Who else gets super excited about making one meal and then having 2-3 leftover options after that? I used to just serve the same thing several times in one week but then I realized I could repurpose what I cooked into new meals.
Today, I will go over how to use chicken tacos, chicken fajitas, and Moroccan beef in different ways. Your family will think you are making brand new meals! At my house, only my husband eats most of the slow-cooker meals, so it is not that hard to trick him, but still!
The chicken tacos and chicken fajitas are pretty similar. Check out my older blog post on healthy crockpot meals for the full recipes. You can make the same meal with either one of these. I recommend shredding the chicken really well once it has cooked for the full amount (4-6 hours) and letting it sit in the warm setting in the Crockpot before putting it away for the night. I keep it on while eating dinner and clearing dishes.
- Soft tacos. This is always my first option for both of those meals. I like to use whole wheat tortillas (Mission), shredded part skim mozzarella, and whatever sides you like for a taco or fajitas (veggies, salsa, sour cream, avocado). The chicken fajitas have peppers and onions as part of the recipe, so I don’t add much to those. You can also switch it up and use hard shell tacos and do the same thing.
- Enchiladas. I love using Frontera Red Chile Enchilada sauce. It is mild and low calorie. It’s also gluten free (and vegan, but if you are eating chicken, you probably don’t need that). I like to use whole wheat tortillas for this but you can also use corn tortillas. I take a tortilla, put some part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese on it, and then add the shredded chicken. Roll it up and put it on an 8×8 oven-safe pan. I make as many of these as can fit in the pan, usually about 4 or 5 with big tortillas. It will probably be more if you are using smaller, corn tortillas. Top it off with 1 pack of enchilada sauce, then sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes and you are done!
- Empanadas. I do this with Argentine empanada dough I buy in Miami. There are lots of empanada dough recipes on the Internet and depending on what country you are from or where you want your empanadas to be from, they will be quite different. I use dough for baking, not frying. If I am using the chicken fajitas, I can use that as the filling without doing anything else. If I use the chicken tacos, I sauté onions and red peppers and mix that with the chicken, then use as filling. Bake for 25 minutes and done!
- Burritos. You are probably starting to see a theme here! I always recommend using whole wheat tortillas. Start with brown rice, chicken on top, beans, and cheese. You can skip anything high calorie, like cheese or sour cream and stick with salsa and veggies only. Fold up the tortilla like a burrito! You can warm it in the microwave or toaster oven. I like the toaster oven.
The Moroccan beef should also be shredded well. Here are three ideas of how to eat it.
- Beef and couscous. I like to make Parmesan or Mediterranean Curry flavored couscous from the Near East brand. You can make this dish healthier by eating it with brown rice. Ben’s rice has brown basmati rice that cooks in 90 seconds. I highly recommend it!
- Quesadillas. Take two whole wheat tortillas. Sprinkle shredded cheese (I always use part skim mozzarella) and then the shredded beef on top. This recipe has onions, so it has great flavor. Put the other tortilla on top. Make as many as you want and bake them in the oven at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until the beef feels warm.
- Pita sandwiches. As always, I recommend using whole wheat pita. Cut each pita in half, spread hummus on one side (I like Sabra brand) and then stuff with the shredded beef. I recommend toasting the pita bread first, then spreading the hummus, and then adding the beef after heating it in the microwave.
Stay tuned for a freebie in the next month or two where I will create a list of must-have pantry and fridge staples! Repurposing leftovers is easy if you have a few key ingredients lying around. I hope you are enjoying these recipes. Everything can be made healthier by sticking with whole wheat grains, cutting out cheese, and not using sour cream! I prefer to do small amounts in moderation.
Let me know if you have any other ideas on how to use these meals!