Slow Cooker Roast Beef with White Potatoes and Carrots

Who doesn’t like a good roast beef dinner?!!  I remember after having my 5th child nearly 20 years ago, a good friend brought me a roast beef dinner and, my oh my, did that hit the spot!!  It was just what my body needed after going through child birth.  Beef has some great protein and iron in for the bod and sometimes that’s exactly what we need :).

This recipe is from my dear sister-in-law, Tami, who is one of the best cooks I know and it is SO SIMPLE!!  You will love how tender the meat is, especially, if you buy the right cut.  I like to buy chuck roast and make two roasts, so I can use the leftovers during the week for another delicious meal, which I will blog about later this week.  Also, on Friday, I have an exciting Friend Friday post that is going to be so delish for us to make and it is gluten free too!  You would not even know it though, so stay tuned :).

Now for the roast…….

IMPORTANT: Get the right cut of roast. All roasts are not created equal. I had a friend try this recipe and it didn’t turn out great because of the cut of the roast. Get the chuck tender cut or chuck roast for best results. 

THE NIGHT BEFORE COOKING

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Place unthawed roast on a clean platter or sometimes I use a cookie sheet to catch all of the salt and pepper that some times makes a mess.  Also, notice the marbling in the roast. That means this is going to be a very tender one. 

roastunseasoned2GENEROUSLY, sprinkle garlic salt, onion salt, pepper and minced garlic on both sides of the roast.

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Wrap roast in saran wrap and let set over night in the refrigerator.

THE NEXT MORNING…….. ALLOW 8-10 HOURS COOKING TIME ON LOW.

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Place roast, quartered white potatoes, and carrots in slow cooker and salt and pepper the veggies.  DO NOT ADD WATER!! I know, I know, you want to, but TRUST ME, PLEASE DON’T!!  As the roast cooks on LOW, it will cook in it’s own juice :).

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Remove the veggies and the roast and place on platter.  I like separating them and putting the veggies in a bowl and the roast on a platter.  I made the gravy with the drippings from the roast.  First I strain drippings and then put them in a pan or back in the slow cooker if your cooker has a sauté option.  This one does and I love it!  Boil the drippings and make a gravy thickener with 1 c. water mixed with 1/4 c. flour in a shaker and shake it up well.  Slowly, pour flour mixture in boiling drippings and in a couple of min the gravy should thicken.  Taste to make sure gravy is seasoned to your liking.

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The meal spread :).  I served a green salad and fruit to complement the roast beef dinner.

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Such a great comfort meal!

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Nothing is better than gathering family and friends around for a delicious great meal.  ENJOY :).

Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos

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Slow cooker tacos???  And it’s not even Tuesday??  Haha.  I love the delicious goodness of a slow cooker meal, especially when it’s ready after I get home from working all day.  Hallelujah!!

This meal is one of my favs because it takes just about 10 min. to put together, and you don’t even have to thaw out the chicken breasts!  

Serves 4-6

Costco Flour Tortillas (the uncooked kind)

2 Chicken Breasts, frozen  (I like using 1 package organic chicken breasts from Costco) If not using frozen, cook less time so it won’t be dry

1 can Black Beans

1 small can of green chilies

3/4 bottle of the Costco Organic Salsa in the jar (can you tell I like Costco yet LOL)

Add Chili Powder & Cumin at the end of cooking (about a 1/2 t. – 1 t. of each to taste

Cook on low 6-8 hours, but don’t overcook because it turns out dry. Yuck!  

Cook tortillas and top those babies off with guacamole, sour cream, pico, cheddar cheese and whatever else you love on tacos.  Enjoy!

As I’ve mentioned in the previous post, a recipe is just a guideline so play with it and let me know what you come up with to spice things up (haha no pun intended).