Slow cooker Beef Rotini

One of my favorite go to meals is spaghetti. I love spaghetti as left overs and I love how easy on the budget spaghetti is. The only bad thing is that it can get old very quickly! I have tried it all different ways- baked spaghetti, spaghetti-spaghetti squash and it is all very good. In attempts to cook the tried and true but make it a little different I used rotini noodles.

Ingredients: Serves 4-6
1 can Hunts Spaghetti sauce (use whichever you prefer, but this is a good buy at $1 per can... Im not a sauce snob)
1 lbs of cooked ground beef
1 box of Barilla White Fiber Rotini (This is SOOO good and Kroger often has is on sale for $1, but you can use any brand that you prefer)
1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese

You obviously do not have to freeze this meal before you make it; however, I still prefer to have everything prepared before the week starts. I freeze the sauce and beef and defrost the night before. Since the meat is already cooked, you are merely warming the sauce. I cooked on high for 2 hours or you can do low for 4 hours and then set to warm. On the stove boil your pasta. I bought the Barilla White Fiber Rotini because #1: it was $1 per box and #2: the nutrition is very comparable to whole wheat pasta. Stir in the pasta and 1/2 cup cheese. Then you are ready to eat!

You can pair this meal with a side salad or garlic bread. Hope you enjoy this easy-budget friendly slow cooker meal! (The leftovers are the best part in my opinion).

Slow cooker Italian Chicken

I have come across several recipes called Italian Chicken, but this one is a little different that what you will typically find. My sister in law shared this recipe with me and is a big hit at our house. When I make my slow cooker menu I typically have both Italian Chicken and the Slow Cooker Roast recipe because they both take similar ingredients but have different tastes.

Ingredients: Serves 4-6
2-3 chicken breasts
2 packets of dry italian seasoning
1 jar of pepperoncinis

Sometimes I buy the bags of frozen chicken and add the frozen chicken breast to the slow cooker and then add the italian seasoning and full jar of pepperoncinis (juice and all). Or you can prepare it in a freezer bag ready to defrost when you need it.

Cook the chicken on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-7 hours

Once the chicken is done remove and shred. I will also typically cut up a few peppers and add back to the slow cooker. Throw away any remaining peppers that you dont need.

This time we added the chicken to slider buns and topped with Siracha Cream sauce (see my recipe on the Siracha Taco Recipe) Slow Cooker Siracha Pork Tacos

This is defininatly a great recipe and easy to make. Let me know if you have tried this before and how you served it (on rice, or did you eat it straight from the slow cooker because it is so darn good!)

Slow cooker sweet pepper beef roast

This meal is a frequent visitor in my house. It is so delicious and so simple to make. We make this with beef roast; however, we have made it with pork as well. My favorite is beef but if one or the other is on sale then I will go with whichever is easier on the budget.

Ingredients:
2 lbs beef roast (i dont get a particular cut, whichever is on sale)
1 dry ranch dressing mix
1 dry italian dressing mix
2-3 small peppers (i buy a jar of pepperoncini)
1 stick of butter (i buy the vegetable spread- Blue Bonnet)

In your freezer bag place the roast, and the dry ranch, dry italian, and dry gravy mix and freeze (obviously). I defrosted the meat the night before and added the peppers and the stick of butter on top. DO NOT ADD ANY FLUID. Cook on low for 6 hours.

Typically I serve this on buns topped with mustard. The meat will shred in the slow cooker in a delicious gravy. I think it would be good with cole slaw on top too, or even on a baked potato. This usually does not last long in the house. My husband with go back several times and get more meat before he realizes that he is already stuffed.

On the night we made this meal, I had met a group of girls from church for Lifegroup. So my husband was in charge and he made steamed cabbage and broccoli to go with the beef roast. When I walked into the house it was the worst smell ever. (Dont ever cook cabbage and broccoli on the same night- trust me!)

I also usually make the beef roast when I make Italian Chicken because they both call for dry italian mix and pepperoncinis. Make for easier shopping trip! Check out the Italian Chicken post!