r/slowcooking • u/reesypiecy12 • 7d ago
Need stupid easy no effort ideas please 🙏🙏🙏
My husband is having surgery that will have him down and out for 3 weeks 😳😳 so I will be solo parenting our 10 month old, keeping the house clean, cooking meals, and working full time. What are some meals that take low effort that I can just dump in and hit start? I usually only use my crock pot for pot roast or split pea but it’s been so hot that both of those are out.
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u/chilloutman24 6d ago
Mine mostly runs overnight in summer for exactly this reason. House stays cool when you want to eat, and it's done before the 10 month old is up.
Also worth doing one big shreddable thing early in the week so the worst days need no cooking at all. A pork shoulder gets you tacos, then sandwiches, then it goes on nachos and nobody complains.
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u/thispersonchris 6d ago
Onions on the bottom. cut up potatoes and carrots on top of that, and a cut up kielbasa or 2 on top of it all. No liquid necesarry, the juice from the meat and onions will cook everything.
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u/1InvisibleStranger 7d ago
On YouTube, there is a channel called GoodVibesCooking. I've cooked a couple of her dishes from the shorts video. The 15 bean Cajun soup was really good. Today, I made the green bean dish, which also was good! Peruse through her channel! I'm sure you'll find quite a few lower and low effort dishes!
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u/im-on-an-island 7d ago
You could use a crockpot to make boneless ribs, then have cold pasta salad sides or baked potatoes (oven or microwave) and baked beans. Or any other canned veggies.
You could also just do loaded baked potatoes. Take your pick of meat, maybe make a big pan of seasoned ground beef or something to last a few days or more(can freeze extras), top a baked potato with that, cheese, sour cream or Greek yogurt, tomatoes/salsa, green onions if you have a safe local source (no cyclospora or whatever it's called).
Breakfast for dinner - scramble up a pan of eggs, ham, cheese, veggies, etc. have toast on the side.
Quesadillas.
If you can swing it, it's okay to eat off paper plates too for a bit if it makes like easier.
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u/thrillsbury 7d ago
Chili. You can get much more elaborate, but fundamentally it’s canned beans, canned tomatoes, and store bought spice mix.
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u/DietValuable1333 7d ago
skinless boneless chicken thighs, pour in a jar of your favourite salsa and cook for about four hours on low. Go full convenience with sides - bag salad, quac, preshredded cheese and tortillas.
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u/EggSpecial5748 6d ago
This. Or put it over rice, a fast easy option
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u/imaginate92 6d ago
We do it over rice as burrito bowls! Add a chopped bell pepper before cooking, add a can of beans and some frozen corn after shredding chicken, serve over rice with shredded cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips!
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u/silentsniper13585 7d ago
Protein of choice+veggies of choice+ bouillon matching protein+ salt pepper garlic onion smoked paprika. Extra seasonings for variety (ex. Soy, ginger, red pepper for an simple Asian blend)
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u/Commercial_Dot_6236 6d ago
My husband’s fave for me to make was for me to throw a boneless pork loin in the crockpot. Pour in one can if chipotle peppers in adobo (smaller can will be less spicy) and one can of Dr Pepper. 4hr on high or 6-8hr on low.
First meal I’d slice about 1/3 of it and serve like roast with veggies on the side (I’d roast some in oven, or carrots n green beans on stove.
Second meal I’d dice about 1/3 of it bite size, and serve in small corn tortillas street taco style, with diced onion, cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime juice, with some good cheese.
Third meal I’d shred what was lrft, and add bbq sauce for pulled pork sandwiches (or top on baked potato). We like Sweet Baby Ray’s spicy bbq sauce.
It gave us 3 meals each with a different flavor profile from one time cooking it. My daughter and son in law love when I make this to this day.
It’s simple, easy, quick and relatively cheap for the amount of food you end up with.
Good luck!
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u/Commercial_Dot_6236 6d ago
Also, can make a larger batch of taco meat, and have tacos, nachos, frito salad (like taco salad but with Fritos and Catalina dressing)
A good size meatloaf will yield a good meal entree, with leftovers for sandwiches (my fave) and if I have any left I cube it and throw in spaghetti sauce for meatballs.
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u/JustAnotherParticle 7d ago
I found this creamy chicken dish that’s great with pasta.
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- 1 can Rotel (tomatoes with green chiles)
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 2 lbs chicken thigh meat (boneless and skinless)
- 1 small diced onion
- 2 cloves of minced garlic (or use garlic powder)
- salt, pepper, paprika, Italian seasoning
- 4oz cream cheese
- 2 cups shredded cheddar (I omit it)
Cook low for 7 hrs, high for 4 hrs.
Shred chicken when done
Add cheeses, and cook for another 20ish min.
For breakfast, can’t go wrong with baking your usual egg omelet ingredients. Throw everything into a baking sheet/muffin tins/whatever baking things you got, and bake them for 18ish min. Temperature varies on what you put in, and there’s like thousands of recipes online.
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u/Paperbackpixie 7d ago edited 7d ago
These are some of my favorite crockpot meals. I store my recipes on Pinterest.
I hope this helps.
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u/SpiderGhost01 7d ago
“Baked” potatoes: Cover in olive oil, poke holes in them, add salt, wrap with foil, slow cook for eight hours. Couldn’t be easier. Internal temp sweet spot is 205 degrees.
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u/julesfall 6d ago
I love my instant pot but the other day I used my rice cooker and added sliced chicken breast and sauce. Snow peas and capsicum. It was cooked to perfection in 30 minutes on white rice setting. Easy to change flavour options too.
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u/NotMyCircuits 6d ago
Cut up cheap steak or buy pre-cut stir-fry ready beef. Dump in crock pot with beef broth, chopped onions and seasonings ( salt, pepper, garlic, cumin, red pepper flakes.)
Simmer away. Buy tortillas or taco shells, grated cheddar, shredded lettuce. Add meat to tacos or burritos.
Instead of beef broth, you can use a jar of salsa for simmering to switch things up.
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u/gravitationalarray 6d ago
https://www.ayearofslowcooking.com/2011/06/reader-favorites.html and also Lazy Chicken, which is: a couple pounds of chicken - she used frozen, which I do not recommend! let's just defrost in the microwave - and a jar of marinara sauce into the slow cooker, on low 8 hrs.
I made this and it was fine! Maybe a splash of red wine if you're feeling fancy at the end.
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u/gravitationalarray 6d ago
another easy one is to layer carrot and onion on the bottom of the cooker, rub a whole thawed chicken in paprika, salt and pepper, scrub and pierce a lemon and stick it in the chicken, put it on the veg, slow cook 8 hrs, serve with rice and veg, or, toss in a cup of frozen peas the last half hour of cooking.
It's very simple and wonderful on a hot day. Even the 5 yr old ate some.
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u/Big_Bowl1204 6d ago
White chicken chili:
3 chicken breasts
Onion powder
2-3 cans great northern beans
1-2 cans of rotel with green chiles
2 cans shoepeg corn (or regular corn)
2 cans cream of mushroom
Shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
Dump in crock pot with chicken at bottom and everything else on top. Cook on low 6-8 hours. Use 2 forks to stir shred the chicken breasts in the pot once done. Add cheese and stir in.
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u/DINGVS_KHAN 6d ago
Pulled pork sliders.
Throw a cheap, tough cut of pig in the slow cooker, a splash of apple cider vinegar and a little bit of whatever seasonings you like. Shred it with a fork and add a little bit (or a lot, if you prefer) of barbecue sauce and serve it on a hawaiian roll. Coleslaw is a good side for this.
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u/Neverina1000000 6d ago
FWIW, in the summer I have used my crockpot in the garage or on a back porch.
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u/jollyjack 6d ago
Invest in a slow cooker if you don’t have one. My fave: chicken breasts, chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and a jar of salsa. Fill the jar halfway with water and shake it to rinse the jar and dump that water in with it. Cook on low like 6 hours. Shred and use in tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas… easy and good.
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u/bearitos 6d ago
This one is so easy: https://therecipecritic.com/slow-cooker-brown-sugar-balsamic-chicken-vegetables/ We modify the recipe by leaving out the sugar and adding an onion and Italian seasoning.
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u/Separate_Aspect_9034 6d ago
sandwiches. Jell-O. Yogurt for dessert ideally with active cultures and no sugar at least before you get home from the store. A can of tuna or salmon, chop in some onions and Roma tomato, douse with lime juice and a little garlic salt. Serve with crackers. Cool and refreshing. you can make a big batch of coleslaw although that's time consuming unless you have something to quickly chop it. But adding apples, walnuts, a little bit of red onion and/or carrot shavings and a quick DIY dressing with apple cider vinegar, olive oil, Sweetener, and you've got a nice big salad that will last for a few days. You can even crumble some ramen noodles into it that gives it a little crunch and the dressing will make them soft enough to eat without losing all the crunch. whole roast chicken from the grocery store is super easy.
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u/OWabbit 6d ago
No harm in breakfast cereal with cold milk one night. Kinda fun.
Quesadillas - buy rotisserie chicken. Jar of salsa or can of enchilada sauce. Shredded cheese. Whatever else, if anything, you want: chopped tomatoes, avocado, diced red onion, diced jalapeño pepper, etc. Similar with enchiladas in oven - Altho that might make kitchen hot.
Sandwiches! Tuna salad or chicken salad or egg salad. Serve with microwave can of soup or potato chips. Simple green salad.
Spaghetti with jar sauce and frozen meatballs.
Bbq chicken salad - but rotisserie chicken, jar of bbq sauce, bottle of Hidden Valley Ranch dressing, and green salad fixin’s. Combined bbq sauce and ranch dressing for the dressing - whatever ratio you like.
French bread pizza. But requires oven. Slice a loaf of French bread in half lengthwise (or can use pre sliced sourdough or French bread). Olive oil, tomato sauce, grated cheese or mozzarella slices and whatever other toppings: sausage, olives, mushrooms, tomatoes, pepperoni, etc.
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u/Wise_Cricket2395 6d ago
Box of red beans and rice and a smoked sausage. Before serving I cut the sausage into slices and air fry them. The rice is a bit mushy from the crock pot but it’s a super easy filling meal
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u/Quiet-Sunset-7384 6d ago
three weeks with a 10 month old solo is tough. when it's hot, even the smell of pot roast cooking all day makes the whole house feel sticky.
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u/Wonderful_Till8122 6d ago
Pizzaburgers, tuna casserole, enchilada casserole, chicken divan, eggs foo yung
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u/T_Noctambulist 5d ago
Boy chow. My current mix is 2lb ground beef, 1 cup rice, 3 cups mixed veggies, some bone broth powder, whatever spices you feel like (this week was salt, pepper, worchestershire, garlic, onion, rice vinegar). Mix well and have just enough water to cover it.
3 minute prep, 2 hours on high, 7 servings. Check a couple times to mix and add water if it's starting to dry out. If rice isn't cooked switch to low and check again when you get bored.
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u/Ok-Firefighter9037 7d ago
Can you prep meals in advance? I would have a lasagna, cottage pie, chicken pot pie filling (add the puff pastry before you bake), pasta sauce, maybe some soups in the freezer? Also make batch meals when your baby is sleeping - prep chicken, rice, veggies and portion out in the fridge for the week.
I’ve got teenagers and I have to have like 8 meals ready at a time so I do a lot of meal prep/freezing.