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5 Cheap and Easy Slow Cooker Recipes

October 28, 2015 by Michelle Fitnpoor 3 Comments

When time is of limited supply or money is running tight, there is nothing worse than figuring out what is for dinner. It’s a huge issue around my house, especially with a new baby in tow and both my husband and I working on side gigs for extra cash. That’s why we turn to one magical, miracle invention: our slow cooker.

5 Cheap and Easy Slow Cooker Recipes
5 Cheap and Easy Slow Cooker Recipes

Basically, a slow cooker is a pot that heats up over an extended period of time (usually between 4, 6, 8, or 10 hours). It’s perfect for turning on before leaving for work and coming home to a home smelling like you just whipped up a homemade dish on the stove. But the best part of the slow cooker besides the super low time investment is how much money it can save you. Because many slow cooker recipes are actually entire meals fit to feed a family of 4+, not only will you walk away with leftovers, but also save a ton on your grocery bills in the long run. The following five are some of my personal favorites for cheap* and easy slow cooker recipes anyone can make in under 10 minutes.

[Editor’s Note: My favorite slow cooker is this Hamilton Beach Set ‘n Forget Programmable Slow Cooker. You can set it to cook to temperature with a meat probe. It takes the guesswork out of cooking a whole chicken or roast.]

*All estimated costs are based on current Chicago, IL grocery prices and are subject to change.

5 Easy Slow Cooker Recipes That Will Save You Hundreds in Grocery Bills

Tex-Mex Chicken:

I’m a lover of all things Tex-Mex, and this recipe hits the spot! I love to serve it with cheap tortilla shells for tacos or chips to dip in.

Total Estimated Cost: $1.83/serving

Yields: 8

Time to Prep:5-10 minutes

Cook: 6-8 hours depending on slow cooker settings

Ingredients:

  • 2.5lbs chicken (bone and skinless) thighs
  • 1 cup favorite salsa
  • Taco seasoning packet
  • 1, 6.5oz can diced tomatoes
  • 1, 6.5oz can corn kernels (or any other of your favorite veggie to add to a Tex-Mex recipe)
  • 1 small onion sliced thinly
  • ½ cup of water
  • 3 dollops sour cream

Directions:

Put chicken on the bottom of the slow cooker and then season with taco seasoning. Add corn, tomatoes, and onion and cover in salsa. Pour ½ cup of water on top and set slow cooker. When chicken is done (or when you return home from work), stir in sour cream and let set for extra 20-30 minutes on “warm” setting.

Vegetarian Chilli

‘Tis the season for chilli! But instead of slaving over a hot pot, break out your big slow cooker and try out this recipe. It takes a bit more prep time, but the results are always worth it.

Total Estimated Cost: $1.67/serving

Yields: 8-10

Time to Prep: 15 minutes

Cook: 6-8 hours depending on slow cooker settings

Ingredients:

  • 2 tsp oil
  • 1 large white or yellow onion diced
  • 2 stalks celery diced
  • 2 carrots diced
  • 2 cloves of garlic chopped
  • 1 green or red bell pepper diced
  • 2 tbsp of chili powder
  • 2 tsp of ground cumin
  • 1, 29 oz can of crushed tomatoes
  • 3, 15 oz cans of kidney beans rinsed and drained

Directions:

In a pan, turn on heat to medium and add oil and veggies. Saute until onion turns clear (around 4-6 minutes). Add in the garlic and seasoning and stir constantly for another 2-3 minutes. Pour seasoned veggies in slow cooker and add the rest of the ingredients. Cover and cook for 6-8 hours.

Slow Cooked Oatmeal

Who said the slow cooker only had to be used for dinner? If your breakfast time always feels rushed, try preparing your most important meal the night before.

Total Estimated Cost: $1.05/serving

Yields: 6

Time to Prep: 5 minutes

Cook: 8-10 hours depending on slow cooker settings

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 1 tsp of cinnamon
  • 2 tsp of honey
  • 2 apples diced
  • ½ cup raisins
  • ½ cup walnuts
  • ½ cup apple juice (or save more money by replacing with water)

Directions:

Place all ingredients in slow cooker and cook on lowest setting for max time. For variety, substitute other seasonal fruits, nuts, and spices to your taste.

Cheesy Potato Soup

Slow cookers are best known for making delicious and fresh homemade soup, so why not put it to the test by trying this amazingly decadent and child-friendly recipe!

Total Estimated Cost: $1.25/serving

Yields: 8

Time to Prep: 10 minutes

Cook: 6-8 hours depending on slow cooker settings

Ingredients:

  • 1, 32 oz bag of frozen hash browns potatoes (thawed)
  • ½ onion chopped
  • 1 stalk celery chopped
  • 28 oz chicken broth
  • 1 cup water
  • 3 tbsp of flour
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 bag shredded cheese
  • Bacon bits and green onions optional

Directions:

In slow cooker, place potatoes, onion, celery, broth, and water and cook for 6-8 hours. When finished, make a separate bowl of the flour, milk, and cheese. Mix together and add to potatoes and soup. Place setting on high and cook for another hour or until cheese is fully melted. Add bacon bits and green onions to the second mix, if preferred.

Creamy Beef With Mushrooms and Noodles

Perfect for colder nights, this recipe is so simple, anyone can do it. It will remind you of beef stroganoff without being too heavy.

Total Estimated Cost: $2.09/serving

Yields: 4

Time to Prep: 5 minutes

Cook: 6-8 hours depending on slow cooker settings

Ingredients:

  • 1 lb beef stew meat
  • 1 can generic brand cream of mushroom soup
  • 1 packet of dry onion soup mix
  • 8 oz sliced mushrooms
  • ½ cup of water
  • 1 packet of egg noodles

Directions:

Add uncooked meat and mushrooms to bottom of slow cooker. Then and water to soup and soup mix and stir. Pour the soup blend into the slow cooker over the meat and mushrooms and set for 6-8 hours. When nearly done, cook egg noodles as directed and serve as a side.

Filed Under: Food Tagged With: recipe, slow cooker

Why Switching to an Autumn Diet is Smart for Your Taste Buds and Your Wallet

October 27, 2015 by Christina Garofalo 4 Comments

For most of human existence, eating food that was seasonal and local wasn’t just a good thing; it was the only thing. People ate what grew nearby at any given time of year because that’s all that was available to them.

Easy Roasted Turnips Apples
Easy Roasted Turnips Apples

After World War II, when industrialization and transportation took off, agriculture changed, and we began to lose our connection to the source of our food. But despite our ability to ship anything to anywhere in the world, there is something to be said about staying in season.

Why buying in season still makes sense

The best reasons to buy vegetables in season are that they taste better and are less expensive.

Fruit that is being shipped far distances is picked before it is ripe to account for ripening off the vine in transit. Along the way, they still soften and change color, but without properly ripening, they don’t develop that same sweetness as a Jersey tomato in August or a Georgia peach in July.

Depending on where you live, it doesn’t always make sense — Northeasterners like myself would have to subsist on potatoes and onions all winter. But it does make loads of sense this time of year, when there are nearly limitless fruits and vegetables sweet and primed for picking.

It’s cheaper to buy seasonal produce

When you buy out of season, you are essentially paying someone to grow your food, and ship it across the country — or across many countries.

Eating what’s in season also lets you take advantage of the law of supply and demand: In June, strawberries are abundant, growing like weeds. With so many available, farmers need to move them before they go bad and set prices accordingly. Off season, we have to ship them in from California and that means we all compete for fewer strawberries, driving up prices.

What’s in season now

In the Northeast, fall might be the end of beach days and seersucker jackets, but it also gives way to juicy apples and Bosc pears (one of my favorites), beets, greens — like broccoli rabe and kale — and root vegetables that are great for roasting, to name a few.

Here’s a comprehensive list of what to buy now:

  • Greens (kale, spinach, Swiss chard)
  • Beets
  • Root vegetables (celery root, parsnips , turnips)
  • Brussels sprouts
  • Fennel
  • Mushrooms
  • Figs
  • Apples
  • Pears
  • Leeks
  • Pomegranates
  • Persimmons
  • Radishes
  • Sweet Potatoes
  • Winter squash (pumpkin, butternut, kabocha)
  • Garlic
  • Shallots
  • Endive
  • Cauliflower
  • Celery

What should you do with all these? Here’s a simple autumn-inspired recipe (see final picture above):

Three-step roasted turnips and apples

(Note that you can substitute just about any root vegetable, and pears work great as a substitute for apples).

Ingredients

  • 3 medium sized turnips
  • 2 apples, any type (I like Gala)
  • Olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Chop the turnips and apples into cubes.
  2. Place in a baking pan, and drizzle generously with olive oil. Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste.
  3. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes, occasionally tossing. Remove when they reach a golden caramel. Enjoy! :)

Filed Under: Food Tagged With: apples, autumn, recipe, turnips

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