Shredded Beef au Jus

Ingredients:
1 boneless beef chuck roast (3 pounds)
2 cups water
2 teaspoons beef bouillon granules
1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
8 hamburger buns, split

Directions:
Cut roast in half and place in a 4- or 5-qt. slow cooker. Combine the water, bouillon granules and seasonings; pour over the beef.
Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until meat is tender. Remove beef; cool slightly. Meanwhile, skim fat from the cooking liquid.
Shred meat with two forks; return to the cooking liquid and heat through. Using a slotted spoon, place 1/2 cup on each bun. Serve with additional cooking liquid on the side. Yield: 8 servings.

This is another rockin recipe from my Taste of Home magazine. Also very budget friendly as it uses a very cheap cut of meat. I added a few red potatoes cut up and sliced carrots. We didn't eat ours on rolls but more like a stew. The cooking liquid is delicious and i made it all out of stuff i already had in my pantry. We ate this for a few nights as well.

Mexican Chicken and Rice Casserole

Ingredients:
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp cumin
2 cups uncooked white rice
1 14.5 oz can low sodium chicken broth
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with jalapenos
1 15.5 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 8.75 can whole kernel corn, drained and rinsed
1 4.5 oz can chopped green chilies
1 12.5 can chicken breast in water, drained
salt & pepper

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, warm oil. Add onion and saute until softened and translucent, 5-7 minutes. Add chili powder and cumin, stir for one minute. Add rice, cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Stir in two cups water, broth, tomatoes, beans, corn, chilies and chicken, season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Cover tightly and bake until rice is tender and liquid has been absorbed, 25 to 30 minutes.
2. Remove from oven and let stand, covered for 5 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork, check and adjust seasonings and serve.

This recipe is from the may issue of all you magazine. You can buy this in Walmart or get a subscription. I totally recommend it because not only does it have great budget friendly recipes inside it also has tons of coupons in it!! This recipe was yummy!! Very budget friendly too. It makes a ton so we were able to eat it for 2-3 nights. I ended up precooking chicken breasts and then cutting them up. That replaced the canned chicken. I actually ended up forgetting to add salt and pepper and really felt like it didn't need it. I will definitely make this again! Even though it has rice in it, the left overs were still very tasty.

Zesty Mexican Chicken (crockpot)

Ingredients:

* 6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)
* 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes
* 1 large onion, chopped
* 1 medium green pepper, chopped
* 3 garlic cloves, minced
* 2 tablespoons lime juice
* 1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper
* 3 cups hot cooked rice

Directions:
Place chicken in a 3- or 4-qt. slow cooker coated with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, onion, green pepper, garlic, lime juice, pepper sauce, salt and pepper. Pour over chicken.
Cover and cook on low for 3-1/2 to 4 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 170°. Serve with rice. Yield: 6 servings.

This was really easy to make and pretty good. I love crockpot chicken, it always comes out so tender. This is also what I would consider a budget friendly meal. I used one pound of chicken and cut it into smaller bite sized pieces instead of using the chicken breasts halves the recipe calls for.

Carribbean Taco Salad

Ingredients:
Olive oil cooking spray
4 (8-10-inch) whole wheat tortillas
1 (20-ounce) package JENNIE-O TURKEY STORE® Extra Lean Ground Turkey
1 (1.25-ounce) package reduced sodium taco seasoning mix
2 tablespoons water
1 mango, chopped (about 1 cup)
3/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
3 tablespoons finely chopped green onion
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon grated lime peel
2 cups firmly packed fresh spinach leaves

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425°F. Invert four, 10-ounce custard cups onto a 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Spray outside of cups and one side of each tortilla with olive oil cooking spray. Place tortillas, oiled side up, over cups. Bake for 4 to 6 minutes or until lightly browned. In medium skillet, brown turkey until no longer pink and cooked through. Add taco seasoning mix and water. Cook over low heat for 3 to 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Meanwhile, in medium bowl, stir together the mango, bell pepper, green onion, cilantro and lime peel to make the salsa. Place taco shells on serving plates. Divide spinach leaves evenly into shells. Top with cooked turkey and salsa. Serves 4

I love this! So easy to make and yummy too. I sometimes buy premade taco salad shells or tonight I had left over soft taco shells that I baked in the oven so they became crispy. The mango salsa is sooo good. I usually make the double the amount it calls for and then just eat the left overs with chips.

crockpot pizza fondue

Ingredients:

--1 cup pasta sauce (my sauce had chunked mushrooms, it was perfect)
--1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
--10 pieces pepperoni, diced
--1 cup shredded cheese (I used a combo of mozzarella, cheddar, and swiss)

Directions:

Count out 10 pieces of pepperoni. Then eat the rest of the package.
Put the pasta sauce into your Little Dipper, and plug it in. Add the Italian seasoning and diced pepperoni. Shove in the cup of shredded cheese. I promise it will fit. Cover and leave plugged in (there are no heat settings on a Little Dipper) for 45 min or so.

Stir well and serve with tortilla chips, bread sticks, or crustini.

This recipe is from http://www.crockpot365.blogspot.com/. I made it for a mommy fondue party nite and then again for a friends lake party. It was very popular both times. I used a handful of mozzarella cheese and a handful of cheddar cheese. I used plain old ragu. I served it with garlic bread, the five cheese one from pepperidge farms I believe. I don't own the little dipper but i do own a mini crockpot I bought at target for around 8 dollars.