Pulled Chicken BBQ, Cole Slaw, & Baked Beans

Doesn't that sound southern and yummy?!! :) Besides being southern (even for this northern girl) and yummy, it's an all around great meal for any wife or mother cooking for her family whether she is juggling doing so with a career, homeschooling (for all my homeschooling readers), or even stay at home moms that need to just get dinner out of the way in advance so you can tackle everything else on your list on any given day, including keeping up with those little ones all day long. I promise, you can throw this in in the morning and still have energy left for everything else you need to do today! Don't worry, single gals or even the guys, this one's easy as pie for you too, whether it be impressing someone special, sharing a meal with a friend, entertaining, or guys - impressing your wife by cooking for HER on occasion! :) And for my girlfriends who burn water attempting to boil it, (you know who you are, I won't mention any names) :) and teens learning your cooking skills, or the engaged or young bride needing to start with simple and work up to bigger skills, this one's for you!!

As always, don't worry, in order to be a Walking In Victory Recipe, you know it has to be easy on your wallet too, so it is! All you'll need is a package of Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast, a bottle of BBQ Sauce, a package of Sandwich Buns, a bag of Cole Slaw Mix, (you likely have the ingredients in your pantry to make the slaw once you have the mix), and a can of Baked Beans. I can get all of the above ingredients (now this is doing my grocery shopping at Walmart, shopping sales, using coupons when I have them, and buying store brands for the things that really don't make a difference in the end result), for about under $12 to feed my entire family!

Here's what you need and what you do:

Pulled Chicken BBQ Sandwiches:

*1 Pkg. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast (you can get the 3 pk Purdue at Walmart for $5 & some change)
*1 Bottle of BBQ Sauce (I use whatever is on sale - you can spice it up to suit your taste by adding some brown sugar, honey, spices, etc.)
*1 Pkg. Sandwich Buns (Btw...did you know you can often get name brand bread products at the Dollar Tree??!! And I've talked to the store manager and it's just bread that the bread distributor brings at the end of the day that they had leftover from delivering to the local grocery stores)! Food for thought....shouldn't we all be good stewards of our resources and save where possible? :)

Literally, throw the Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast in the crock pot/slow cooker RAW (you don't even need to cook it in advance), pour the entire bottle of BBQ Sauce over it, cover and let it cook all day on low or 4 or so hours on high!! Go back every now and then and give it a stir, and when it looks tender and done, pull it apart with 2 forks and just continue letting it get tender and yummy in that sweet and savory BBQ Sauce.

Cole Slaw:

*1 Pkg. Tri-Color Cole Slaw mix (I buy the pre-packaged at Walmart - the Market Fresh Brand, it's above the Market Fresh Salad Mixes in the produce section and it's about $1.50 a bag)!
The remaining ingredients you'll probably have in your pantry and are:
*1 Cup Mayo
*2 Tbsp. Milk
*1 Tbsp. Vinegar
*1 Tbsp. Sugar (I usually add 2 b/c my family likes it sweet)
*Salt & Pepper to taste (to get that sweet and salty combo) Yum!

Mix it all together in a large bowl, cover and refrigerate. This is one that the longer it sits in the fridge, the better it will taste!

That's it! Serve when you're ready for dinner (which will be when you get home from work if you through it together that morning or when your hubbie walks in the door from work if you through it in even say at lunchtime). Serve the Pulled Chicken BBQ on Sandwich Rolls, top with Cole Slaw, or put on the side, spoon out a side of Baked Beans (I just buy the canned and doctor them up with brown sugar & whatever else I feel like), and...."That's What's For Dinner Tonight!!" :)

Walking In Victory Lunch Box idea:

Serves double duty as a Walking In Victory Lunch Box Idea too! We always have leftovers on this one which is great to warm up the next day for lunch. Impress your hubbie when he opens his lunch box and has a yummy southern reminder of what he comes home to at the end of each day. Just throw a bun in a baggie, put some of the Chicken BBQ in a storage container with a lid, spoon some Cole Slaw in another container with a lid, you know the drill...same thing for the beans... :) He can warm up the Chicken BBQ in the microwave, spoon it on his bun, top it w/his Slaw, and he will KNOW you are the bomb!! :) Just sayin.....

Walking In Victory In Marriage:

Extra nugget for thought: re-read the Little Sweet Things post and even throw in a sweet note reminding him your the bomb with it, and I'm just sayin.... Better yet, you could always ask him if you should turn the "Crock Pot" on for tonight while your at it!! If you don't get that I'm not talking about small kitchen appliances here, go back and read the Little Sweet Things Post!! :)

Pasta Salad

If you're like me, I often "sweat the small stuff," at least when it comes to my kids. One thing I find myself often fretting about is the fact that they open a lunch box to a different variety of SANDWICH most days! So I'm always looking for creative ways to surprise them with something other than a different type of meat and cheese between two slices of bread (or on a good day, I'll even switch it up and use different types of breads and rolls and on a really good day, I'll create a special type of sandwich dressing other than the good ole' mayo and mustard)! :)

So here's one I thought of after seeing the picture on a box of pasta I recently purchased that doesn't need to be kept hot or be heated up and is just as easy to pack in a sandwich container as, well...a sandwich! :) And I think it's pretty kid friendly since most kids like pasta, pepperoni, and cheese. And it's pretty budget friendly too which makes this an all around Walking In Victory Lunch Box idea!!

Here's what you'll need:

*1 box of Garden Rotini (you can use any pasta, but this tri-color makes it fun for the kiddos)
*Balsamic Vinaigrette or Italian Dressing (maybe 1/2 of the bottle - I just squirt it til it looks like all is coated)

Then you can basically throw in whatever YOUR kids like from here, but here are some ideas:

*Pepperoni
*Cheese (whatever you have on hand - I like to cut Monterrey Jack into cubes, but have also used shredded Mozzarella - the white cheeses make for nice presentation - it's important, I'm serious! :)
*Cherry or Grape Tomatoes (sliced in 1/2 for the kiddos to prevent choking hazard - or for a cheaper route, chop up regular slicing tomatoes).
*Black Olives (I know, most kids don't like em' but mine LOVE em)! :)
*Green Peppers (Chopped) - (I leave this out for the kid version, although some kids like them - when I make this as a side dish for adults though, I include the peppers).

That's basically it! Boil and drain the pasta according to the package directions. If making last minute, rinse pasta with cold water and ice cubes when draining to chill. Add all the other ingredients and toss together! Easy as pie! Easy, as budget friendly, if not more so than the expense in deli meat and cheese, and nutritious (Pasta from the bread group, Pepperoni and Cheese - Meat Group, & Tomatoes & Green Peppers - Veggie Group). Throw it in a plastic storage container with a lid (make sure it's sealed tightly so the dressing doesn't leak in their lunchbox - I re-use those Hillshire Farm Deli Meat Plastic Glad Storage Containers - the clear containers with the red tops - save those!! Put em in the dishwasher after the meat is gone and save them for great storage containers that store easily since they all stack inside one another)! :) There's another Walking In Victory bonus idea! :)

Make lunch festive w/this Green & Red idea!

From my NEW "Walking In Victory Lunch Box" Section:

If you're like me (and lots of other moms I know), I'm always looking for new ideas for my kid's (and hubbie's) lunch box! I mean, there are only so many versions of lunch meat & cheese on bread w/chips, fruit, and a drink one can take! :) So, I have been inspired to share with you (and have you share back with me - to then share with all of you) a new section to help all of us Walk In Victory over the dreaded lunch box!! :)

How about this festive green and red Christmas idea I added to my children's lunch boxes today?

Green Cucumbers & Red Cherry Tomatoes w/Ranch!!

To make it even fancier (I know, I'm totally ridiculous and out of hand!) I took my grandmother's veggie peeler that I have hanging above my counters (of course, don't I turn ALL things into home decor??!!) and peeled a stripe down the cumcumber (so that it looks like every other stripe is skin on/skin off - does that make sense)? Then I took my handy dandy Pampered Chef crinkle slicer thingie :) and sliced them so they look well, crinkled!! Like a chip!! So instead of ordinary potato chips, ta da, they have cucumber chips!! It remains to be seen at the end of the day if they bought into it! :)

So throw the cucumbers (however you slice em) and the cherry tomatoes in a baggie, spoon a spoonful of ranch into a little container w/lid, and wah-lah!! :) You're Walking in Victory over the dreaded lunch box!! :)