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Crock Pot Oriental Pork Chops

Let’s have a little lesson, shall we? What IS a water chestnut anyway? I gotta tell ya – if you asked me this about 5 minutes ago, you would have gotten a blank stare. It’s crunchy…and you eat it in oriental food – that’s about all I had for ya. But then I had go to and look it up on Swagbucks because I got curious and wanted to make sure I wasn’t eating something super weirdo that might gross me out.

Turns out, a water chestnut really does grow in the water. It’s an aquatic bulb plant originally grown in, wait for it…China. Betcha didn’t see that coming. It’s crunchy and becomes slightly sweet when cooked.

I’m not hard core water chestnut – I can take them or leave them. But, I had a can in the basement that I needed to use – so this recipe was born and my can is gone. Thanks. Recipes are born when I have to clean out the pantry. [Read more…]

Crock Pot Saucy Cube Steak

I like beef. It makes me happy. Actually, I just like meat. Meat makes me happy. Cube steak? That’s meat…and it makes me happy. I love meat. I especially crave meat when pregnant or nursing. MEAT! It’s what’s for dinner. Ummmmm, meat.

I have this thing for Salisbury Steak too. My Mama’s recipe is rockin’, but sometimes a girl needs to get her gravy on. Can I get a witness?! Beef and gravy together? That’s true love. Gravy love! My gravy love! I need ya, oh how I need ya, love! [Read more…]

100 Days of NO Processed Meals – Crock Pot Style

If you’re new to Humorous Homemaking… let me just say, welcome, we’re so glad to have you here!

My 100 Days of No Processed Meals posts are fan-favorites, and this one full of Crock Pot style recipes is one that I go back to again and again. This post is the perfect go-to reference for awesome no processed meals you can make in your slow cooker. (In the American South, we call our slow cookers by the name of my favorite brand which is the Crock Pot.)

What do I mean by “no processed” meals?

No processed meals means that nothing in any of the these recipes calls pre-packed items like Italian Dressing, canned cream of mushroom soup, a package of onion soup mix, Velveeta (bless Velveeta’s heart), etc., and that’s a good thing! For canning or pickling at home, you might want to use high-quality pickling and canning salt.

You WILL find ingredients for these Crock Pot recipes like soy sauce, ketchup, canned beans, taco seasoning and mustard because there are clean versions of all these products that are minimally processed (for most folks) or are VERY easy to make your own clean version at home.  When a recipe calls for “taco seasoning”, I automatically make a sub in my head for the homemade version.

Also, please note…there is a difference between “processed” and “prepared”!

When I say “processed” in this context, I mean foods with ingredients I cannot pronounce: Velveeta, stuffing mix, Hamburger Helper. Prepared foods such as “canned beans,” “canned tomatoes,” or “ketchup” are easily made yourself or found at the grocery store with no added ingredients. A can of beans from the grocery store usually includes: beans, salt and that’s it. So, don’t be sending me hate mail about “You big fat liar! Canned tomatoes are processed food!” Yeah I know, but technically, so is anything you cook in your home because cooking is PROCESSING. Just so we’re clear. 🙂 **Comments on this post have been disabled because of nastiness – ain’t nobody got time for that.**

Mostly these Crock Pot recipes call for good, wholesome ingredients like meat, vegetables, broth and seasonings. And the results are meals so delicious that they make you wanna slap yo mama (if you’re not from the south, please know that’s a good thing).

Some of these recipes are mine and some are from other bloggers. I hope you enjoy the list, and that it’s a good resource for you. And if you like this post, you’ll likely enjoy my post of 100 Crock Pot Dessert Recipes and 100 Days of Meal Plans Whole Foods Style as well.

And while I’m thinking of what you might like, I’d bet you’d enjoy my books: Keep Crockin’: A Poorganic Slow Cooker Cookbook and Crock On: A Semi-Whole Foods Slow Cooker Cookbook – both are available in print or as eBooks. 😉 Shameless book plug.  Okay…ON TO THE RECIPES!

NOTE: For daily meal inspiration, follow me on Instagram as humoroushomemaking. 

The ultimate list of slow cooker meals without all the processed junk. 100 recipes, ready for your crock pot!

Soups

The ultimate list of slow cooker meals without all the processed junk. 100 recipes, ready for your crock pot!

Sandwiches

The ultimate list of slow cooker meals without all the processed junk. 100 recipes, ready for your crock pot!

Chicken

The ultimate list of slow cooker meals without all the processed junk. 100 recipes, ready for your crock pot!

Beef

The ultimate list of slow cooker meals without all the processed junk. 100 recipes, ready for your crock pot!

Pork

The ultimate list of slow cooker meals without all the processed junk. 100 recipes, ready for your crock pot!

Miscellaneous

Think these recipes are great? Find more original, unpublished recipes by Humorous Homemaking in her very own cookbooks, Crock On! and Keep Crockin!

or if your budget doesn’t allow for that, you’re always welcome to visit one of the fastest growing posts on Humorous Homemaking:

100 Days of Meal Plans – Whole Foods Style (free)

100 crock pot meals

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Crock Pot Italian Sausage and Cabbage

Crock Pot Italian Cabbage and Sausage

I’m going to be honest – this post is gonna be short and sweet. Andy is on my lap, pressing buttons (making it nearly impossible to write), and he’s been whiny all day because of his teeth. Annie has spent the day doing things like trying to encapsulate her brother in the laundry basket and hiding the raw honey in her nightstand drawer. Sooooooooo, let’s do this crock pot thing fast. And please ignore any random letters that might show up. [Read more…]

Crock Pot Ugly Chicken Dinner

Ugly Chicken Dinner

Sometimes I just throw things in the crock pot to see if they turn out. This was one of those recipes – and it turned out just fine. Except for one thing…it’s ugly. U-G-L-Y, it ain’t got no alibi, it’s ugly.

Have you ever noticed that some crock pot meals are just nasty looking? Yeah sure, they taste utterly delicious, but they look like something your dog dragged in. This is one of those recipes. So, don’t let the ugly pictures turn you off.

Of course, it might also have something to do with the fact that I’m not a professional photographer like my friend Tia – I just don’t have that talent…but I do really enjoy cooking and eating. Is eating a talent? [Read more…]

6 Slow Cooker Tips and Cinnamon Cream Rolls

Crock Pot Cinnamon Rolls

Guest post by Angela Coffman, The Grocery Shrink

A slow cooker cooks while you do other things, does it without heating up your kitchen; and tenderizes the toughest cuts of meats.  I <3 my slow cooker.

6 Tips for Using a Slow Cooker

1.  Use a Christmas Tree timer to turn your crock on when you want to.  This especially useful for breakfast recipes that cook for less than 8 hours. Use wisdom when dealing with raw meats to avoid bacteria growth. [Read more…]

Crock Pot Caramelized Onions

Crock Pot Caramelized-Onions

First off, let me tell you that getting an appealing picture of caramelized onions is a hard job – a job at which I did not succeed.  Bummer. It’s as hard as Stacy trying to caramelize onions in the skillet without burning the snot out of them. I burn stuff a lot.

I had a 3 pound bag of onions in the fridge that NEEDED to be used…or else they were going straight to the trash without passing Go and collecting $200. I saw a recipe that called for caramelized onions and I thought I’d just try them in the crock and see how they turned out. Bingo, baby. Bingo. [Read more…]

Crock Pot Vegetable Beef Soup

Is there a particular recipe that you’ve ALWAYS tried to make and it never, ever tastes as good as your mama’s? You can follow her instructions to a T, and something is still missing? And it makes you stamp your foot and swear off making the recipe? Yeah…well for me, that recipe is Vegetable Beef Soup.

Not only does my Mama’s Vegetable Soup kick butt, my Grandmother’s is even better. And I’ve tried for YEARS to replicate it to no avail. They put something in there and they’re not telling me – the little boogers (I’m sure that’s not the secret ingredient, though). [Read more…]

Crock Pot Lentil Vegetable Soup

I love lentils. I love soup. Therefore, I love lentils in soup. I also love lentils buttered. But then again, I love anything buttered. Bread. Muffins. Veggies. Dirt. Babies. Etc. Butter makes things better. And as Pioneer Woman says, “If some is good, more is better.” Amen.

Anyway, this is a good, cheap meal. Lentils are excellent for replacing the meat in recipes. They’re high in fiber and they still give you the protein you need to be full. They also give you something else…buy Beano.  Ahem. [Read more…]

Crock Pot Steel Cut Oatmeal

This is a recipe I thought I would NEVER post on here. Why? Well, because I tried this method several times for Overnight Oatmeal and every time we barely made it through breakfast. In fact, once we ended up eating cereal because the oatmeal was just SO NASTY. Gag attack. It was like glue. You couldn’t fling that stuff off your spoon if you wanted – sorta like trying to get dried boogers off the wall – but, I digress.

I even had a conversation with The Poorganic Life about how we both thought that Overnight Oatmeal was one of the most disgusting dishes ever invented. EVER. [Read more…]