I Need Snack and Dinner Ideas

The crockpot is a working woman's best friend! It's worth the money to invest in a larger one. I use mine several times a week.

In the morning, throw in meat, vegetables, and potatoes, set that bad boy on LOW, and when you come home, all you gotta do is set the table. Also, most soup recipes (without milk) work just fine in the crockpot.

There is a woman who is using her crockpot everyday in 2008, and keeping a blog. If you google "crockpot+365", she will be right at the top.

S., try www.kraftfoods.com. They always have good meals that can be prepared and cooked within 30 minutes.

I just received a great crockpot recipe for Tortilla soup
I carton chicken broth
1+ lb boneless skinless chicken breast- The more the better- take out and make shredded tacos or nachos the next night
4 carrots- cut up however u like
1 hot pepper chopped small- i just threw in 1/2 of one from my garden so it was mild
1 onion chopped
1T Cumin
2T Worchestire
1T Chili Powder

put crockpot on low for 7-8 hours
take out chicken and shred- put back in the amount u want- ( it was great on top of nachos the next night)

serve on top of tortilla chips with some cheese- to make it fancy add a little avocado, sour cream, cilantro... you could always throw in some black beans from a can

my one year old loved it-- we skipped the "soup" and just gave her the chunky stuff... my 3 year old had 2 bowls!

I third the crockpot recommendations. IMO the best crockpot recipe book is the "Rival Crockpot Cookbook." I've seen it at Target and Border's books for $5.99 to $9.99 depending on the store.

You can purchase already put together Crock-pot meals in the frozen food section...I can't remember for sure...but I think it's Banquet that makes `em. You can get Beef Stew, Chicken and Dumplings, etc.

Also consider make-ahead meals you can freeze, so that all you'll need to do is reheat them. Pick either Saturday or Sunday afternoon and dedicate a few hours toward cooking a weeks worth of meals and pop em in the freezer. Consider any lasagna recipe. This is very easy to prepare. It's not necessary, but I'd recommend baking it fully first, so that all you'll need to do is warm it up. If you don't cook it before freezing, be sure to freeze it immediately after preparation.

Other good make aheads... Sloppy Joe, Chilli, Taco filling, Chow Mein, and soups. If you have a food sealer, you can seal these items and boil them like a boiling bag when reheating.