Tag Archives: Frozen Slow Cooker

You Win Some…You Lose Some

May 30, 2014 Mama Thyme Leave a comment

I had grand plans of making 5 slow cooker recipes this week. That was until I accidentally strained the beans out of the pot into the sink…etc…etc…So we had two slow cooker menus, the standby pasta dinner, and a quick chicken dinner (quick-ish = 45 minutes).

As my mother would say, both recipes were “Banner Batches.” I liked the soup so much I had it for lunch twice in addition to dinner on Tuesday. Okay, that could have been influenced by the fact that my lunch planning was slightly lacking. Friday’s lunch was “buy your own” … whoops.

1. Easy Springtime Crockpot Minestrone

Via www.howsweeteats.com — Via http://www.howsweeteats.com

Notes: Some people on the http://www.howsweeteats.com website commented that this was flavorless or flat, but to me it was perfect. I loved it and so did George.

Recipe: http://www.howsweeteats.com/2013/04/easy-springtime-crockpot-minestrone/

2. Slow Cooked Jerk Pork with Caribbean Mango Salsa

Via www.skinnytaste.com — Via http://www.skinnytaste.com

Notes: I think I woke up twice during the night as this one was cooking. It smelled AMAZING. The jerk seasoning added a lot of flavor. I thought I might skip making the salsa…the mango salsa really made this dinner amazing.

Recipe: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2013/02/slow-cooked-jerk-pork-with-caribbean_19.html

3. Caramelized Onion Chicken
Not a slow cooker recipe but a relatively easy/quick/delicious dinner
Recipe: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/caramelized-onion-chicken-10000000249953/

Slow Cooker

4 AMAZING Dinners For This Week

May 26, 2014 Mama Thyme 1 Comment

This past week was a dream: dinners prepped on Sunday, 5-10 minute heat up time and best of all….AMAZINGLY GOOD!

My husband sent me this link: http://www.buzzfeed.com/melissaharrison/slow-cooker-spring-dinners this past week-ish. I dutifully marked it and promptly forgot about it until he asked what I thought of the Spring-time recipes he’d sent. Quickly re-opening the link, I made last minute changes to our grocery order (thank you http://www.peapod.com). Am I glad I did or what! I tried 3 of the recipes and found a fourth (we’re trying another 5 this upcoming week!). Could not give a higher recommendations.

In order of preparation time:

1. Easiest Crock Pot Salsa Verde Chicken

Via http://www.skinnytaste.com Cook time: 2 hrs Prep: Dump 2 things in Slow Cooker

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2013/04/easiest-crock-pot-salsa-verde-chicken.html

My notes: I used generic salsa verde, chicken thighs (what I had on hand), and served with sour cream/ corn tortillas/shredded (purple) cabbage. I threw this in the slow cooker while I was prepping for the week.

Recipe: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2013/04/easiest-crock-pot-salsa-verde-chicken.html

2. Carrot Ginger Soup

Recipe Looks intimidating but it's seriously 6 things. Cook time: 8 hrs. Prep: 10-15 minutes (I promise) — Via homemakershabitat.com Recipe Looks intimidating but it’s seriously 6 things. Cook time: 8 hrs. Prep: 10-15 minutes (I promise)

My notes: 1) shallots, 2) pre-copped carrots, 3) orange zest, 4) orange juice, 5) sweet potato, 6) fresh ginger (didn’t finely minced it), chicken broth (nope not homemade). Forgot the rest of the recipe…served with salt, pepper, sour cream & siracha (siracha is NOT required)

Recipe: http://homemakershabitat.com/2010/03/slow-cooker-carrot-ginger-soup.html

3. Slow Cooker Barbacoa Beef (whoops I ordered corned beef brisket…STILL DELICIOUS)
http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-for-a-crowd-big-game-day-barbacoa-165301

My notes: Sorry no picture (they had an intense legal page). This did take a minute to make (probably because I wanted to use my stick blender). I halved the recipe and we enjoyed corned beef/mustard/swiss cheese sandwiches for lunch.

Recipe: http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-for-a-crowd-big-game-day-barbacoa-165301

4. Crockpot Roasted Chicken and Root Vegetables

Via Comfortably Domestic — Via Comfortablydomestic.com…Cook time: 7.5 hours Prep time: 30 minutes. VERY MUCH WORTH THE TIME

My notes: Just think of this as: 1) Veggie prep, 2) Chicken prep 3) Spice rub prep. I cooked this for 8-8.5 hours and it tended to be a smidgen dry because of this. Cook for 7.5 hours. This was DELICIOUSLY DELICIOUS. We made quesadillas for lunch out of these for two people in addition to dinner. Cannot recommend this one enough. The instructions look overwhelming but it turned out to be pretty simple.

Recipe: http://comfortablydomestic.com/2013/10/10/roasted-chicken-root-vegetables/

Slow Cooker

Now that one was DELICIOUS!

February 24, 2014 Mama Thyme Leave a comment

So I finally think I am ahead of the game. Last weekend I made a whole bunch of frozen slow cooker recipes. I may have realized yet again I DO NOT have it straight on chicken and that I should never ever cook pork belly (no matter how organic or grass fed). So let’s just say my “Savory Chicken” was well received by our new family addition (our rescue Siberian Husky Niko).

On the other hand, there was one recipe that stood head and shoulders over the rest: “Turkey Lentil Vegetable Soup.” The recipe is here: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/beefy-lentil-vegetable-soup/detail.aspx

Modifications:
I used ground turkey, did not use canned mushrooms, did not add celery (George isn’t a fan) and cooked on low for 8 hours. I did play around with the “tomato juice.”

As for the tomato juice….I may need to back track on this one. I’m not a big fan of Bloody Mary drinks so a while ago we bought two bottles of mixes (sans alcohol) to “convert” me. I just don’t get the spice and the tomato…it’s a bit nasty to me. So the good idea fairy thought I’d clear out some fridge space and use the Bloody Mary mix for the tomato base. The ingredients looked pretty straight forward and were alcohol free so…why not. I used a bit of the “Bold and Spicy” and their “Traditional” mix as well.

Definitely on the delicious side of the house. I am finding that slow cooker soups turn out pretty good. I just don’t want to eat soups 24/7.

Slow Cooker

Paleo with a Twist

February 9, 2014 Mama Thyme Leave a comment

I think I’m a bit out of sync here. I need to post here AFTER I’ve tried the recipe(s). However, this week I’m just too excited about two sites I’ve found. I shortened the recipes to keep with the goal of quick-easy-simple however my changes MAY have been influenced by what I had on hand. I am loving coconut milk, fresh ginger and am pretty excited about cilantro! After making the Savory Pepper Steak from last week, I am convinced the trick for slow cooking is building flavor. I’m hoping these last three items make for delicious dinners this week!

Beef curry came from http://www.rubiesandradishes.com/2013/12/03/easy-slow-cooker-curry-2-ways/. I chose to try the beef version since the cook time is closer to 8 hours. I also added about a tablespoon of fresh ginger and a teaspoon of minced garlic (or one clove).

Cilantro chicken came from http://www.honeygheeandme.com/2014/01/crock-pot-cilantro-chicken-whole30/ I modified this one a lot.

1 large yellow onion, about 2 cups diced
5 large garlic cloves, about 2 tbsp minced
~~1 Serrano chile pepper, about 1 tbsp minced (half deseeded)~~ I used a can of chopped green chilis and kept the juices
1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
1/2 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp ground coriander
~~1/2 tsp ground fenugreek~~ I didn’t have on hand
1/4 tsp black pepper
3/4 tsp salt
1 can coconut milk (not light)
2 cups fresh cilantro, chopped
~~4-6 chicken thighs, boneless/skinless (approx 1.25- 1.5 lb)~~ I used 5 gmo free, organic chicken drumbsticks.

I didn’t brown the chicken or the beef…I threw it all in a plastic bag, labeled it and froze it for this up coming week. We’ll see how it turns out!

If you’re interested, I’m on Pinterest as ‘Mama Thyme’, I’m tracking the recipes I love and my research recipes (recipes in test).

Slow Cooker

Dad Friendly Slow Cooker meal

February 4, 2014 Mama Thyme 1 Comment

Today I am writing from a small unglamorous town while on travel for work. The whole saying goodbye to George and Sweetpea is never exactly easy, but these little trips fulfil my engineering/industrial -isms. There’s that and sleep. A full night of uninterrupted sleep is simply glorious.

Before I left, I made a few meals to help support George as he enjoys his week with Sweetpea. Which brings me to this week’s featured slow cooker recipe from http://www.mommysfabulousfinds.com/2013/10/easy-crock-pot-freezer-meals-2.html (slight modifications due to what I had on hand and/or Sweetpea’s patience).

I’ve tried about 6 of mommysfabulousfinds recipes but found that I really needed to take them out after 6-8 hours, which for our working family is just not possible. Even though the slow cooker switches to warm, the meat still cooks and becomes tough, dried out meat mash. As I learned previously, cooking slow cooker meals at night, packaging them in containers for the day and reheating for dinner does the trick.

Minus the Steak...it was defrosting in the microwave for 8 minutes — Minus the Steak…it was defrosting in the microwave for 8 minutes

Savory Pepper Steak
Prep: 10-20 minutes (Sweetpea helped)

1 lb pre-chopped thawed beef (I try to go for GMO free, organic etc)
1/2 chopped red onion
1/2 chopped large green pepper
5 t chopped garlic (yes I cheat and use the pre-chopped)
1 can original Rotel
1 can chopped green chilies
1 T Steak Seasoning
2 T Worcestershire Sauce
1 T A-1 Steak Sauce

I did not drain the Rotel or the chilies. Since I planned to cook this recipe in the morning I placed it all in a glass container (and refrigerated it) prior to cooking.

The last time I made this, it was easy to make, flavorful and delicious.

Fun Fact: When you have leftover meat and don’t enjoy groundhogs day: try making burritos/quesadillas/sandwiches for lunch!

Slow Cooker

Paleo Frozen Slow Cooker meals

January 25, 2014 Mama Thyme Leave a comment

So much of my day to and from work is rush-faster-leaner-stronger…….so when it’s time to sit down and enjoy dinner — I would rather pass on the tasteless meat mash. My slow cooker focus is: quick, easy, less than a million ingredients/steps, and delicious.

When a friend mentioned she was making “SLOW COOKER KOREAN GRASS FED SHORT RIBS” I was intrigued. Could be slightly amazing. Two recipes later….and I have the prospects of decent exciting dinners that happen to be Paleo — I count that as a win.

To me, the Korean Short Ribs are more complicated than simple (you have to brown, chop, blend, prep stuff). The recipe is here: http://nomnompaleo.com/post/3762844557/slow-cooker-korean-grass-fed-short-ribs I made it anyway.

My other adventure for today was “Smokey Roast” which had equal praise and was quite simple to make.

Stir “The Actors” in a bowl, thoroughly cover/rub into 2.5 lbs beef chuck roast, brown in coconut oil (5 min each side). Chop 1 onion. Put in bag. I stopped there. I’ll add 3/4 cups water when I cook it for 7-8 hours. We’ll see how I did! The recipe came from here: http://everydaypaleo.com/smokey-roast/

Wholesome Living: Finding Balance