Crockpot Shredded Beef

"Write that recipe down Hun.  Do what you need to do but don't you loose that, it's good stuff" are the exact words the husband said after eating this for the very first time.  He almost never says that so I knew it was a winner and that I simply HAD to share it with all of you.

This works great for tacos, as a filling for taquitos or enchiladas and you can even serve it over rice.  And the best part- the crockpot does all the work for you!  LOVE that!


Crockpot Shredded Beef


1-2 pounds beef steak (top round is what's shown in this photo)

Break your meat with a fork, then shred with
your immersion blender.

1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
1/2 jalapeno or habanero, diced
6 cloves garlic, diced
2 bell peppers, diced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1 onion, sliced
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin


The directions for this are ridiculously easy.  Put your beef in your crockpot.  Dump everything in on top.  Set it for 4-6 hours on low and walk away.

At some point, I recommend the 4 hour mark, you will use your fork to break your steak meat up into chunks.  Then whip out your trusty immersion blender and pulse it a few times so that your meat "shreds" easily.  I then let it cook on low another 2 hours.  But if you're gone all day, it's totally fine to just shred the meat right before serving.

See- how easy is that?!?


Full disclosure folks- I adapted this recipe from one that I found from one of my FAVORITE food inspirations, 100 Days of Real Food.  I followed Ms. Lisa Leake's recipe exactly and found it to be too salty and too spicy for my family's personal tastes.  I've adapted it just a bit but I wanted to give full credit to her for this original which I based my recipe from.

Vegetarian "Whole Food" Freezer Meals

While I love the idea of spending an afternoon cooking so that I could have a variety of easy meals on hand- I do NOT love the idea of sacrificing quality.  Seriously- have you seen some of the recipes for make ahead freezer meals?!?  Full of processed foods and meat.  Lots and lots of meat.  Yuck!  So I set out to make this concept work for the way my family eats.  Which, if you follow my blog at all, you know that we eat organic, whole foods and not a lot of meat.  We are flexitarians!

I started at 11am and by 5pm, I was done.  But keep in mind that I was working and homeschooling during this time frame.  Oh- and I took an hour long break to eat lunch and watch General Hospital.  So it probably only took me 3 or 4 hours in all.  By the time I was finished, I had 8 meals plus dinner for the night for a total of 9 meals.  Sweet!

9 Meals in 4 hours!

Here's what I made:

• Veggie Fajitas
• Crockpot Bean, Barley & Veggie Stew X 2
• Marinara Sauce
• Baked Ziti Casserole
• Scalloped Potatoes X 2
• Crockpot Lentil Veggie Soup
• Crockpot Black Beans & Rice

I realize that this is a bit of a weird combination of meals but I literally decided last minute that I was going to do this.  I did NOT go grocery shopping first or put together any sort of master shopping list.  I simply made these meals based upon what I already had in my refrigerator and my pantry.  Now that's pretty awesome if you ask me!

Add the barley but NOT
the liquid

For the Veggie Fajitas, I followed my recipe exactly except I did NOT put the olive oil in the ziploc bag.  When it's time to cook this meal, I will add the olive oil in while it thaws for 24 hours in my fridge.  Then cook and serve with tortillas and beans.  I had some peppers that I needed to use up but I simply didn't have enough for a double batch.  Oh well...next time.

With the Bean, Barley & Veggie Stew- yes, I did add the barley in with everything else.  Add extra spices and feel free to mix in any veggies you have available.  I put in carrots, celery, onions, garlic, cauliflower, peas, kale and green beans.  Do not add in the water.  Just add it to your Crockpot when it's time to cook.  And same thing with the Black Beans & Rice.  I added the washed rice but left out the liquid and will add that in later as well.

Use a measuring cup to ladle
 liquids into a bag

Make one batch of this yummy Marinara Sauce and use half to 3/4 of it for your Baked Ziti Casserole.  This casserole is seriously the easiest meal you'll ever make.  Combine cooked ziti with the marinara and top with parmesan cheese and mozzarella.  I use the remaining marinara for stromboli or homemade pizzas.  Perfection!

Here's a few tips:

• Cut all your veggies & separate into bowls before you even get started.  Same thing with your garlic.  Then you can just scoop the right amount into your ziploc baggie as you put together all the ingredients.
• Use canned beans for your recipes.  Dry beans simply won't cook right and might end up still being hard when it's time to eat.
• Do the easy stuff first.  Yeah- you heard me.  Get the easy meals out of the way.  I saved the Scalloped Potatoes for last because they take the longest.
• Double up the recipes if you can.  Because I didn't really do any prep work for this, I could only make one batch of certain meals.  Next time, I will plan on making double batches of everything.  That way I'm getting twice as many meals for half the work.
• Make sure you write the recipe in sharpie on the bag or container.  And don't forget to include instructions if needed.  How long to bake, what temp and of course if you need to add anything prior.  You can even put what to serve it with if you wish.
• Try to make full meals when doing this- basically, something that can stand alone and doesn't need sides.  Like if you make a roast, you'll want something to go with it.  With these meals, almost all of them are complete meals.  For the scalloped potatoes and baked ziti casserole, all that's needed is a quick salad and dinner is done!

I'm SO looking forward to being able to pull out a homemade and healthy meal from my freezer this summer.  I don't know about you, but I really don't like cooking when it's hot outside, so this will make my summer a breeze.  A little prep work now will save you time and money and bonus- it's good for you too!

Happy cooking friends!