Hellobee Boards

a rotisserie chicken from the store and rice with steamed veggies. So fast. Our rice cooker has a veggie steamer so they are all done at the same time. Takes about 20 mins.

Yeah, in your position, I'd get the super delux crockpot that will cook for so long, then switch to warm. Then I'd be using that thing 5 nights a week.

Here are my crock pot go tos -

Sauteed meat, onions, peppers, mushrooms (super easy to do in big batches and freeze) plus canned tomatoes, then just make pasta and a simple salad at dinner time.

Taco/burrito fillings - ground beef/chicken, black beans, frozen corn, canned tomatoes, then a ton of taco seasoning. Then serve with shredded lettuce, cheese, etc. That's just about the easiest meal in the world, imho.

Chicken, with potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, etc, cooked under it.

Some kind of soup? With fresh bread.

After that I'd probably go for a quiche made the night before, and then maybe grilled sandwiches with soup, stuff like that. Or a big salad with some kind of protein on top, all prepped the night before.

Chili! That's what we are having tonight.

1 lbs ground beef, browned
1 chopped onion
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can kidney beans (or any other kind of beans you have on hand)
1 packet of mccormick chili seasoning

Combine in a pot and let it simmer as long or as short as you want (definitely works in the crockpot, too). Sometimes I add some corn, too. We eat it with cheese and sour cream. So good!

Honestly, prep stuff on the weekends! Then you can get dinner on the table pretty quickly during the week> it's my saving grace.

And yes, it's a pain. two hours on a Sunday that I would rather spend watching tv or whatever....but it's SUCH a lifesaver during the week.

I like making a quick pasta with italian sausage, peppers, onions, garlic and tomatoes. It takes about ~25 minutes from start to finish. Each prep step can be done while you are doing something else--I brown the sausage while waiting for the water to boil, then chop the onion & garlic while the sausage is browning. I use the tri-colored frozen bell peppers from TJs to save time. I use a can of fire-roasted tomatoes. By the time the pasta is done, the sauce has cooked down nicely. I do garlic bread in the oven sometimes too. Husband loves it and it is so easy!