Salsa Chicken

4 Chicken Breasts (1-1.5lbs) thawed
1 Jar Salsa
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained and rinsed
*optional* block of cream cheese

To freeze: Place all ingredients (minus cream cheese) in a ziplock bag.  Freeze.

To cook:  Thaw overnight on counter. Place chicken breasts in crockpot and cover with beans, corn and salsa. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.  Shred chicken prior to serving and mix with salsa.  Add more salsa if desired.
** Optional: Stir in a block of cream cheese 30 min before serving.

Pulled Pork

Pulled Pork (Crock Pot)
(I used Boston Butt)

Ingredients
4 lbs pork roast ( shoulder or butt)
2 large onions
1 cup ginger ale
1 (18 ounce) bottles favorite barbecue sauce ( I like Sweet Baby Ray's)
barbecue sauce, for serving (optional)

Directions
Slice one onion and place in crock pot.
Put in the roast and cover with the other onion, sliced. Pour over the ginger ale. Cover and cook on LOW for about 12 hours.
Remove the meat, strain and save the onions, discard all liquid. With two forks, shred the meat, discarding any remaining fat, bones or skin. Most of the fat will have melted away.
Return the shredded meat and the onions to the crock pot, stir in the barbecue sauce. Continue to cook for another 4 to 6 hours on LOW.
Serve with hamburger buns or rolls and additional barbecue sauce. Any leftovers freeze very well.

TIP: freeze ready-made sandwiches - a scoop of meat on a bun, well-wrapped. These make a great quick meal or snack. To reheat, remove wrapping, wrap in a paper towel, and zap 1-2 minute in the microwave.

Note: Shoulder or butt are recommended because the meat shreds very well. Other cuts do not shred as readily. It is a fattier cut, but the fat melts away in the cooking and is poured away when you discard the liquid.

If you have a big, 5 - 6 qt. crock pot, you could cook a 6 lb pork shoulder in it for 8 hours and should be shreddable at that point. Shredded, added the sauce, and cooked for another hour or so to meld everything. So use your best judgment on timing!

Easiest Crockpot Roast Ever....

Roast (I did about 2 lbs. per family), Carrots, Potatoes, Onions, Celery, Ranch Dressing Mix, Italian Dressing Mix, Onion Soup Mix (I generally do one packet of each for about a 4 lb roast so I halved them here), and about a cup of water.  Cooked in crockpot on low for 10-12 hours or longer.

Leftovers (if any) are awesome on hoagie rolls with provolone cheese!

All Purpose Shredded Chicken

Here is the chicken I used for the Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas. It is incredibly easy and its uses are unlimited--quesadillas, tacos, enchiladas, nachos, taco salad.

Boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenderloins
Chicken broth
Taco seasoning

Place chicken in a crockpot, add chicken broth until chicken is covered, add taco seasoning to taste, cook approximately 8-10 hours on low, 4-6 hours on high (cooking times depends on whether you are cooking frozen or thawed chicken--you will be able to tell when it is done), remove chicken from broth, shred.

The leftover broth can be used for tortilla soup. And if you need shredded chicken for a non-Mexican food purpose, leave out the taco seasoning.