The Very Best Crockpot Recipes

Hi friends!

I'm so happy so many of you liked this idea and submitted your favorite crockpot recipes to me over on my instagram! (@katiewkrysh) I have a bunch of great recipes for you today that you can pin, save, share with your partner, etc. I did have a few others sent to me but some didn’t have measurements or they were repeats of the ones below, so I didn’t include them  This time of year is always difficult for me to have the motivation to cook (the warmer months are always so much easier!) so I think these will really help me (and hopefully you guys) meal plan better and give our family some new delicious meals to eat!

Here we go...

Creamy Chicken Stew

Slow Cooker Black Bean Taco Chili 

Paleo Jalapeno Popper Chicken Chili

Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Honey Lime Chicken

Buffalo Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Slow Cooker Lasagna

 

Chicken Enchilada Soup

Paula Deen Taco Soup with Ground Beef and Onions 

 Trisha Yearwood's Crock Pot Pork Loin

Easy Crock Pot Taco Soup

Spicy Ground Chicken:

-Ground Chicken

-1 cup chicken broth

-1 cup RAO sauce (or any pasta sauce)

-1/4 cup hot sauce

-1 cup chopped carrots

-1 cup chopped celery

-1/2 onion diced

-1 tbsp smoked paprika

-1 tbsp cumin

Salt/Pepper to taste

Mix together and cook on low for 4-5 hours

Italian Chicken:

-3 chicken breasts

-7-8 red potatoes 

-1 bag of baby carrots

-Italian dressing

Cook on low 5-6 hours 

Thank you guys again for participating! I'm starving now and can't wait to make these!

MEAL PLANNING TIPS

Hey guys!

A little lesson for myself this week (not in regards to meal planning-I'll get to that) is to only start binge watch Stranger Things episodes AFTER I actually have a blog post written. Because...yeah...THIS SHOW! Sucks me in and then I'm MIA around here.

I have such a love hate relationship with meal planning. The hardest part, for me, is just sitting down and taking the time to actually do the planning (why is this!), but then once I start it's pretty painless and I'm happy it's done for the week. Not to mention our week flows so much better + we're not just sitting around wondering what's for dinner! It saves time. money. and you stress less.

These are some things that I've found helpful when it comes to meal planning...

+Have a Pinterest board just for weekly dinners. Pin 4 or 5 for the upcoming week so that you can refer back to it when you need to get the ingredients and head to the store (or do an online order) This is also great because you can access your favorite recipes quickly!

+Order online: What I like to do is have the recipes I want to make for the week pulled up and then add the ingredients for each recipe to my shopping cart online. This way you never forget an item and you're also not buying things you don't need.

+Schedule a specific time for weekly meal planning (I normally like to do it on Friday's)

+Do theme nights: Meatless or Mexican Monday, Taco Tuesday, Whatever Wednesday, and so on! Makes it easier to plan.

+Since we eat a lot of eggs in our house, on Sunday's I will make a dozen scrambled eggs and store them so that all I have to do in the mornings is heat them up. Less cleaning + quick = happy mom and boys. You can also do this with so many other foods!

+Cut up and portion out the kids' snacks or fruit/veggies for meals into containers so that they're ready to go. I wish I did this more often because it saves so much time!

+Try to make enough for 2 meals

As for my recent fav recipe I've tried lately...it would be this chili recipe, hands down (also pictured above!) I've made it twice in the past 2 weeks. YUM!

What secrets do you have when it comes to meal planning? What helps your family? Share with me!

PS: You can follow all my Pinterest boards here!

Weekend Happenings

Monday is here and I can't be more serious when I say that I'm really excited about it...

You won't believe it {as I'm knocking on wood over here} but everyone in our house is back to being healthy again, so I feel like a BRAND NEW WOMAN! If you missed it (see also I forgot to share), I went to the doctors last week and found out that I had bronchitis. Not that shocking since Grayson has been getting over RSV (he's pretty much over it now-thank God!), but still a big bummer when you're trying to parent two kids and feel like a semi-normal human being yourself. So yes, I'm thrilled it's a brand new week and that we're one week closer to spring!

Here's some happenings from our weekend // Just some fun things I wanted to share:

 

Billy got me this necklace as an early Valentine's Day gift. It's from Urban Sparrow Designs (not sponsored at all) and I really love it because not only does it have the boys' initials but also a paw print disc for Rocky. I have been wanting a disc necklace (vs the bars) for a while, so safe to say this is one of my favorite pieces of jewelry!

 Saturday night I went solo shopping to Target (#momsgonewild) to get some Valentine's Day things for the boys. When I got home and laid it all out I realized just how random of the crap that ended up in my cart actually was. And this picture isn't even including the chocolate covered strawberry Oreos that also came home with me...

 

 

But hey, at least I got those self-tanning wipes for 20% off (thanks Cartwheel! and yes, I do actually love them-they are so easy to apply and don't turn me orange) I typically like to just do little craft items, new books, and just 1 or 2 little pieces of candy or fruit snacks for the kids Valentine's Day baskets!

I've been sticking well to my plan of cutting back on caffeine. I've had it 2-3 times max in the past 3 weeks. I STOPPED craving it and feel worlds better, but still like to treat myself once a week just because.

 Camden looking adorable playing with his lego's...he's obsessed with that plane right now!

 and don't worry, we do actually have heat in our house but he wanted to wear his hat and since he looked so cute in it I had to snap some pictures.

 This mascara...

Also, let's talk meal planning. Does anyone prepare a big batch of dinners (3-4) on Sunday's to use for the week? I'm thinking about trying it. Yesterday I made these egg muffins to have on hand for the week for breakfast, these no-bake energy balls for snacks, and made a big batch of chicken noodle soup. Now I'm feeling inspired to make even more dishes (like dinners) as well on Sunday's. If you do, what are your favorite dinners to make in advance? Share them with me!

Not pictured but just as fun was a play date the boys had at our friends house! It was also my stepmom's birthday yesterday so we went over and celebrated that with her and she gave Camden a very {much needed} haircut! Oh, and I have to admit we turned off the Superbowl game early. I did watch Gaga's performance though, and of course LOVED it. Thought she looked and sounded amazing!

 Now let's cross our fingers our house remains healthy until like...summer. At least. :)

Top 3 Fall Recipes

Happy Fall!

While I'm sad to see summer go, I welcome fall with open arms because it means I can make these three recipes whenever I want and not be judged for it. What would make fall even better is if winter didn't come right after it, but hey let's not think about that right now.

These are some of my absolute favorite things to make this time of year and they're incredibly easy, too.

1. APPLE PIE APPLES 

(because hello...apple.pie.apples. Enough said)

 full post here

What You Need:

-2 apples (or 1 per person; we used Honeycrisp but you can use your favorite type) 

-1 Can Apple Pie Filling 

-1 Pie Crust

-Cinnamon

-Vanilla Ice Cream (optional) 

Instructions:

1. Cut the tops off your apples and scoop out the insides with a knife or spoon. 

2. In a small bowl, mix 1 teaspoon (or more-whatever suits your tastes!) cinnamon in with the can of apple pie filling, then fill the mixture in the apples.

3. Unroll 1 pie crust, cut into fourths, then cut into small strips. Lay 3 strips horizontally on top of the apple, then weave 3 vertical strips in and out to go on top. Cut the edges off around the apple.

4. Bake in a baking dish filled with 1/2 cup water in the bottom at 375-400 degrees for 25-30 minutes!

2. APPLE CHIPS

full post here

3. PUMPKIN PIE YOGURT DOTS

(a recipe for your little ones!)

full post here

What You Need:

+Vanilla Greek Yogurt (one of the single containers)

+Pumpkin Puree

+Pumpkin Pie Spice, optional

+Sweetener, optional

Instructions:

+Pour an individual cup of greek yogurt into a bowl. Use the same cup to measure 1/2 full of pumpkin puree. Add 1/8 tsp of pumpkin pie spice and your desired amount of sweetener and mix all of it together with a spoon. Transfer mixture into a large zip lock bag (cut one of the bottom corners off so that you can easily make "drops") and drop small amounts onto a sheet of parchment paper. Freeze for 20 minutes. Use a resealable container for leftovers!

Enjoy!

Memorial Day Weekend

Happy Memorial Day Weekend, friends!

I'm currently working on trying to extend my birthday for as long as possible, so I think this holiday weekend is a good excuse to do that right? Besides having the whole day to myself (which was heavenly-I got my nails done and did a ton of shopping!), my Dad came over on Wednesday night to babysit Cam so that we could go out to enjoy a nice dinner together. We went to a restaurant called Basi Italia and ate outside on their gorgeous patio since it was a beautiful night. I splurged and got lobster tail and Billy got a pasta dish - both of them were so yummy!

Billy got me an apple watch (this pretty one!) I cannot wait to start using it! For those of you that have them, what are your favorite ways to use it and apps? 

I have some really fun posts coming up next week, but in honor of the holiday weekend I wanted to share some of my favorite links today that provide great ideas on how to make the most of it! 

Tortellini Kabobs

Need a dish to bring to a cookout or want to make something fun for eating at home? Here she is!

This drink though! Mmm! Tropical Passion Sangria

Chocolate Dipped Banana Splits
Because you can't skip making a yummy dessert! (kids would love this too I'm sure!) 

And if you're looking for fun outdoor activities for kids this summer, I love this article with 18+ Sensory Tubs for Toddlers and this summer bucket list!

I hope the weather is warm for all of us and everyone has a wonderful weekend! 

Five Things

-ONE-

This was a really busy and somewhat tough week for us. Rocky hurt one of his teeth and couldn't close his mouth due to the way his teeth were hitting each other, so our vet recommend putting him under anesthesia to have some teeth extracted and get a dental cleaning. We were so nervous for him to be put under anesthesia, but thankfully all went well and he's feeling much better now! They did have to do a biopsy on a cyst that he has in his mouth (he's had it for years and it was never a concern-but now that it's grown they wanted to check it out), so we've been on pins and needles this whole week waiting for the results from it but still haven't heard yet. Please keep Rocky in your prayers!

-TWO-

Clearly I'm on a big muffin kick because I made these strawberry muffins (thank you Ruthie!) last night. And just like the spinach banana muffins, they did not disappoint! They are so tasty!!

-THREE-

I got the best things in the mail this week for the boys- matching lunchboxes and backpacks with their names on them! Are they not the cutest things in the world?! (I covered up baby brothers so the name isn't showing...)

 They are the perfect sizes and so adorable! Love them so much! It should come as no surprise, they both come from my favorite personalized shop, Simply Made With Love. 

PS: The lunchboxes are on sale right now for only $13!! 

-FOUR-

I just ordered Cam this water table after hearing so many great reviews about them...

I think he will love it! Now it just needs to stay warm so we can play outside all the time!

 -FIVE-

We have a date night tonight so we're going to Easton for dinner and a movie, and tomorrow I'm getting a facial! I think that means it's bound to be a good weekend! 

Happy Friday friends!

Spinach & Banana Muffins

Who would've thought this recipe would be my favorite kid friendly one that I've posted so far? Definitely not me! But I've got to give it to these these little green puffs of goodness-I had my doubts but they have me so, so pleasantly surprised!

Camden is still a really great eater (and isn't very picky), but there are times I can tell he gets sick of the same vegetables served in the same way. He gives me this little smirk like, 'these again, ma?' Well, these little guys help switch things up a bit! These muffins are seriously perfect for getting some greens in him, and without him really knowing it because they don't just taste like spinach! I can only imagine how many times I will be making these as his little toddler personality and tastes develop more and more....I just hope he continues to love them as much as he does now!

They are really tasty, trust me. Make them right now...or tonight (don't forget to pin it!)...aka just do it!

Spinach and Banana Muffins
makes 16 muffins
+1 cup all-purpose flour
+1 cup whole-wheat flour
+3/4 cup sugar (I used a little less)
+2 tsp baking powder
+1/2 tsp baking soda
+1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
+1/2 tsp salt
+1/3 cup canola oil (you can use coconut oil instead! I'm going to do that next time)
+3/4 cup milk
+1 6 oz. bag fresh baby spinach
+1/2 cup mashed banana (1-2 bananas)
+2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line two 12-cup muffin pans with paper liners. Whisk together dry ingredients in a large bowl: flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside. In a blender, place oil, milk and spinach. Blend on high for about 30 seconds or until completely pureed. Add banana and vanilla, blend on low just to mix. Pour pureed mixture into dry mixture and fold together with a rubber spatula until combined. Fill muffin cups about 2/3 full and bake 18-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Enjoy!!

More recipes you might like: here and here! 

Feeding The Littles: Cheesy Veggie Quinoa Bites

Happy Monday!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all your congratulations on our announcement on my blog, facebook, and instagram! Some of you asked about the name for baby boy! We have some names that are strong contenders, but we are thinking about keeping his name a surprise until he's born.

Moving on...I have been working on our trip recap from Cabo but wanted to make sure I included everything, so that post will be tomorrow and for now I've got another feeding the littles recipes to share!

These little bites might be my favorite thing I've made Cam recently. He devoures them and they take less than 5 minutes to prepare! The recipe actually calls for quinoa, but I ran out and used brown rice instead. You can use either!

Cheesy Veggie Quinoa Bites

+1 cup cooked and cooled quinoa (or brown rice)
+1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
+1 cup chopped, cooked vegetables (I used peas, carrots, corn, green beans)
+1/2 tsp salt
+1 egg

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a mini muffin tin with cooking spray or oil. Add all the ingredients to the bowl and mix. Divide the mixture evenly between the cups of the tin and press down to pack it in firmly. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. I love that these make enough for the week! Enjoy! 

Other recipes from Feeding The Littles:  2 Ingredient Pancakes //  Zucchini Parmesan Crisps 

Feeding The Littles: 2 Ingredient Pancakes

 

I'm pretty positive many of you already know about this genius pancake recipe, but I didn't want anyone to think I had completely forgot about my feeding the littles series! So here I am...showing up with one of the easiest recipes ever to say, I haven't. If by chance you haven't heard of these pancakes, your life will forever be changed in the best way possible.

These pancakes are kid approved and mommy approved! Mommy approved because they are so quick to make that my life is easier because of them and because they are healthy for me to eat, too!  Camden loves these pancakes and one batch usually makes enough that I have breakfast for him the next day as well.

You'll need:

-1 (very ripe) banana

-1 egg

>>Mash the banana in a bowl. Add egg and stir to combine. Cook like a regular pancake! Add in blueberries or any fruit that your little one loves. (I like to top Camden's with some greek yogurt or just a tiny bit of butter, but he will eat them plain too!) 

Does anyone else make these pancakes for your kiddo? They are a weekly thing in our house! Happy Thursday friends!!

PS: Got to hear Baby K #2 heartbeat yesterday! Always the best! 

Feeding The Littles: Pumpkin Pie Yogurt Dots

Happy Monday! Hope everyone had a great weekend! 
(I finally got to meet Kristin after many years in the making...she was nothing like what she seems! JUST Kidding. She is just as awesome as I thought she would be, and has one amazing family!)

Anyway, I'm having so much fun finding new things to try for this series. If you have a little one, you know about the yogurt melts they sell at the grocery stores. I don't buy them very often, but they are a great thing to have packed in the diaper bag for a little snack when on the go and Cam loves them. Now, with this recipe, I can make them on my own (for less!) and know exactly what is going in them!

I wouldn't call them a melt per say since they're frozen, but same concept and I actually really like that they don't melt right away. They are perfect for teething babies! 

Only TWO ingredients...less than 5 minutes to prepare... = a win in my book. 

Pumpkin Pie Yogurt Dots:

+Vanilla Greek Yogurt (one of the single containers)
+Pumpkin Puree
+Pumpkin Pie Spice, optional
+Sweetener, optional

Instructions:
+Pour an individual cup of greek yogurt into a bowl. Use the same cup to measure 1/2 full of pumpkin puree. Add 1/8 tsp of pumpkin pie spice and your desired amount of sweetener and mix all of it together with a spoon. Transfer mixture into a large zip lock bag (cut one of the bottom corners off so that you can easily make "drops") and drop small amounts onto a sheet of parchment paper. Freeze for 20 minutes. Use a resealable container for leftovers!

Super easy. Your kiddo will love them!

Other recipes you might like: Carrot & Broccoli Orzo // Zucchini Parmesan Crisps

Feeding The Littles: Zucchini Parmesan Crisps

It's time for the second installment of Feeding The Littles!

These zucchini parmesan crisps could not be easier...minimal ingredients and a short cooking time are my kinda things. They are such a yummy little snack for your little one! I fed these alongside some applesauce and fruit! Camden approved. ;)

Zucchini Parmesan Crisps:

+1 zucchini (use 2 if you want to make a big batch of them)

+1 tablespoon olive oil

+1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan 

+1/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs

+salt and pepper to taste 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Slice the zucchini into 1/4 inch rounds. In a medium bowl, toss the zucchini with the poil. In a small bowl, combine the Parmesan, bread crumbs, salt, and pepper. Dip each zucchini round into the mixture so that you're coating it on both sides. Place on baking sheet. Cook for 20-25 minutes until they are browned and crisp!    

Don't forget to steal some for yourself, too. 

     

Enjoy this recipe? Spread the love and share it! xo

New Design + Recipe For The Littles

Hey everyone!

Notice anything different around here? I hope you guys like the new design, just as much as I do!

I was craving a more simplistic look and I'm really happy with how it turned out. What's new? For starters, I updated the pages at the top which really should have been done like, two years ago. Seriously, I've got no excuses for that one. There is a Pinterest widget added in the right sidebar, which should make it easy to follow along with what I'm pinning these days. My instagram feed can now be found at the very bottom! There is a new type of "topics" section - you can click on any of the labels to find posts in that particular category. I added all the topics that I write about most often, so if you're looking for a certain post I'm hoping it's easy to find! You can also see that there are now popular posts and my favorite latest finds found in the sidebar as well.

Please let me know if you see any problems/have any complaints about the new site - it's important to me that it functions well for you guys!

Moving on - I've decided to start a new series of posts called Feeding The Littles! Inspired by my one and only little man...Camden! :) Ever since Cam has started eating real food (he wants all the food, all the time), it seems like I'm always trying to find creative meals and foods for him to try, otherwise I get stuck in a rut with feeding the same things over and over. I think it's really important to expose babies to a large variety of food, but at the same time I don't have a ton of time to be spending in the kitchen. For this series, I will share recipes that are all baby/kid friendly and that can be put together pretty quickly. For those of you without kids, these posts might not be helpful for you (unless you want to plan for the future) - so I'm sorry about that. I'm really excited about these posts, though, and hope that some of you will enjoy them!

First recipe up for Feeding The Littles...

Carrot and Broccoli Orzo  
+1 small garlic clove
+1 cup baby carrots, chopped
+1 cup broccoli florets, chopped
+2 tablespoons unsalted butter or olive oil
+1 cup white or whole wheat orzo
+1/2 teaspoon salt
+1 cup water
+1 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth

Chop veggies. In a large stock pot, heat 2 tbsp of butter or olive oil and saute the veggies, raw orzo, and salt for 2-3 minutes stirring continuously. Add the salt, water, and broth to the pot and cook over medium heat for 12-15 minutes, until the mixture thickens.

This recipes makes a lot and is a perfect side dish for us adults too! You can also add chicken and cheese to this, which I plan to do the next time around. Camden absolutely loved it...he kept wanting more and more. It's great for lunch or dinner with some fruit on the side! He isn't using a fork yet so I just put small handfuls on his tray so that he could feed himself (he prefers it this way) but I also spoon fed him small amounts too. Yum yum!