QUICK And HEALTHY Dinners!

I just stick a whole frier chicken in the crock pot with potatoes, carrots, onions, or whatever other veggies are around. Easy, cheap, and healthy!

I found it easier to just make a double meals for about a week or so and freeze the extra. That way I dont have to go out of my to make other foods and spend too much time in the kitchen.
T.

I didn't read all the posts, but I wanted to add my two cents! In case no one has mentioned it yet, when you put chicken in the crock pot it can still be frozen - I'll throw some frozen chicken in the crockpot, throw in a sauce or marinade of some sort, turn it on low before I leave for work and when I get home about 9 hours later - dinner is cooked and ready to go - just make a quick salad from a bag or steam some veggies and dinner is served

another great one is tilapia (ok that's the kind my family likes best) - it's not for the crock pot, but we buy the individually frozen fillets from costco - take out however many you need - add a little butter and lemon juice on top and put them in the mircowave for about 10 minutes - frozen fish to dinner in 10 minutes!!

I'm a vegetarian so I can't help with the meat aspect but some things I put in the crockpot are stuffed peppers, black bean soup, the mixings for the inside of a taco (beans, onion, corn, peppers). I know there are good things you can do with chicken and beef, I would just google crock pot recipes or get a book at the library!

I have a cookbook that is titled something like "Six Incredient Meals for the Slow Cooker." Most of the recipes involve a meat, a couple cans of veggies or fruit, and broth. One I really like is chicken, can black beans, jar salsa, and 1-2 cups frozen corn.

Another thing I started doing when I had my kids is to cook on Saturday morning - make 2-3 casseroles and freeze or even go to "Let's Dish." Take one out in the morning before work, and put it in the oven for 30 minutes when you get home. It's a matter of routine and memory, but when I am having a good week, it workds.

R.- Aviva's Scramble is a website with lots of easy to prepare 20 minute recipes from a mom who has many kids and little time. For a minimal amount of money, she will send you her weekly blog with a ton of fun and interesting ways to put foods together for growing kids (and adults like them, too). Try googling it but if you can't find it, send me a note and we'll find the link for you. D.

I love my crockpot! We do pork tenderloin, country ribs, beef roast, soups, chili, chicken almost anything. Check online for recipes that look like they may fit your family. Also make ahead meals you can microwave when you get home like lasagne, mexican casseroles. You can cook pasta ahead of time and then just heat the sauce and mix together. My mom used to grill/cook meat on the weekend and we would have it on a salad during the week. Good luck.

In addition to my crock pot, I use the timer feature on my oven. I season meat, freeze it, take it out, put it in the oven, set the oven to come on at 4:30am and go off at 6:00am. By the time it's done at 6 I'm up. You can cook just about anything in a crock pot. Chicken, beef, pork - with or without vegetables. In addition, my rice cooker is a great help. If you have meat and vegetables(left overs)you can make a pot of rice in chicken stock instead of water. When its almost done add the meat and vegetables. 10 minutes tops. You're lucky, you are only on the field 3 days a week - I'm 5 days until school begins then 3 days after until the end of the season. Just remember that planning your meals out for the week is crutial. And in a pinch, sandwiches and top ramen works too. Good luck.

Try http://www.crock-pot.com/Recipes.aspx They have a ton of recipes posted. I honestly have only tried a handful of their recipes, but I'd like to use my crock pot more with all our activities and schedules too. Good Luck!

Check out http://crockpot365.blogspot.com She has tons of great, healthy crock pot meals and even has a cookbook.

Hey R., My family LOVES this dinner and it is so easy, it is ridiculous. You take a large can of Cream of Mushroom soup and 1 jar of Chi Chi's Chunky Mild Salsa and mix them together in a crock pot and add around 4 raw chicken breasts and cook in the crock pot all day. Then when you get home just do a couple "boil in the bags" of rice, and you have a great chicken and rice dinner. The sauce turns out to be almost like a queso, and it is just really tasty. Good luck to you. B.

Hey there!!

Here is a great site for recipes, including slow cooker ones! One thing I love about this site is that people take the time to write a review. They can tell you what they did different, how the meal came out, ect. I look at a recipe and always read the reviews, then make my modifications.
http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/Main-Dish/Slow-Cooker/Main....
Get to know your slow cooker and good luck!!!
:-)

There are cookbooks devoted to crock pot cooking. Pick one of those up and you'll have oodles of ideas for easy meals. Some of my favorite simple meals are chili--can of tomatoes, can of kidney beans, packet of seasoning, uncooked (broken up) or cooked hamburger, stir and set on low until that evening. You can substitute hamburger w/pieces of chicken (cooked or uncooked), textured protien (if you're a vegetarian), or whatever. Another easy fix--put a whole chicken in the pot, pour a can of seasoned tomatoes on top, cook for 8-10 hours. Goes w/anything!

R.,
We make spaghetti sauce, beef bbq and chili in the crockpot. We make at least a double batch to freeze some for later.
Here's a great website http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/ you can check out! Often people leave comments on the recipes so you can see if it was any good before you make it.
If you'd like the beef bbq or chili recipes feel free to email me and I'll send them to you. Good luck! :) K.

Put boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the crock pot (raw), add just a tiny bit of water, and add a packet of taco seasoning. When you get home, shred the chicken, get out the tortillas, salsa, cheese, lettuce, sour cream, etc.

You can also do a fancier, heartier version of this: Put 1 can of whole kernel corn (drained) in the bottom of the crock pot, add 1 can (drained) of pinto or black beans and 1 cup of salsa. Stir them together. Lay chicken breasts on top and add 1/2 cup of salsa, divided, on top of each piece of chicken. When you get home, add just a few pieces of cream cheese and let it sit long enough to melt. Shred the chicken and eat it with warm tortillas--adding sour cream, shredded cheese, etc.

I have a great recipe for home made whole wheat tortillas that my kids love to help me make, but that wouldn't be for a rushed night. :O)

If you want easy, fast, cheap, and healthy, I can give you advice in one word: Beans.
Throw any type of canned bean in your crockpot (pintos, kidney beans, black beans, etc!) with some onion, chicken broth or water, tomatoes, or any vegetable that you like. Add seasonings to taste (garlic, italian seasonings, mexican seasonings, whatever!)
meat is optional. you can also add canned chicken or ground beef. Always brown ground beef before adding to crock pot though.

If beans aren't your style, then there are hundreds of recipes online for slow cookers.

I also tend to prepare a weekly menu on Sunday and "mix and match" meals. For example, I will have rice as a side dish early in the week, and I'll make a double batch. Then later in the week I take the leftover rice with leftover meat from another meal and cook it with vegetables to be fried rice.
Be creative, and good luck!

Pot roast, chicken and rice, beef stroganoff, soups, chilli, tacos, bar-b-que, etc.

Quick Burritos

6 Whole Wheat Tortillas
1 can of refried beans (fat free is great by Old El Paso)
Hot Sauce
Chopped onion
6 Slices of cheese (we like cheddar or pepper jack)

Smear 1/6 of the beans down the middle of a tortilla. Top with onions, hot sauce and one slice of cheese cut in half and laid out end to end on top of the beans. Fold up the sides and place face down in a 9x13 baking dish. Do the same with the other 5 tortillas. Bake 375 for 15 minutes. You can microwave them as you need them too for quick snacks/lunches as you only really need to melt the cheese. These are a favorite in our house and they are pretty healthy!