This is the last week of basketball season for the Trent's.  We still have championship games but the end is def in sight.  It's been consuming three of my nights every week since October.  It's fun.  My girls love it.  (Brother will love it too, when he is old enough.)  Both bball players learned lots, gained new skills, ran tons, burned lots of energy, stayed fit, and had loads of fun.  So, don't tell them that I'm done.  There's a reason things come in seasons. ha!

I started out juggling three evenings a week by getting supper prepped early and in the crock pot.  I had a plan.  I did good.  Then I dropped the ball. (Pun intended.  )  Which is why we had McDonalds tonight.  So gross. 

I've got to get back in the "mom game" cause softball season is next and ain't no way I'm having McDonalds for supper again.  Seriously, it was gross. 

Help save Trent Tribe suppers!  Send me links to your crockpot recipes? 

Even though this tasty dish is so easy, family or friends called to the table will be super impressed! 

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts

26-oz jar chunky garden vegetable spaghetti sauce

1 zucchini, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

1 sweet onion, chopped

cooked wide egg noodles or spaghetti

Garnish:  shredded Parmesan cheese

Place chicken in a slow cooker; pour sauce over top.  Add vegetables.  Cover and cook on low setting for 6 to 8 hours.  Spoon over noodles.  Garnish with cheese.  Serves 4.

This recipe was just the perfect thing for a lazy Saturday afternoon.  Everybody was working away on their own little home projects.  I threw this in the crockpot and it cooked itself.  I was free to tickle a baby.  Bonus:  makes my house smell oh so yummy!

2 8-oz tubes, refrigerated biscuits, separated and quartered

1/3 c. brown sugar

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/3 c. butter, melted

21-oz. can blueberry pie filling (substitute any fruit or any pie filling)

Spray a slow cooker with non-stick vegetable spray and layer one package of biscuits inside.  In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter.  Sprinkle half the mixture over biscuit layer.  Spread half the pie filling (or fruit) over top.  Layer remaining biscuit, brown sugar mixture, and pie filling (fruit).  Cover and cook on high setting for 2-1/2 to 3 hours.  Serve with ice-cream. 

Variations:  I have made the recipe with blueberry pie filling (yum!) and we tried it a second time with frozen peaches (another yum!).  Looking forward to trying blackberries and cherries!  This is a great fruit cobbler recipe.  Hope you enjoy! 

Yep.  We're still using the crockpot.  It's been interesting to try lots of different recipes.  I'm posting the keepers to my blog. 

This keeper was a kid favorite!

1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained

3 T. ketchup

2 t. mustard

2 c. cheese spread

10 hamburger buns

Place ground beef in a slow cooker; add ketchup and mustard, mixing well.  Top with cheese spread.  Cover and cook on low setting for 3 to 4 hours.  Stir gently; spoon onto buns.  Makes 10 sandwiches.

Especially yummy with tator tots!  Just saying.

18-1/2 oz yellow cake mix

20 oz can crushed pineapple

Vanilla ice cream

Set aside 1/3 cup dry cake mix.  Spray a slow cooker with nonstick vegetable spray; sprinkle half of remaining dry cake mix in slow cooker.  Spread half the crushed pineapple with juice over cake mix.  Repeat layering.  Sprinkle reserved cake mix over final layer of pineapple.  Cover and cook on high setting for 2 hours.  Serve with ice cream. 

Still crockpot-ing it.  Gotta love the crockpot.

This steak is so tender and it is amazing on flour tortillas. 

1-1/2 lbs. boneless beef round steak, cut into serving-size pieces

2 c. frozen corn

18 oz jar salsa

15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 onion, chopped

1/2 cup water

1/2 t. salt

1/8 t. red pepper flakes

Place beef in crockpot.  Mix remaining ingredients together, pour over beef.  Cover and cook on low for 8 to 9 hours.  Delicious!

I was so blessed after the birth of our baby to have dear friends bring us food for several days following.  I had some things in the freezer to serve up as well.  I love having freezer meals on hand to give me a little extra time to love on the baby and my big kids. 

Now that the freezer is empty, I'm back to cooking supper for my family.  The crockpot is tremendous right now.  Just tremendous.  (We might starve without it.) I've pulled out my crockpot recipe books and I'm going to have some fun trying lots of new recipes.  Bacon-Swiss BBQ Chicken was a huge hit with the Chief and kiddos. 

6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

26 ounce bottle barbecue sauce

6 slices bacon, halved and crisply cooked

6 slices swiss cheese

Place chicken in a slow cooker; cover with barbecue sauce.  Cover and cook on low for 8 to 9 hours.  Arrange 2 strips halved bacon over each piece of chicken; top with cheese slices.  Cover and cook on high until cheese melts, about 15 minutes. 

I used chicken tenders because they were on sale and cheaper than chicken breasts.  Still yummy and more manageable for the little people.  And to save a few minutes, I put the tenders in the oven to melt the cheese. 

I think crockpots rate right up there with dishwashers.  I love dishwashers cause they wash the dishes for you.  Well, crockpots cook dinner for you.  I have a wonderful recipe book dedicated to crockpot meals (picked it up at a yard sale for FREE!).  I currently have two crockpots.  I have gone through a lot of crockpots in 14 years of marriage.  I wear them out from use.  One crockpot is large and ancient.  It is a hand-me-down from my grandmother who switched to a smaller one.    I love it.  The other is a brand spanking new extra large stainless steel crockpot that I received for Christmas.  And I love it.  I throw some ingredients in whichever crockpot in the morning and by late afternoon - TA DA!  "Supper's Ready!"   

This is one of our favorite crockpot recipes:

Taco Soup

1 pound lean ground beef

3 cups water

1 can light red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1/2 bag of frozen corn

1 quart of canned tomatoes

1 can condensed tomato soup

1 small jar of salsa

1/2 package taco or chili seasoning mix

Crushed tortilla chips (optional)

Shredded Cheese Monterey Jack, Cheddar, whatever I have on hand (optional)

Seriously, don't worry about the exact amount of each ingredient.  Just pour in what you think looks pretty.  I've had this soup so many ways.  It's pretty much awesome.

1.  In a large skillet cook ground meat until brown.  Drain off fat.

2.  In a crockpot combine meat, water, beans, corn, undrained tomatoes, tomato soup, salsa, and taco seasoning mix.

3.  Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 6 to 8 hours or on high-heat setting for 3 to 4 hours.  Ladle soup into bowls.  If desired, sprinkle with tortilla chips and shredded cheese. 

If you've never roasted a whole chicken, get ready to "wow" your husband! 

Buy a whole chicken.  

In the morning, slice a little onion and put it in the bottom of the crockpot.  Place the whole chicken on top of it (after you remove the wrapping, remove the packet stuffed inside of it and give the whole chicken a little rinse in the sink). 

Sprinkle the chicken with poultry seasoning.  Put a few pats of butter on top of it.  Pour in a little juice (1/4 cup or less).  Any kind would be fine.  I like apple. 

Turn the crockpot on low.  Let that chicken slow cook all day.  Mmmm....Mmmmm....  It is so good.  Chief and papooses both agree, it is one of their favorites. 

Don't throw away the leftovers.  We're going to use it to make Chicken Noodle Soup.  Keep all of the carcass (I know, ewww!) - bones, skin... all of it.  Pick any chicken off the carcass.  Place it in a bowl and refrigerate or freeze to use in the soup in a later step. 

Go ahead and put the carcass in a pot (all of it, it's gross but worth it).  Add some carrots, onions and celery.  I use five or six baby carrots, half an onion, one whole stalk of celery chopped into smaller pieces.  Fill pot with water.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and simmer for hours (minimum of three, the longer you cook it the better it is).  I cook mine all day or all night.  Stirring occasionally.  The smell is delightful! 

Pour contents of pot into a colander (catch your broth in a large bowl under the colander) to get the bones and other "ew".  Pick through the bones for any pieces of chicken you may have missed.  Rinse the pot.  Pour the broth threw a strainer back into the pot. 

Now, you can refrigerate or freeze the broth in a freezer bag (once it's cooled) until you are ready to use it.  When you are ready to make the soup, thaw the broth.  I usually just plan to have roasted chicken one day and soup the next.  Unless it's 100 degrees outside, then I freeze the broth for colder weather.  

Bring broth to boil.  Add extra wide egg noodles, however many you want. Add chicken.  Reduce heat and simmer.  This broth takes a good soup and makes it a great soup! 

You can do this with turkey, too.  

Shape to avoid touching the slow cooker edges, this simple meat loaf lifts out easily so you can place it on a platter and serve it at the table.

Prep:  15 min  Cook:  Low 5 hours, High 2 1/2 hours  Stand:  10 minutes  Makes:  6 to 8 servings

• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 8-ounce can pizza sauce
• 1/2 cup seasoned fine dry bread crumbs
• 2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1/4 cup shredded cheese (Monterey Jack, Mozzarella, or Parmesan)

In a large bowl combine egg, 1/2 cup pizza sauce, and the bread crumbs.  Add ground meat and mix well.

On waxed paper, shape meat mixture into a 6-inch round loaf.  Cut aluminum foil into three 18 x 2 inch strips.  Crisscross the strips.  Place meat loaf in center of strips.  Bringing up the strips (like handles), lift the meat loaf into the crockpot.  Press meat away from sides of cooker to avoid burning.

Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 5 to 6 hours or on high-heat setting for 2 1/2 to 3 hours.  Using foil strips, carefully lift meat loaf from the cooker and transfer to a serving plate.  Spoon remaining pizza sauce over meat; sprinkle with cheese.  Let stand 10 minutes before slicing. 

This post is linked to the Ultimate Recipe Swap at Life As Mom.