The Slow Cooker Savior
Weeknights have become such a hassle! With after-school activities, evening activities, clubs, concerts, and holiday shopping, feeding a family well is near impossible. I can hear the siren call of the drive-thru all too well, and I cave to it more often than not these days, it seems. We try to make the best choices possible when we’re in such a rush, but I really hate the thought that busy nights for us mean a poor choice come dinner time.
In the past, it’s been the crock-pot or the slow-cooker that’s saved us from the nightmare known as the drive-thru. Why stop when we know that there is a cozy pot of stew or soup just waiting for us at home? What I did need, though, was the inspiration to dust off my pot and set it back into action. I found just the inspiration I needed at A Year Of Crockpotting. Stephanie is the mother of two busy young children who decided that she needed to use her crock-pot more, and thus a blog was born. Since its inception, Stephanie has blogged 323 days of crock-pot cookery. Every single recipe gets a verdict and — here’s what I love the best — her children have their say as well, so we know whether the children enjoyed the meal or not. One child is also gluten-free, so Stephanie’s recipes reflect that as well — as the entire household tries to stay gluten-free. Yet each creation looks hearty and warming, and ridiculously easy.
Stephanie inspired me to haul out my pot just this afternoon, and after an evening of dance classes, the whole family returned home to a delightful meal of Crockpot Baked Spinach and Cheese Noodles, and yes, my kids ate it. They needed a little coaxing, but once they tried it, they enjoyed it and finished their dinner. That gives me the encouragement I need to keep going, and to keep heading back to A Year Of Crockpotting for more dinner inspiration that keeps us all out of the drive thru.
*photo courtesy www.crock-pot.com
