Tuesday, February 2, 2016

February 2016 Goal: Use the Slowcooker on Busy Nights

So somehow January flew past me. Even though I chipped away at my January Goal of Decluttering and Organizing, the busy pace of a usually quieter month meant I just didn't get as far as I wanted to. (Although happily we did make some progress  with cleaning out toys, clothes, and several cabinet spaces.) As I've discovered in the past with this goal, sometimes this is one that takes a few months of focus to really make a difference.

When times get busy though, it helps to focus on ways I can find some balance in an otherwise chaotic spell. For February I'm deciding on one simple way I can create a little more balance within our busy weeks: use the slow cooker more.

In the past I've loved using our slow cooker, especially in the winter. But for some reason this winter we haven't been pulling it out as often. Yet I know that when we get home from a busy day at work or I find myself headed out to an evening meeting the slow cooker can be a true sanity saver. 

Which leads is to our February goal, we're going to be more creative about using our slow cooker again.  This month we'll be trying some new recipes and returning to a few favorites. Below we're sharing 10 recipes that we either already love to make in our slow cooker and a few others we're looking forward to trying.

A Few of Our Favorites: 
1) One of our all time favorites with little prep: Chicken Sausage Tortellini Soup. Great for dinner with several bowls left over for lunch another day. 
2) We absolutely devour easy homemade pulled pork when we cook it following these directions.
3) A staple is a simple Beef Stew, like this recipe, in a slow cooker. The meat tenderizes perfectly. 
4) Another family favorite in the slow cooker is chili. This southwest turkey chili recipe from Mama Papa Bubba is very similar to the one we usually throw together. 

A Few More We Want to Try:
5) A yummy looking chicken stuffing and veggie dish from One Crazy House. 
6) Crockpot Honey Sesame Chicken looks delicious on rice, especially if you're in the mood for something oriental. 
7) This Italian Crockpot Chicken from Crystal and Comp looks easy and yummy. 
8) Why not prep taco filling ahead of time with this tasty looking shredded beed taco recipe from The Kids Activities Blog. 
9) These Apricot BBQ Chicken Wings from Mom Endeavors look like a fun weeknight dinner. 
10) We've never tried making a dessert in the crock pot before, this slow cooker apple bread pudding from Inner Child Fun looks like a great way to end a meal. 

We can't wait to see what yummy treats we can come up with and try, and hopefully it all makes life a little smoother along they way too!


Don't forget to check out the other monthly goals from all the co-hosts of the Monthly Goals Series.

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4 comments:

  1. Thank you! I am going to make use of these great lists. Time always seems to be sparse in the evenings here.

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    1. I hope you were able to use the list this past month, we made something at least once a week in ours.

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  2. Thanks for compiling and sharing these recipes. We love our crockpot too, and love trying new recipes. I'm going to leverage this list to mix up the menu around here!

    Good luck with your February goals!

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    1. Thanks Kim, we made something at least once a week last month. We tried some new recipes out too, which will hopefully eventually make it on to the blog.

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