Low prep, low cost crockpot recipes!
 

ok so i'll never win an award on a cooking show, but being a single wahm to 4 kiddos has made me very reliant on my crock pot. so i thought i would share me recipes in the hopes of you guys sharing yours.

bbq chicken sandwiches
put chicken (ussually the big frozen bag of breasts) in crockpot, cover with bbq sauce- cook for 6-8 hours on low- serve on buns

teryaki chicken
put chicken (ussually the big frozen bag of breasts) in crockpot, cover with teryaki sauce- cook for 6-8 hours on low add frozen brocoli and a can of pineapples 15 minutes before serving- serve on rice

chili
mix stew beef with a package of chili seasoning. mix in crockpot with two cans of chili beans, one jar of salsa. cook on low for 6-8 hours. serve with cornbread.

gringa chicken burritos
put black beans and chicken (ussually the big frozen bag of breasts) in crockpot, cover with canned enchilada sauce- cook for 6-8 hours on low. serve on tortillas with cheese

Re: Low prep, low cost crockpot recipes!
 

Yum -these all sound good. :yum

One question about the gringa chicken burritos- do you use canned black beans? I have a can at home & would like to try this.

Re: Low prep, low cost crockpot recipes!
 

Heeeyyyyy, how'd you get my BBQ chicken recipe? :shifty :giggle

Re: Low prep, low cost crockpot recipes!
 

Yup :yes just drain off the bean juice...

Re: Low prep, low cost crockpot recipes!
 

Another good one for getting rid of cans of beans :giggle... a few more ingredients, but still pretty cheap.

Taco Soup
1 lb ground beef, browned and drained
1 can black beans, undrained
1 can pinto beans, undrained (original recipe calls for kidney, but I think it should be pinto)
1 can corn, drained
1 large (28 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained (recipe calls for crushed, but whatever)
1 medium can sliced olives, drained (optional)
about half a small can chopped green chiles (optional)
1 packet taco seasoning mix
1 packet ranch dressing mix (I've never used it)
1 small onion, chopped (I use dehydrated, works fine)

Throw the whole lot into a large crock pot. Cook on low 4-6 hours.

Great with shredded cheese and sour cream on top, served with Jiffy corn muffins. Yum.

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We made crock pot "lasagna" for dinner super easy
1) package frozen cheese ravioli
2) one pack frozen or fresh spinach
3) Jar of chunky garden spaghetti sauce (about 28oz)
4) 2 cups mozzarella cheese
layer ingredients sauce ravoli sauce cheese in crock pot cook on low about 3-4 hours
This recpie ussually cost us around $6 and will easily make 8-10 good servings

Deanna

Re: Low prep, low cost crockpot recipes!
 

I used to make that teriyaki chicken all the time, thanks for reminding me about it!

The taco soup sounds really good, too. :P

Re: Low prep, low cost crockpot recipes!
 

latter this week were doing split pea soup and buttered yams and cranberry sauce :yum

1lb dried split peas (free through WIC for us)
celery
leek
crush garlic
1 potato
parsley (fresh is ideal but dried is fine
2 bay leafs
oragano
salt and pepper
about 6 cups of water (I pretty much fill the pot)

combine all ingredients cool low about 8 hours serve (remove bay leaf)

we serve with buttered Yams and cranberries :yum

Deanna

Re: Low prep, low cost crockpot recipes!
 

The BBQ chicken sandwiches are really good with french fried onions on them :shifty

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AWSOME! I love the recipes with the big ol' bag o' chicken breasts!! :rockon

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I also do a whole chicken with a bottle of BBQ sauce

1 can of mushroom soup and a cup of sour cream over chicken breasts. Left over sauce is excellent on rice

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Do you thaw the frozen chicken breasts before putting them in the crockpot? I hope that's not a stupid question. :O

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When I do them I never do almost all my meat meals are crock pot cause we realy eat meat and I always forget to take it "out" to thaw :P~

Deanna

Re: Low prep, low cost crockpot recipes!
 

:popcorn I love my crockpot... gonna file this for later reference! :tu

I have a yummy lentil stew that I do in the crockpot, and whip up a batch of fresh biscuits to serve with it... :yum

Re: Low prep, low cost crockpot recipes!
 

Sometimes I thaw, sometimes I don't. My slowcooker cooks faster than what most recipies say. So, if I want to start it at 9am, I'd use frozen. At noon I'd use thawed. I often thaw in my microwave.

Re: Low prep, low cost crockpot recipes!
 

My crockpot cooks chicken too fast if it's not frozen first, so that's just fine with me b/c I don't have to thaw it first!

April, I would love that lentil stew recipe.

Thanks for posting these! Great thread, Mama Piadosa! :tu

Re: Low prep, low cost crockpot recipes!
 

I was looking for a frozen chicken breast recipe, so I'm trying the teriyaki chicken one. :) Question- I used 2 large breasts and added about half the bottle of teriyaki sauce- is that enough sauce? I didn't want to overwhlem it...

Also, how long before dinner is served do I throw in the brocolli & pineapple?

Thanks! :)

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These sound GREAT! I am trying one this week....now just to decide *which* one....yum :yum.

Re: Low prep, low cost crockpot recipes!
 

As long as some of the breasts are covered I think it is enough- it turns more liquidy as it cooks- I put the brocolli and pineapples in 15 minutes before and turn it up to high.

Re: Low prep, low cost crockpot recipes!
 

I put frozen chicken breasts in the cp, some soy sauce (maybe 1/4 c for 2 breasts), and a small can of mandarin oranges (or less than a can if I have some leftover in the fridge), some garlic powder, some powdered ginger, and leave on low 6 hours. Canned pineapple works, too. :yum

Re: Low prep, low cost crockpot recipes!
 

Lentil stew recipe (made it yesterday :yum)

5 cups water
2 t bouillon powder
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 t ground sage
1/4 t ground red pepper
1/2 cup diced onion (I sometimes use red onion for variety and color)
1 cup diced potato
1/2 cup diced bell pepper (red is prettier)
1/2 cup diced celery (optional)
1 cup dried lentils or split peas
1 cup diced sausage or ham (optional)

Throw all ingredients in crockpot except for the meat. Bring to a boil on high, turn down to low and simmer for 6-8 hours. Add meat about 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy with homemade biscuits/scones/dinner rolls... :yum :yum :yum

Re: Low prep, low cost crockpot recipes!
 

Sounds yummy!
What flavor boullion? and red or green lentils?

Re: Low prep, low cost crockpot recipes!
 

I usually use chicken, but vegetable or beef would work fine too... Any kind of lentil, or split peas even, is good... I actually use a dry lentil, bean and barley soup mix and it is AWESOME! :grin :tu I've made it with lentils and split peas (not together) and both were :yum

Re: Low prep, low cost crockpot recipes!
 

Mmmmm mmm! Thank you so much for that recipe. I was wondering if I could use the red lentils...that's why I was asking; ds won't eat green lentils (texture), but the red ones cook into a puree and he loves that. :yum

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Umm yeah it's called shop-n-save in the freezer section. They have chicken and dumplins. beef stew, past with vegies and meat sauce, redpotatoes with chicken and I forgot the other one. :cool

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Let me know how you like it if you end up trying it... :grin

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Oky doky! :)

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Dana- I tried the teriyaki chicken recipe yesterday- it was delicious! Thanks again for posting these!

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We are trying this one today! I added a little garlic powder to the sauce.

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aprilmae, I was just about to ask you for the lentil soup recipe!

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Here's another lentil recipe. Its an original...
If you want to ommit the chicken its still Delicious and super low cost.
http://www.recipezaar.com/85865

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Wow, that *does* look really good! :yum Funny, I was in the store today eyeing the chicken boullion cubes and granules, thinking, I should get some of those...but not sure why. :giggle Budget was too tight so I didn't. But next time! :mrgreen

Re: Low prep, low cost crockpot recipes!
 

I'm a vegetarian, but DH loves this one.

Cranberry Chicken
3 or 4 frozen, boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 can whole berry cranberry sauce
1/4 c Catalina salad dressing
cornstarch to thicken, optional


Place chicken on the bottom of crockpot. Drizzle with Catalina dressing & dump the can of cranberry sauce on top. I use a knife or spoon to break up the sauce a bit. Cover & cook on low for 4-5 hours or high for 2 hours or so. (Note: my crockpot cooks faster than most recipes, so adjust the cooking time to fit yours.) Optional: if you want to thicken the sauce, remove the chicken & stir in a tbsp or so of cornstarch dissolved in cool water. Turn cooker to high for 10 minutes or so. Serve over rice.

Re: Low prep, low cost crockpot recipes!
 

ok im going to get chicken to make these :)

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Cranberry chicken is delish!
I recommend you serve it with rice! YUM!

Re: Low prep, low cost crockpot recipes!
 

When you say cover with bbq or teriakyi do you add water too??

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Dana - do I have to drain the pineapple first or should I put the juice in too?

Re: Low prep, low cost crockpot recipes!
 

i don't add water- cooking all day tends to liquify the stuff more
i do put the pineapple juice in though- because i am a pineapple maniac

Re: Low prep, low cost crockpot recipes!
 

subscribing :shifty

Re: Low prep, low cost crockpot recipes!
 

I did the teriyaki chicken two nights ago and it was SOOO yum! Thanks!

I also did the bbq chicken one last night, but used a beef roast instead so we could have bbq beef sandwhiches. WOW! THey were soooo good. The meat was just falling apart. My dh, who likes meat but not alot of it, was going back just for bowls full of beef. lol!

AND I now have both leftovers in my freezer for another meal.

Ok, now I'm hubngry and want to go defrost them. :shifty