The weather has warmed, and we're 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. 

You're not going to notice that your AC is struggling to keep the kitchen cool, and you're not going to be standing over a hot stove, trying not to drip into your pasta sauce.

(ew. that's really gross, steph.)

I've listed my favorite ways to use the cooker below --- if you've 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 don't 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. It's vegetarian, so it's automatically lighter than most lasagnas, and because you've 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.)




Hot Dogs
And let us not forget that you can fit 60 HOT DOGS INTO ONE POT!

and that there is pretty darn impressive.




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



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.

I didn't always like camping. I much preferred hotels or motels with maid service and a restaurant and clean towels.

And then I had kids. 

Don't get me wrong, I still love maid service and clean towels, but I hate spending lots of money and I hate having to get kids to sit still and have "restaurant behavior" when we are on a long trip. 

A few days here and there is absolutely fine, but sometimes you really just want a grilled cheese sandwich or a bowl of naked pasta and don't want to wait around in a booth at Applebees.

And I want my kids to be unplugged as much as possible, and I have got to admit the first thing I do when checking into a hotel or motel is to flip around and see "what kind of cable channels does this place have?"

I also want my kids to not be fearful of the outdoors and I like watching them dig with sticks and climb trees and just BE TOGETHER

 -- it forces all of us to work together to set up and break down camp and that kind of stuff warms my suburban soccer mom heart.

So I've embraced the dirt (thank you baby wipes!) and the sand (thank you dust buster!) and the laundry (dear help me, the laundry is just insane when we get home) and the chaos camping brings and now I can honestly say that I really really like being outdoors and pretty much all that camping has to offer.

And I bring along a slow cooker (or two).

Family Camping with a Crockpot

Since we car camp and usually stick to a pretty family-friendly campground (mostly KOAs), we have electricity when we camp. 

Although we did recently decide to get a tiny pop-up tent trailer, I did use the slow cooker when we tent camped.

Just like at home, the kids are hungry and tired after a long day, and knowing that dinner is hot and ready after spending the day outside playing in the water or after a day touring around is just wonderful.

If you are tent-camping, I'd recommend having a long extension cord with you, and using one of the lockable-lid slow cookers. 

Obviously this isn't a way to cook if you are in bear country ---- I'm not going to even pretend to know how to bear proof a crockpot -- so don't do that!

If you've got a travel trailer or motorhome, you are already used to cooking in it, and I know a slow cooker is a mainstay in many RV kitchens already. 

Just like at home, I'd highly recommend a programmable slow cooker that will turn off when the cooking time has elapsed, so your food stays hot and safe to eat until you return back "home" for the day.

These are the cookers I happen to use and recommend, and you can usually find them at Bed Bath and Beyond or Kohls at a deep discount right now since the holidays are over.

I know that I'm terribly biased, but I do like the Ninja a lot for camping because having the stovetop and oven setting is pretty darn cool when away from home.

This is what I do to make camping and food-prep easier with the slow cooker.

Slow cooker food-prep camping tips & meal ideas:

1) do as much prep at home as possible. 
I like to chop all my veggies at home and separate our meals into Ziplock baggies and write on the outside of the bag what it all is (everything looks the same when it's frozen solid!) and then I freeze the bags at home to stack into the cooler.

If you are looking for great Dump and Go recipes that can be frozen ahead of time, I have a list of 30 of them in an ebook, you can purchase, here.


2) if you are planning a chili or taco soup, brown the ground beef/turkey at home, and I'd suggest opening all the cans at home and then freezing in a zippered bag.

3) plan on lazy cooking --- which for us is usually a hunk of meat (or boneless chicken thighs) and a bottle of your favorite something sauce (bbq, simmer sauce, pasta sauce, etc.)

 Instead of bringing the jar or bottle, put the meat in a freezer bag and then put the sauce on it at home and freeze at home, so in the morning all you have to do is dump the contents into the cooker.

4) we usually do a sausage and vegetable medley -- which is super easy and all I do is make sure to have a 5-lb bag of potatoes with us and I do wash and cut those on the campground, then put in the bottom of a slow cooker with sliced chicken and apple sausage, and a bit of chicken broth (or white wine).

 If I've got a bag of baby carrots (which I usually do) I throw those in and any other random veggies I've got (bell peppers, brocolli).

5) save the leftovers from your sausage and veggie medley to do breakfast-for-dinner the next night (and any leftover hotdogs you might have). 

Scramble up 6-10 eggs or so with some milk then pour over the leftover potatoes and sausage and cook the next day.

6) baked potatoes or corn on the cob work great in the slow cooker, or you can do a layered dinner with meat and your potatoes and corn. 

My kids are super happy with a loaded baked potato for dinner, and since we usually have bacon for breakfast, I keep some for dinner time toppings. 
We always have a variety of cheeses with us, too.

7) planning ahead this way actually works in flexibility! 

I am not a slow cooker purist by any stretch of the imagination --- I also bring the pancake griddle which works great for quesadillas and grilled cheese sandwiches (and pancakes ;-) .). 

The kids still like to cook hotdogs on sticks, and we have a dutch oven that Adam uses over coals. 

If for some reason we have no power or are in a position where we don't feel safe leaving a crockpot plugged in, any of the prepared plastic bags can be dumped into a dutch oven or large pot to be cooked with propane, over coals, etc.

8) If you are on a roadtrip, see if your van or truck has an outlet in it. 

This way you can actually cook while you are driving. Lots of mini vans have outlets in the back and this works great to cook a large roast for pulled sandwiches or something not-too-soupy for eating on the road. 

If you've got an RV, you already know way more about this sort of thing than I do!

Amazon does sell a 1.5-quart slow cooker (great size for cooking for 1 or 2 people) that plugs into your car or RV lighter. here it is, here (affiliate link).

UPDATED: [please see the comment selection below for further information on cooking-while-you-drive. You most likely need an adapter to make this option work for you.]

I'm sure you already know this, but it bears repeating that this will drain your car battery if you are not actively driving. 

I wouldn't leave it plugged in your car if you plan on touring a museum for a long period of time, etc.


9) UPDATED: I've gotten a few emails about thermo slow cooking. I haven't personally tried this out yet, abut plan on it this summer. 

There are two well-reviewed companies that make these, and I think they'd be absolutely fantastic for camping.
Wonderbag and  Thermal Cook both ship world wide, and both companies have reached out and are run by wonderful people. 

When I have the opportunity to recipe test using these products, I will certainly write a thorough review. If you have had experience cooking in a thermal device, please share your feedback! 


I hope this helps a bit! Happy Camping!!

If you've got other suggestions or menu ideas, please let me know, I know I've got an awful lot to learn. 

Especially since one of my dreams is to travel cross-country and see EVERYTHING! :-)

We went to a museum opening last weekend, and my brother's mother-in-law, Shari (hi Shari!) told me that she had a breakfast casserole with green chiles that I should really make. 

She said she'd email me the recipe.

This isn't her recipe. She hasn't had the opportunity to email hers, and I didn't have the patience to wait, or the perseverance to bug her.
so I made this up.

I think she'd like it.

The Ingredients.
serves 8, easily.

corn tortillas (I didn't count them. Maybe I used 8? 7?)
8 eggs
2 cups fat free milk
2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
1 (7-ounce) can green chiles, drained
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 tiny onion, diced
1 cup corn (I had leftover fresh corn from the weekend, but frozen would totally work)
1 cup sliced mushrooms (optional)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

The Directions.

I used a 4 quart round slow cooker. 

Butter or Pam the inside of your stoneware. 

Put a layer of corn tortillas on the bottom---you may have to tear some to make them fit nicely.

In a very large mixing bowl, combine all of the other ingredients, and whisk together. 

Pour about 1/2 of the mixture into the slow cooker, on top of the tortillas. Put in another layer of tortillas, and top with the remaining egg/milk/cheese/other stuff mixture. 

Top with another layer of corn tortillas.

Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or on high for 4-5. 

If your cooker seals well (my 4-quart has a plastic lid, and a lot of condensation builds up), uncover 15-20 minutes before serving and cook on high to release condensation and to firm up the top a bit. 

You know your breakfast is done when the eggs are fully cooked and the edges have begun to brown and the cheese gets a bit crispy on the sides.


Adam really likes crispy cheese---the kids do not.


The Verdict.

I loved this. LOVED it. 

The chiles were not spicy in the slightest, and Adam added salsa to his bowl. The kids picked out the "green stuff" but ate the rest just fine. 

I served this for dinner a few days ago, and have been eating leftovers for breakfast and lunch the past 2 days.

If you don't have corn tortillas in the house, or would prefer to go another way, you can pour the egg mixture on top of a bag of frozen hashbrowns, just like I did in this recipe.

If you have sausage or other meat you'd like to add, go for it, but take out the salt, and season to taste at the table.

other great slow cooked breakfasts:

hashbrown casserole
overnight breakfast casserole
overnight breakfast sausage and potatoes
egg, feta, and mushroom casserole
overnight grits
pancakes
granola