version)

4 large eggs

1-29 oz. can Libby's 100% Pure Pumpkin
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 c. white sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. all spice
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. raw (Michigan) clover honey (thank you, Mom, for the reminder!)
2 tbsp. Brandy

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Put frozen pie crusts on counter to thaw while you mix the filling.

Mix everything from the Pumpkin down to the Brandy together in the bowl.

Crack eggs and mix in separate bowl. Slowly pour and mix eggs into the Pumpkin mix bowl.

Crack open cans of Evaporated Milk and slowly stir into the Pumpkin/Egg bowl. Mix well until fully incorporated. Pour into pie crusts until full. (I always pour the extra filling into a Pyrex bowl and cook it as my "test bowl" ... because I hate waste LOL)

Place pies in oven and cook for 15 minutes on 400. Turn heat down to 325 degrees and cook 40-50 minutes until done.

Cooking Tip: Wrap aluminum foil around and over the edges of the pans to help avoid "burning" that happens on the outside. I had no clue! That was a Pinterest suggestion! I cooked them with the foil on for about 45 minutes and then removed for the rest of the cycle.

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As it is Thanksgiving I feel it neccessary to give thanks for all those things I do and don't give thanks for while everyone else verbal-vomits graciousness all over FB (not really because I actually do love reading the daily thanks; it gives me perspective!).

This year I am thankful for my little family whom I am working to secure the future of everyday. I'm thankful I found work that I love and loves me back without limitations, condemnation or restraints. I'm thankful for those two monsters who rule my waking and evening hours because they have changed me in enormous ways. I thankful for my success driven partner who may rant and rave BUT I know we both are moving towards greatness side-by-side and without his passion (and his ass-kicking) I would never be where I am today. I am thankful for all my families; both friend families and blood families because everyone who touches my life influences my vision of the future and without that vision I would not be moving towards my true self. I am thankful for learning to DREAM again after all these years. I am thankful to have each and everyday to wake up to and KNOW it has the potential to be GREAT because I know I am capable to make it great.

Enough gush, let's get to the pumpkin goo! I AM IN LOVE! Seriously I have never made a better mix EVER. I hope my family feels the same tomorrow <3

Challenge Friendly: HELL NO. Because sometimes I just need to enjoy the holiday ... with one slice of pie instead of three.