Life can get pretty hectic around dinner time!
Three of my girls have either ballet or gymnastics lessons several times a week, and of course, the lessons are right over the dinner hour. We don’t get home until 6:30, so if I haven’t planned ahead – it’s off to the pizza shop we go!
Preparing a home-cooked meal can be almost impossible without planning ahead, but sometimes it’s just hard to carve out that planning time!
So, one of my goals is to find easy and delicious recipes for my crock pot that work with my family’s busy schedule and don’t plant me in the kitchen for half the morning.
I’ve found some delicious looking recipes on Pinterest and thought I would share the ideas with you. I haven’t tried any of these yet, but they are on my menu plan. I’ll keep you updated as I make them and I would love to hear your thoughts if you decide to try any of them.
In the past, I have used my slow cooker to make dinner entrees, but while writing this post, I discovered some great ideas and uses for it other than dinner recipes!
I would also love to hear from you if you have a favorite slow cooker recipe to share! I will highlight my favorites, so if you want to send me one, feel free to e-mail it to me at organizinghomelife {at} yahoo {dot} com.
This Breakfast Casserole from A Latte’ With Ott, A looks delish! I have a funny feeling this is going to be one of my hubby’s new favorites.
Here is another delicious looking breakfast casserole from Jimmy Dean. I don’t always have these ingredients on hand, but it looks yummy enough to try. We’ll see. 😉
I can’t wait to try this Apple Cinnamon Steel Cut Oatmeal from The Yummy Life. My kids are huge oatmeal lovers, so I’m pretty sure it will be a big hit in our house!
I am totally making these Chicken Tacos as soon as possible. They look amazing! My Chocolate Therapy shares this yummy recipe from Tasty Kitchen.
We love chicken Parmesan, but I never make it because I try to steer clear of fried foods. I LOVE that this chicken is cooked in the slow cooker! This recipe from Chef in Training looks amazing, doesn’t it?
This creamy chicken looks delectable! This one is also from Chef in Training courtesy of Stick a Fork in It.
This Cilantro Lime Chicken has such yummy ingredients, I imagine it’s heavenly. Thanks to Pip and Ebby for the recipe!
This recipe from How to Simplify isn’t actually a slow cooker recipe, but I think it will work well with a small tweak. I’m going to skip cooking the onions in oil and just add raw onions to the pot. I’ll cook it on low for 3-4 hours.
Chef in Training shares this Santa Fe Chicken recipe from Skinny Taste. I have a similar recipe that I use to make the most amazing chicken quesadillas, so I can’t wait to try this!
Six Sisters’ Stuff offers this yummy recipe for Honey Sesame Chicken. Looks delish!
Did you know you can make meatloaf in the slow cooker? I didn’t! I can’t wait to try this recipe from Crock Pot Guys. I have a Sweet BBQ meatloaf recipe that we love, so, I’ll have to try cooking that in the crock pot, too.
My hubby loves Salisbury Steak. Can you believe I have never made it for him? Aren’t I nice? I have a hard time making things I don’t really like. Won’t he be surprised when he gets this for dinner! I have to admit – it looks good! Thanks to It’s a Keeper for the recipe.
My grandmother had a great recipe for beef stew, but I am looking forward to trying this. I love stew in the winter time and this looks so flavorful! Thanks to My Recipes for the recipe.
My Kinda Rain offers this recipe for Crock Pot Beef Roast. Talk about comfort food! Looks so yummy!
I saw a comment on Pinterest that this is not ‘really’ Jambalaya, but I don’t care. It looks amazing and I am looking forward to making it! Thanks to Plain Chicken for the recipe.
**Note – these recipes offer the option of adding meat, but you could leave it out if you desire.
Oh, Mexican food! It has got to be up there on my list of favorite foods. These Black Bean Enchiladas from The Kitchn look amazing, don’t they?
I loved writing this post and compiling this list of crock pot recipes. I had NO idea that lasagne can be made in the slow cooker!! Smart Mom Style shows us how to make this family favorite!
Pillsbury has this delicious looking Cheesy Potato Soup. I found some helpful suggestions in the reviews to add a bit more flavor if you desire.
Chef in Training has another great slow cooker recipe for Chicken Tortilla Soup.
I have learned so many things about what you can make in slow cookers while writing this post. Did you know you can make ‘baked’ potatoes in your crock pot? I love this great idea from Skip to My Lou!
Don’t these Scalloped Potatoes look delectable? Fresh Family Meals shares this great looking recipe.
I LOVE this idea from Vegetarian Slow Cooker! My husband and I just love caramelized onions, but I do not love standing over the stove for an hour while I’m trying to deal with the kids. This is a definite addition to my recipe album!
These Refried Beans from Six Sisters’ Stuff look delish! I can’t wait to try them since I regularly use refried beans when we have tacos.
Okay, call me a slow cooking newbie, but I had no idea bread could be slow cooked! This Cinnamon Coffee Cake from Smashed Peas and Carrots is on my menu plan for today for sure!
Here is another yummy recipe from Smashed Peas and Carrots for Banana Bread. Yum!
Betty Crocker has this recipe for Bacon Cheeseburger Dip. This looks great for entertaining.
One of my kids’ favorite things to do after coming in from playing in the snow is to sit down with a cup of hot cocoa. One thing they don’t like doing is waiting for me to cook it! I’m looking forward to making this so they can have delicious hot cocoa ready as soon as they come inside. Thanks to Mrs. Happy Homemaker for the recipe!
I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I enjoyed compiling it. I am looking forward to trying out these recipes. I’ll keep you updated, and I’d love to hear what you think!
I found most of these great recipes via Pinterest. I would love to have you follow my pinboards to keep up with my latest pins!
I hope you’ll stop back next week for My Favorites Friday #3 – Toy Organization!
Thanks so much for ALL the time you put into compiling these. They look great, and I look forward to the recipes other readers might share as well!
One easy idea that I stumbled upon is crockpot mashed potatoes. One Sunday I was having company after church, and I wanted mashed potatoes with our meal. There wasn’t going to be time to cook them and mash them before Sunday Dinner, so (on a whim) I peeled potatoes and stuck them in the crockpot whole. I then covered them with water and cooked them on low for the entire morning. By the time we got home from church, the potatoes were cooked just right. I drained the water and stuck them in the Kitchen Aid to make mashed potatoes.
That is a GREAT idea! Mashed potatoes are one of our favorite things, so I can’t wait to try it! Thanks for sharing the idea. 🙂
Thanks for giving my Crock Pot Breakfast Casserole a shout out. You gotta love something that cooks while you sleep!!!!