What are some of your favorite crock-pot recipes? Or one-dish meals???

I'm working hard to get back in a better routine.  What are some of your favorite crock-pot recipes?  I think that would help a lot... Typically, by the time I get home in the evening, I am just wiped out and have no desire to cook a meal.  Last night I pushed myself hard and baked a chicken breast and roasted some cauliflower.  My daughter enjoyed it, and my son was not home, so that worked out.  What is on tonight's menu??  No clue!!  A good one-dish meal would come in handy!  

As always, thanks so much for your input!!

~Helen

My favorite: Package of boneless chicken thighs + one block of cream cheese + pouch of ranch seasoning. Cook and shred.

It's great stuff on its own, and it makes for really good nachos for non-WLS people!

I second Julie's suggestion, but I add a bottle of Frank's Buffalo Sauce into the mix as well.  The cream cheese really makes it delicious.

My other favorite is pork chil verde.  Pork shoulder, chili verde sauce, onions and spices.  I could eat this every day.

One of my favorite 'one dish meals' is a sauce I put on baked chicken thighs. Always use thighs because they are moister.

Basically 1t is equal parts some sweet sauce with another part Dijon Mustard or porportion to taste.  Original recipe was actually Maple Syrup and Dijon and add a little rosemary if you want. It could be made with sugar free maple syrup. My fave now is 1/2 Pineapple habenaro sauce(from Costco) and 1/2 dijon. I buy the dijon at aldi's. Even though the pineapple sauce has some sugar you are cutting it in 1/2 by mixing with dijon. You can just sprinkle a few breadcrumbs on top, and at the end I'll turn on the broiler to brown. Takes 20-30 minutes to cook however long you think it takes to cook the chicken.

problem with a lot of one dish meals is they involve rice or pasta, so then you can't really share it with them.

My pot roast in the crockpot: Cover chuck roast 1/2c red wine, 1/2cup water.(or more depending on size of roast and crockpot)  Sprinkle top with 1 pkg Lipton Onion Soup Mix(Dry). That is it. If you want to thicken the 'gravy' I add a little Wondra flour at the end... can thicken in 30 minutes-ish or could put liquid in saucepan on stovetop and thicken that way. I don't put veggies in with my pot roast...

I made chicken cacciatore using a slow cooker recipe that came with my crock pot.  I used the recommended boneless, skinless chicken thighs, peppers, onions, tomatoes and Italian spices.  It was delicious and a great low carb on pot meal for me .  I put it in 4oz baby food containers and put them in the freezer to be used later. 

Chili is a major favorite.  There are hundreds of recipes, of course.

Beef stew is another.

A super simple one I use as a base for a lot of Mexican dishes:  Chicken breasts, jar of salsa, and taco seasoning.  Cook on low for at least 8 hours.  Very moist and tender.

Lots of soups also.  I look for ones that feature beans instead of pasta.

do you have a good beef stew recipe? :)

Yes I do!  My recipe is pretty simple, but turns out really good.

Cut 4 pounds of beef into chunks

Coat in about 1 cup or so of flour

Brown the beef with 1/3 cup of olive oil

When finished, transfer the beef to the slow cooker.  Then cook 2 onions (diced) in the pan until they're tender.  

Stir in a can of tomato paste (small size) with the onions, then transfer to slow cooker

Deglaze the pan.  I like to use a bottle of Guinness, but my wife and daughter don't care for the taste, so I usually use a cup of beef broth.  When everything is scraped up, transfer to the cooker.

Add potatoes (1 pound.  I like to use the little new potatoes in this) and carrots (1/2 pound or so of baby carrots).  Add 2 more cups of broth, salt, pepper, and a bay leaf or two.  Cook on low all day (at least 8 hours).

About 1/2 hour to an hour before dinner, I add a cup of frozen peas, turn it to high, and let them heat up.  

I usually don't eat the potatoes, and go light on the carrots, but this turns out awesome.

When I don't feel like cooking, I season some chicken breasts with salt and pepper (though post-surgery will switch to thighs, good tip!) and dump a jar of salsa over it and bake it in the oven at 350 until done.  The last few minutes of baking I put some shredded cheese on top.  I usually make a side of brown rice to go with it.

My favorite crock pot recipe is a picadillo recipe from the skinnytaste website.

As the others have said, chicken or pork or beef, with a jar of salsa ...... Let it go all day, then when you get home, drop a block of cream cheese in it and let that melt a few minutes.

I eat it alone or with some salad greens, my husband wraps it in a tortilla or puts it on chips and makes nachos