Quarantine Discovery

Raise your hand if you gained a little weight during the spring lock down/quarantine. Yes, I am raising mine too. And let's be totally honest, the months that followed that time were filled with reasons to indulge in yummy foods too. And now, the holidays are quickly approaching, with their delicious meals and sweet treats, so we really have no reason to stop now. 

Before March and Covid came to town, Alex and I had never had Chipotle. Yeah, I know, apparently we were living under a rock. I don't even have a good reason why since we have two about 10 minutes from home that we constantly drive by. 

Regardless of the reason, we had never tasted the deliciousness that is their food until we were stuck at home every single day, and lunch time became what we looked forward to every day because I was finding places that would deliver. Literally, we would wake up in the morning and start looking at menus to decide what we wanted. Oh, and I had never ordered delivery (except pizza) from a restaurant until this time too. It was like whole new world opened up! 

Chipotle was hands down the place we ordered from the most, and now 8 months later, I still do once every couple weeks. Alex fell in love with their burritos as big as his head, I can't get enough of their burrito bowls and Max loves a great quesadilla. 

But this mama still has a budget she needs to try to maintain, so I had to find a way to recreate some of their great food at home. This barbacoa beef is so spot on, if I hadn't told Alex I had made it I bet he would have never known! 

I love when dishes fill the house with drool worthy aromatics, and oh boy does this ever do that! It would be delicious in tacos, burritos, or on nachos, but I decided I would make my favorite burrito bowls this time around. You can certainly customize these to include your favorite ingredients, and even make it more fun by letting everyone create their own. This is simply the combo we love the most. 

With the holiday season quickly approaching there will be many nights supper needs to be quick, yummy and effortless. Combine all of those plus a slow cooker meal AND Mexican night into one meal that your family will love. Oh, and if you do have guests coming into town, you're going to need to feed them for a few days too!

 Crock Pot Barbacoa Beef

3 lb. arm chuck roast

3 medium chipotle peppers in adobo sauce 

2 tsp. adobo sauce

1/2 c. chicken broth

2 1/2 tsp. minced garlic

2 TBS apple cider vinegar

Juice of 2 limes

1 TBS dried oregano

2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. ground cloves

2 dried whole bay leaves

2 TBS vegetable oil

Salt and pepper to taste 

1 (12 oz. ) bag frozen corn, thawed

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 lb. container pico de gallo

1 cup shredded white quesadilla cheese

Cooked White Rice

Spray Crock Pot with nonstick spray. In a large skillet, heat oil on high. Pat roast dry and season with salt and pepper. When oil is hot, brown roast on both sides, about 3-4 minutes each. Place in Crock Pot. In blender or food processor, combine vinegar, broth, peppers, adobo sauce, garlic, lime juice, oregano, cumin, salt and pepper. Blend until combined. Pour over roast. Add bay leaves. Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours. When cooked, carefully shred meat with two forks. Mix into sauce and continue cooking for another hour. Remove bay leaves, stir and serve over rice. Top with beans, corn, pico de gallo and cheese. Serve with limes, sour cream and favorite salsa on side. This recipe is enough to make 4-6 burrito bowls.

Shared at Weekend Potluck

Shared at Meal Plan Monday