Other uses for crock-pots! My youngest two getting ready to cook the kitty. 🙂
In my last post I shared the schedule of a typical day in my life. As I mentioned, I don’t have “normal” or “typical” days. My days are usually spent scrambling from one child’s needs or activities to the next.
I know many of you also have very busy lives. We’ve become a society that runs at top speed.
Usually the first thing that happens when life is demanding is that we stop taking care of ourselves. We get so caught up in taking care of everybody else that we often let our own needs slide to the bottom of the list.
I’ve learned that’s not necessarily the best approach, especially long term. But the truth is, it’s all too easy to let our own physical and mental health take the back seat while we run ourselves ragged. We constantly pour ourselves out, but never take the time to fill back up.
In the movie, Mom’s Night Out, the husband (Sean) makes the analogy that the stewardess on the airplane always instructs passengers that in the event of an emergency they should put their own air masks on first before assisting someone else. Why? Because without having oxygen, we may not have enough strength or reserves left to help anyone else.
What are some of the ways we can fill ourselves up (or put on an oxygen mask)?
I’m not a health guru by any means. And quite frankly I fall short of taking care of myself quite regularly. I overindulge in coffee. I sometimes eat too many snacks. And I often read past my bedtime (and don’t get as much sleep as I should as a result!).
But over the years, I’ve been learning to put on my oxygen mask, to carve out time for the things that will keep me healthy. Here are just a few ways to breathe life into ourselves:
1. Make time for the pursuits we love. I love writing and reading. Even if I wasn’t a published author, I’d still love writing. It satisfies a deep creative part of me. And so does reading.
We all have to find something we love and just do it. We can’t just dream about doing it when we finally get free time. We simply have to MAKE time to do something that fulfills us.
2. Make time for mental health and spiritual well-being. I like to take time to recharge in the mornings before my kids are awake. This fall I’m reading a book by Julie Clinton, Becoming an Extraordinary Woman of Faith.
In one way or another, we all need a quiet spot in our day where we allow our minds some peace from the constant barrage of noise–whether that’s listening to good music, reading uplifting blogs, journaling, or whatever might give us nuggets of wisdom that we can apply to our lives.
3. Make time for exercise. I used to take a twenty minute brisk walk every day with my dog or walk inside to a Leslie Sansone DVD. But for the past couple of years I’ve been running. At my last doctor’s appointment, my blood pressure and cholesterol were finally back within normal ranges (both of which had once bordered on troublesome). Some form of exercise, even brief, is better than nothing at all.
4. Make time for wholesome home-cooked meals. Homemade meals seem to be one of the first things to go by the wayside when our lives get overly busy. We opt for fast foods, take-out pizza, or eating out.
While I’m definitely not opposed to pizza on a Friday night when I’m too exhausted to lift a finger (or a good Applebee’s burger once in a while!), I’ve also been able to find easy recipes over the years that allow me to quickly prepare a meal for my large family.
Some of my favorite recipes happen to be crock-pot recipes that I can throw in at lunch time while I’m listening to an audio book with my kids. I’ll share two of my favorite and easiest recipes, but ONLY if you promise to share your easiest recipe in the comments! 🙂
Your turn! Please share your shortest, easiest recipe (it doesn’t have to be for a crock-pot as long as it’s easy!). Also we’d love to hear about your oxygen mask, the things you do that keep you healthy both physically and emotionally. 🙂
Jody Hedlund
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I loved your oxygen analogy. We find ourselves putting our husbands, children and others always ahead of us too much of the time. Crockpots are wonderful inventions. I use mine a lot and even take it camping sometimes. My favorite is cooking a round beef roast. I cut up wedges of raw potatoes to put in the bottom to keep the roast from getting too brown or sticking on the bottom. I mix half an envelope of onion soup mix with a bit of water and flour and pour over the roast. I cook it on low to medium for 8 to 10 hours and it fills the house with wonderful smells, so much you want to “slap your granny”!
Great post, Jody! I, too, love the Crockpot! My favorite easy crockpot meals:
Pot roast meal…15 minute prep: before I go to bed, I toss a large roast from the freezer into the biggest crockpot we have. Pour worcestershire sauce to coat the roast, sprinkle with sea salt and garlic pepper. Surround with a bag of baby carrots, a few potatoes cut into fourths (or sixths if they’re huge). Cut an onion into fourths and separate the layers. Lay over all on top. Cook overnight. Turn to lowest setting for the rest of the day and supper is ready to dish up by 5. (Plus the whole house smells divine!) You can make BBQ beef with the leftover roast for the next night.
BBQ Chicken…5 minute prep: Put frozen chicken breasts in the crock pot, squirt KC Masterpiece (or your favorite brand) BBQ sauce liberally over all. Cook for at least 5-6 hours. Serve. You can usually fork-shred the chicken at this point if preferred because it will be so tender.
My last-minute go-to when overflowing with eggs and souring milk (it doesn’t really matter if the milk is sour or not; it won’t be when it comes out of the oven). This recipe makes enough for 2-3 if it’s all you’re eating, but it’s easy to double (or triple) and throw in a second pan. Or halve it for just yourself and eat it from a pie plate.
Pannekoeken:
Preheat oven to 450 F. Drop 2 T butter in a 9X13 pan and put in the oven to melt butter as it preheats. Meanwhile, mix:
1 cup milk, 4 eggs, and 1 cup flour. Take pan from oven – spread butter so it covers the bottom and at least partway up the sides. Pour in batter. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake 10-15 min at 450, until the puffed edges are browned.
Eat with butter (what I prefer), syrup (my husband’s preference), or leave off cinnamon and eat with a 50/50 mixture cream cheese/cottage cheese and fresh berries. It’s easy to dress up. You could even make it with onions and peppers instead of sweet, but I’d have a mutiny.
I turned in the revisions on my next book last Friday, so the past week I’ve enjoyed a much slower pace and plenty of time to ‘put on my oxygen mask’ and breathe.
Thanks so much for the crock pot recipes! I’m definitely going to try them.
One of my favorites:
Chicken Tacos
-Pour in a a cup of red salsa
-Pour in a cup of green salsa
-Add chicken breasts
-Cook. Once the chicken is soft and cooked through, shred with two forks. Serve on soft or crispy tortillas! I like to add a little coleslaw to the tacos or a bit of cheese or lettuce once they’re in the shells. But otherwise, they don’t need much. The salsa flavors the chicken wonderfully.
Wow! What a great idea, Becky! Can’t wait to try those. I think my picky hubby would even like those, and it’s something different than we usually eat.
Great Post Jody! You are quite right! It is so important to look after oneself to ensure one has enough energy to care for others. , I thought your analogy of the O2 masks was a perfect example. I had to smile when I read that you asked about our oxygen mask. I literally do that if I am feeling fatigued working in a very demanding and acute unit. A quick wafting of 02 just using a piece of tubing attached to a minimal flow rate, works wonders for feeling refreshed and I’ll bet there’s not one nurse who hasn’t done that at some stage!LOL
Of course, I realise you are referring to how we care for ourselves at home.:)
My routine is very similar to yours except I walk. My running days are over since I fractured my knee cap last NY Eve. Not a good start to the NY for sure but walking is good for the soul and being fortunate enough to live in a peaceful hills setting full of beauty, with our wild life little creatures(Koalas) close at hand, is relaxation in itself.
“SNAP” with the recipe ,because I was going to give you my apricot chicken LOL Instead I thought I would give you my “Pushover Casserole” recipe…..as follows.
This is for 6-8 servings(recipe 1)
1Kg (2lbs) stewing steak cubed
60 gms (2oz) butter (or healthy alternative)
3 tblspns plain flour
1large onion chopped
4 large mushrooms
1parsnip cut into chunks
1 carrot cut into chunks
2 stalks of celery roughly chopped
2 beef stock cubes crumbled
2 cups of water.
Brown steak in butter (or healthy alternative) Stir in flour.
Transfer into casserole dish add all other ingredients and cook in moderate oven (180-190 C) or (350-375F) for two hours.
(recipe 2)
KING NEPTUNE PIE: Serves 4… so double recipe for your Family:)
30gms butter(1oz)
2 tblspns plain flour
1 cup milk
2 chicken stock cubes crumbled
425 gms (15 oz) can chunk style tuna, undrained
2 tspns lemon juice
1 cup of cooked peas ( cook in microwave if preferred)
TOPPING.
3 medium potatoes cooked and mashed( use microwave if preferred)
1/2 small onion grated (optional)
Melt butter (or healthy alternative ) in saucepan, add flour and cook for one minute.
Gradually add milk, stirring constantly until sauce boils.
Add stock cubes ,tuna and liquid, lemon juice and peas. Season to taste.
Spoon mixture into casserole dish and top with potatoes mixed with onion, if desired.
Bake in moderate oven (180-190C) (350-375F) for 25 minutes.
Hope this is of some help Jody.. it truly is easy preparation.:)
I’m REALLY loving all of these recipes today, everyone!! Thank you for sharing! I truly appreciate it!! 🙂 I can’t wait to try them!
Great post, Jody! Enjoying the recipes too – – have to say I LOVE my crock pot. 🙂
Here’s my simple but yummy chicken recipe: Patti Jo’s Easy-Peasy Chicken & Rice 🙂
Place in crock pot 4 to 8 chicken tenders (depending on how many
mouths you’re feeding)
Pour over chicken 1 can Cream of chicken soup
AND 1 can Cream of celery soup
Cover and cook on high for approx. 4 hours.
Serve with rice (I use the quick boiling bag rice – – SO easy!).
I also serve this meal with one or two green vegetables and rolls. YUM!! 🙂
**** You can also use boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead of the tenders – – I’ve used both.
My go to fast meal is a white fish cooked in a tomato sauce.
I start by sauteing 1\2 chopped onion in 1T. Olive oil until glossy in a large covered fry pan.(1-2 minutes)
Next
Pour a can of Italian style tomatoes into this large covered frying pan on the stove.
Add
A drained can of mushrooms into the pan next. Heat to a simmer.
Place
fish fillets on the tomato mix and cover. Cook 10 minutes and check to see if the fish is flakey.
When flakey serve over rice.
Dinner on the table in 20 minutes.
This is so true. Making a little time for yourself is an ok thing and necessary to recharge as a wife and mom most days. When my husband would sense I really needed some time, he would run a tub bath for me and tell our girls they were not allowed in there. He would keep them occupied. I could read a book or magazine and take a much time as I needed.
As far as recipes, I have a lot. One of my family’s favorites is
Mexican Chicken
I take 6-7 chicken breasts, frozen put in a Crock pot.
Top with about 8-12 oz of salsa. Depending on if you like it spicy or not use medium or hot.
1 can black beans, drained
1 bag frozen corn
Let this cook for about 6-8 hours in low or 4 hours on high. About 30 mins before you are ready to serve add 1 block of cream cheese. Mix and I usually shred the chicken. Serve over rice, with tortilla chips or with soft tortillas. And I also like to top out with freshly shredded cheese.
I sometimes add more chicken and double the ingredients to make more so we get extra left overs.
I’m going to be trying those recipes asap! And when I need to recharge I usually grab a book or watch a couple episodes of an Asian TV drama (love those so much more than American TV).
I recently discovered an amazing Sesame Chicken crockpot recipe here: http://www.tablefortwoblog.com/crockpot-honey-bourbon-chicken/
But it’s not my go-to-quick&easy recipe. That would be my:
Breadcrumb/Parmesan-crusted Tilapia. I make the breadcrumb/pecan/cheese topping in a large batch and keep it in the freezer – then when I make the fish, I just have to whip up the honey-mustard sauce which takes two seconds.
Pepper & sea salt
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 Tbl Dijon mustard
1 Tbl honey
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
1 tsp garlic/herb seasoning
4 Tilapia Fillets or Loins
Preheat oven to 400F.
Combine butter, honey and dijon in a small bowl (heat in microwave so they can be mixed)
Combine the remaining ingredients in another bowl.
Spray pan, salt & pepper both sides of the fish and lay in pan.
Brush the fillets with the honey-mustard mixture lightly.
Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the fillets coating them evenly and well.
Bake until the fillets flake easily with a fork (about 10-15 minutes).