Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Tacos

::Ingredients::
1 (2 lb) chuck roast
1 (14 oz) can beef broth
1 1/2 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 Tbsp cumin
1/2 Tbsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
Juice of 1 lime

::Directions::
In a small bowl whisk together chili powder, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  Place roast in a slow cooker, pour beef broth over roast then squeeze with fresh lime juice.  Sprinkle roast with spice mixture.  Cover slow cooker with lid and cook on low heat 8-10 hours.  Remove roast from slow cooker, shred beef (remove fat) and return shredded beef to slow cooker.  Cover with lid and cook additional 30 minutes.  Remove beef from slow cooker with tongs to remove juices when plating or drain in a colander.  Serve with desired toppings.  

Serve with shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, shredded cheese, sour cream, guacamole, etc.


2 ounces of shredded beef is 4 points+.

Navajo Tacos

 :::Scones:::

1 package of quick-acting active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons)
1 1/3 cup warm milk (I used 1%)
3 to 3 1/2 cups flour or whole wheat flour (I used white this time)
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 teaspoon salt


Dissolve yeast in warm milk in electric mixer bowl for about 5 minutes or until yeast is all bubbly.  Stir in 1 cup flour. Beat until smooth.  Stir in enough remaining flour, sugar, oil, and salt.  Mix on low electric speed until soft dough forms. Put in a greased bowl, cover and let rise in warm place until double, about 45 minutes.

Divide into 15 even portions and shape into round discs (kind of like mini pizzas.)  Fry in a deep fryer until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per side.

1 scone is 4 points+

:::Homemade Chili:::

1 pound extra-lean ground beef (6% fat or less) or ground turkey
1 16 ounce salsa
1 cup white onion, chopped
1 large green, red, or yellow bell pepper, finely chopped
1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 28 ounce can diced tomaotes
1 15.5 ounce can pinto beans, drained
1 15.5 ounce can kidney beans, drained
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon sugar

Cook ground beef and chopped onion in a large saute pan over medium high heat until meat it browned. Combine in a crock pot with remaining ingredients and cook on high heat for 4 hours or on low heat for 8 hours.

Makes 20 1/2 cup servings.  One serving is 3 points+.

To make Navajo Taco place scone on a plate and add chili, cheese, lettuce and tomatoes and whatever other toppings you'd like.

One scone with 1/4 cup Homemade Chili, 1/2 ounce cheddar cheese, 1 cup lettuce and 1/2 cup tomatoes is 7 points+.

:::Emily:::

Homestyle Stew

We had this for dinner this week and it was SO good.  We all loved it!  It was also really easy, and I like easy. I got it from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

1 can minestrone soup

1 can tomato soup

1 can water

1 pound stew meat {I used round roast and cut it up into pieces and trimmed all the fat off of it.}

1 onion, chopped

3-4 carrots, thickly sliced

3-4 potatoes, cut into chunks {I used red potatoes and kept the skins on.}

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all in a crockpot. Cook on low for 8-10 hours or high 4-5 hours. Serves 4-6.

If divided into 6 servings, each serving is 7 points+. 

:::Emily:::

Flank Steak Marinade

I got this recipe off of Food Network from Alton Brown.  It is so, so good!  I will probably be using this as the marinade every time I make steak fajitas!

1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup soy sauce
4 scallions, washed and cut in 1/2 (I didn't have any and used an onion instead and it turned out fine.)
2 large cloves garlic
1/4 cup lime juice
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
3 tablespoons dark brown or Mexican brown sugar (I only had light so that's what I used.)
2 pounds flank steak cut into 3 equal pieces.

In a blender, put in oil, soy sauce, scallions, garlic, lime juice, red pepper, cumin, and sugar and puree.  In a large heavy duty, zip top bag, add steak and then pour the marinade over the meat.  Seal bag, removing as much air as possible.  Allow steak to marinate for 1 hour in refrigerator.

Remove steak from bag and discard the marinade.  Cook on a preheated grill over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes per side.

Let steak sit for at least 5 minutes before slicing.

3 ounces of steak is 6 points+.

Lasagna Casserole

This is recipe that my mom has made since I can remember.  It's quick and easy and actually tastes pretty good.  I changed some of it a little bit to make it more Weight Watchers friendly.  I am mostly putting it on here so I don't have to refer to the WW website every time I make it for the amounts I figured out for the points.

9 oz cooked extra lean ground beef (5% fat or less)
1/2 large onion, diced
12 oz uncooked penne
4 oz low-fat mozzarella cheese
20 oz Heart Healthy Mushroom Prego Spaghetti sauce
20 oz 1% cottage cheese
1 1/2 cup steamed spinach

Brown ground beef with onion and drain.  Boil penne according to package instructions and steam the spinach for 5 minutes.  (If you don't steam it before you add it to the casserole, it will be chewy and not good.)
Mix ground beef, penne, sauce, cottage cheese, spinach in a casserole dish.  Top with mozzarella cheese.

Put in 400 degree oven and heat through until cheese is melted and bubbly.  Usually this takes about 20 minutes.  But, my oven is weird, so just keep an eye on it.

Makes 9 servings.

One serving is 8 points+.

:::Emily::

Taco Soup

This is one our of new favorite meals.  I seriously cannot get enough of it. I always liked taco soup, but felt like it was missing something, so, I changed around a few of the ingredients in a couple of different batches until it was perfect.  It's really filling because it's full of veggies and the  best part is it is really low in points+ values.  Although it tastes as though it should be high in them.

1 pound extra lean ground beef (5% fat or less)
2 medium onions, diced
2 red bell peppers, diced
1 1/2 packages taco seasoning
2 cans condensed tomato soup
2 cans seasoned black beans (drained)
2 cans corn (drained) {sometimes I use 1 bag of frozen corn.}
2 cans diced tomatoes (undrained)
2 cups chicken broth
1 to 2 tsp cumin

 Brown hamburger in pan with onions and red bell peppers.  [The nice thing about using the red bell peppers is that if you don't tell your kids that they are pepper, they'll probably think they are tomatoes and not complain about eating them.]  After it's cooked add in the taco seasoning and water. 

When it's done cooking through in a crockpot with the black beans, corn, tomatoes, chicken broth, salsa and cumin.

Set your crockpot on low and let simmer for 4-6 hours. I've found the longer you let it simmer the better the flavor is. 

Top with cheese, avocados, fat free sour cream, and tortilla chips, or anything else you'd like.

1 cup soup without any toppings is 4 points+ or 2 cups of soup is 7 points+.

:::Emily:::

Fajita Quesadillas

I love fajitas and I love quesdadillas. This recipe was inspired by the fajita quesadillas that Chili's used to have. You can make them with chicken or steak.  This time I made them with steak.

You start out by grilling your meat.  For fajitas I like to spray a little olive oil on my meat and then season with salt and pepper, but you could season it however you like.

Dice up an onion and bell pepper (we like red bell peppers the best, but you could use any kind you like.)  Then spray it with a little oil and sautee in a pan over medium heat until veggies are tender.  You could use just onions or just peppers if you aren't a big fan of one or the other. 

When your meat is done cooking, let it rest for at least five minutes.  Afterward slice it up in small strips.  I would normally leave it this way for regular fajitas, but since I was making quesadillas, I wanted to make them bite size pieces.

Preheat a pan on medium heat, then assemble your quesadillas.  I like to use the fajita size tortillas, but you could use any kind you like.  I start by putting on half of the cheese. (this time I used low-fat mozzarella because it's what I had on hand, and it's low in points+ value, but you could use any cheese.)  Add the veggies, then the meat then the rest of the cheese and top with another tortilla.

Put in pan and cook until tortillas are crispy and cheese is melted.  About 3 1/2 minutes per side.

Cut into four triangles and enjoy!  You could serve with sour cream, salsa, guacamole and lettuce if you'd like.

One quesadilla is 11 points+.  (If using Mission fajita size tortillas, 2 ounces of meat trimmed of fat, 1 ounce low-fat mozzarella, and 1 teaspoon oil.)


:::Emily:::

Mexican Shredded Beef

This makes yummy tacos!

2 lbs beef roast (any kind)
1 can diced green chiles
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp cumin
1 large onion
3 cloves garlic minced
a few shakes of red pepper flakes & chili powder
1 tsp salt
2 cups water

Add all ingredients to a crock pot. Cook 22-24 hours. Remove meat and shred. Add as much of the remaining broth to meat as desired. Recipe can be doubled.

:::Brittainey:::

Lion House Taco Soup

We had this at enrichment one night and I thought it was super yummy. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

1 lb ground beef or chicken
1 med chopped onion
1 pkg Mild Taco seasoning mix
1 16 oz can cut corn
1 16 oz can Kidney beans, drained ( can use black beans too. I like these better)
1 28 oz can stewed tomatoes ( some like crushed better)
1 8 oz can of tomato sauce

Brown ground beef with chopped onion and taco seasoning. In a soup pot add ground beef, corn, kidney beans, tomatoes and tomato sauce. Warm through. Serve with tortilla chips, grated cheese, guacamole, sour cream whatever else you like. Eat and enjoy!

:::Brittainey:::