A little side note...

Some people have time to prepare things every day and that's fine... half the battle is getting a plan, gathering the ingredients, and being ready to go. The reason I'm freezing these things... just to cook them a week later is to see if the frozen recipe will work. Once I have explored at least four or five weeks of recipes.. I am going to kick it up a notch and prepare meals for a whole month! It is my dream to have 30 days worth of meals frozen and ready to go... and cook the EASY way all month long! :) Stay tuned!

Croc Pot Lasagna

1 lb ground beef
1 tsp dried oregano
1 chopped onion
1 tsp dried basil
2 tsp minced garlic
½ pkg lasagna noodles
2 29 oz cans of tomato sauce
1 6 oz can of tomato paste
1 ½ tsp salt
8 oz ricotta cheese
½ c. grated parmesan

8 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese
On cooking day: Brown hamburger, onion, and garlic. Add tomato sauce, paste, salt, oregano, and basil. FREEZE.

On eating day: Thaw sauce mix. In a medium sized bowl, mix ricotta, parmesan, and mozzarella. In croc pot, layer half the sauce mix, double layer of noodles, half cheese mixture, and repeat. Cook on low for 4 hours. Serve with garlic bread and salad for extra brownie points!

www.crockpotgirls.com

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Ribs and Kraut

Ribs and Kraut

1 bag sauerkraut, drained and rinsed
1 red skinned apple, not peeled, diced
2 – 3 lbs of country style pork ribs
1 c. beer or soda

On eating day: Put kraut in bottom of croc. Add onion and apple. Layer on ribs. Pour beer/soda over top. Cook on low 8 to 10 hours.

http://thedinnerpage.com/cp-cookin

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Orange Chicken

2 lbs of skinless, boneless chicken breasts or chicken tenders, cut into chunks
½ c. Flour
2 tbs Olive Oil
1 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
3 tbs ketchup
6 oz frozen orange juice
½ tsp salt
1 c. broccoli, roughly chopped (opt.)
1 c. carrots, roughly chopped (opt.)

On cooking day: Flour chicken. Brown in olive oil. Allow to cool. Mix balsamic vinegar, ketchup, and thawed orange juice, and salt. Chop broccoli and carrots if desired. FREEZE chicken, and liquid veggie mix separately.

On eating day: Defrost chicken and liquid mix for 15 minutes on the counter or in microwave on defrost for a short time. Put in croc pot. Cook on low 5 – 6 hours, high 2 – 3 hours. Prepare minute rice. Serve chicken over rice.
Vegetables are optional. Add any veggies you like or none at all.

Blog: The Pursuit of Happiness, http://team-t-adventures.blogspot.com/2010/03/crock-pot-orange-chicken.html

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Taco Casserole

1 lb ground beef
Onion
Garlic
½ green pepper
2 drops Tabasco Sauce
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
2 tbs. Chili powder
1 c. frozen corn
2 cans of chili with beans
¾ lb of grated cheddar cheese or Mexican blend
1 c. Nacho Cheese Tortilla chips, crushed

On cooking day: Brown meat with onion, garlic, and pepper. Add Tabasco sauce, tomtato sauce, and chili powder. FREEZE or refrigerate for 3 to 5 days.

On eating day: Defrost meat mix. GREASE croc pot. Layer meat, chips, corn, chili and cheese. Cook 6 to 8 hours on low.

Crockery Pot Cooking: http://www.sangotn.com/cookbook/crockpot/index-5b.html

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WARNING!

CAUTION ALERT CAUTION!!! Until you see a finished product pictured here with a REVIEW... these recipes are NOT TRIED AND TRUE by me (at least)! This is just a preview to get you guys started with me! If you are brave come along with me.. if not.. wait until I try the recipes, post the pics of the finished product and taste them for you!

Chicken Yum Yum

1 pkg Lipton Onion Soup Mix
1 c. long grain white rice
½ c. milk
2 cans of cream of mushroom soup
6 chicken breasts (or whole chicken)
Butter

On cooking day: Combine soup mix, rice, milk, and mushroom soup and put it in a labeled baggie. FREEZE.

This doesn't look so yum yum, but it's raw... LOL


On eating day: All I have is a whole chicken. I am going to try it! If you have a whole chicken, place it in your fridge to thaw a couple days ahead of time. Take baggie out of freezer to taw for 30 minutes or microwave on defrost for a short time. GREASE your croc pot with cooking spray!! Back to the chicken… remove the neck and innards packet. Place whole chicken in croc pot. Top with 6 tbs of butter OR place 6 chicken breasts in the bottom of the croc pot and top with butter. Put baggie mixture on top. Cook for 8 to 10 hours on low, 4 to 6 hours on high.

From Family Favorite Recipes (a cookbook my Aunt Karen put together for my cousin, Amanda’s wedding)

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Breakfast Casserole

I can't spell.. ignore me! LOL



Breakfast Casserole (Great for breakfast or dinner!)
6 to 8 strips of crispy bacon, chopped
Small onion, chopped
2 green peppers, chopped
Clove of minced garlic or tsp of jar minced garlic
1 tbs of olive oil
2 lb bag of frozen shredded hash browns
1 ½ c. shredded cheese
12 eggs
1 c. milk
1 tsp dill
Salt and pepper to taste
butter

On cooking day: Feed your family bacon for breakfast and rescue 6 to 8 strips  Chop bacon. Sautee onion, peppers, and garlic in olive oil until translucent. Allow to cool. Place bacon and onion mixture in labeled baggie. FREEZE.



On eating day: Take bacon onion mix out of freezer to defrost for 30 minutes or microwave on defrost for a short time. Mix eggs, milk, dill, salt and pepper. Set aside. GREASE croc pot with butter. Layer 1/3 of the frozen hash browns, 1/3 bacon onion mix, and repeat 2 more times. Top with shredded cheese. Pour egg mixture over top. Cook on low 8 to 10 hours, high 4 – 6 hours.

From Blog: A Latte with OTT A, http://www.alattewithotta.com/2010/11/crock-pott-recipe-egg-brunch-casserole.html



Well.... results are in. This was the dish that was liked the least so far during CPR 4 Supper at my house! It was really easy to make... but it cooked a little strangely in the croc pot. It got a little over done on the top. There was not too much flavor.. and it oddly had a bread-like texture. The eggs I think created that strange texture. I liked it ok. I think I might seek out other breakfast recipes before trying this one again. Mom: 3 croc pots (it was easy to make, and I'd eat just about anything.. lol) Dad: 2 croc pots... he did not like it very well. Toddler: 1 croc pot! Ya, either it was the fact that he had lunch at grandma's at like 2 pm... or this was terrible! He didn't eat it hardly at all. Not even a bite. This was the worst yet, as far as toddler-ville goes! We will trudge on!

Mom:

Dad:

Toddler:

Download PDF version of recipe here:

Burritos!

2 lb beef roast (or 2 lb stew meat)
Large Onion, chopped
1 can of green chilies
15 oz can of tomato sauce
Salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, and cumin
Burrito sized tortillas
Aluminum foil
Shredded cheese
Fat-free refried beans (opt.) You may also use canned black beans, drained and rinsed.
Black olives, shredded lettuce, diced tomato, sour cream, salsa (opt.)

On cooking day: Chop onion, FREEZE.

On eating day: Season meat with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, and cumin. Cook roast on low all night in croc pot. If using stew meat, cook 2 hours on low in the morning. Add onion, chilies, and tomato sauce. Cook on low 8 – 10 hours, high 6 hours.

Preheat oven to 350. Warm tortillas in microwave for 30 seconds so they do not tear. Lay each tortilla on aluminum foil (2 shells per person). Spread beans on shell if desired. Top with meat filling and cheese. Roll by folding ends toward the middle and rolling. Wrap in foil. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Serve with veggies as desired. Top with salsa.

From Crockery Pot Cooking Index, http://www.sangotn.com/cookbook/crockpot/index-5b.html



REVIEW: Results are in! Burritos! were awesome!! They were super easy to make. They only required a little assembly at the end of the day and the meat was flavored perfectly and melted in our mouths! You can do it with all the veggie topping or melt cheese on top.. whichever you prefer! Aaron loves tacos, burritos, etc. so he rated this one highly! :) I had mine with a side of refried beans with melted ...cheese on top because I ♥ beans! Super recipe... I highly recommend it! If you are a vegetarian, I recommend making these with red beans and black beans instead of meat... I think it would be GREAT! Here are the ratings... Mom: 4 croc pots out of 5 Dad: 4 croc pots out of 5!! and Toddler: 2 croc pots out of 5... Drew just hasn't seemed hungry lately... I don't know what his deal is! The more I take him to preschool the pickier he gets! He did say... they weren't as good as "strawberries" (we asked him what his fave food was and had him compare the two.. LOL) but it was as good as "taco bell." And he loves taco bell.. so who knows! He's in rare form as usual! lol I guess that wouldn't be rare form then... it would be normal form. hah Try the Burrito! recipe! You'll love it! And if you did try it , comment here and let me know what your family thought! :)

Mom:
Dad:
Toddler:
Download PDF version of recipe here:

Cheeseburger Soup

1 to 1 ½ lbs of hamburger or ground turkey
1 small onion, chopped
Salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder
5 potatoes
1 ½ c. baby carrots, halved
3 stalks of celery, chopped

2 tbs dried basil
2 tbs dried parsley

*1 small block 2% Velveeta
*2 cups of milk
*1/2 c. Light Sour Cream

On cooking day: Brown hamburger with onion, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder (to taste). Wash potatoes thoroughly, medium dice. (peal them if desired, I didn’t peal mine) Wash baby carrots, pat dry. Halve them short ways if they are large. Wash and pat dry celery. Chop roughly. I like to use the inside of the celery because it has the most flavor, and another stalk or two from the outside. Place potatoes, carrots, celery, and cooled hamburger in labeled gallon sized baggie. FREEZE.

On eating Day: Set baggie of frozen contents on counter for 30 minutes to defrost OR microwave on defrost for a very short time. Place contents of baggie, basil, and parsley in Croc Pot. Cook on low for 8 – 10 hours, high for 4 – 6 hours.

*Turn the croc pot up to high if it isn’t already. Add two cups of milk and cubed Velveeta (more or less to taste) Stir occasionally and melt Velveeta. Stir in sour cream at the end. Serve hot.

Recipe from Lawanda Kress and Get Crafty Studios.

REVIEW:
Results are in! Note that I had to add water. It was actually burning in the croc pot! Fun stuff. lol Next time I would add 2 cups to begin with and let er go. I would also take the time (even tho I don't want to...) and peel the potatoes. I didn't care for the rustic texture or crummy color the peel gave off in the soup. It was weird after I froze it.. LOL Anyway... I am going to give you three r...atings: mom rating, dad rating, and toddler rating. Mom rating takes into account ease of cooking, prep time, flavor, and appearance. Dad rating takes into account flavor. I think that's pretty much it. LOL Toddler rating basically just says.. hey my 3 yr old scarffed this.. or he wouldn't touch it. :) 1 croc pot is the worst thing I've ever eaten, 5 croc pots is I would eat this every day and am going to marry it! Cheeseburger Soup... Mom rating: 3 croc pots. It was a little tricky with adding the cheese later, I thought I was going to ruin it. And the peel was not good. A little more tweaking this could be a 4 easily. Dad rating: 3 croc pots. He had to add more salt and pepper and said it was much better with crackers. He really doesn't dig soup all that much... and had two small bowls. If it is something he's really into.. he eats much more. LOL Toddler rating: 2 croc pots. He would barely touch it.. BUT keep in mind.. it's Halloween and I think the kid has eaten his weight in candy today. So there it is! Try it and enjoy! Remember, peel the potatoes and add a little bit of water while cooking. Especially if you're cooking it while you're at work. Luckily I was here to watch it or it would have been.. cinged soup!

Mom:
Dad:
Toddler:


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