I just use what spices I have , or something that would be similar, and I tend to only do really simple and basic recipes; so those usually do not call for spices beyond what we have in the house. If you look for something like “easy crockpot recipes” on youtube, you should be able to find ones that you like and are easy to make, @Julia Curtis . Also, I only use the Himalayan sea salt here at home, and when I buy groceries, I look for canned foods that are salt-free, or at least low sodium. I am pretty sure that they make low sodium soups, too. But if your overall salt intake is low, you should be able to use a can of soup in the recipe and still not be over your allowance for the day, and you can always drink more water to flush the salt on through your system also.
@Julia Curtis - i have used this site for years and for me works good https://www.allrecipes.com/recipes/
I just take my meats,( mostly beef roasts) and put them in all day. Then I mash some potatoes and have a cooked vegetable with it. Later I cut up the leftovers of the meat in the crock pot, add a can of tomatoes, chopped up carrots, onions, a little pearled barley or wild rice, a bay leaf and whatever else I feel like and recook for a good stew. You can add whatever you like.
Yup. When it comes to Crock Pot cooking, the main use of a recipe is to give you cooking times & temp for whatever meat you're cooking (chicken/pork/beef) and for its weight...and maybe how much liquid (of your choice) to add. A flavored broth is all you need...just watch the salt content, and maybe water it down. Recipes are also handy for telling you which veggies to add up front and which to add part way through the cooking time. As much as I like to cook from scratch, I've started using onion powder instead of/in addition to adding raw onions. The flavor of the powder permeates the entire dish better than the raw onion...which is still nice to have bits of. It's a good all-purpose thing to have around (onion powder, not onion salt.)
I lightly saute any onions needed in anything. Sometimes adding it at the end of cooking time. That way they are still a bit crisp and sweet. I never just chop up and onion to cook with everything for an extended cooking time. Different flavor.
Today is a “Miss Suzy Homemaker” kind of a day, so I got up early (for me, Bobby was up for hours ahead of me, like usual) and made our favorite chicken and stuffing crock pot dinner for today. It is about ready, so it will be more of a mid-day dinner, and later a snack (if we are hungry) meal. I made a chocolate banana fiber cake and it is cooking in the toaster oven and will probably be the evening snack for later on.
I mostly cook beef pot roast or a small pork roast to make pulled pork for sandwiches in a slow cooker. I haven't used a crockpot recipe in years; just toss stuff in and let 'er rip.
I mostly make beef or pork in the crock pot. But Monday may be rooster offing day and one will need crock pot attention. I think my daughter will miss him. She says in the morning he says "what the fuuuuuuuuuuucccckkkkk"
Since Bobby and I eat very different diets, and he is the one who mainly eats meats; I seldom cook whole chickens or roasts anymore; but I do often use the crockpot if I am making a roast for Bobby. Mostly, we just buy meat that he can make his one-time servings, and if it comes in large chunks, then he cuts it into the size that he wants. Because of my heart and kidney failure, I have to have a low-protein and low carb diet, and lots of fiber from veggies and plant foods; so I try and get most of my protein needs from plant foods which have a good complex of both protein and fiber.
i have been cooking all day so far, We have the first super cool days coming after today. Low 20's highs 39-45. With good chance more rain coming. Using our garden veggies made - more zucchini bread- absolutely divine. Chicken chunks with okra, tomatoes onion and celery will have over Jasmine rice. Then have cubed roast beef with our carrots, zucchini, along with, onion, potatoes and some broccoli and seasonings cooking in crock pot. I get on a tare and cook up something as i hate trying to decide all the time. So with these two meals, I am good for next four days (maybe) of only having to make corn bread maybe. Thank goodness for cast iron, crock pots and dishwashers
We buy different foods as well, @Yvonne Smith mainly meal size portions of meats / fish rather than like the old days where it was traditional for many to buy a side of lamb . However we do share whole chickens I usually roast Lag of lamb same thing ^^ Lump of corned beef ( we call silverside ) While my weight isn’t really moving much . but we don’t dance as often as we used to . ( I could do with shedding 3-4 kg in my opinion) and I’m making meals (from this book ) for a evening meal as I don’t like carbs first thing in the morning and rarely eat lunch , if I do it’s a apple and a crusket ( a dry low calorie puffed dry biscuit ) they are about 40 calories . Breakfast is usually ( still plain unflavoured yoghurt ) with 1/2 banana and maybe a pinch of crunchy breakfast cereal the book I’ve been using as a guide I some of the foods / recipes and I’ve made my own index card / bookmark of favourites for each book ( I’ve had 2 for quite a while ) and recently bought this one which is based on a Mediterranean diet which I like minis some of the cheese used in some dishes
Free crockpot cookbook on Amazon today. Be sure to see if it is still free before buying it, they are only free for a day or so, and then back to regular price. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CMNJPY98