Crockpot Baked Potatoes and Other Fast Meals

With back-to-school around the corner, I thought it would be helpful to devote a post to fast dinner ideas. This summer I enrolled the boys in swimming lessons, so for two weeks they went every weekday at 6:30pm. It was a great way to tucker them out for bedtime, but it made dinner-time a little tricky. I had to think of quick meals that I could prepare after work and have everyone fed and ready to go in time for the boys' lessons. These crockpot baked potatoes were a perfect solution. Earlier in the day, I wrapped up potatoes in tin foil and put them in the crockpot to cook.

By dinner, the potatoes were ready to be enjoyed. I made dinner a simple "baked potato bar" by preparing a variety of toppings and letting everyone help themselves to what they wanted.

The boys loved that they could top the potatoes themselves with the toppings they liked best. They both liked cheese, broccoli and sour cream on their potatoes. Cole didn't really eat much of the potato, just the toppings, but that's ok. At least he ate something! Bennett struggled a little bit with eating the potato too, but after I cut it up well for him he dug right in.
Here are some other quick dinners that we ate over those two weeks. I'm sure I'll be making many of them again once the kids head back to school and the crazy fall schedules begin. I sure will miss our lazy summer days .

• Spaghetti with pasta sauce and garlic bread
• Perogies with garlic sausauge, sauteed onions, and sour cream.
• Black bean quesadillas (just combine a 19 oz can of black beans, lightly mashed, with a handful of shredded cheese and a few spoonfuls of salsa. Spread onto tortillas and fold them. Bake for 10 minutes at 350F).
• Multigrain fish sticks and oven fries
• Scrambled eggs and hashbrowns with toast
• Stovetop tuna casserole
• Fritatta (great for using up any leftover baked potatoes!)
• Soup and grilled cheese sandwiches
• Tuna melts
• Basic chili with rice
• Fettucini Alfredo with baby clams (I use this recipe, sub canned baby clams for chicken for a faster meal).

For quick vegetable sides, I use assorted frozen veggies (peas, carrots, corn, etc) and microwave them, or raw veggies and dip, or a salad (there's no shame in using pre-packaged salad if you want to be really quick!). I always make sure to have some kind of vegetables at every meal.


Crockpot Baked Potatoes
5 or 6 large Russett potatoes

Scrub potatoes well. Using a fork, poke the potatoes with holes. Wrap each potato in aluminum foil and place them in a crockpot. Cover and cook on low for about 6 hours, or until potatoes are cooked through.
Serve with your favourite toppings.

Topping Suggestions:

• Cooked broccoli, chopped
• Shredded Cheese
• Sour Cream
• Salsa
• Bacon bits
• Sliced green onions
• Canned Chili-Style baked beans, heated
• Avocado, chopped

Now onto a topic that is completely not food-related, I have some exciting news- I'm pregnant!

14 weeks Belly Shot

Our third child is due in mid-February. Eek! Here comes another pint-sized food critic who will no doubt have many strong opinions about my cooking. I've been feeling pretty rotten these last couple months, which is part of the reason you haven't been seeing many posts from me. Luckily I'm starting to feel better and can actually think about food again, so hopefully I'll be sharing more recipes now. Soon they may be diabetic recipes because I've had gestational diabetes the last two pregnancies, but I'm actually looking forward to sharing some diabetic-friendly foods. I'm looking forward to a lot of things!