Crockpot Archives - We're Parents

Cheeseburger Sloppy Joes

October 20, 2012 by Larisha Campbell 6 Comments

I love my version of homemade sloppy joes (recipe here). But sometimes I want something different and that’s where this brilliant idea for cheeseburger sloppy joes came from. It was super easy and I even threw it in the crockpot to finish cooking so I wouldn’t have to worry about it.

Ingredients:
1lb ground turkey (can substitute with any ground meat)
1 tbsp Garlic & Herb Mrs. Dash
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green peppers
8 oz Velvetta cheese, cubed
Bread or Buns

Directions:
Season meat with Mrs. Dash and brown meat in a skillet over medium high heat. Drain excess juice from meat and put into a crockpot. Add onions, peppers, and cheese, stir together and put on low heat for 2-3 hours stirring occasionally. Put mixture on buns or bread. Enjoy! 🙂

Chicken Make Ahead Freezer Meals {Perfect for New Moms}

October 1, 2012 by Larisha Campbell 8 Comments

One of the best things you can do while pregnant is make ahead freezer meals. Check out our compilation of some of the best chicken freezer meals for new moms.

One of the best things a mama can do while she is still pregnancy is make ahead freezer meals. Whether you’re on baby #1 or baby #10 (but especially #1), once you have your little bundle of joy, you won’t want to cook. It’s for good reason too. You little just gave life to a whole human being.

Not only are you exhausted and physically drained, but it takes a lot out of you emotionally also. Pair that with the fact that all you literally want to do is lay and stare at this new life you created, and it’s no wonder that you don’t feel like ending into the chicken.

Make ahead freezer meals allow you to have meals already prepared and just need to throw into a crockpot or the oven. It takes all the prep work out of meals, while still allowing you to get wholesome full dinners on the table for your family.

Today, we’re rounding up some of the best chicken freezer meals for your family.

How long do chicken make ahead freezer meals last?

The best reason that you want to make chicken freezer meals is because of how long they last. Even if you don’t use one of your prepped freezer meals everyday during the first month postpartum, these chicken freezer meals will last a long time for you. Uncooked chicken meals will last 9 months for breasts or 12 months for whole chicken as long as it stays in the freezer. Make ahead freezer meals where you cook chicken prior to freezing, will last 4 months in the freezer. As you can see, that’s a long time to be able to grab and go.

How many make ahead freezer meals should I make?

One thing recommended to new mothers about make ahead freezer meals is that they make as many as their freezer can hold and they think they can eat within 4-6 months. No matter if your freezer can only hold five meals, that’s five times after your baby is born that you don’t have to worry about what is for dinner that night.

Ideally, if you have plenty of freezer space, we’d recommend that you make at least 30 freezer meals. If you have storage, make even more. The reason for 30 is because that will allow you to adjust with enough meals for the first four weeks of your baby’s life.

You could even stretch that on night’s that you do feel like cooking by adding in breakfast for dinner meals or tried and true 30 minute meals.

I already had my baby. How can I make ahead freezer meals?

How do you prep so many make ahead freezer meals?

There are two ways that you can prep as many make ahead freezer meals as you can before baby arrives.

1- You can spend a day and make as many meals as you can. This way is typically called Once A Month cooking. Even if you aren’t pregnant, you can do once a month cooking where you make 30 freezer meals in one day and then you don’t have to worry about prepping meals for the rest of the month.

2- The other option you have is to double up on the meals that you are already making. For example, if you were making lasagna for dinner tomorrow night, you would just make two casserole dishes of lasagna. One, you would cook as normal. The other you would freeze.

What do you need to fix make ahead freezer meals?

No matter which option you choose, there are definitely some make ahead freezer meals essentials that you are going to want to have on hand. They will help you when batch cooking large portions to make the best freezer meals. The freezer meal essentials are:

Good set of knives
Set of cutting boards
Ovenware
Timers
Food Processor
Plastic Freezer Bag Holder
Freezer bags
Foil Tins
Permanent Makers
Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil
Large Stock Pot
Large Mixing Bowl
Large Skillet
Crockpot

Make Ahead Chicken Freezer Meals

We hope you love these freezer meal recipes? Have a favorite that’s not included? Have tips or tricks about getting it done faster? Share those in the comments below!

Pin these make ahead freezer meals with chicken for later!

Quick Slow Cooker Lasagna

July 18, 2012 by Larisha Campbell 2 Comments

*Disclosure: Affiliate links contained in this post. You purchase like you would normally, but we receive a small commission.

We eat pasta in this house at least once a week, if not more. However, lasagna intimidates me. Out of all of the amazing food Andrew’s mom makes, lasagna is his favorite, and let’s face it, no one can really compete with “mom’s food”. We have been together for 3 years and I’ve only made it once and it was “just okay”. Since then, I’ve just left it up to his mom to cook. But then I started this blog and decided that I would go for everything and just keep trying.

Additionally, I had ricotta cheese and tomato sauce sitting around in hopes of making lasagna that was about to expire so I just had to go for it.

I found this slow cooker lasagna recipe and was intrigued. I love slow cookers, so I had to give it a try. Of course I added my own twist to it based on what I had at home.

rst, start by chopping one lone medium size onion. Next, add the onions, ground turkey and sausage to a skillet on medium high. Cook until meat is browned.

Transfer the cooked meat mixture to a large bowl and add the sauce and spices. Combine together very well.

Spray your slow cooker and add 1/4 of the meat mixture of the bottom.

Add 5 noodles on top to cover the pan, you will have to break up some of the pieces to cover the entire pot.

Add 1/2 of the cheese mixture.

Repeat stacking process with with 1/4 sauce, 5 more noodles broken up, remaining cheese mixture. Then 1/4 more sauce 5 more noodles, and remaining sauce. Cook on high for 2 1/2 hours. (Could do on low for 4-6 hours)

You will notice after awhile that the noodles will start to become tender and it smells amazing!!

During the last 10 minutes add the remaining cup of cheese (or more if you want really cheesy *wink wink*)

Turn off the slow cooker. There is enough heat that it will melt great.

This slow cooker lasagna looked so good and was tasted even better!

I even used the remaining sausage from the package and cooked up two sausage patties that I will use for breakfast in the morning:)

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Quick Slow cooker Lasagna

Author: Larisha Campbell

Ingredients

1/2 lb ground turkey
1/2 lb ground sausage
1 medium onion chopped (roughly an entire cup)
56 oz of tomato sauce this was 7- 8oz cans for me--you could also using 2 1/2 jars of spaghetti sauce if you don't have tomato sauce laying around
2 tsp dried basil leaves
1 tsp Mrs Dash table blend
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 container 15 oz part skim ricotta cheese
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
1 2/3 cup shredded Colby cheese divided
1 cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
15 uncooked lasagna noddles

Instructions

Chop one medium size onion. Add the sausage, ground turkey and onion to a skillet and cook over medium high heat until meat is browned, stirring occasionally.
Drain meat if there is any excess juice.
Transfer meat mixture to a large bowl and add tomato sauce, basil, Mrs Dash, sugar, salt, and pepper.
In a separate bowl, mix together Ricotta, Parmesan, Mozzarella, and 2/3 cup of the Colby cheese. Refrigerate the remaining 1 cup of Colby cheese until the last 10 minutes of cooking.
Spray slow cooker with cooking spray.
Spoon 1/4 of the sauce mixture into your slow cooker. Place 5 noodles (broken to fit entire pot) on top. Spread half the cheese mixture on top of the noodles.
Repeat with 1/4 sauce, 5 more noodles and remaining cheese mixture.
Top off with last 5 noodles and remaining sauce mixture.
Cover with lid and cook on high for 2 1/2 hours until noodles are very tender. (Could cook on low for 4-6 hours).
For the last 10 minutes, sprinkle the remaining cup of Colby cup over the top.
Cover and turn off the slow cooker until the cheese is melted.
Cut & Serve.

This is more than enough for a family of 4. When I make again for just us 2, I will definitely only do half of this in a smaller slow cooker. I hope you enjoy this!! 🙂

Sweet & Savory Slow Cooker Pork Loin

July 2, 2012 by Larisha Campbell Leave a Comment

Aren’t slow cookers the most amazing kitchen creation ever!?

I mean who does not love just being able to throw a bunch of ingredients in a pot in the

morning and not having to worry about it for the rest of the day? Not to mention the smell that consumes your house during those 8+ hours of cooking is also amazing almost orgasmic.

Enough about slow cookers. Before this, I had never cooked a pork tenderloin before, but kept seeing it on the Food Network channel, so when I saw it on sale last week, I picked one up. I mean $6 for a 3 1/2lb pork loin, who couldn’t beat that. I found this recipe and altered it slightly for our taste for the most amazing sweet and savory slow cooker pork loin.

First start by greasing your crockpot with cooking spray. This will allow for easier clean up later. Then place your pork loin in the bottom and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Cut up a medium red onion. I prefer the sweet taste of red onions with this.

Add onion, chicken broth and our own sweet and sour sauce recipe to the pot. Cover and let cook for 8-10 hours on low or 5 hours on high.

30 minutes before you are ready to eat add chopped green pepper and pineapple.

Remove pork loin from crockpot

Slice into 1/2 in thick slices (or whatever size you prefer).

I served this sweet and savory slow cooker pork loin with rice and corn, but think next time mashed potatoes would have definitely been a better side! 🙂