This is a guest post from Steph of The Cheapskate Cook
In my neck of the woods, we’re deep into fall weather and loving it. The trees are decked out in their fiery best, sweaters and coats have a permanent place in the diaper bag, and I have to remind my toddler for the thousandth time that yes, he needs to put on socks before his sneakers. Sometimes we still end up at the store with a sock-less little boy, but at least he remembered his shoes.
My cooking reflects the season too. Soups replace salads, warm slices of homemade bread replace crackers, and pumpkin gets cooked into almost everything.
Recently, along with the rest of the blogging world, I dove into crock pot freezer cooking. I toss freezer-friendly, one pot meals into a freezer bag or tupperware, stash it for a few days, then pull it out and dump everything into the crock pot for a one-step, no-fuss dinner.
It’s simple, homemade, and this particular dish is absolutely seasonal.
Crock Pot Maple Chicken & Winter Veggies
Crock Pot Maple Chicken & Winter Veggies
Ingredients
- 1-3 cups carrots baby carrots or peeled and chopped carrots
- 1-3 pounds frozen chicken pieces boneless skinless chicken breasts, thighs, etc.
- 1 small acorn squash peeled, seeded, and chopped coarsely
- Generous drizzle of real maple syrup
- Squirt of soy sauce
- Pinch of hot pepper flakes
- Splash of water or chicken stock
- 3-6 cups cooked rice or other grain
Instructions
- Place all ingredients except rice in the slow cooker in the order listed. Allow to cook 6-8 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high. Make rice just before serving. Serve chicken and veggies over a bed of rice.
To make a freezer-to-slow-cooker meal:
- Place all ingredients except stock/water and rice in a gallon-size freezer bag or freezer-friendly tupperware. Store in the freezer. The evening before you wish to cook this, place it in a baking dish or large bowl in the refrigerator to defrost overnight. The next morning, empty the contents into the slow cooker and follow the rest of the directions above.
Nutrition
What meals help you celebrate the season?
When Steph and her husband got married, they lived in a renovated shed and had a grocery budget that matched. As a passionate whole-foodie, Steph was determined to continue eating healthy, minimally-processed foods on their shoestring budget. So The Cheapskate Cook was born.