Chili Chicken Taco Night

There's nothing like uncovering a Crate & Barrel gift card from your wedding three years ago and using it to buy something totally random and awesome ... a slow cooker. Also known as a crock pot, this counter top contraption cooks food at a low temperature for a long time. Sidenote: I absolutely hate touching raw meat. And with the slow cooker, all I have to do is dump it in there, put the lid on and pray my house doesn't burn down while it's cooking.

If you have a crock pot, try this Martha Stewart recipe (listed below). It calls for chicken thighs, but I used chicken breasts. I also went with soft taco shells and added sliced avocado.

marthastewart.com

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 6)
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup prepared tomato salsa, plus more for serving (optional)
• 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped canned chipotle chiles in adobo
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 8 hard corn taco shells
• Cilantro, shredded cheese, lime wedges, and sour cream, for serving (optional)

Directions

1. In slow cooker, combine chicken, garlic, salsa, chiles, chili powder, 1 teaspoon salt, and teaspoon pepper. Cover; cook on high, 4 hours (or on low, 8 hours).
2. Transfer chicken to a serving bowl, and shred, using two forks; moisten with cooking juices. Serve in taco shells, with toppings, if desired.

Oven method: 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In step 1, use a 5-quart Dutch oven or ovenproof pot with a tight-fitting lid; add 2 cups water. Cover; bake until chicken is fork-tender, about 2 hours. Proceed with step 2.

Do you have any slow cooker recipes? Share the below!

You Know You're Pregnant When...

Pregnancy is different for everyone. Some moms-to-be can't eat for the first three months, others can't eat enough french toast (who, me?). Some don't gain an ounce except for their belly, others need to be airlifted out of bed to make it to work. Some give 7th grade boys a run for their money in the zit department, others have gorgeous, glowing skin for nine straight months. But all women surely experience these 10 things:

You Know You're Pregnant When....

1. You literally cry tears of joy at the sight of an Outlook invitation for a co-workers b-day celebration in a cubicle. Because A) Everything makes you cry B) You love dessert more than your husband these days. C) Cupcakes?!?!? Ice cream? doughnuts? Happy birthday. Now get out of my way.

2. Happy hour is just "hour" when you can't partake in the boozing. Whoever invented the word mocktail is a jerk. Sucktail is more like it. And bartender, putting an umbrella in my seltzer does not make this experience more festive.

3. When people say, "WOW you got big!", you'll kindly smile and nod while envisioning punching them in the face. When people tell you about a friend of a friend that gave birth in a car, you'll actually punch them in the face.

4. Supermarket cashiers ask you more personal questions about your pregnancy than your best friends.

5. Your hubby will buy you anything you can tie back to the upcoming needs of the baby. "Yes, honey this Rebecca Minkoff clutch is a burp cloth holder."

6. You bring your lunch to work in a tall kitchen garbage bag, not a lunch bag.

7. Prenatal yoga is truly awesome, except when the teacher makes you do awkward partner stretches. Not cool, lady... I just want to tone what's left of my core, not straddle a stranger.  

8. You'll ask your doctor all sorts of crazy questions, like if getting a pedicure can induce labor because you read an article that claims it may. And she'll say, "If that was true, we'd just hire a bunch of manicurists instead of giving women pitocin." Or, you may ask if you need to change your usual skin care products, in which she responds, "Not unless you're planning on eating them."

9. That XXL t-shirt from 11th grade basketball is your new best friend and you really wish you could just wear it to work. Everyday.

10. "Is this normal?" are the three most commonly used words in your vocabulary. Get used to it, sister.