Busy Mom’s Guide: 5 Reasons To Love Your Crockpot

I love my crock-pot. No, allow me to rephrase: I lovvvvveeeee my crock-pot. This is not an instance in which the understated is better stated; you must understand, I hold my crock-pot in significantly high regard. And there is a special place in my heart for quick, painless dinners that get thrown into that magical dish and come out six hours later a delectable feast! But there is so much more potential hidden under the surface of this beautiful kitchen appliance, just waiting for you to discover!

Here are the top five reasons I find myself falling head-over-heels for my crock-pot:

1. For the 5-Minute Dinners
   I cannot even count the times I have scoured my cupboards in the wee hours of the morning looking for random ingredients to throw into my crock-pot before turning it on low and heading out for the day. It is by far the easiest way to make dinner in -as my Little Miss would say- the history of the world! (Besides take-out; that doesn’t count.) Here are a couple of my go-to 5-minute recipes:
   1. Creamy Chicken & Broccoli (This recipe does have you add steamed broccoli right before serving and requires rice to be cooked separately. I usually plan to have this on a night where I have left-over rice and broccoli to cut down on prep time!) 
   2. Italian Chicken Soup (This one’s a go-to for us! So easy – you just throw all the ingredients in an voila! It’s also completely Paleo/Whole30 friendly!)
2. For The Crowd
   This fall I had grandiose plans of hosting a harvest party. Or a house warming party. Or both. Well, neither happened – mostly because I underestimated the time and energy it would take adding Baby 2.0 to the mix, but I still had done all the fun pinning to plan my autumn bash. So, unable to try it at a party, I tried it for myself! This is one of the funnest, easiest ways I can imagine using my crock-pot: all you can drink Pumpkin Spice Lattes! There are also recipes for Apple Cider, Eggnog and Cinnamon Lattes on my Crock-pot Love Pinterest board.
3. For Dessert
   There are SO many reasons to love dessert, but by far one of my favorites reasons to enjoy something yummy is if it was easy to make! It doesn’t get much easier than crock-pot desserts. My number one pick is the Crock-pot Chocolate Lava Cake! Find a bunch of other easy crock-pot desserts on the board.
4. For Convenience
   This is one of the biggest reasons why I love anything. There is nothing more attractive to a Type-A, list-making, ever-accomplishing mama than the prospect of being able to -literally- be in more than one place at once! From Crock-pot Mashed Potatoes to Melted Chocolate for Dipping and Drizzling (love this one! No more endless stirring and microwaving or double-boiling!) , a crock-pot is a go-getter’s best friend. Did you know you can let your bread rise in your crock-pot without having to worry about a draft from the open door ruining all your hard work? Or what about making cheesecake… in your crockpot. How about homemade yogurt? Oh yes you can. Find it all here.
5. For Fun
   Finally, here are my favorite ‘just for fun’s:
   1. Homemade Liquid Soap
   2. Crock-pot Candles 
   3. Crock-pot Lotion Bars

So now that we all have a little more appreciation for this wonderful member of our kitchen family, let’s put them to work! Leave a comment and let us know what your favorite crock-pot perk is. Did I miss a good one? Let me know!

Want more? Check out my Crock-pot Love Pinterest Board for the latest!

❤ Jasmine

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