Gone are the days when I had the time to dice a gazillion veggies, chop a bunch of fresh herbs and spices...and spend hours in the kitchen making an amazing Pioneer Woman recipe. Really, looking back, I'm not sure how I ever really had time for that....but I suppose I thought the meals were so yummy that it was worth it.
If we don't plan efficiently our 'dining' will consist of shoving down a bowl of cereal or yogurt in between our crazy evening schedule that looks something like this:
This week in the life the Brown Family.
Monday: Josh meeting, Jessalyn One Voice practice
Tuesday: Ethan soccer practice 3:15-4:30, Jessalyn game 5:30...meaning pick Ethan up at 4:30 come home, bring Jessalyn at 5, come home, bring the rest of the family to the field at 5:30 to watch the game. Then Josh had a meeting at 7:30.
Wednesday: Jessalyn piano lesson, Ethan at a friends house after school, Jessalyn game at 5:30, Pick up Ethan and friend at 5:15, bring Ethan (and friend), Luke and Owen to youth group with Josh from 5:30-6:30, then Josh has youth group from 6:30 - 8:30 and in between that Tru and I will be watching Jessalyn's game.
Thursday: A slow night....Ethan has a game at 5:00.
Friday: Worship team practice at 5:30 for Josh and I.
Add in there homework for Jessalyn, Ethan and Luke and dragging around a one year old... the time between 3pm and bedtime (hopefully around 9 or so) is quite intense.
And notice, dinner wasn't really in the schedule!
Because of this we have developed quite a relationship with our crock pot. Finding something that ALL 7 of us like is a challenge as there are many different personalities and tastes in our family....but we are keeping track of the "keeper" crock pot recipes that make at least 6 out of 7 of us happy. (The oddball gets cereal...or toast:)
(You were beginning to wonder if there were actually going to be recipes in this post, weren't you?)
This week's tried and true crock pot recipes:
Chicken and Wild Rice
Throw 4 chicken breasts in the crock (frozen is fine)
Cover it with one can of cream of mushroom soup.
You can also add a chopped onion in there too...if you don't have kids that will have a hissy fit about it.
crock on low for 7-8 hours
(I strongly suggest keeping an eye on any meal you cook for that long in your crock pot until you really get to know your own crock pot. We have found that our crock cooks hot so we have to lessen the cooking time with almost everything. I've learned that all crock pots are different)
Just before serving prepare a box uncle bens wild rice with seasoning package...this takes about 25 minutes (but it's easy!). When the rice is finished, add it to the crock pot and your good to go. I like to sort of shred the chicken in the pot...it's easier for my family, but you can definitely just serve each breast individiually.
(4 out of 5 of my kids LOVE LOVE LOVE this recipe and it tastes even better for lunch the next day! ....we won't name the name of the crazy kid who won't eat this.)
Owen
Steak and Rice
Throw some steak tips in the crock (frozen is fine)
Cover with a can of beef gravy.
Cook on low for 7-8 hours.
Easy as that. Prepare some rice (not the flavored seasoning kind)...we use regular brown rice. Serve steak tips over the rice. Some bread and a veggie are a nice addition:)
(4 out of 5 of my kids love this one too! Same crazy kid won't eat this either)
Mac and Cheese
I follow THIS MAC AND CHEESE RECIPE and miraculously ALL 7 of us like this one!!!
Italian Chicken Spaghetti
Throw 4 chicken breasts in the crock (frozen is fine)
mix a package of dry Italian seasoning mix with 1/4 cup of water and pour over chicken.
Sprinkle with some garlic
After cooking on low for 4 hours
Mix a package of softened cream cheese and a can of cream of chicken soup in a bowl and pour over the chicken. This is when you can add some chopped mushrooms...if you don't have crazy kids.
Cook for an additional hour and serve over spaghetti (prepared as the package suggests).
The recipe suggests some parsley on top...I didn't bother:)
(4 out of 5 of my kids loved this too).
This is super yummy...even without the chicken. A great pasta sauce if you are sick of marinara.
Salsa Chicken
4 chicken breasts (frozen is fine)
Sprinkle a package of taco seasoning on top of the chicken
Combine one can of cream of chicken soup, one cup of salsa, 1/2 cup of sour cream and pour over the chicken.
Cook on low for 7-8 hours
Shred the chicken with two forks and serve on a tortilla shell.
(4 out of 5 of my kids enjoyed this one)
Meatball Subs
A bag of frozen meatballs combined with 2 jars of marinara sauce....plop it on some bread and sprinkle some cheese on it.
(I'm sure there is some way better way to do this...including making homemade meatballs and sauce...but this whole post is to avoid having to take ANY time preparing dinner...so I'll stick with SIMPLE during this phase of life!)
(4 out of 5 of my kids like this. Are you seeing a pattern yet?)
Pulled Pork
A 3 - 4 lb "Pork butt"
Add a can of root beer.
Cook on low for 7-8 hours
When it's done, pull apart the pork with two forks (this can be easy...and can be difficult at times)
Add a jar of BBQ sauce and mix together.
Serve on some yummy bread!
Again, there are some super great YUMMY ways to make pulled pork amazing, but really...I don't have that kind of time:)
(Yep..you guessed it....it's a NO GO for Owen. I just keep reminding myself that Ethan was EXACTLY like this and has since grown out of this crazy food aversion stage of life!)
As I continue to find EASY crock pot recipes that a majority of our family enjoys, I will post them here to share. I can't even begin to tell you how much easier it is for us to cook this way! We still have the issue of finding the time to eat it, but even if we are all eating at 8pm, at least it's ready, I don't have to think about it, most of the mess is already cleaned up and we can just sit down and enjoy some yummy food after a crazy busy day for everyone!
If we don't plan efficiently our 'dining' will consist of shoving down a bowl of cereal or yogurt in between our crazy evening schedule that looks something like this:
This week in the life the Brown Family.
Monday: Josh meeting, Jessalyn One Voice practice
Tuesday: Ethan soccer practice 3:15-4:30, Jessalyn game 5:30...meaning pick Ethan up at 4:30 come home, bring Jessalyn at 5, come home, bring the rest of the family to the field at 5:30 to watch the game. Then Josh had a meeting at 7:30.
Wednesday: Jessalyn piano lesson, Ethan at a friends house after school, Jessalyn game at 5:30, Pick up Ethan and friend at 5:15, bring Ethan (and friend), Luke and Owen to youth group with Josh from 5:30-6:30, then Josh has youth group from 6:30 - 8:30 and in between that Tru and I will be watching Jessalyn's game.
Thursday: A slow night....Ethan has a game at 5:00.
Friday: Worship team practice at 5:30 for Josh and I.
Add in there homework for Jessalyn, Ethan and Luke and dragging around a one year old... the time between 3pm and bedtime (hopefully around 9 or so) is quite intense.
And notice, dinner wasn't really in the schedule!
Because of this we have developed quite a relationship with our crock pot. Finding something that ALL 7 of us like is a challenge as there are many different personalities and tastes in our family....but we are keeping track of the "keeper" crock pot recipes that make at least 6 out of 7 of us happy. (The oddball gets cereal...or toast:)
(You were beginning to wonder if there were actually going to be recipes in this post, weren't you?)
This week's tried and true crock pot recipes:
Chicken and Wild Rice
Throw 4 chicken breasts in the crock (frozen is fine)
Cover it with one can of cream of mushroom soup.
You can also add a chopped onion in there too...if you don't have kids that will have a hissy fit about it.
crock on low for 7-8 hours
(I strongly suggest keeping an eye on any meal you cook for that long in your crock pot until you really get to know your own crock pot. We have found that our crock cooks hot so we have to lessen the cooking time with almost everything. I've learned that all crock pots are different)
Just before serving prepare a box uncle bens wild rice with seasoning package...this takes about 25 minutes (but it's easy!). When the rice is finished, add it to the crock pot and your good to go. I like to sort of shred the chicken in the pot...it's easier for my family, but you can definitely just serve each breast individiually.
(4 out of 5 of my kids LOVE LOVE LOVE this recipe and it tastes even better for lunch the next day! ....we won't name the name of the crazy kid who won't eat this.)
Owen
Steak and Rice
Throw some steak tips in the crock (frozen is fine)
Cover with a can of beef gravy.
Cook on low for 7-8 hours.
Easy as that. Prepare some rice (not the flavored seasoning kind)...we use regular brown rice. Serve steak tips over the rice. Some bread and a veggie are a nice addition:)
(4 out of 5 of my kids love this one too! Same crazy kid won't eat this either)
Mac and Cheese
I follow THIS MAC AND CHEESE RECIPE and miraculously ALL 7 of us like this one!!!
Italian Chicken Spaghetti
Throw 4 chicken breasts in the crock (frozen is fine)
mix a package of dry Italian seasoning mix with 1/4 cup of water and pour over chicken.
Sprinkle with some garlic
After cooking on low for 4 hours
Mix a package of softened cream cheese and a can of cream of chicken soup in a bowl and pour over the chicken. This is when you can add some chopped mushrooms...if you don't have crazy kids.
Cook for an additional hour and serve over spaghetti (prepared as the package suggests).
The recipe suggests some parsley on top...I didn't bother:)
(4 out of 5 of my kids loved this too).
This is super yummy...even without the chicken. A great pasta sauce if you are sick of marinara.
Salsa Chicken
4 chicken breasts (frozen is fine)
Sprinkle a package of taco seasoning on top of the chicken
Combine one can of cream of chicken soup, one cup of salsa, 1/2 cup of sour cream and pour over the chicken.
Cook on low for 7-8 hours
Shred the chicken with two forks and serve on a tortilla shell.
(4 out of 5 of my kids enjoyed this one)
Meatball Subs
A bag of frozen meatballs combined with 2 jars of marinara sauce....plop it on some bread and sprinkle some cheese on it.
(I'm sure there is some way better way to do this...including making homemade meatballs and sauce...but this whole post is to avoid having to take ANY time preparing dinner...so I'll stick with SIMPLE during this phase of life!)
(4 out of 5 of my kids like this. Are you seeing a pattern yet?)
Pulled Pork
A 3 - 4 lb "Pork butt"
Add a can of root beer.
Cook on low for 7-8 hours
When it's done, pull apart the pork with two forks (this can be easy...and can be difficult at times)
Add a jar of BBQ sauce and mix together.
Serve on some yummy bread!
Again, there are some super great YUMMY ways to make pulled pork amazing, but really...I don't have that kind of time:)
(Yep..you guessed it....it's a NO GO for Owen. I just keep reminding myself that Ethan was EXACTLY like this and has since grown out of this crazy food aversion stage of life!)
As I continue to find EASY crock pot recipes that a majority of our family enjoys, I will post them here to share. I can't even begin to tell you how much easier it is for us to cook this way! We still have the issue of finding the time to eat it, but even if we are all eating at 8pm, at least it's ready, I don't have to think about it, most of the mess is already cleaned up and we can just sit down and enjoy some yummy food after a crazy busy day for everyone!
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1 comments:
We had salsa chicken this week too! We love our crock pot!
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