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!

Slow cooker Meatloaf

Who does not love a big hot slice of meatloaf with a side of mashed potatoes? Well if you dont like meatloaf then you are CRAZY! To me, meatloaf is one of those comfort foods that is always what the doctor ordered. Now, if you have read any of my blogs, you know that I really am not a fan of cooking ground beef in the slow cooker. It all goes back to a stuffed pepper recipe that was HORRIBLE! The whole meal had to be thrown out. I think the thought of another ruined meal keeps me cooking the ground beef on the stove.

But, I am not above facing my fears. I tried a meatloaf recipe, and I liked it. (Read that sentence again like you are Katy Perry).

Ingredients:
1 small chopped onion (you can saute them if you are feeling froggy)
2 TBS tomato paste
1/3 c broth
2 tsp soy sauce
3 lbs ground beef
2 eggs
1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 tsp Worestershire
1 cup Ketchup

Mix tomato paste, soy sauce, worestershire, broth, and onions. Combine onion mix with eggs, bread crumbs, and combine into meat. I added the loaf mixture to the freezer bag and stored it in the freezer.

We defrosted the meatloaf the night before and added it to the slow cooker before heading to church Sunday morning. Keep in mind when crock pottin' whatever is on the bottom will cook faster. I took aluminum foil and made 6 small balls. I then layered 2 sheets of foil and punched holes in the foil to allow the fat to drip down. I then sat the meatloaf in the slow cooker and added the ketchup. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. With most meatloaf recipes in the oven you add the ketchup the last 10-15 minutes that the loaf is cooking. You can really do either, I just like the ketchup to be nice and congealed. (That sounds gross, so I hope you know what I am talking about.)

Do you want to know the best part??? My 5 year old at the meatloaf. WHAT!!!! I know I was so excited it made me wish that I had hid some vegetables in it before cooking.

I of course made some instant taters and opened up a can or two of green beans.

There were plenty of leftovers for the next day, and our dog spicy even got a small taste. I may not have fully committed to cooking raw ground beef in my slow cooker, but meatloaf will clearly be the exception.

Hope you enjoy your meatloaf, and keep some leftovers for meatloaf sandwiches for lunch the next day.

Slow Cooker Siracha Pork Tacos

My husband and I LOVE spicy food. Recently Subway has had a Spicy Siracha Steak sub that has this creamy Siracha sauce on it, and it is SOOO good. (Yes, I do eat foods that are made outside of the crokpot!) Well it got me thinking that I would love to find a slow cooker recipe that centers around Siracha sauce. I decided to combine a korean pork taco recipe I had along with the Siracha sauce. I also found a recipe for Siracha cream sauce which can be made mild (pansy-mouth)- hot (Lips on Fire!).

The night that I made this recipe I was oh so grateful for that little slow cooker pot. It was a busy day at work, I pulled in the driveway at 5:20 pm to find my 5 year old running around outside, not ready for T-Ball practice that started in 10 min. I go inside to find my husband hobbling around due to a pulled muscle in his back (poor guy could not even put his shoes on). We arrived at T ball practice late (I don't like to be late, and if I am ever late... it is due to my husband- he has his own time zone). I got home just as my sister pulled in so that we could go to a children consignment sale. We stood in a line that resembled black Friday shopping and I got home around 9 pm. One thing that I did not do was eat fast food. Everyone had a delicious meal even though it was a crazy night.

Ingredients:
Pork:
2 lbs pork loin
4 TBS Soy Sauce
2 TBS Peanut butter (definitely optional!!)
1 TBS light Corn Syrup
1 TBS Red Wine Vinegar
1 TBS Minced Garlic
2 TBS Siracha Sauce
1 tsp EVOO

Taco filling:
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1 bag shredded cabbage
corn tortillas

Sauce
1 1/2 TBS sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup Mayo
2-3 TBS Siracha Sauce (more or less depending on taste)

In my freezer bag I added all the "Pork Ingredients to" the pork loin. I defrosted the bag the night before and put it on low for 6 hours. Once the meat was done, my husband shredded the pork in the slow cooker. We then sauteed the shredded cabbage in 1/2 cup vegetable broth. This step is not necessary and can be skipped if you want crunchier cabbage.

Prepare the sauce by whisking together the Mayo, Siracha, and sweetened condensed milk. I warmed the corn tortillas on the stove and then made the tacos. Just layer with pork, cabbage, and the Siracha cream sauce. The pork is not spicy at all so you will be getting most spice from the cream sauce.

This meal was SO good!!! My husband said this can be on the menu anytime I wanted it! Since there is always alot of left overs another idea I had was to get the Asian Salad ready mix in the grocery and put the pork on top.

Hope you enjoy the recipe and let me know how hot you made your Siracha cream sauce!

2 week slow cooker menu/ grocery list

I hate going to the grocery store! I try to go only once every 2 weeks. I go on Sundays after church along with the majority of people in this town. Even though Sunday grocery store excursions are horrible, I have found that if I do not go on Sunday I will not go at all! Once home I put all foods together and package them in freezer meals. 

All meals are enough for 2 nights. You can either split the recipes in 1/2 and freeze separately or just prepare left overs. (That is what we do)

On the Menu: (click the link for the recipe)

Slow cooker BBQ Chicken

Slow cooker Chicken Noodle

Slow cooker BBQ Burger Sliders

Slow Cooker Gumbo

Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken Spaghetti

Slow Cooker Goulash

Slow Cooker Gyros

Grocery List:

Meats:

6-12 chicken drumsticks

4 lbs chicken breast

3 lbs ground beef

1 kilbasa

1 lbs Shrimp (only if you want shrimp gumbo instead of chicken)

Canned goods:

2 cans chicken broth

3 cans cream of chicken

2 cans cream of mushroom

2 cans tomato sauce

4 cans diced tomatoes

1 can diced green chilis

1 can mushrooms

Frozen Foods:

1 bag frozen sweet potato tater tots (regular tots are fine too)

1 bag frozen okra

1 bag frozen corn

Condiments/ spices:

white vinegar

red wine vinegar

ketchup

mustard

BBQ sauce

EVOO

minced garlic (jarred)

creole seasoning

cayenne pepper

Brown sugar

Produce:

2 lemons

3 onions

2 cucumbers

1 red/green pepper

shredded lettuce

slicing tomatoes

Dairy:

1 lbs velveeta

32 oz Greek Yogurt

Bread/ Pasta:

Pita pockets or Flat bread

1 bag egg noodles

spaghetti noodles

1 box macaroni noodles

slider buns (or hamburger buns)

White rice

The only meal that you will need a side with is the BBQ chicken (We had steamed cabbage) and the gyros (we had hummus and chips). You can always change the list as your wish. 

When I shopped all these groceries cost about $175. Some of the ingredients you may already have at home. You may have more patience than I and use coupons. 

I will give you some parting advise. Stick to your list, do not shop with children (you will end up over spending due to the incessant "Can I have this?"), and mark off what you have purchased (Did I mention how I hate when I have forgotten something?)

Hope you enjoy all these great recipes and check back for more grocery lists!

2 week grocery list Feb 2014

Slow cooker BBQ chicken

One thing about planning your menu out is being organized. In most aspects of my life I lack organization. I am organized at work, despite what my desk looks like, and I am organized with my crockpot meals. Everything else is merely organized chaos. Everyother Saturday I sit down with my "diary", as my son calls it, (a notebook full of recipes) and computer. I go through old recipes, find and tweak new ones. I review my menu for the next two weeks with my main squeeze to see it he is requesting anything in particular.

When I was making my most recent grocery list, my husband said something that made me look at him with utter confusion. He said "Can we get something to grill?" Whhaatt? Grill? Like, not use my slow cooker? I told him I had to think about it. I have been using my slowcooker for 90% of all meals for the past 5 months. And prior to that I used it pretty frequently. Now, dont get me wrong, I love a grilled meal just as much as a crocked meal. But, the one thing I love more is coming home to a already cooked meal. I went ahead an prepared for BBQ chicken as that could be grilled or prepared in the crock pot.

Ingredients: Serves 6
6-8 chicken drumsticks
1 bottle BBQ sauce
3TBS brown sugar

I added all the ingredients to a freezer bag and defrosted the night before. Place the chicken and BBQ sauce in the slowcooker and cook high 3 hrs or low 5-6 hours. A good tip is to put the cooked chicken drumsticks under the broiler for about 5-10 minutes.

With this meal we also had steamed cabbage and onions (Mmmmm). My son kept asking me for a bone. I was thinking, Yes!!! He is going to eat something besides peanut butter... nope, he just wanted to pretend he was a dog and chewing on a bone.

If you decide to cook this in the slowcooker (team chintzylady) or on the grill (team grill-guy) it is very easy to prepare, easy on the budget, and delicious to eat.

I forgot to take a picture, but this is what it looks like (You see one BBQ chicken leg, you've seen them all)