Crock Pot Recipes

I have not written in a long time.  Life has continued, but has been busy and difficult. This past week was challenging and exhausting, but I still have two more weeks of the semester. I needed to get my cooking done, but also needed to get other chores done, plus school work. So, of course that meant the cooking was crock pot.  I started breakfast before I went to bed last night and woke to my home smelling like pumpkin pie this morning and breakfast ready!  I then started soup for supper.  I love that I can put everything into the crock pot in just a few minutes, then let it do the rest of my work for me.

Crock Pot Vegetable Beef Soup

  
  1 64-ounce jar vegetable juice (such as V8) 

  1 pound ground beef (I put it in raw and let it cook--it works fine and saves a step)

  2 pounds frozen mixed veggies 

  1 teaspoon onion powder

  ¼ teaspoon garlic powder 

  1 teaspoon celery salt 

  1 spoonful beef base or beef bouillon (optional)

 
Put all ingredients in the crock pot. Cook on high ~6-8 hours. I usually add ~2/3 of the juice, then the meat, veggies, seasonings, then the rest of the juice later. Beef can be browned and drained in advance and I do this with anything less than 93% lean. When using it raw, I break it in pieces when I add it. I did once put a pound of frozen ground turkey in and it thawed and cooked fine--I just had to break it into pieces later.

Crock Pot Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal
(modified from a recipe I saw online)

3.5 to 4 cups milk
1 cup steel cut oats
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg,
¼ teaspoon each ginger, all spice, cloves
 
Spray crock pot with cooking spray.  Put all ingredients in the crock pot and stir to mix.  Cook 8 hours on low. I serve it with a little pure maple syrup.

I spray the crock first with non-stick spray to make clean-up easier. This recipe can also be made on the stove, but if so, it needs stirring occasionally. On the stove, cook until desired tenderness. I have made a double batch on the stove but I have not tried a double batch in crock pot yet.

Source of original recipe:

http://skinnyms.com/overnight-slow-cooker-pumpkin-pie-steel-cut-oats-no-sugar-added/