Crock Pot Recipes for Mom on Bed Rest

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/ that's a great blog I followed for a while. big variety, some simple in there too ! good luck!

I would google or get a crock pot recipe book. There are so many things you can do. BBQ is a good one. Soup, stew, chili, etc Google 'crock pot recipes' or go to Kraftfoods.com or go to foodnetwork.com and you will find many! Hope you feel better soon.

Hi, C.!
First, congratulations on your soon to be newest arrival!
My favorite crock pot dinner is a Roast with vegetables.

I take a chuck roast, and dredge it in flour that has been seasoned with coarse salt and fresh pepper and brown it on all sides (preferably in a cast iron pan) then I put it in the crockpot with some minced garlic and parsley and about a cup to a cup and a half beef broth. Save the leftover flour.
Set it on high. After about 3 1/2 to 4 hours, add 2 small or 1 large bag of frozen stew vegetables, adding some cut potatoes if they are not already included with the frozen veggies and dinner will be ready an hour later.
OR you can not add vegetables and just side it with a can of
Hanovers green beans and potatoes.
In any event, once all meat/ meat vegetables are removed from the crockpot, You can add some of the reserved flour a little add a time into the drippings in the crockpot with a wire whisk to make gravy. For each set you are on your feet, mere minutes and will have a fulfilling dinner!

Sound different, but good:
Sweet and Sour Chicken crockpot

8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1-8 oz. bottle Catalina salad dressing
1 envelope dry mix onion soup
10 oz jar apricot preserves

Place chicken breasts in your slow cooker. Pour remaining ingredients on top of chicken. No need to mix. Cover and cook for 6 to 8 hours on low.
Makes 6 to 8 servings

Balsamic Chicken

Layer the following ingredients in your crock pot in this order.
1 package bone-in chicken thighs, de-skinned
1/2 sliced yellow onion
salt
1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 can mushroom pieces
4 diced potatoes
1 jar mild banana peppers, drained
1/2 bag frozen peas
the other 1/2 of the sliced yellow onion
salt to taste
italian seasoning to taste

Then pour 3/4 of a bottle of Newman's Own Lighten Up Balsamic Vinagrette Dressing over all.
Cook on low for 8 hours.

Slow-Cooker Lasagna
Linda Nichols, Steubenville, Ohio
No-cook noodles speed up prep time.
12 lasagna noodles, uncooked, divided
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 pound ground beef, browned and drained
1 (28-ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
1/4 cup water
1 (16-ounce) container cottage cheese, divided
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese, divided
Grease bottom of a 4-quart slow cooker. Break noodles in half. Place half the noodles in bottom of prepared slow cooker.
Stir Italian seasoning into browned ground beef and spread half over the noodles in the slow cooker.
Combine spaghetti sauce and water. Layer half over the meat. Then layer half the cottage cheese and half the mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours. Do not cook over 5 hours!
Servings: Serves 4.

Best of luck!

Hi Cyndi

Good luck on the bed rest I did with my last two your almost there..Try turkey chili, you need two packets of chili seasoning two- three cans of diced tomatoes (i like fire roasted) 2 cans of tomatoes paste 1 onion 2lbs of ground turkey 1 can of chili beans 1 can of kidney 1 can of black bean; You just dump it all in the pot and let it cook for 8 hours its great I sometimes put bque sauce in about 1/2 cup and serve with crackers and shredded cheese. The different beans help with fiber.

Sorry to hear you're back on full bed rest - here's one that might come in handy later though..

Layer ingredients in crock pot:
chicken (i use legs and thighes with bone-in because they are cheap, but tasty!)
sliced onion
diced garlic
can diced tomatoes
salt, pepper and any other seasonings you like (i use dried basil and oregano)

then cook away!

good luck with you new baby!

Here's my recipe for Chicken N' Dumplins. I got it out of the N&R a couple of years ago and it is WONDERFUL!

3-5 bonless chicken breasts (can use frozen)
2 Tblsp. butter, melted
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 soup cans water
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 12oz. can refrigerated biscuits

Place chicken in your crock. In a bowl combine butter, soups, water and pepper. Pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

An hour before serving, tear chicken into bite-size pieces and add back to crock. Cut biscuits into fourths and add to crock. Cover and cook on high for 40-45 minutes or until biscuits are done in the center. Gently stir to cover dumplings with sauce.

We have a family favorite I do about every other week. Take 4 boneless, skinless chix breasts and add one 16 oz jar of salsa. I use hot because it ends up tasting "medium" after cooking. Cook on low for 5-6 hours. Sometime an hour or 2 before serving, I break the chicken up so that it's "shreadded". I serve as soft tacos, or just plain in a bowl. We add taco "toppings" like grated cheddar, sour cream, salsa, black beans, lettuce, etc. SO easy and very tasty! Hope you enjoy

Here is a Weight Watchers crock pot meal that is super easy and very tasty.
1 lb. stew meat
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 pkg. dry onion soup mix
1 cup diet sprite
serve over noodles, yummy!
Good luck!!!

Hi, C.! I've got a simple recipe for you that doesn't require all that many items or prep. It should only take about 15 minutes to prepare, less if you cook the beef the night before. I like to use the medium enchilada sauce to give it just a little kick because the mild sauce is too sweet. Good luck and happy eating!

Beef & Bean Tamale Pie

1/2 lb ground beef
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 can (15oz) kidney beans, drained, rinsed
1 can (10oz) red enchilada sauce
1 pouch (6.5oz) golden corn muffin and bread mix
1/3 cup milk
2 Tbsp margarine or butter, melted
1 egg
1/2 cup shredded colby-Monterey Jack cheese
1 can (4.5oz) chopped green chiles
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup chopped green onions

1. In large skillet, cook ground beef and onion over medium heat for 5-7 minutes or until beef is thoroughly cooked, stirring frequently. Drain. Pour meat mixture, beans and enchilada sauce into 3-1/2 to 4-1/2 quart slow cooker and stir.
2. In small bowl, combine corn muffin mix, milk, margarine and egg; stir just until moist. Batter will be lumpy. Add cheese and chiles; stir gently to mix. Spoon over beef mixture in slow cooker.
3. Cover; cook on Low for 4-1/2 to 5-1/2 hours or until toothpick inserted in center of corn bread comes out clean. Top individual servings with sour cream and green onions.

Take a whole chicken or thighs and pour your favorite barbecue sauce over - cook all day. :)

Hot Chicken Sandwiches:

4-6 Chicken Breasts, stick of butter,two chicken bouillon cubes, minced onion, celery flakes (lots of both), 1/2 cup water...cook all day. Shred chicken and put back in broth. Serve with slotted spoon on buns (good with mustard) or serve with broth over rice. Good!

TACO SOUP

1 pound gound beef
1 onion, chopped
1 (16 oz.) can chili beans, with liquid
1 (15 oz.) can kidney beans, with liquid
1 (15 oz.) can whole kernel corn, with liquid
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
1 cup water (less if you prefer a thicker soup)
2 (14.5 oz.) cans peeled and diced tomatoes
1 (4 oz.) can diced green chilies
1 packet taco seasoning mix

Brown ground beef and drain. Place ground beef and all other ingredients in a slow cooker. Mix to blend and cook on low setting for 8 hours.

Serve with tortilla chips and top with shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream. (Serves 8)

Quick to put together and Delicious!!

http://www.50plusfriends.com/cookbook/crockpot/index-5b.html

Try this website.

A family favorite is roast and my recipe is super simple.

large roast
2 packages union soup mix
salt/pepper to taste
couple spashes of Wochestershire sauce
Enough veggies for one meal:
largely cut potatoes
baby carrots
quartered onion

I rinse roast and place in the bottom, toss everything else on top and add just enough water to cover. I let it cook on low about 6-8 hours. You can remove some of the liquid (place in a small sauce pan) and when it comes to a simmer, add a little cornstarch/water to make a quickie gravy.

I have found it better to reduce my veggies to just enough for one meal, then use the left over roast meat to make additional meals (adds variety and makes the meat last longer). Usually, I make beef stroganoff(sp?) the first night, beef BBQ sandwhiches the next.

The BBQ is self explanatory. After your first dinner, just shred some beef, add your favorite BBQ sauce and let it marinade in the fridge. Heat before serving.

For stroganoff, I throw all the following in a big Texas skillet and simmer.

Can cream of mushroom soup
Leftover beef drippings and gravy (if I need stronger beef flavor, I toss in some boullion)
1/2 a large bag of egg noodles
milk to cover noodles
shredded beef (you don't need as much as you think!!)
any leftover carrots or potatoes, finely cut up
salt/pepper to taste
Can of mushrooms or other veggies (optional)

After this has simmered and noodles are soft, I add a few spoonfuls of sour cream (whatever I have in the fridge, usually) and serve as a one-skillet meal.

Good luck with your pregnancy!!!

Southwestern Chicken

Jar Salsa
Can Black Beans
1-2 cups frozen corn
Chicken Breasts
Rice (optional)

I think I cook it on low for 3-4 hours, but it depends on your cooker.

This one is for mexican chicken, easy, tasty, low sodium and easy on the budget. You need 1 bag of frozen corn, 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed,(I think kidney beans will work also), 2 large boneless,skinless chicken breast,1 jar of salsa (24 ounces). Spray the crock lightly with non-stick spray, pour in layers, corn,beans,chicken and pour salsa on top. Cook on high for 4-5 hours. Take chicken out when fully cooked and shred. Mix the shredded chicken back in. Serve with tortilla chips. We also just use it as filling in soft tortillas.

I also buy a large package of ground meat, cook it in the crock pot with chopped onion, or onion powder or minced onion. Drain, cool and pack in freezer bags or containers in 1 pound units. When you are ready to cook a few minutes in the microwave will thaw it out then you can have it for taco meat by adding taco seasoning, sloppy joes, casseroles, whatever you usually use gr. meat in. God Bless

There is a great book called ''Fix it and Forget'. It has tons of good, easy crockpot recipes! There is even a light version if you prefer!
Wishing you a safe and healthy remainder of you pregnancy!!

I just read one that I want to try. Take chicken pieces and put in pot, mix 2 jars of apricot jam, 12 ounces each, and a pack of lipton onion soup together and pour over chicken. Cook till tender. Serve over rice.
Make baked beans in the crock pot, adding molasses, br sugar, ketchup, mustard,onion chopped, and bacon pieces. Let cook till they smell wonderful. Slice a kielbasa or hot dogs. Add to beans.
Saurkraut in the pot, add some br sugar,put in a piece of pork, cook till prk is falling apart.

16 Bean soups are wonderful with or without meat, use which ever beans you like and add a package or two of soup mix to make it tastier. (cream of mushroom or broccoli) Not sure of how many you are feeding but you can add rice, green vegetables and or potatoes for another day. I make lentil soup and spinach. Vary the vegetables to keep it interesting.

B-B-Q chicken

place frozen chicken breasts in crock pot and cover with garlic powder/onion powder/paprika/black pepper/seasoned meat tenderizer. cook on high for 3-4hrs. pour a bottle of bbq sauce over chicken (i like kraft original bbq sauce) cook on low for another 3-4hrs.

This is a great website for crock pot recipes http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/ This woman cooked in her crockpot every day for 1 year and blogged about it. All of the recipes are gluten free, but you can most likely sub in regular flour and ingredients instead of the gluten free ones she uses. We really liked her Cowboy Crockpot Stew.

I also recently made a Chicken Taco Soup that I found with the canned chicken I bought from Sams:
1-13 oz can of chicken breast, drained (we used 2 we like more chicken)
1-11 oz can of Rotel tomatoes
1-28pz can of diced tomatoes
1-4oz can of green chiles
1-15 oz can of kidney beans
1-15 oz can of black beans
1-11oz can of whole kernel corn
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 pkg Ranch Dressing Mix

1. Shred the chicken, if desired. DO NOT drain the remaining cans.
2. Combine all ingredients into a crock-pot and stir.
3. Cook on high for 2 hours or on low for 4 hours.

Suggested garnishes: Sour cream, Shredded Cheese, Chopped Green Onions, Tortilla Chips

We liked it with sour cream and the chips. It's really easy to put together and the whole family loved it.

I hope things go well and congrat.

I saw someone mentioned Fix It and Forget It! I have that cookbook and it's wonderful. I'd forgotten about it, LOL. Anyway, it has a great variety of recipes and doesn't use a lot of canned soups which some people shy away from because of the high sodium levels. But it has all manner of recipes in it.

Here are a few....

Beef Soup

1 lb browned ground chuck/beef, turkey chicken or mix
1 packet of favorite meatloaf seasoning
1/2 pd of fresh baby carrots
1 pd peeled chunked potatoes
1 can of peas or 1 small box frozen

Put it all in the crock pot and cover with water. I put mine in there round 11am and it is done round 5-6. Just check carrots and potatoes for tendorness.

next....

Lazy Mans Cabbage rolls

On high throw in crock pot

1 head of cabbage cleaned and cut up anyway you like
1 large can of crushed tomatoes
1 small can of tomatoe juice

(Sometimes if I want it to cook faster or I get a late start I boil on the stove the tomatoes and water to get it rolling.)

While this gets rolling you mix

1 lb of ground chuck/beef, turkey, chicken, veal or mix
2 eggs
1/4 -1/2 cup of uncooked rice
1 small onion diced
2 cloves of garlic minced
Salt and Pepper to taste

Roll into small balls a little smaller than golf balls. Once your tomatoes and cabbage is boiling in the crock pot add your meatballs. If you like a crunch on your meat you can bake first for 20 minutes at 350. This is another meal that I put in the crock pot round 11am-noon and it is done 5-6pm.

Chicken Soup

4 cans chicken broth
2 chicken breasts
1 small onion
Salt and Pepper to taste

boil in crock pot till chicken is tendor and falling apart.
Shread the chicken and toss it back into the broth. Add a can of carrots, can of corn and 1/2 bag egg noodles. let it get hot again and it is done.