This Week's Dinner Line-up....Fantastic!

This was a week for comfort food.  Something nice and hot to warm up from all of this frigid weather.  I must say, I nailed this week's menu...almost.  We started off this weekend with a new recipe, Lasagna Soup, and it was delicious (and kid-approved!).  Sunday I tried a new crockpot recipe, Chicken Santa Fe, but it was not delicious.  Pinterest fail.  

Next up?  A whole chicken in the crockpot.  I've always been intimidated by the idea of cooking a whole chicken.  Not anymore!  It was quick and easy to prep and it was a crockpot meal, so no fuss.  The end result?  Delicious, tender chicken.  I'll share the recipe at the end of this post.  You can get a great price on a whole chicken if you keep your eye out for one.  The bonus for the one I had in the freezer?  No giblets!  I'm a little squeamish when it comes to meat, so this was a pleasant surprise.

To round out our week, I made Goulash and we will have our traditional Friday night pizza tomorrow.  We ate well this week and as silly as it sounds, it felt like quite an accomplishment.  All of the recipes I made did not take a lot of time in the kitchen and made plenty of leftovers for the lunch box, a quick dinner, or lunch.    

Crockpot Chicken

1 whole chicken
1 lemon
Olive Oil
Italian Seasoning
Salt
Pepper

Rinse chicken and pat dry.  Slice lemon into quarters and stuff into cavity.  Roll up three balls of tin foil and place the chicken on top of them.  Rub olive oil on the chicken.  Sprinkle Italian Seasoning, salt, and pepper to taste on the top.  Turn on to low and cook for 6-7 hours.  It releases so much juice!  I made some gravy from scratch using it to complete our dinner:  chicken, mashed potatoes, and gravy.  Some serious comfort food.