We all know that kids are picky eaters and they are constantly looking for interesting dishes that are tasty and satisfying. Try these five kid-friendly slow cooker recipes that are not only appetizing but are very easy to cook.

Chicken drumsticks
Chicken drumsticks are an all-time kid’s favorite. Whether you prepare crunchy drumsticks for lunch meal or dinner time, this recipe is never out of trend. Serve these chicken drumsticks with some brown rice and salad and you’re sure to be a cooking hero for your kid. If you want to make this a bit spicy, then add some Thai chili paste to the marinade to give it a pungent flavor.

Creamy tomato soup
If it is one of those days when your kid isn’t in for chicken, bacon or any other meat-filled dishes, then tomato soup is the perfect way to start the meal. Don’t forget to top the soup with fresh cream and basil leaves. A perfect recipe for those meatless days, a creamy and healthy tomato soup will top the chart as one of the best slow cooker recipes.

Meatloaf
Have you ever thought of preparing a meatloaf in a slow cooker? A crockpot meatloaf recipe is simple and can be a great option for kids. If you want to prepare the food way ahead of time, then a slow cooker meatloaf recipe is among the delicious ones. Experiment with ground turkey, ground beef or chicken for one of the best slow cooker recipes.

Mac and cheese
One of the common recipes of every American household, mac and cheese is quite a popular dish among kids as well. The creaminess of the cheese and deliciousness of macaroni is a great combination when cooked in a crock pot. A perfect recipe for any occasion, mac and cheese casserole is a great recipe but a slow cooker one is a super easy one and can be prepared even without an oven.

Chicken pot pie
Chicken pot pie can be a filling and delicious meal option for your kid. This creamy and comforting dish of chicken is extremely simple to prepare and can be a hit among the junior members of your family. Being one of the best slow cooker recipes, chicken pot pie can be made using a variety of vegetables such as broccoli, peas, beans, and carrots. You can give this simple recipe a twist with homemade biscuits for a crunchy add-on.

Slow cookers are used for low temperature cooking. Low temperature cooking is a cooking technique that cooks food at temperatures 50 to 90 °Celsius for a prolonged time. Low-temperature cooking methods include sous vide cooking, which is nothing but vacuum-sealed slow cooking. Sous vide usually incorporates the use of slow cooker. This method may be used to cook almost anything, from veggies to meats.

For people who love their meats tender and steamy. Preparing them in slow cookers is a great idea as it cooks the meat to the optimum temperature that it is neither too dry nor too steamy. You can prepare them in a broth of vegetables with dices of them cut and slow cooked with the meat. The juices of meat mixed with vegetable broth make it appetizing. Add black pepper and other seasonings of your choice to make your dish taste more interesting.

If you are not a fan of steamed meat but still look forward to relish it, you can barbecue (or grill) the meat first and then steam it. This way you will get the smoky flavor with crisp outside and tender insides.

Meals cooked in slow cookers are healthier as they retain the nutrients that are generally lost when fried.

If you don’t like to get into the fuss of oven baking but still relish a fluffy cake, you can prepare one in your slow cooker or crock pot cooker. The procedure is in fact easy as you don’t have to set the temperature settings and preheat the appliance before putting in the cake mix. Following are the steps that you can follow to make yourself a slow cooked cake.

Spray crock of a large slow cooker with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, whisk the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla essence until well combined. Whisk in the boiling water. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well. Pour the cake batter into the prepared slow cooker. Set slow cooker to “Low”. Cook until cake has no wet spots on top and has pulled away from the sides of the crock, about 3 hours. Turn off slow cooker and allow cake to rest for 30 minutes before serving.

Many people have come across this confusion of opting for a Crock-pot style cooker or a plain slow cooker. Both, the Crock-Pots and slow cookers use steam to cook food over a long period and both produce the same delicious results. In fact, they are even used to cook the same style of meals. Be it vegetables or be it meat of any kind.

Then what sets them apart? Well the answer is simple, it is the material and the appearance of the cookers that sets them apart.

Crock-Pot
A Crock-Pot is a type of slow cooker. Introduced in the early 1970’s, it was originally marketed as a bean cooker. Over a period of time, it evolved into the model we are all familiar with today.

Crock-Pot cookers have a ceramic or porcelain pot that is set inside a heating unit. They are heated from the bottom as well as around the sides of the pot. You can choose from round to oval designs and they come in various sizes.

Another aspect that sets them apart from the conventional slow cookers is that, Crock-Pots is the heat settings. They have just two heat settings -LOW wattage, which cooks food at roughly 70 degree Celsius and HIGH wattage which cooks food at 90 degree Celsius. Crock-Pot cookers cook continuously. Some models also have a timer to allow cooking for a specific amount of time.

Slow cookers
Slow cookers are cooking appliances used to simmer food at a lower temperature than other cooking methods, such as baking, boiling, and frying. Slow cookers allow unattended cooking for long hours. They can be used to make a variety of dishes including ones that are made out of cocoa and bread. Not all slow cookers are Crock-Pots. Slow cookers have some distinct characteristics that you may not find in Crock-pots.

Slow cooker refers simply to the appliance. Some of them have a metallic body that sits on a heating unit. Since the pot is heated from bottom, the heat is concentrated at the bottom rather than on the walls of the pot.

Food may cook slower as compared to when cooked in a Crock-Pot and it may have greater chance of scorching on the bottom because of the nature of the material. Thus, the food must be stirred more often in slow cooker. This requires the lid to be opened more frequently which releases more heat and extends the cooking time.

slow cookers usually have heat settings that are more than just low, high, and warm. Most slow cookers have a range of five heat settings. Slow cookers, since bottom heated, work in cycles, are powered on and off during cooking. Some models also have a timer to allow cooking for a specific amount of time.

Cooking healthy and delicious food should not cost you any extra time in the kitchen. But slow cooker dishes are flavorsome, healthy and do take a lot of time. There isn’t anything that can’t be cooked in a slow cooker. Right from dips, entrees to sauces and desserts, slow cooker recipes are all-encompassing. Read on to get some delightful and best slow cooker recipes that are a must in every kitchen and are an absolute delight.

Buffalo chicken meatballs
Buffalo wings are a classic appetizer but when you don’t have limited time in your hand, why not turn this classic dish into a slow cooker recipe for meatballs! You can also make these meatballs in the oven by baking them a little and then just before serving, quickly pop these into the slow cooker. This will help to soak in the flavors well. Sprinkle some blue cheese for the extra touch of deliciousness at the time of serving. If you don’t want to go with the traditional way of cooking the buffalo chicken, then you can give this a sure-shot try as a party appetizer or even a light dinner.

Mashed potato with a twist of garlic
One of the quickest and easy to make dishes, mashed potato can be served as a side dish with a steamy steak or can be eaten individually too. This is a simple and one of the best slow cooker recipes because all you have to do is put all the ingredients in the crock pot and you are ready to go. Put in a lot of cheese and garlic cloves with fresh herbs. Blend all of these together till you get the right texture of the mashed potato.

Dips of every flavor is a great add on
Creamy dips are always a show stopper whether for a game day or a house party. You can try preparing spinach and artichoke dips that are a classic for every dish or make corn and cheese dip with some extra spiciness. Add in cream cheese, jalapenos, and fresh herbs to get the right balance of flavors. These classic dips can either be relished with freshly fried chips or eaten with a spoon.
If you’re looking for some of the best slow cooker recipes, then try these classic ones that are easy to prepare and requires less cooking time.

Slow cooking tends to bring out the flavor in most meat cuts and even vegetables. Often the subtle benefits of slow cooking go unnoticed and people only see it as a cheap and easy alternative to traditional methods, like baking and frying. Slow cooker recipes do not require a lot of supervision, wherein all the ingredients simmer over low heat to be ready in four or five hours. This also reduces the risk of burning or overcooking the ingredients. But there are more benefits of slow cooking, which can be divided across the various ingredient that go in the recipe. Be it your pot roast or chicken stew, the traditional recipes can be easily modified for slow cooking.

Health benefits of slow cooking pot roast: One of the main advantages of cooking over a low flame is that the ingredients used in the recipe, retain their nutritional value which might be otherwise lost in traditional roast, oven or grill recipe. Slow cooked beef or meat not only retains the flavor, but also manages to absorb all the nutrients from the other ingredients and vegetables that complement the recipe in the broth. Vital minerals, vitamins, nutrients, amino acids which are all beneficial for maintain the overall body heath are preserved this way. Tough cuts of meat used in the recipe are also low in fats, which help cut down the overall fat and calorie content. These tough meats can be prepared only in a slow cooker to yield the best possible results.

Health benefits of slow cooking chicken: Slow cooking chicken over time prevents cancer causing toxins to develop which are a high chance in other traditional methods. Grilling and other methods produces glycation from burnt meats, which is the toxic reaction. Slow cooking does not allow the toxins to develop since the meat is cooked over a low flame and chances of overcooking or burning the meat, is the least of your concerns. Slow cooked recipes are beneficial for overall heart health as the main amino acid taurine, which is responsible for cardio vascular health is preserved this way.

The other advantages include minimum use of processed ingredients and foods which can be beneficial for the overall health. Processed foods contained considerable amounts of sodium, fat, calories which will only add to the overall carbohydrate and calorie count in the recipe. Using all natural ingredients or organic ingredients, which can be easily substituted in a slow cooked recipe for readily available ingredients and canned foods ensures a healthy recipe.

Slow cooking is a technique where the recipe calls for all the ingredients to be cooked for a longer duration. This ensures maximum flavor retention and is particularly effective for those cuts of meat, which are otherwise cooked in an oven or roasted on a grill. This technique mainly uses a liquid base, normally chicken stock and vegetable broth to tenderize the meat and make the flavors stand out. Slow cooking requires minimal supervision and reduces the risk of burning your ingredients. The main advantage is that the slow braise allows the flavors to develop over time.

Here are a few different recipes to make slow cooker pot roast on a tight budget.

Crockpot roast beef: The crock pot, an essential tool for creating some of the best slow cooker recipes also alternatively known as Crockpot recipes. Ingredients featured in this dish is the 2lb chuck roast beef cut, ideal for a slow braise. The liquid base can be chicken stock or also can be alternatively prepared using a beef bouillon cube mixed in hot water. Vegetables like carrots, potatoes, onions absorb the liquid over the time of cooking and compliment the beef cut well. Garlic and other seasoning to top off the dish which can easily serve for a family of 4-6 members. The cost of all the ingredients combined will not go over $5 total.

Roasted chicken with garlic: Chicken is an all-time favorite. It is inexpensive, easy to prepare and does not require a lot of effort. This recipe does not call for more than three main ingredients to serve a wholesome family meal. Slow cooked in a chicken broth, with butter and minced garlic, seasoned with paprika, salt and pepper to be slowly cooked for 8 hours.

Vegetarian lasagna: Slow cooker recipes are not necessarily reserved for the meat eaters only. There are many vegetarian recipes which can also be prepared. The lasagna is a versatile dish, which combines veggies in between layers of pasta and slow cooked to retain maximum flavor. Veggies like mushrooms, zucchini, tomatoes, spinach, and many others chopped or diced complement the pasta well. Finally topped with delicious mozzarella cheese, this recipe can be prepared in a budget and is a pretty decent alternative to the oven baked lasagna.