Slow-Cooker Chicken Shawarma Sandwiches

In Little Rock, Layla's Gyros is one of our favorite places. I always get the chicken shawarna sandwich. These were so yummy! I really think I will end up making these a lot now. Yum!

1 tbsp allspice
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 c plain, non-fat Greek yogurt
1/2 c freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 large lemons)
2 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs (I used 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts)
Whole wheat pita pockets

For serving: thinly sliced red onion, fresh parsley, diced tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, hummus* I threw together some stuff Tzaziki sauce for mine. Follow this recipe here.

In a small bowl, stir together the allspice, oregano, salt, garlic powder, cinnamon, and cayenne. Set aside.

Stir the yogurt and lemon juice together in a bowl. Add half of the spice mixture (reserve the second half) and stir to combine. Pour half the sauce into the slow-cooker. Add the chicken, and cover with the rest of the yogurt mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. (I did this part the night before, then just moved the slow-cooker pot to the actual slow-cooker in the morning.)

Cover and cook on high for 2 hours or low for 4 hours, until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
With a fork or slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a large bowl (discard the cooking liquid). Shred the chicken with two forks, then sprinkle the remaining spice mixture over the top. Stir to coat with the reserved spices.
Serve the chicken shawarma inside warmed pita bread, sprinkled with any desired toppings.

Original recipe found here.

Skinny Sloppy Joes

So one day, I asked Will what he wanted for dinner... Sloppy Joes. Well, of course I searched for a "skinny" recipe... and of course, I found one from SkinnyTaste! It was SO GOOD. Will even said the best sloppy joe he's ever had. Big deal, guys. I love that it uses so many minced up veggies!

1.25 lbs very lean ground beef
1 tbsp steak seasoning or seasoned salt
1 carrot, minced
1 medium onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup red bell pepper, minced
4 oz mushrooms, minced
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 cups tomato sauce
2 tbsp tomato paste

I minced all the veggies up in my Ninja.

Chop all the vegetables really fine, using a chopper or food processor. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the meat to the pan and break it up as it cooks. Season with steak seasoning and cook the meat until it browns, then add onion, garlic, carrots, mushrooms and red peppers to the skillet. Reduce heat to medium and add red wine vinegar and Worcestershire sauce, cook 5 more minutes. Add tomato sauce and paste to pan, stir to combine. Cover and reduce heat to simmer and cook an additional 5 minutes. Using a measuring cup, pile 1/2 cup of sloppy meat onto toasted buns.

Original recipe found here.

Philly Cheesesteak Sloppy Joes

These are amazing! My dad and Will ate a ton. So good, so easy, and so yum!! Must make!

1 lb lean ground beef
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 c beef broth
1/4 cup A-1 steak sauce
2 tsp peppercorn steak seasoning (like McCormick Montreal Steak Seasoning)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Sliced Provolone or Mozzarella
Hamburger Buns

Brown beef in a large skillet. Drain fat & set aside. In the same pan heat olive oil & sauté onion & pepper for 4 minutes until starting to soften. Return beef to the pan with the vegetables.

Whisk cornstarch with a little bit of water, and add into beef broth. Add the steak sauce & beef broth/cornstarch mixture to the meat. Add steak seasoning, salt & pepper. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid is absorbed.

Toast hamburger buns (if desired) & top with meat mixture & a slice of cheese. (I placed my slice of cheese in the warm pan with the meat, waited until it melted & scooped up the cheesy meat mixture onto my bun.)

Original recipe found here.

Skinny Pineapple Chicken Salad

OMG. This is my new obsession. This is SO good. I love the crunchiness the carrots & almonds add, plus the sweetness of the pineapple. Light mayo and Greek yogurt make it way healthier than regular chicken salad. I will be taking this for lunch for sure!!

2 ½ c cooked chicken breast, chopped
8 oz can crushed pineapple in 100% juice, drained
¼ c roasted almonds (I used slivered almonds)
½ c matchstick carrots
¼ c green onions, finely chopped
¼ c light mayo
¼ c plain fat-free Greek yogurt
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
4 Flat-Out Flatbread wraps (I used a 60 cal low-carb tortilla)

In a medium size bowl, combine chopped chicken, pineapple, almonds, carrots, and green onions. Toss to combine. In a separate bowl, combine light mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. Whisk ingredients together. Transfer mayo mixture to chicken mixture and stir well to combine all ingredients. If you want to make a wrap, add equal parts of chicken salad to the center of each Flatbread wrap. Roll and fold each wrap tightly. Serve immediately or refrigerate.

Original recipe found here.

Unsloppy Joes

These are pretty much sloppy joe calzones in biscuits and they are awesome! I feel like this would be great for kids too... (Will and I tend to like food that kids like).

You've probably seen the commercial - here's a link to the Grands!® Unsloppy Joes recipe.

1 lb lean ground beef

1 can sloppy joe sauce (15 oz)

1 tsp chili powder
1 can (16.3 oz) Pillsbury® Grands!® refrigerated biscuits 

1/2 c shredded cheddar 

Heat oven to 375° F. In large skillet, cook ground beef over medium-high heat until beef is thoroughly cooked, stirring frequently; drain. Stir in sauce and chili powder; simmer 5 minutes.

Press each biscuit into 6-inch round. I put each biscuit between 2 sheets of wax paper and rolled it out. Then, peeled it up and put it onto the cookie sheet. I filled it with the sloppy joe mix once the biscuit was on the cookie sheet.

Spoon 1/3 cup meat mixture and about 1 tablespoon cheese onto center of each round. Fold dough in half over filling; press to seal. Bake for 12-15 min or until golden brown.

Crock Pot BBQ Beer Chicken Sandwiches with Coleslaw

Oh man... These were SO GOOD! You can use whatever BBQ sauce you like - we used Bull's Eye Original. I have another recipe on here for BBQ chicken sandwiches, but Will and I both agreed this one is better by far. I used Rendezvous BBQ Sauce in the other recipe, and we both love that sauce as well. I don't know what makes this so good, but if you're going to try one of the BBQ sandwiches, try this one!

3 chicken breasts
1/2 tbsp onion powder
1/2 tbsp paprika
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt, pepper, each
1/2 cup beer (any kind)
2 c (16 oz) Bull's Eye BBQ Sauce (or whatever kind you like)
hamburger buns
coleslaw (I just used the recipe on the back of the Dole coleslaw pkg!)

Add all ingredients, except chicken, to crock-pot and whisk together well. Add chicken to the crock pot and spoon sauce over chicken, making sure it's covered. Cook on Low 6 hours. Then shred the chicken, and return it to the crock pot for about 30 more min for it to soak up the sauce. Mmm. Serve on hamburger buns topped with coleslaw!

Original recipe found here.

Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Subs

These were really good! I love an easy and tasty crock pot dish.

3 chicken breasts
1/2 c buffalo wing sauce
3 tsp garlic powder
1/3 c chicken broth
1/4 c ranch dressing
1 tbsp butter
sub rolls
shredded monterey jack cheese
shredded lettuce

Place chicken breasts into the bottom of crock pot and top with buffalo sauce, chicken broth, and garlic powder. Cook on Low 4-5 hours. Shred the chicken and stir in the ranch dressing and butter. Continue cooking for 30 more min. Pile chicken mixture on top of subs and top with monterey jack cheese and shredded lettuce. YUM!

Original recipe found here.

French Dip Roast Beef (Slow-Cooker)

Definitely a favorite since I've been on my cooking streak. The flavor is so good and the broth you dip the sandwich in is amazing. Oh, and of course, it's super easy.

3.5-4 lbs boneless chuck roast
1/2 c low sodium soy sauce
1 beef bouillon cube
1 bay leaf
3-4 peppercorns
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried garlic powder
1/2 c chopped onions
french rolls

Put roast in slow cooker and sprinkle with garlic powder. In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, bouillon cube, bay leaf, peppercorns, rosemary/thyme/garlic. Pour over roast, and add just enough water so the roast is almost covered. Sprinkle onions on top, and cook on low for 7 hours or until very tender. Remove roast and shred to serve on sandwich rolls. Reserve the broth and use it on the side to dip the sandwich in. Ah-mazing.

Slow-Cooker Shredded Barbecue Chicken Sandwiches

Oh this is so good! Choose a really good BBQ sauce to use - I used Rendezvous. This is so easy and really yummy. These are my pictures. :)

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 bottle barbecue sauce (12 oz)
1/2 c fat free italian dressing
1/4 c brown sugar
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce


Place chicken breasts in slow-cooker. In a separate bowl, mix barbecue sauce, dressing, brown sugar, and sauce. Pour over chicken. Cook on high 2 hrs, then shred chicken. Cook 1 more hr.