All opinions are always 100% honest and my own. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I also participate in: CJ Affiliate; eBay Partner Network; Rakuten Affiliate Network; ShareASale; Walmart Affiliate Program; independent affiliate networks.
I hate cooking. Seriously. I'm in for anything that makes it more tolerable. One of my secret weapons is my crock-pot. I use it at least twice a week, once on Wednesday and again on Sunday. You can have a delicious, healthy meal ready when you are, with minimal cost and fuss.
Crock-Pot is the original brand of slow cooker. High quality, great features. Through July 31 you can save 15% off any slow cooker and get free shipping! Just click through and use promo code 5Q4R.
Some of the slow cookers include other bonuses, too. The 6-quart oval smart-pot comes with a free 3-piece utensil set and a cookbook. The 5-quart crock-pot comes with a bonus “Little Dipper” mini-crock.
My slow-cooker has become an integral part of my food storage menu plan. When I post that, recipes will be included.
Alison Moore Smith is a 61-year-old entrepreneur who graduated from BYU in 1987. She has been (very happily) married to Samuel M. Smith for 40 years. They are parents of six incredible children and grandparents to two astounding grandsons. She is the author of The 7 Success Habits of Homeschoolers.
I’m with you on this one. My favorite commentary on cooking is, “I can cook, I just choose not to!”
I actually have three appliances in my kitchen that get used regularly: the crockpot, the foreman grill and the microwave. I do own an oven. It comes in really handy for storing leftover pizza so that the boxes aren’t just sitting out on the counter. I suppose my stove is a staple as well– it is wonderful for heating up frozen vegetables to go with the meat I cooked in the crock pot or foreman grill as well as for making one of my favorite soup recipes, all of which consist of opening a whole lot of cans, dumping the contents into the great big soup pot and waiting until sufficiently heated. The microwave is used mostly for heating frozen burritos and hot pockets, boiling the water and butter for stuffing or instant potatoes (my kids actually PREFER flakes, which works well for me!) and warming up leftovers (as I tell my kids– the fact that there are leftovers is proof that I did cook a real meal sometime during the past week!)
Okay– I do participate in real cooking on occasion as I believe it’s part of my responsibility as a mother to teach my children the fine art of cooking, although I am not sure why. I could get along without it just fine if they weren’t here, and I don’t plan to spend more than 5 minutes at a time in the kitchen the entire month of July while they are with their dad! Cold cereal, yogurt, cottage cheese and other quickies will serve me well.
I also remember the time period from January through mid-March when I actually cooked a ‘real’ meal every single night for 2 1/2 months! This was prompted by several things, but the most prominent was the fact that my son will be leaving on a mission next February and I decided it was time to be sure he had developed all of the skills required, including cooking. So, on New Year’s day I started by adding to my daily affirmation how happy I was now that I took time every day to fix a healthy, nutritious dinner for my children and how much I enjoyed working with them in the kitchen. Okay– I DID suddenly find time to fix a healthy, nutritious meal for them every day (another story about how the law of attraction has worked in my life) and I DID enjoy working with my children in the kitchen. However, I hadn’t been as clear as perhaps I could have been. Nick would come home from school for lunch and sit at the counter and visit with me while I fixed him a fancy, nutritious and even attractive lunch. We had a good time and I told myself that he was watching me cook and learning the fine art of survival through observation. Of course, in the evenings he was off working out and my daughter joined me to fix the dinner meals.
One day shortly before I left for Vienna I had made arrangements to meet my mother for lunch. She works up on campus and so we decided to meet at the student center. My son was excited as he had been encouraging me to come to the new deli/food center where he was working. I invited him to join us before he had to report for work, so we all met and had lunch together. As Nick showed me around the food center he would tell me what was in this and that and why I would like it or why I might want to avoid it, etc. etc. I was certainly impressed at his ‘food’ knowledge as he told me all the ins and outs of making this fancy food and how they did it. We sat down and had lunch. Before my mother and I finished it was time for him to start work, so he excused himself and soon appeared behind the food counters in his cute striped pants and big white chef’s apron and hat. As I was visiting with my mother I looked up to see MY SON flipping a pizza in the air and catching it like a professional chef!
That’s when it hit me! This kid knew more about fixing fancy food at this point than I did, and here I was worried about making sure I had taught him the cooking skills he would need as a missionary! I went home that night, crossed off my little ‘fix a fancy meal everyday’ affirmation, stocked the freezer and fridge with crock pot meals, healthy but fast foods like yogurt, cottage cheese and fruit, and left for Vienna. I have never returned to my domestic diva desire to cook a ‘real’ meal every night, and perhaps won’t again until Josh (still 15) reaches that ripe old age of 18 going on 19!
OK, Alison, so when ARE you going to post those food storage recipes? 🙂
After I finish my two books and prepare all three of the convention speeches I’m giving and lose 30 pounds??? Did I mention that I have to wash my hair?
Long live the Crockpot! I don’t mind cooking so much as I do the planning, shopping, and cleaning. Got any good appliances to take care of those issues?
Robo-maid.
LOL Molly, you’re just going to have to attract a personal organizer, a personal shopper, and a full-time cleaning lady into your life!
I have found Don Aslett cleaning products to be excellent, especially the toilet cleaner. (Of course, it still requires someone on the other end of the brush!) Also, that product they have been advertising that you hang on the shower and it just sprays and cleans really does!! It has been a lifesaver in my boys shower!!
I must be the odd man (woman) out here. I love to cook – when I have someone who enjoys eating. I have made up cookbooks of my favorite recipes to give as gifts (hint for those Mom’s with youngsters getting ready to leave on mission). I use those acetate sleeves to put the print outs in three ring binders so that they can be wiped clean.
My crockpot is my best friend, especially in the summer. Thanks for reminding me about that, I go through stages where I forget to use it.
Sharilee, I haven’t heard of that shower product…do you have a name?
Scrubbing Bubbles. It was pretty pricey, but it really works! It was cheaper than buying a new shower, which is where I was getting to with my boys bathroom!