Slow Cooking in the Summer Months




The weather has warmed, and were spending more and more time out in the yard. 

I love it.

But I STILL use my slow cookers more often than not for our family dinners, and I urge you to, too.

Slow cookers take up very little electricity to run when compared to your stove or oven, and they do not heat your kitchen up the way those other appliances do. Youre not going to notice that your AC is struggling to keep the kitchen cool, and youre not going to be standing over a hot stove, trying not to drip into your pasta sauce.

(ew. thats really gross, steph.)

Ive listed my favorite ways to use the cooker below --- if youve got a family favorite, add it to the list!

FISH
Love, love, love fish packets in the slow cooker. The fish steams perfectly in a foil or parchment-paper packet and you get a beautiful, flaky finished result without stinking (or heating!) up your kitchen.




FISH


Lemon and Rosemary Chicken
We make this chicken pretty often, and I like to use the leftovers on top of salads or in chicken sandwiches. If you dont want to mess around with a whole bird, dump in a bunch of your favorite frozen boneless, skinless pieces and then add the seasonings.
lemon rosemary chicken

 
Pesto Spinach Lasagna
This lasagna rocks. Its vegetarian, so its automatically lighter than most lasagnas, and because youve got pesto layered in it each and every bite is absolutely bursting with loads of flavor. Put your basil crop to good use this summer!

pesto spinach lasagna


Lentil and Kale Super Food
Kale is good for you. Lentils are too. And together they work to create a great casserole that will keep you swimsuit-ready the entire season. (an added bonus? this tastes good. PROMISE.)


lentil and kale super food


Hot Dogs
And let us not forget that you can fit 60 HOT DOGS INTO ONE POT!
and that there is pretty darn impressive.


cook 60 hotdogs at once!


Basil Chicken with Feta
More basil! This Mediterranean-inspired dish that will keep all the picky people in your house happy.
basil chicken with feta


Cowboy Beef and Bean Sandwiches
although cowboys might not actually eat their sandwiches on rice cakes....?
beef and bean sandwiches


 
Applesauce
And while I certainly have quite a few desserts you can make in the crock, my favorite not-too-sweet dessert in the summer is Applesauce. We eat it both hot or cold --- and the kids love to add whipped cream and ice cream to their bowls for an even more decadent treat.


applesauce


Crayons
If youre like us and your playroom or household art area has more broken than whole crayons, no worries! You can melt them down in an aluminum muffin tin to make recycled crayons!
This is a great summer time playdate or girl/boy scout activity.

crayons

Enjoy your summer time months! Keep the slow cooker out --- youll be thankful that you did!


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