Four Slow Cooker Recipes for Fall

Editor’s Note: Some suggestions are made in parenthesis to improve the nutrition of these recipes. They are notations from the publisher of this site, not the author.

Four Crock Pot Recipes for Fall
by Rachel Paxton

Fall is upon us, and there’s no doubt it’s nice to come home to a warm home-cooked meal! If you let your crock pot do the work for you, you can get dinner ready in the morning and it will be there waiting for you at dinner time. You’d be surprised how many meals can be prepared in a crock pot. Here are just a few:

Crock Pot Lasagna

1 box rigatoni, cooked (use whole grain pasta)
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef, browned & drained (organic, grass fed is best)
1 lg. pkg. sliced pepperoni (obtain pepperoni from naturally raised pork, preferably a local farmer)
1 green pepper, chopped
2 lg. pkg. grated Mozzarella cheese
2 lg. cans pizza sauce
1 med. onion, chopped
8 oz. mushrooms
Green olives, sliced

Begin with layer of sauce on bottom of crock pot. Stir all
remaining ingredients together. Place in crock pot and cook on
low for 5 hours.

Crock Pot Pork Chops

6 to 8 lean pork chops (organically raised pork)
1/2 c. flour
1 tbsp. salt
1 (10 oz.) can chicken and rice soup (be sure to use a healthier variety that is MSG free)
1 1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tbsp. oil

Coat pork chops in mixture of flour, salt, dry mustard, and
garlic powder. Brown in oil in skillet. Place browned pork chops
in crock pot. Add can of soup. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8
hours or on high for 3 1/2 hours.

Crock Pot Meat Loaf

2 lbs. ground beef (grass fed, organic is best)
1/2 lb. ground sausage (from healthy pork fed a natural diet)
2 med. onions, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, chopped
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 c. sour cream
1 can cream of mushroom soup (choose a natural brand free of dangerous additives)
1 1/2 c. bread or cracker crumbs
1 1/2 c. milk (organic, preferably raw)

Soak bread or cracker crumbs in milk. Mix meat, seasonings, and
soaked crumbs thoroughly. In a separate bowl, mix sour cream and
mushroom soup. Make meat mixture into loaf and place in crock
pot. Pour the sour cream-soup mixture over top. Cook in crock pot
10 to 12 hours on low.

Crock Pot Stew

3 pounds lean stewing beef, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
1 envelope dry onion soup mix (
1/2 cup beef broth
1 can (10-1/2 oz.) condensed cream of mushroom soup
1 can (4 oz.) sliced mushrooms, drained (opt.)

Combine all ingredients in crock pot and cook on low for 8 to 12
hours.

Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom who is the author of
What’s for Dinner?, an e-cookbook containing more than 250 quick
easy dinner ideas. For more recipes, gardening, organizing tips,
home decorating, holiday hints, and more, visit Creative
Homemaking at http://www.creativehomemaking.com.

Slow Cooker Orange Juice Chicken

Slow Cooker Orange Juice Chicken

What You Need:

6 chicken leg quarters
3/4 C ketchup
1/2 C orange juice
1/4 C sucanat or honey
1/4 C red wine vinegar
1/4 C olive oil
4 t fresh parsley, minced
2 t Worcestershire sauce
1 t garlic salt
1/2 t pepper
2 T + 2 t cornstarch
1/4 C water

How to Make It:

Cut the leg quarters at the joints and place into the slow cooker.
Whisk together the ketchup, orange juice and sugar until dissolved.
Whisk in the vinegar, oil, parsley and the Worcestershire sauce.
Sprinkle in the garlic salt and pepper and whisk until well combined.
Pour the mixture over the chicken and turn the chicken to coat on all sides.
Cover the slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 180 degrees.
Remove the chicken to a warmed serving platter and cover to keep warm.
Dip out 2 C of the cooking sauce from the slow cooker and place in a saucepan.
Whisk the cornstarch and water together until smooth.
Add the mixture to the cooking sauce in the saucepan and place the pan over medium heat.
Bring the mixture to a brisk boil.
Stirring constantly cook the mixture for 2 minutes or until thick.
Pour the sauce over the chicken before serving.

Makes 12 servings

Slow Cooker Pork Loin with Apple Juice Glaze

Slow Cooker Pork Loin with Apple Juice Glaze

What You Need:

1 (4 lb.) pork loin
1 t season salt
1 t pepper
12 oz. apple juice
2 1/2 t garlic, minced
1 T dried parsley

How to Make It:

Cut the loin in half and sprinkle with the salt and pepper.
Place both halves into a 5 qt. crock pot.
In a bowl whisk together the juice and garlic until well combined.
Pour the glaze over the pork loin.
Cover the crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours.
The meat should be tender and reach 160 degrees on a meat thermometer.
Remove the meat and allow it to stand 10 minutes before slicing.

Makes 12 servings

Preparation Time: approximately 15 minutes
Cooking Time: approximately 8 hours
Total Time: approximately 8 hours 15 minutes

Next Page »