The crock pot makes winter cooking easy.  You can prepare cheap easy meals from your slow cooker including soups, stews, desserts and cakes.  Fill the crock pot, turn it on, walk away and come back to delicious crock pot meals.  I cook a lot of soups in winter and all of them are prepared in the slow cooker.  You will be able to make cheap and easy crock pot meals with little preparation.  Soups are great to freeze for later as well, so if you are cooking on a budget soups are great value.

When most people think of crock pot cooking they think of cooking stews only, and they do cook well by slow cooking, but in winter I also cook most of my puddings, cakes and other desserts in the crock pot.  Last winter I also started cooking breakfasts also.  If you are a busy person, then why not get out that crock pot this winter and if you haven't already got one you can buy one at a great price on eBay or Amazon.  Check out the eBay auction on this site for current listings.

We are all cooking on a budget these days and the slow cooker helps you save money as you can use less expensive cuts of meat, use less electricity, cook in bulk and have more home made meals instead of dining out. Cooking in winter is always more pleasant than the hot steamy days of summer so this winter why not try some nutritious and easy crock pot meals.  Cooking on a budget has never been easier.

TO CHECK OUT:    Frugal Mom's Guide to Once a Month Cooking is here!  Not only does it have over 70 mom-tested once a month cooking recipes, but complete step-by-step instructions for doing once a month cooking, and lots of great forms to help you!
Click here for more information.

Cooking for one person in the crock pot, why would you do it you might ask?  Surely it would be more practice to cook conventionally on the cook top or oven.

Well, the first reason would be that you can, in one session, cook enough meals to have for every say Monday for the next month ie if your recipe serves 4.

Think of the time saved in the kitchen, the washing up you saved yourself and the luxury of having a meal already cooked when you come home for the day.

All you need are the recipes, the ingredients, your crock pot and some freezer containers to make this work.

You will find a lot more recipes as well that cater for cooking for one person as more people don't have the money now to eat out as often as they used to.

Crock pot meals are easy to make and just because you are only cooking for yourself doesn't mean you have to miss out on some good recipes and the other benefits you get from cooking in the crock pot.  It is especially helpful for busy people who just don't have the time to prepare their meals when they come home from work.  The joy of coming home to your home with the great smell of a cooked dinner waiting for you is priceless.

Why not try the crock pot this week and cook one meal and see what an advantage that can be to yourself for the next week.

This crock pot beef recipe is a very tasty one that a friend shared with me.  It was a regular recipes that I had to adjust to the crock pot and it worked very well.  It will suit a family or for a party as it will feed 6 or 7 people.  It has a lot of ingredients and some like the baby carrots and round beans I had to buy in but most of the other ingredients you should have on hand. I suggest you use fresh ingredients as the canned variety will go to mush in the long cooking process.

Casserole cooking

I cooked this recipe on high but in hindsight I think it would have been better to cook it on low as the longer cooking time will tenderize the meat better.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Beef with Prunes and Orange

In a plastic bag add the flour and add the beef in lots and toss to coat.  Heat a frying pan with half the oil and brown the meat in batches and add to the crock pot as they brown. You may need a little bit more oil and if so add to pan and now brown the onion then add the turmeric and cumin then add the tomato paste and cook until aromatic.  Add the orange juice, the beef stock and the prunes to the pan and cook for a few minutes.  Add this to the crock pot and cover and cook on high for 4 hours (7 hours on low).

Add the carrots, parsley, spring onions and round beans half way through the cooking time and stir in well.  You can add more parsley to the finish dish.  Serve with potato mash, noodles or rice.

I hope you like this crock pot beef with prunes and orange as much as I did and love the mix of spices and the sweetness of the orange and the prunes.

I don't know about you but I hate cooking in summer if it means the kitchen becomes a hot and unbearable.  I will often cook at night to avoid a hot kitchen until I started cooking with my crock pot.  Unlike a conventional oven it leaves the kitchen cool but you can get a break from salads with great crock pot meals.

The crock pot gives off so much less heat so if you want to keep your kitchen cooler in summer then get out that crock pot you put away last winter.  If you can cook it in the oven or on a cook top you probably can cook it in the crock pot too.  Besides casseroles and soups you can cook roasts and desserts and even cakes and make great crock pot meals.

There are other benefits too like cutting down on electricity not only from cooking but on the air conditioner trying to keep your house cool.  You can plan ahead and start your dinner cooking early in the morning when its cooler and have it ready for the evening.

There are also so many great recipes now for the crock pot including  my own of course.  You can get the vegetarian recipes here on the site by clicking on the image in the top right hand corner or you can get my books on Kindle.  Click on the link here for my Kindle Author Page to see them.

The last reason for using the crock pot in summer is the easy clean up.  Don't spend your precious time cleaning pots and pans when you can have only one pot to clean up.  You have too many more enjoyable things to do in summer than clean.

Get your crock pot out again and start keeping your kitchen cool and enjoy your crock pot meals!

This beef and healthy carrots crock pot recipe is a low cost one except for the beef but because it is slow cooked you can use the cheapest cuts for this. I like to cook this recipe on low because it give the meat time to tenderize. It's a traditional kind of recipe and you can jazz it up to your tastes fairly easily.   You can set and forget these kind of crock pot meals and I often will cook this on a Sunday morning and let it cook all day.  I then have a meal for Monday night dinner as well.

Beef and Carrots Crock Pot

Brown the onion and garlic in a non stick pan with the splash of oil then add the meat which has been coated in the flour.  Continue to cook for a minute or two then add the tomatoes, wine, stock, and parsley.  Transfer to the crock pot and cook on low for 7 - 8 hours.  You can thicken with a little more flour mixed with some water if needed.  Sprinkle the extra parsley when serving.  I like this recipe served with mashed potatoes and extra vegetables.

This is a nice warming meal on a cold night or a great family meal.  Beef and carrots crock pot is one of my favorite old time recipes and I hope you like it too.

I remember my mother teaching me to cook and the happy times I spent in the kitchen with her.  Easy cooking for kids doesn't have to be something you are going to spend all day on as kids get bored rather quickly.  Using your crock pot will mean they can get their cooking going and then watch it as it cooks.

Follow these 4 tips and your experience and theirs will be memorable:

1.  Use simple recipes and the kind of food they like to eat.

2.  Use easy to read step by step instructions.  Easy cooking for kids depends on this for success.

3. Try and keep the number of steps to a minimum with five being the most.  If the recipe is too complicated they will get bored and you will have to finish it all off.  Crock pot cooking is good in this respect as you often can get three step recipes or less.

4.  Select the ingredients and have them all together measure out ready to go. For example have chicken pieces already cut to the size you need for the recipe.  This is especially important if the children are young so you can avoid them using knives.

Crock pot cooking provides easy cooking for kids as it is relatively safe compared to the oven or stove top cooking methods.  Also these recipes are faily foolproof in the crock pot so they will have some good experiences cooking with you.

The good news too is that when you cook in your crock pot you won't end up with lots of washing up to do and this is good news for you and the kids.  If you are busy you can get older children to cook simple recipes in the slow cooker all by themselves and that can be a great help to you as well.

You can see that using the crock pot can provide a way for easy cooking for kids.  Pick easy step recipes and they will be rewarded with a great experience  lovely crock pot meals.  Don't forget you can also cook cakes and desserts in the crock pot and kids love these too.

You can get some great cookbooks for crock pot cooking at eBay.  Just click on this link to go there now!

If you looking for an easy recipe for the crock pot then this Chicken Thighs Oriental Style is the one for you.  Mix up your marinade the night before and pour over chicken then cook the next day.  Presto, there is your dinner.

I turn the chicken a few times when I think about it so both sides are coated with the marinade.  This helps with the color and flavor so remember to do that step. You can also use drumsticks or wings if you prefer them to thighs.  Here is the recipe.

Chicken Thighs Oriental Style

Mix all the ingredients except the chicken and mix well.  Pour over the chicken pieces and marinate in the fridge overnight.  Turn once or twice.  Spray the crock pot with some oil spray and place the chicken pieces in the base.  Spoon any of the left over marinade over the chicken and cover.  Cook on low for 6 hours.

Serve with rice or with vegetables as I tend to do (you have probably noticed by now) as dinner is when I try and get my four serves in.  You can also serve this dish cold with salad.

*  You can use 2 dessertspoons of honey if you like it sweeter.

If you love chicken like me and especially if it has a savory sauce then you will love this crock pot chicken breast recipe.  I am always conscious though of cooking and eating healthily so this recipe is fairly low on fat.  You can even reduce it more if you want by using a non stick pan to brown the meat and omitting the oil.  I hope you like it and would love to hear any variations you may make to suit your own tastes.

This chicken recipe is an adapted one from an old regular recipe I had written in a cook book going back to the 80s.  Sometimes the old recipes though are worth keeping and using again even just for the variety in your crock pot meals.  Note:   I give alternatives in the recipe, with my choice being listed first.

Crock Pot Chicken Breast

Cut the fillets into thick long pieces (or to your liking) and heat the oil in a pan and brown the chicken.  Remove to the crock pot and turn down the heat.  Combine the rest of the ingredients except the salt and pepper and add to the pan and bring to the boil.  Add this to the chicken in the crock pot and turn on cook on high for 3 - 4 hours.  If your crock pot cooks fast then use the lower cooking time.  You will know this unless this is a new pot you are using.  I tend to quickly check about the 3 hour mark anyway as chicken breasts cook fairly quickly.

Serve with rice and vegetables (see image above) which we like or you can serve with potato or pasta. If you are cooking for two what I do is freeze what I don't eat and use for another night when I get home late and want a quick meal without having to buy take away.  This crock pot chicken breast  recipe serves 4 - 5.

For other crock pot meals  like this one you can get the recipes here by CLICKING HERE.

If you are looking for a soup that is super easy to make and won't take as long as some recipes in the crock pot then this Chinese Crab and Corn Soup is perfect for you.  This recipe was given to me from a friend many years ago and I have adapted it to the crock pot.  This recipe does use canned products so I think of the soup as a kind of fast food substitute.  I like to use fresh ingredients when I can but eating this soup is still better for me than burgers or fried chicken. It is also easy to make for a late night supper.

Chinese Crab and Corn Soup

Add the first 3  ingredients to the crock pot and half of the shallots.  Stir well and turn on the crock pot slow cooker to low and cook for 1 - 2 hours.  Before serving add the egg and the soy sauce.  Sprinkle the remainder of the shallots over the top and serve with some crackers or toast.   If you like a slightly thicker soup then you can thicken with some cornflour. Serves 4.

I like this Chinese Crab and Corn Soup when I want a nice warming soup but have limited time and I hope you try it and enjoy  it too.  To top it off it's probably one of the easiest soups I make as well.

This is a great crock pot meal to prepare and eat  on a cold rainy night to keep you warm inside.   It's easy to make this Beef Casserole with Paprika and you should have all the ingredients in your pantry although I have only become a fan of smoked paprika for about a year so I wouldn't have had that myself before then.

Casseroles are perfect for winter or when you know you haven't got much time to cook as you just set and forget in the crock pot.  I hope you enjoy this recipe and if you want to adjust it slightly then go ahead and let me know how it turns out.  Cooking is all about experimenting with the recipe to suit your tastes and this crock pot meal is no exception.

Beef Casserole with Paprika

1 kg steak cut into large cubes*
1 tab butter
2 onions, chopped
1 tab butter extra
1 tab plain flour
2 teas mustard
2 tabs tomato paste
1/2 teas regular paprika
1/2 teas smoked paprika
1/2 cup each of red wine and beef stock **
salt and pepper to taste

Brown the meat in the first lot of butter and remove to the crock pot.  Add the extra butter then add the onions and cook until clear then add the  flour.  Cook for a minute then add the rest of the ingredients to the pan.  Bring to the boil stirring constantly then pour over the meat in the crock pot.  Cook on high for 4 hours on high or 6 - 7 hours on low.  If  the casserole needs any more thickening do that now just before serving.  You may find you  need this as the meat does give off more juices during cooking.  Serves 4 - 5.

Serve  Beef Casserole with Paprika with rice, mashed potatoes or small whole potatoes.  As there are only two of us this crock pot meal makes two meals for us.  I serve it one night with the small potatoes topped with sour cream and steamed vegetables, and the next night with rice as a quick meal.

*  Cheaper cuts do well cooked on the low setting
** You can replace the red wine with the same amount of beef stock if you want.