Seeking Help with Dinner!!!

Go to www.allrecipes.com and search under the category for crockpot recipes. There are tons of them. Just this week I made meatloaf and lasagna in my crockpot.

Hi Kimberly!

I LOVE my crockpot and use it 3-4 nights a week! It is truly a mother's best friend!

One of our favorites that is very simple and my kids love is chicken & rice:

-Chicken breasts (anywhere from 2-5 will work--I take them right out of the freezer, maybe nuke them a little, but they are mainly still frozen)
-1 can mushroom soup
-1 packet of onion soup mix
-1 cup sour cream

Mix the soups and sour cream together. Layer the chicken breasts & soup mix in the crock pot. (do not add any water!!) Cook on low 8hrs* or high 4hrs. Serve with rice

*It can go longer than 8 hrs and will be just fine!

I have found a ton of great recipes in a book called "Fix-It and Forget-It Cookbook. Feasting with your slow cooker". I've also found alot online by just doing a google search.

Good luck!
:-) H.

This web site has some really great recipes that you can put on in the mornings and by the time you arrive home from work, they're done! And the good thing about them is - they are very tasty and healthy!

http://recipes-from-friends.com/weight-watchers/crockpot/

One of my favorite crock pot recipes that isn't listed on this web site is chicken chili:

1 can of corn (undrained)
1 can of kidney beans (undrained)
1 can of garlic flavored stewed tomatoes (undrained)
1 package of Williams Chili mix (it's in a silver package)
2 large chicken breasts

Put all ingredients in the crockpot (including your raw chicken) and cook on low 8-10 hours. Serve with shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream. A big hit around my house -even with my 8 year old and 2 year old.

You can also double the recipe and freeze half for an easy dinner another night.

Hope this helps!

I do either a roast or a whole chicken w/ potatoes carrots and onioins diced andthen a paclet of dry onion soup mixed w/ 1 cup of water poured over all. Let it cook all day on low. The chicken will fall off the bone.

1 packet dry onion soup mix, 1 can whole berry craberry sauce and 1 8 oz Catalina dressing (fat free is fine) mixed all togethr (I promise it tastes great!) pour over either chicken breasts or a pork tenderloin, againm cook all day (or 4 hours on low) I serve this with the Yellow Saffron rice by Mahatma and a steamed veggie.

4-6 bonelsee chicken breast with 1 jar italian dressing poured over them- cook all day on low. When you get home boil some angel hair pasta and mix 1 jar of alfredo sauce into the chicken. Viola- chicken alfredo

Just about any soup can be made in the cock pot and then leftovers frozen. On your way home stop and get a loaf of fresh french bread and a bag of salad or even some canned peaches, apples... something to add like that as a side dish.

I take leftover meats and veggies place them in a 10 inch Cast iron skillet (or any over proof skillet) add 6 eggs that I have scrambled (raw) add some cheese and pop it in the oven for 30 minutes, top w/ a bit more cheese and there you have it, Frittatta suprise. (I even did this w/ leftover Fajita meat and onions, it was good!)

Another hint- when you have a bit of extra time (stop laughing!) make seasoned ground beef or ground turkey and pop it in the freezer. I do a lot with taco seasoning or just garlic, diced onion and pepper. Then I can build a quick casserole around that- you know a cup of pasta, a can of tomatoes and some sesoned ground beef- add water and bake. Or with the taco flavored just add tortillas and fixin's and you have tacos or enchilads. I have baked w/ mine frozen and it doesn't seem to be a problem.

If anyone around you invtes you to a homemade gourmet party GO. The do 4 meals in 4 minutes. Plus thgey have wonderful spice packets that make crock pot cooking a breeze. I don't sell it, I just use it! www.homemadegourmet.com

Please e-mail if I can help or if you want me to search my brain for more recipes!

D.
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Hi,

I don't have any crockpot recipes, but here are a couple of things I have used for quick dinners. I worked up until about a year ago and I understand trying to get dinner on the table without spending the whole afternoon and evening getting it ready.

Krogers has a "Meals made Simple" chicken stir fry that my 4 year old really likes. It's easy to fix in a skillet and then add rice. Has chicken and veggies all together. It takes about 20 minutes or so.

Pick up pre-cooked ribs at Sams and some extra B-B-Q sauce. These just warm in the oven and are really good. Add a veggie or pre-made mashed potatoes or just a salad.

A simple Pork chop recipe is to take butterflied porkchops, season with dry Lipton onion soup - 1 Package (I also add mushrooms and worcestershire sauce), cover and bake at 350 for about 1hr. This takes about 5 minutes to prepare and then throw them in the oven an hour before you want to eat.

I hope these help. It's hard to feed everyone a good dinner everyday and do everything else you are supposed to do!

A.

I just throw in some chicken and bbq sauce. Or roast w/ potatoes, carrots and celery. Also, there are crockpot dinners that come in the freezer section at the grocery store. They are about $5, but are actually pretty good. If you go to my website, I have a recipe page. Click on that and I have some of our families best recipes. The one that would help you out the best is freezing/blanching vegitables. It seriously saves me HOURS in the kitchen! www.bumblebeebabyboutique.com

We love this recipe! And leftovers are great warmed up in tortillas the next day.
Take several chicken breasts (I use the frozen ones from sams-don't bother to defrost) and place in crock pot. Mix a can of rotel (they make a mild one) with one packet of taco seasoning mix. Cook all day on low. That night make some spanish rice (I use the Lipton ones in packets that are often on sale 10 for 10 dollars). Slice chicken over rice, sprinkle with cheese & top with sour cream. Yum!
Also, those frozen meatballs from sams are great-add them to the crockpot with jarred pasta sauce (I buy the cheap .99 cans for this) becuase the meatballs make the sauce taste great after they cook all day on low. Then you just have to boil up the pasta for dinner.
Hope this helps!

First off, invest in crock pot liners. I think they're made by Reynold's brand. You get them near where ziploc bags are located at the grocery store. While cooking in a crockpot is heavenly easy, the clean-up gives me a headache.

Second: "Easiest BBQ Pork Chops" from www.allrecipes.com
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 cup ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup chopped onion (optional)
6 pork chops (I used 3 chops because that's all I had)

Put it all in the crock pot and cook on low for 6 hrs or more.

Something we've started doing to try to spend more time as a family, and keep me from getting too frazzled, is a weekly "family date." Every Thursday we either have a quick dinner (like sandwiches and chips) grab take-out or go someplace cheap and fast to eat (honestly, Chick-Fil-A is the high end of what we spend). Then do something fun together -- the park, the train table at Barnes & Noble, go out for ice cream, etc. It has helped us reign in spending on eating out, and we all look forward to the evening.

Also, Super Suppers and The Dinner Station are great, but you might want to know that you still have to plan ahead and do some cooking. You move your meal from the freezer to the fridge the night before you intend to eat it. Then most of the recipes require 30 min to an hour of cooking, depending on whether it's a stove top recipe or oven baked or grilled. We've had good experiences with The Dinner Station.

And last but not least, the idea of investment cooking. This is exactly what Super Suppers, etc. does, only I do it on a little bit smaller scale. I often invest a little extra time cooking one weekend night to make one or two meals that are freezable. I might prepare 3 pounds of ground beef at once -- make meat loaf with 2 pounds (which is enough for our family to eat dinner twice) and meatballs with the other pound. I can freeze the leftover meatloaf in portion sizes and freeze the meatballs in a freezer bag. If I'm preparing sausage I'll slice some for pizza and crumble the rest for breakfast tacos (which are just as good for dinner...). You can get a prepared pizza dough (by pilsbury) and a bag of shredded cheese and whip up a pizza withyour saved sausage slices in no time.
Good luck!

Kimberly

Welcome to my daily dilemma! The best source I have found is the Fix it and Forget it Cookbook. It's all crock pot recipes and I've lived with it for three years now. Everything in it that I've tried has been wonderful. My favorite is the Ham n Cola. Sounds iffy but tastes great.

The book is less than $20 at Barnes & Noble.

Bon appetite!
C.

Ditto to the other moms....Fix It and Forget It is the best cookbook ever for FAST meals in a crockpot!! Sam's Club usually has the cookbook for around $10 or $11 if you're a member. Also, try preparing your side dish for tomorrow night after your kids go to bed tonight. I actually think that the rices are better the next day anyway!! But, if your side dish is ready, then you REALLY have a home-cooked meal-on-the-go!! It may take a bit of planning, but once you get in the groove, it's a snap! Best wishes! E.

I have heard great things about the "Fix It and Forget It" cookbook. I think it's about $14 at Target. I even saw it at Michael's the other day, and they usually have a 40% coupon in Sunday's paper, so you could probably get it pretty cheap there.
Two crockpot recipes I have used recently, that were delicious, are:
Round Steak
1 packet Lipton Onion Soup mix
2 cans Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 cup water
-I served this with instant mashed potatoes and a veg. and it was great! You can always add more cream to the sauce to stretch it, too.

Pork Tenderloin
1 can beer
1 small onion
-Shred pork (for pulled pork sandwiches), add bbq sauce, put on buns (I also put out tabasco, hot/sweet peppers, etc.) and serve with Ore Ida french fries.

Both super easy and yummy!
Happy Cooking...

Hey i am a single mom too! Do you think you could share the recipies you get with me? I am in the same predicament as I am. If so, thankyou so much.

Hi K.,

I am a distributor for Homemade Gourmet and we have an entire cookbook just for casseroles and slow cookers. I have a 3 1/2 yr. old and a 5 week old. These recipes save my life! Please contact me if you are interested.

J.

K.,
I have to agree "Fix it and Forget it" crock pot cook book is AWESOME!!! I have not tried any receipes that I didn't like. One of fastest receipes (litterally like 1 min) if you like roasts, get a roast (rump or whatever you like) put it in the crock pot and pour coke over it (usually a can or so) dump one packet of Lipton dry onion soup mix on top and its ready to cook. It is awesome. Good luck.

Hi Kimberely!
One thing that i found to be a LIFE SAVER is super suppers! they prepare meals for you so all you have to do is throw them in the oven. they are gourmet meals, not mac & cheese or something. they are made by chefs and are very affordable. this might save you some time and ease your nerves! they are located off of teasley ln on londenderry. i hope this helps!

T. Hutchison

Boy, I had to read your responses. I'm in the same boat as a single mother. By the time i get my daughter home and do anything (play, read, clean, go to the park) it's 7 or 7:30pm! And we're just starting dinner! Not good. Not to mention if I don't get her in bed by 8pm I have "heck" to pay in the morning.

I am going to have to buy a crockpot. Sounds like that's the answer.

I live in Flower Mound and would love to have more single MOM friends. Where are you if you don't mind sharing?

One solution I did find helpful, but it's not cheap, is the Dinner Station (or Super Suppers). I went with a group of single mom friends and we split a big order and came home with 8 meals that feed three. It cost about $65. And the meals have been simple and delicious! I'm up for doing that again soon with my girlfriends (single mom friends) so let me know if you're interested. (Or any other single moms!)

Warmly,

S.
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