Cooking With One Hand Tied Behind Your Back

Isn't that what cooking with kids is all about? 

There might be nothing in my life that's more annoying than knowing I'm in charge of dinner every single night, from here to eternity (or so it seems right now). Especially when this unwelcome task occurs at the exact time of day when our kids are the crankiest, neediest, and hungriest. 

But there's also nothing more satisfying than seeing my entire family around the dining room table (which we manage to do 6-7 nights per week), appreciating food, helping themselves to seconds and thirds (okay, that's usually just Joey) and sharing funny stories or events from the day.

My answer to taking the stress out of dinnertime has been my crockpot, an appliance I truly could not live without. I love being out and about in the afternoon with kids' activities, and know that when we walk in the door, I just have to set the table and prepare some kind of fresh veggie, and dinner is ready!I Or, it can be an all-day at-home day, but when 5 pm rolls around, I can continue with the board game we're playing, or continue supervising homework, instead of heading to the kitchen to figure out dinner.

These recipes are tried and true for our kids, and ridiculously easy to put together, even when you're supervising homework, have a baby on your hip, and a preschooler conducting a science experiment in the bathroom ;)

BBQ Pork

3-4 lbs of country style boneless pork ribs

1 large bottle of BBQ sauce, any flavor

Dump both in crockpot, on low for 6-8 hours (or more). I serve on top of rice (I get the rice cooker going about 30 min before dinnertime) and a green vegetable, usually steamed green beans, asparagus or broccoli.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1-2 cups of cooked chicken (usually leftover from a rotisserie chicken we had the night before)

1 can of cream of chicken soup

1 can corn (drained)

1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)

1 can diced tomatoes and onions (Rotel or other brand)

1-2 cups of chicken broth (I usually keep this on hand in the fridge)

A few shakes of cumin and chili powder, depending on your kids' tastebuds

Dump everything in crockpot, cook on low for 6-8 hours. I serve this with a bunch of toppings that the kids can help themselves to from bowls at the table: tortilla strips, chopped avocado, cilantro, cheese and chopped onion. I also serve with cheese quesadillas.

Easiest Pot Roast Ever

3-4 lbs of chuck beef roast, boneless, chopped into 1-2" sq hunks

2 cups of baby carrots

5-6 potatoes, peeled and quartered

1 onion, cut into rough slices

1 packet of Italian dressing

1 packet of ranch salad dressing

1 packet of brown gravy

1/2 cup warm water

Place all the veggies on the bottom of your crockpot. Mix the three packets together in a ziploc bag, add the beef, and shake to coat the pieces. Dump contents into crockpot, add water, and cook on low for 6-8 hours. I serve with rolls/ bread and a green veggie or salad.

Crockpot Lasagna

2 lbs. hamburger meat, fully cooked

2 jars marinara sauce

1 package uncooked lasagna noodles

2 lbs ricotta cheese

2 cups Mozzarella Cheese

1 egg, beaten

fresh baby spinach, chopped up

Italian Seasoning to taste

Brown hamburger meat and add marinara sauce. Let simmer for 20 minutes. While simmering, in a bowl combine your ricotta cheese, 1 cup of mozzarella cheese, and egg, Italian seasoning to taste and mix well.

Spray your crockpot with cooking spray, and start your layers of 1) meat sauce 2) uncooked lasagna noodles 3) ricotta cheese mixture 4) spinach. Repeat layers one or two more times. Top with remaining meat sauce and mozzarella cheese.

Cook on low for three hours, any longer will overcook the noodles!

Salsa Chicken

3-4 chicken breasts (fresh or frozen)

1-2 jars of salsa

Dump everything in crockpot, cook on low for 6-8 hours. Shred chicken with two forks and fill warm flour tortillas. Top with cheese, salsa, sour cream, etc. I serve alongside pinto beans and put my rice cooker to work with Spanish rice about 30 min before dinnertime :)

Crockpot Carnitas

4-5 lbs. pork shoulder

5 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tbls. salt

1 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. black pepper

1 tsp. oregano

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

juice of 2 limes

1/2 cup orange juice

12 oz. beer

1/2 cup salsa

Mix together all seasonings and rub into pork. Place pork in crockpot, add liquids, cover and cook on low for 8 hours. Shred with two forks. Preheat broiler, and place shredded pork on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil. Pour a few spoonfuls of sauce over meat, and broil for 5-10 min until brown. Serve in tortillas with cilantro, avocado, cheese and salsa.