a revelation

why this took me so long to figure out. . .i don't know. i could of been. . .USING THE CROCKPOT FOR LUNCH!!! right now, i have asian chicken wings in the crockpot. i'll be serving them with premade quinoa and wilted spinach. amazing. if i wanted to get crazy i could have one crockpot going for lunch and another for dinner. but i prefer to make pot roast in the oven. i'm thinking this fall & winter, i will be making soups, dips, and meat for tacos & wraps for lunch. anything, would be better than the mac & cheese with hot dogs i succumbed to yesterday. yes, even i, have fallen prey to the most evil of evil lunches. all you gotta do is combine your ingredients in the morning and turn the sucker on high. and voila! . . . LUNCH! lunch was turning into my nemesis. no more. thank you, once again, crockpot.

asian chicken wings
3 lbs. chicken wings, browned
1 c. packed brown sugar
1 c. soy sauce
1/2 c. ketchup
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/4 c. dry sherry
1/2 c. hoisin sauce
1 T. lime juice
3 T. toasted sesame seeds*
combine everything except lime juice and sesame seeds. cook on high 2-3 hours or until no longer pink. before serving thoroughly coat wings in sauce and drizzle with lime juice and sprinkle sesame seeds.
*to toast sesame seeds just heat a small amount of oil in pan and toss around for a minute or two until you smell the goodness.

and if breakfast is your nemisis. . .

andrea's healthy pancakes
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup all purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
couple dashes of ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt (she cut this to 1/2 tsp)
2 eggs
1/4 cup applesauce
1 3/4 cup milk
couple swirls of honey for good luck
makes 15 five inch panckes. which are way more filling and healthy! and cheaper than the store bought ones! andrea makes a batch, freezes the leftovers, and then heats them up for the kids. brilliant!