Crock of Common Sense

Two things have happened in the past several weeks, and I cannot determine if they are related: children from all over have started school and families are getting back into their school day routines, and a couple of Texas moms started a Facebook page called Crock Pot Girls and now have almost 1.2 million fans.

The Crock Pot Girls fandom is under scrutiny because of its unusually speedy climb to fame. Some finger-pointers say the page has Facebook bot software that is stealing "likes" from friend lists of its subscribers to boost its ratings for the website's advertisers. Others, as well as the Texas moms themselves, claim they're just moms with their crock pots and are trying to keep up with this social media phenomenon.

Whatever the case maybe, it has brought crock-potting (yes, I'm making it a verb) to the forefront of the minds of many moms, who are ready to dust off their crock pots after a lazy summer or grilling and late dinners. Fall brings back school schedules, and the desperate need for quick, easy and healthy dinners!

Using the crock pot is like coming home to a little friend who has cooked dinner for me. In a usually hectic, crazy-paced post-school, pre-bedtime routine, the crock pot gives me more time to play with the kids, read through the mail, or just sit for a few minutes.

News flash: Planning Dinners Saves You Money

Crock-potting not only saves me time, but also saves me money! Planning to use the crock pot for my busiest weekday dinners keeps me from hitting the drive through for fast food or ordering pizza because I haven't planned ahead. It also helps me resist stocking up on frozen entrees or pizzas, chicken nuggets, Mac-N-Cheese, or Chef Boyardee for quick dinners.

I am horrible at using leftovers from dinner. I save them, but usually end up throwing them out come grocery-shopping day. I just can get past eating the same meal that's just not as good and a bit dried out- bleh!

There are many crock pot recipes that allow you to chop up leftover meats, and throw them in the pot with new ingredients. The all-day cooking gives the meat new life, and provides you with a brand new taste.

Grocery shopping with the crock pot in mind also allows you to stock up on meats when they are on sale and buy them in bulk.

1. I usually buy beef such as roasts or top round steaks when they are on sale, and keep them frozen for crock pot roasts or to chop up for stews.
2. Pork loins, the huge leg-sized chunks of meat, can be purchased on sale, and divided into four or five pork roasts or shredded BBQ pork dinners.
3. While you can save a bit by purchasing chicken breasts in bulk, you can also switch to buying chicken tenders, the smaller strips of meat, which cost half of the price of chicken breasts. If you plan to shred or chop the meat, size doesn't matter.

A Crock Full O' Recipes

While the Crock Pot Girls website is under construction while they 'try to keep up with the newfound following, here are some websites that provide easy crock pot recipes, and are quite easy to navigate.

Moms Who Think- The more I delve into this website, the more there is to love. In addition to a plethora of slow cooker recipes, there’s a whole section on 30-minute meals.

All Recipes- A go-to for so many great recipes; I always choose recipes with lots of reviews because often they will tell you how to tweak the recipe in a way that makes a BIG difference in taste and success!

Crock Pot 365- Stephanie O’Dea has been sharing her slow cooker recipes in her bestselling books and online for years- and her recipes are gluten-free!

Stock for Your Crock

After you start browsing through the crock pot recipes, you'll see a common list of ingredients. To keep your crock-potting easy-peasy, make sure you have some of these staples on your pantry or fridge door. Here are a few:

Jams- apricot, peach or orange marmalade

Salsas- I like keeping a traditional chunky salsa on hand, but whenever I find a fruit-based salsa or chutney, such as mango or pineapple, that looks yummy, I grab one of those too.

Sauces- soy, teriyaki, apple, tomato, tomato paste, ketchup, A-1

Frozen veggies- corn, peas, cut green beans, carrots

Soups- Cream of chicken, mushroom, celery

Liquids- stock- veggie or chicken, red wine (twist my arm), apple juice

Legumes- canned black, pinto, and kidney beans

I hope that as we all get used to our after school routines, life will begin to feel a little less hectic. As I get used to car-pooling, snack-eating, homework-doing, sports-playing routines of our school days, I can have peace of mind, knowing I have a little friend in the kitchen cooking us dinner. Happy crock-potting!