For my family nothing says cozy, comfort foods like a crock pot dinner. Coming home from work and school (or waking up in the afternoon for me) to a house full of warmth and yummy smells sets the mood for a great night.
When my kids were littler and I worked mostly evenings, throwing the ingredients for a soup or stew into the crockpot was the easiest way to feed my family on nights when I was not home for dinner.
Now that I work nights, a slow cooker meal requires a bit more prep, but with planning it is no problem. While I make dinner one night, I precut veggies and sauté meat to be put in the slow cooker the next morning. Then these ingredients can be stored in Tupperware overnight and put into the crock pot the next morning. There are also many recipes online and on Pinterest where all the ingredients can be assembled, placed in Ziploc bag, and frozen. These can be pulled from the freezer and placed right in the crockpot. This method would work well for folks that do meal prep on the weekend. (I also mentioned this in a previous article as a good way to prep meals for caregivers to make when parents are out of town).
While I mostly use my slow cooker for soups, stews, and chilis there are many other great ways to utilize it. It is the easiest (and least messy) way to make spareribs. Simply season with salt and pepper and throw in the crock pot with a bottle of barbeque sauce. After six to eight hours on high, your ribs are falling off the bone. Another favorite of mine is pulled pork. A whole pork shoulder can be placed in the crock pot. While you can make it with any flavors you want, I like to keep it pretty simple. That way the pork can be used one night, for example, for pulled pork sandwiches with BBQ sauce and another night for carnitas tacos or on top of nachos. You could also add it to tomato sauce along with ground beef and some sausage for an over-the-top Bolognese sauce. A pork shoulder is a very inexpensive cut of meat and makes a huge portion that can be used for multiple meals. Again, there are many online recipes for cooking cuts of meat in the crock pot.
For this month’s recipe I offer my husband’s favorite slow cooker meal: White chicken chili.
White chicken chili
Prep/cook time: 6–7 hours
INGREDIENTS:
3–4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 large onion, diced
1 16 oz. jar of salsa
1 can diced green chiles
2 cans navy beans (or one white bean, one black bean)
2–3 cups water or chicken broth (enough to cover the chicken completely)
1 tbsp cumin
Salt and pepper
1 block Monterey jack cheese, cubed
1 block pepper jack cheese, cubed
DIRECTIONS:
1. Place chicken, broth, onion, and salsa in crock pot.
2. Cook on low for four to five hours. Remove chicken and shred with two forks, then return to pot. Add beans and cheese. Cook on high two hours or until cheese is completely melted.
3. Stir and enjoy!
Great with tortilla chips!
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