If you’re like me, summertime can be a very busy time of the year. Baseball games, swimming lessons, cookouts, vacations, family get-togethers, church activities and gardening (not to mention caring for my children and housework) consume a lot of my time outside of my job at the hospital.

I’m always looking for ways to help me make the most of my time. One of the areas I’ve really tried to streamline is meal time. I’m frequently talking with my friends and coworkers about ways to spend less time in the kitchen and more time with my family. My best friend in the kitchen is my slow cooker. I love throwing the ingredients in my slow cooker in the morning and having a delicious meal waiting for us at dinner.

Here are 5 of my favorite recipes that are healthy, easy to prepare, budget friendly and kid approved.

Taco Chicken Bowls

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 8 hours

Ingredients:

• 1½ lbs. chicken breasts
• 1 (16 oz.) jar salsa
• 1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained
• ½ lb. (8 oz.) frozen corn
• 1 Tbsp chili powder
• ½ Tbsp cumin
• ½ Tbsp minced garlic
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp cracked pepper
• 2 cups dry rice
• 8 oz. shredded cheddar
• Taco toppings (chopped tomatoes, cilantro, sour cream, etc)

Instructions:

Add everything except the rice, cheese, and cilantro to the slow cooker along with ¼ cup of water (for good measure.) Give everything a good stir and make sure the chicken is covered in the mixture.

Secure the lid on your slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours.

Near the end of the cooking time, cook the two cups of rice according to the package directions. Bring the rice and 4 cups of water to a boil in a medium pot with a lid in place, as soon as it reaches a boil, reduce the heat to low and let simmer for 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.

After 8 hours of cooking, carefully remove the lid of the slow cooker. Stir with a fork to shred the chicken (it should be super tender and will shred easily.) Build the taco bowls by placing rice on the bottom, then the taco chicken mix, and finally your favorite taco toppings.

Slow Cooker Chicken Bruschetta

Ingredients:

• 2 Medium Sized Chicken Breast
• 1/2 Cup Olive Oil
• 1 Garlic Clove, Crushed
• 4 Medium Sized Tomatoes, Diced
• 1/2 Cup Fresh Parsley
• 1/2 Cup Fresh Basil
• 1 Tsp Oregano
• Grated Romano or Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

In a 5 quart slow cooker, spray with non stick cooking spray.

Place the chicken on the bottom.

In a small bowl, mix the olive oil, garlic, tomatoes, parsley, basil and oregano.

Evenly pour this on top of the chicken.

Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Remove and serve the chicken topped with the bruschetta and sprinkle with cheese. This is best taken out of the slow cooker with a slotted spoon to drain off the juice.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Total Time: 8 hr 30 min

Prep: 15 min

Cook: 8 hr 15 min

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons hot paprika
• 1 teaspoon mustard powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 3 -to-4-pound boneless pork shoulder, trimmed of excess fat
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, plus more to taste
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 6 sandwich buns
• Barbecue sauce and prepared coleslaw, for serving

Directions:

Combine 1 tablespoon brown sugar, the paprika, mustard powder, cumin, 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Rub the spice mixture all over the pork.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet; add the pork and cook, turning, until browned on all sides, 5 minutes. Remove the pork and transfer to a plate; whisk 3/4 cup water into the drippings in the skillet. Transfer the liquid to a 5-to-6-quart slow cooker.

Add the vinegar, tomato paste, the remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar and 2 cups water to the slow cooker and whisk to combine. Add the pork, cover and cook on low 8 hours.

Remove the pork and transfer to a cutting board. Strain the liquid into a saucepan, bring to a boil and cook until reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Season with salt. Roughly chop the pork and mix in a bowl with 1 cup of the reduced cooking liquid, and salt and vinegar to taste. Serve on buns with barbecue sauce and coleslaw.

Green Chicken Pita Pockets

Note: If you don’t have pita pockets, this chicken filling is equally delicious rolled up in the non-puffed pita pockets or wrapped in something like these soft wrap breads or other flatbread type breads.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium white or yellow onion, sliced into thin half moons
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 4 pita pocket breads, cut in half
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt (Greek yogurt works well)
• 1 tomato, sliced or diced
• 1/2 cup chopped cucumber
• 1 medium red bell pepper, sliced in thin strips

Directions:

In a slow cooker, combine the onion, garlic, chicken, lemon pepper, oregano and allspice. Turn the chicken so that it is coated with the seasonings. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours.

Remove the chicken and onions from the slow cooker with a slotted spoon. Shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Cover the chicken and onion mixture and keep warm. Whisk the yogurt into remaining juices/seasonings in the slow cooker.

Spoon some of the chicken and onions into each pocket of the pita bread (or just place the chicken and onions on top of bread that can be rolled up, like a flatbread.)

Top with tomato, cucumber and red pepper strips. Drizzle warm yogurt sauce on top and serve immediately.

Slow Cooker Beef Sliders with Pickled Peppers

Ingredients:

• 1 (3 1/4- to 3 3/4-lb.) boneless chuck roast, trimmed
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 medium-size sweet onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 carrots, coarsely chopped
• 4 celery ribs, coarsely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 4 fresh thyme sprigs
• 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
• 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
• 16 hearty dinner rolls, split
• pickled peppers (find these in the pickle section at your grocery store)

Preparation:

Rub roast with salt and pepper. Cook in hot oil in a Dutch oven or large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat 2 to 3 minutes on all sides until browned. Place roast, onion and next 6 ingredients in a 6-qt. slow cooker.

Cover and cook on high 6 to 8 hours or until meat is tender. Remove roast and vegetables; discard vegetables. Shred meat. Pour liquid from slow cooker through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a 4-cup measuring cup and let stand about 15 minutes. Remove fat from cooking liquid and discard.

Stir together shredded meat, horseradish, parsley, chives,and 1 cup reserved cooking liquid; discard remaining liquid. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve on rolls with Pickled Peppers.