My Favourite Gadget for Family Life

Being a parent is a busy old job. As a single working mum it’s hard to find the time to fit everything in. Trouble is some things can’t be put off till tomorrow. We have to eat. I am also a firm believer that we have to eat well. Now I will hold my hands up and admit that I am medically obese. I take full responsibility for it. When I left home I was over weight in medical terms but I was a slim size 16. Years of eating what I want, no exercise and 2 children later….well that’s why I want my kids to eat right! It would be so easy to roll in from work after picking up the kids and shoving a pizza in the oven. There’s loads of ready meals out there to chose from too. It’s not the best but it’s easy isn’t it?

Before falling into that trap, I decided I needed a something in the kitchen that cooks for me and when I come home it sets the table and dishes up. I can’t afford my own chef so I got the next best thing – a slow cooker!

When I was a kid I remember my mum using a slow cooker on the odd occasion. It was always stew when the slow cooker went on. So when I bought my slow cooker a year ago, I decided I would cook other things in it too. I have 3 slow cooker recipe books and have made some fantastic food in it, including Cidered Pork for Valentines Day.

Now that Autumn is here and winter is fast approaching, my slow cooker is hardly ever off, this week it’s cooked us chicken and mushroom in gravy, beef stew and lamb in mint. It’s so easy to use, when I make the days packed lunches each morning, I also fill the pot with my ingredients of the day and add enough stock to cover. Then it gets switched on and left for the day. I’m saving money too, because it cooks so slow that I can get away with the cheaper cuts of meat and it is still tender by the time it is cooked! I’ve used it for chilli and bolognaise sauce in the past too and that’s just recipes I have made up myself!

The other good thing is my kids are getting the good stuff. You have to cook everything in a stock, and as such, the goodness from whatever vegetables in there goes into the gravy. H is pretty fussy and will only eat mushrooms, but the amount of “special gravy” she has on her bread at the end, I know she is getting lots of vitamins and goodness too. There really is no excuse for me now, and as a treat for being so good all week, Fridays are rubbish night – either a chippy or a pizza, whatever we fancy because everything is ok in proportion!!

I’d love to know what you cook in your slow cooker, new recipes are always welcome!!