Back to School with Not Your Mama’s Slow Cooker Recipes

Dinner time blues? Get back to school with Not Your Mama’s Slow Cooker Recipes. 

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Sure, meal planning makes getting on the table much easier, but I admit, it’s difficult to schedule the opportunity to lay out what your family is going to eat when, go to the grocery store to get exactly what you need and then most of all, put it all together for that perfect dinner that everyone loves…

Nobody got time for that…and face it, that’s not the times that most of us live in. So I’m sharing some of the best recipes to make your school nights easier – all made in the slow cooker! 

However, what we do have our a few minutes here and there to make our world rock a little better, especially during back to school time. So we’ve got a few tips for meal planning and recipes with the slow cooker that you may have never thought about. And takin’ a look at these slow cookers, it’s worth reconsidering if you think that these babies are only for roast and chili night.

Slow Cooker Chicken Fajitas

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• Author: Autumn Reo, mamachallenge.com
• Prep Time: 15
• Cook Time: 240
• Total Time: 255

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Ingredients

• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast halves (or chicken thighs, approximately 6-8)
• 1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes with green chilies
• 1 red, orange and green bell pepper, julienned
• 1 large yellow onion, halved and sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp paprika
• 3/4 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp pepper

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Instructions

1. In a bowl whisk together chili powder, cumin, paprika, coriander, salt and pepper. Evenly sprinkle seasoning over both sides of the chicken breasts.
2. Now pour the tomatoes into the bottom of a slow cooker and spread into an even layer. Top with peppers and onions. Then add garlic and lastly, the seasoned chicken.
3. Cover and cook on HIGH heat 3 – 4 hours or low heat 6 – 8 hours, until chicken has cooked through and peppers are tender. (Depending on your slow cooker, you can do less heat for sliced fajitas or more for shredded.)
4. Remove chicken and cut into strips or shred. Gently toss a little of the broth onto fajitas for more flavor. Now serve warm in warmed tortillas with sour cream, guacamole, cheese and salsa.

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Notes

• Back to school is easy with these standy that takes no time to prep or cook!

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 4
• Calories: 425
• Sugar: 3
• Sodium: 879
• Fat: 9
• Saturated Fat: 2
• Unsaturated Fat: 5
• Trans Fat: 0
• Carbohydrates: 11
• Protein: 72
• Cholesterol: 193

Slow Cooker Lasagna

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• Author: Autumn Reo, mamachallenge.com
• Prep Time: 15
• Cook Time: 270
• Total Time: 285

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Ingredients

• 1 lb lean ground beef (or turkey or chicken)
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 jar spaghetti sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 6 ounces cottage cheese (or ricotta cheese)
• 6–7 ounces Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 12 ounces lasagna noodles, uncooked
• 16 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

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Instructions

1. Brown ground beef, onion and garlic in pan.
2. Add sauce, salt and oregano.
3. Spoon a layer of meat sauce onto the bottom of the slow cooker.
4. Add a double layer of uncooked lasagna noodles and top with cheeses. (You can break noodles to cover.)
5. Repeat with sauce, noodles and cheeses until all are used up.
6. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 5 hours.

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Slow Cooker Lemon Rosemary Chicken

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• Author: Autumn Reo, mamachallenge.com
• Prep Time: 7
• Cook Time: 240
• Total Time: 247

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Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken
• 4 lemons
• 2–3 heads garlic
• Fresh rosemary and other favorite herbs
• Poultry seasoning

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Instructions

1. Cut garlic and lemons in half. Save one half lemon, a few slices of lemon (cut wide) and garlic head and set aside.
2. Lay in bottom of slow cooker so they lay flat.
3. Clean chicken, rinse and pat dry.
4. Season chicken with poultry mix, all over (both inside and out) as well as salt and pepper.
5. Lay chicken onto garlic and lemon and stuff garlic into cavity of chicken.
6. Cover chicken with lemon slices and rosemary.
7. Cook chicken for around four hours on high (or until 165 degrees.)
8. Turn off slow cooker, let chicken rest for 15 minutes and then remove from slow cooker to serve.
9. Use reserve sauce to be served over chicken.

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 4
• Calories: 385
• Sugar: 2
• Sodium: 125
• Fat: 21
• Saturated Fat: 6
• Unsaturated Fat: 13
• Trans Fat: 0
• Carbohydrates: 9
• Protein: 42
• Cholesterol: 132

Slow Cooker Breakfast Egg Casserole

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• Author: Autumn Reo, mamachallenge.com
• Prep Time: 15
• Cook Time: 150
• Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes

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Ingredients

• 20 ounces shredded hashbrowns (you can use frozen or fresh)
• 4 ounces chopped ham, 8-10 slices of bacon, or 1/2 roll of crumbled sausage
• 8 ounces shredded cheese
• 12 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 onion, chopped finely
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• Cooking oil or cooking spray to coat pan

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Instructions

1. Whisk eggs, milk, and seasonings in a bowl. Set aside.
2. Grease slow cooker with cooking spray.
3. Layer half of hashbrowns with half cheese, half meat and 1/4 onions.
4. Then repeat hashbrowns, meat, cheese and onion.
5. Pour eggs over the top of the layers.
6. Cook for 2-3 hours on high or 4-5 hours on low.
7. Sprinkle more cheese, meat and onions for garnish and serve.

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 6
• Calories: 356
• Sugar: 2
• Sodium: 940
• Fat: 25
• Saturated Fat: 12
• Unsaturated Fat: 12
• Trans Fat: 0
• Carbohydrates: 3
• Protein: 28
• Cholesterol: 427

Yes, these slow cookers are THAT cool.

Crock Pot Smart WiFi WeMo 6-Quart Slow Cooker 

Crock Pot iStir Automatic Stirring Slow Cooker

Follow Autumn {mamachallenge.com}’s board FOOD: Crock Pot on Pinterest.