Slow-Cooker: Weekday Dinners at Home

It's getting cooler now and it's the perfect time to put your slow cooker to work for you. I have been experimenting with it the last week or two and have learned a few things:

• If you put in frozen peas at the beginning, they will get soggy! Same goes for broccoli. 
• It's a great way to make chicken to shred for use in many meals throughout the week, like for chicken enchiladas or fajitas.
• If you are using dried herbs it's best to put them in at the beginning. If you are using fresh herbs hold off until the end! 

Here are Eleven Tips for Slow Cooker Meals from Food Network, which will definitely be helpful for you this winter. 


Below is a fool proof way to get dinner going, using a slow-cooker, chicken, and other such items you likely have on hand!

Step 1: Get a mirepoix (onions, carrots, and celery) going in the bottom of your slow cooker. It can be a rough chop, but make sure they are uniform in size, so they will cook through at the same time. 

Step 2: Place 6-8 chicken breasts on top of the mirepoix. 

Step 3: Add in a can cream of mushroom soup and a can of cream of celery soup on top of the chicken and stir the soups together of the chicken.

Step 4: Set your slow cooker on high for  3-4 hours or on low for 6-7 hrs. 

Step 5: When you have 30 minutes left if running on high, or an 1 hour left if you're running on low, of the time left on the timer, add in your frozen vegetables, like peas and corn. This is also the time to add your herbs and spices. I added chopped garlic, salt and pepper. Continue tasting and seasoning as it is finishing. 

The great thing about this process is that you can serve it over rice, egg noodles, or like I did today with Grands biscuits for a chicken pot pie feel!