If you have a job that keeps you working for 12-hour shifts, it’s a sure bet that by the time you get home you. are. done. Cooking dinner sounds exhausting after being gone all day!
What you’d really like at that point is for someone to set a plate of delicious food in front of you. Big, big bonus if they’d take care of the dishes too.
I know this is the situation many of you find yourselves in. (The 12-hour shift, not the personal cook part.) So how do you get dinner on the table and not exhaust yourself doing it? Here are a few ideas for you.
Go long or go short.
There are two strategies you can follow here.
Long cooking time – meaning a slow cooker recipe that can handle being in the crockpot for 12-14 hours, depending on your commute and whether anyone else can start the slow cooker in the morning.
Short cooking time – dinners that can be on the table in 15 minutes or less.
I’ve rounded up recipes that will fit both categories and listed them below. But before we get to the recipes, here are a few other tips to keep things simple:
- Use crockpot liners to keep clean up quick and easy.
- Consider doing a little prep on weekends – brown out meats and freeze, cook chicken (or use rotisserie chicken) and freeze, chop veggies or use pre-cut veggies. You could even prep some freezer friendly meals to make it easier, as well!
- Have a plan and check it as part of your evening routine so you know whether you need to load the crockpot before leaving for work the next day. Or line up someone else to start the crockpot.
- Set out any ingredients that don’t require refrigeration, so the crockpot loading goes quickly in the morning.
Long – Slow Cooker Recipes
Not all slow cooker recipes can handle a long cooking time. Here’s a list of recipes that can take the heat.
Short – 15 Minute Meals
I love a good 15-minute meal! Grab a rotisserie chicken or frozen meatballs (you can prep homemade versions of these and freeze them) and you’re set for a quick dinner.
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