Gina Rae Mitchell

Slow Cooker Sunday Series #2 – Plan Your Meals

Slow Cooker Sunday Series #2 – Planning Your Slow Cooker Meals

Do you know you’ll have a day this week when you’ll be running around all day? Do the kids have a full schedule of after-school activities that have you driving from one ball field to the next? That’s the perfect day to plan a slow cooker meal.

Pick a one-pot dish like beef stew, chili, or a chicken and rice casserole with broccoli and get it going in the morning. Just put the ingredients into your slow cooker, turn it on low and go about your busy day. When you get home, be ready to walk into a home that smells like a home-cooked dinner. Grab some crackers, bread, or toast, and dinner is ready to be served. It doesn’t get much easier than that, and all it takes is a little bit of prep work in the mornings.

Slow Cooker Sunday Series #2 – Recipe check & grocery list

Once you have your list of meals, write out the recipes and keep them somewhere handy. When you know you need to plan one or two slow cooker meals for the week, go through that stack of recipes. Make sure you shop for everything you need well ahead of time. Don’t forget to check on seasonings, spices, and other shelf-stable stuff you don’t usually buy.

If you’re already planning your dinners and making out your shopping list based on what you’re planning to cook for the week, this will be an easy process. Just plan a slow cooker meal a few days per week. If you’re not yet into meal planning, give it a try and at least plan these particular meals.

Slow Cooker Sunday Series #2 – Prepping Your Slow Cooker Meals

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If your mornings are too crazy or you just can’t see yourself assembling a slow cooker meal at 7 am (it really isn’t that bad), do it the night before. You can either toss everything into a large plastic storage bag or mix it right in your slow cooker crock insert and store it in the fridge overnight. In the morning, just put it in the slow cooker and turn it on.

Of course, this type of meal prep takes a little bit of planning. Start by trying a variety of different slow cooker meals to find out what your family likes and doesn’t like. Pay particular attention to those recipes that don’t call for a lot of prep work before everything is ready to go into the slow cooker.

Prep what you can as soon as you get back from the store. For example, if you know, you’ll make beef stew in the slow cooker tomorrow, and it calls for browning the meat before you add it, go ahead and do that now. Then store the browned beef in the fridge until you’re ready to assemble your stew in the morning. The same goes for chopping veggies. Believe me; you’ll be glad you did in the morning.

Slow Cooker Sunday Series #2 – Plan your meals and enjoy life again

Slow cooking and planning slow cooker meals are all about making it easy for you to get delicious home-cooked meals on the table, even on the busiest of days. Give it a try. I think you’ll find it a huge help not to have to worry about throwing something together when you finally walk in the door at 7 pm. And no matter what you make, it will be healthier and better for your family than the fast food you usually pick up on crazy days like this.

Did you miss the first in this series? Click here to read Slow Cooker Sunday Series #1 – Getting Started

Slow Cooker Sunday Series #2 – Recipes to try

Quinoa Tacos are a great way to try out your slow cooker. The recipe is a basic dump, stir, and forget it. It doesn’t get any easier.

• 1 cup uncooked, rinsed quinoa (leave this out if you are converting the recipe to an all-day or meat version)
• 1 cup chicken stock or vegetable stock ( As noted before, I love Knorr stock pots)
• 2 cans (15.25 oz. each) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can (14.5 oz.) fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can (10 oz.) enchilada sauce 
• 1-1/2 cups frozen corn (if you used canned corn, be sure to drain it)
• 3 tablespoons taco seasoning
• flour tortillas or taco shells

Spray your slow cooker with no-stick spray, or use those wonderful liner bags. Dump all the ingredients (except the tortillas) into your crockpot, stir together, cook on high for 4 hours. Stir when done cooking to remix the flavors. Serve over warm tortillas or in taco shells with all your favorite toppings.

Quinoa can get mushy if cooked on low for too long, so this might be more of an afternoon recipe, not an all-day one. You can also use pre-cooked quinoa or rice and add it in after you get home. It can absorb the flavors of your simmered on low all-day enchilada & bean sauce while you get your toppings prepped and the table set.

If you don’t want or need a plant-based diet, this dish is easily converted to a beef or chicken recipe if you like that option better. Use a cheap cut of beef like chuck roast or some frozen chicken breasts. Let the meat simmer in that sauce all day, then shred it when you get home. 

Remember, the key here is to make your life simpler yet still serve healthy, tasty meals. Experiment to see what works best for you and your family.

Recipe #2

Cheryl’s Slow Cooker BBQ Ribs are one of the best, yet simple meals for your CrockPot

*Please note – I am not a trained dietician or chef. I cook from the heart, usually without a recipe!*