Looking for Meal Ideas

anything you did in the oven you can do in the crockpot.. just make sure that you cook ground meat (on the stove top) first.

Some of my favorite crock pot recipes:

Chili
1 lb ground meat (browned)
1 chopped onion (I usually cook this with the ground meat on the stovetop)
Dump above in slow cooker and add chopped tomatoes, beans, garlic, and chili powder to taste. Crock pot on low for as long as you need to (I put it together in the morning and we eat dinner around 5). Nuke a baked potato in the microwave (pierce with a fork and cook on high until done - between 5 and 10 minutes, at the most). Yum

Pot roast
1 pot roast (3 lbs or so)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can water
1 envelope french onion soup mix
Vegetables as desired (carrots, potatoes)
Slice potatoes into small ish chunks and layer on the bottom Then add pot roast, com soup, french onion soup mix, water, and carrots. Cook on low 10 hours or so. Serve over toast, rice, or nothing.

Lasagna
Brown ground meat.
Mix 28 oz can spaghetti sauce with 2 cups water.
Break lasagna noodles so they fit in the crock pot.
Layer with cheese as usual.

Cook on low 8 hours or so.
Serve with garlic bread (stove top) and a salad.

Fajitas
Cut up chicken breast, bell peppers, and onions. Marinade chicken breast as desired (1/2 cup salsa works real well). Cook on hot griddle until done. Serve with tortillas, sour cream, cheese, guacamole, and salsa. Side with Refried beans and mexican rice - or whatever.

Liguini with Picante Sauce

10-12 oz linguine 1 tsp chili powder
1 med onion 1 tsp ground cumin
1 clove garlic ¼ tsp dried oregano
1 (15oz) can black beans 4-6 oz shredded cheese
1 TBL oil ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 can diced tomatoes
½ cup picante sauce

Cook pasta using pkg directions; drain. Rinse with cool water; drain again. Cover to keep warm. Chop onion. Mince garlic. Drain and rinse black beans. Heat oil in skillet over med-high heat until hot. Add onion and garlic and mix well. Sauté until onion is tender. Add undrained tomatoes, picante sauce, black beans, chili powder, cumin and oregano and mix well. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer the sauce, stirring occasionally, for 15 min; remove cover. Increase heat to med-high. Cook, stirring frequently, until of the desired consistency, about 5 min. Place hot cooked pasta on a serving platter. Spoon sauce over pasta. Sprinkle with cheese and top with cilantro.

I don't own a roaster, but my mother does. I don't know if your roaster is like my mother's, but hers works exactly like an oven. Almost any thing that needs to be cooked in an oven will work in the roaster, including cakes. Just put it in a dish that fits in the roaster, and set the thermostat for the correct temp.

You've gotten a lot of great ideas. Have fun trying new things!

Pull out your crockpot and start cooking! I can't tell you how many easy to make recipes are online for cooking in a crockpot which is SO easy! The grocery stores like www.tomthumb.com have a ton of recipes as well. Try these places: www.allrecipes.com, www.bettycrocker.com and www.kraftfoods.com for more easy recipes.

I love my crockpot and wouldn't survive without it. Good luck! I have a few favorites I could share -- if you're interested.

You may not love this idea with the cool weather, but I cook fish (outside on the patio table because of the smell in the house) in the electric skillet a lot! I get the frozen Blackened, Terriocky, and wild Alaskan Salmon, Parmesan Crusted Tilapia and Macadamia crusted Mahi Mahi at Sams Club.

I get home from work, throw the individual packs in cold water for 15 minutes, cook for 15 minutes while I put some steamer veggies in the microwave and I have a really healthy meal that the kids like in 30 minutes!

Good Luck with your oven!
E.

F.,

We bought a grill pan from Target - a Caphalon non-stick, rectangle that fits over two burners of our stove. We use it daily now - grilled veggies, chicken, burgers, fish, all the stuff we used to bake or fry now gets grilled. It's easy, a quick clean-up and probably much healthier for us. Good luck!

I make beef stew and pot roast in my cast iron pot on top of the stove. Both are family favorites.

Chicken cutlets seasoned your way, pork chops, noodles, marinara sauce, soups.

I have a crock pot but I just don't love it like so many do. I enjoy all the prep and tending to the cooking in the afternoon.

Also, utilize your grill. In the summer I never use my oven. I use the grill or toaster oven.

Good luck

I would start with a roast in the crockpot one evening and then use leftovers to make beef stew.
Braise your roast on the stove top in butter with garlic powder and pepper. Put the roast and what's left in the skillet in the crockpot. I add a can of cream of mushroom soup, a packet of onion soup mix, chopped up onions, sliced mushrooms if you have them, and beef broth. Just cover with liquid. Cook on high for 4-5 hrs or low for 8. The smell is incredible.
The next night chunk up the leftover meat and start in a pot of carrots, onion, little celery, can of diced tomoatoes, beef broth, frozen or canned corn, and diced potatoes. Very easy and you really can't screw up either of these. And they are budget friendly seeing you can really use whatever you have in the pantry or leftover veggies in the fridge.
When you get your oven back, make some chocolate chip cookies to treat yourself :)

A really fast, cheap, easy meal is a recipe my mom created called "stuff". Take leftover noodles (any kind), put in a large skillet with 3 or 4 eggs, mix with soy sauce and ham or torn up lunchmeat, and bam, you have a five minute meal. It sounds weird, but it is delicious! I make it for my family, and it's my 8 year old's favorite meal.
Also, you can make a 16 bean soup with ham. They sell the bean packets with seasonings for a few dollars at the store. Just add sausage or ham.