CROCKTOBER: 5 Easy Slow Cooker Recipes for When You Just Don't Feel Like Cooking
Can we all agree that there are simply NOT enough hours in the day?
Between work, errands, laundry, cleaning, and the approximately 47 other things that somehow end up on the to-do list, the last thing I want to do at 5 PM is start preparing a dinner that requires 23 ingredients, four pots, three pans, and a culinary degree. 🙄
And don't even get me started on the recipes that claim to be "quick and easy" but require 45 minutes of chopping, sautéing, and preparing things BEFORE you can actually start cooking. Quick and easy for WHO, exactly?! 😂
Oh, and then there's the cleanup. Because apparently spending an hour making dinner isn't enough. Now I get to spend another half hour washing every dish I own.
NO. THANK. YOU.
Which brings me to one of my favorite things about this time of year...
WELCOME TO CROCKTOBER!
The glorious season when I can throw a handful of ingredients into my slow cooker, put the lid on, walk away, and pretend I have my life together.
Now, I'm not saying every crockpot recipe is completely hands-off. Sometimes you have to brown a little ground beef, boil some pasta, or toss in an ingredient toward the end. But compared to standing over the stove all evening? I'll take it!
I've rounded up 5 easy slow cooker recipes that are perfect for busy days, chilly evenings, and those nights when you just don't have the energy to make dinner a whole production.
We're talking a classic pot roast with all the fixings, creamy chicken and dumplings, taco soup, homemade mac and cheese, and even a ridiculously easy apple cinnamon roll dessert.
Nothing fancy. Nothing complicated. Just good old-fashioned comfort food with everyday ingredients and a whole lot less work.
Because dinner shouldn't require a second shift.
Let's get cooking! 🍲
1. Classic Crockpot Pot Roast
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: LOW 8–10 hours or HIGH 5–6 hours
Servings: 6
Cook Time: LOW 8–10 hours or HIGH 5–6 hours
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 3–4 lb beef chuck roast
- 1½ lbs baby potatoes, halved if large
- 1 lb baby carrots
- 1 large onion, cut into chunks
- 2 cups beef broth
- 1 packet onion soup mix
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place the potatoes, carrots, and onions in the bottom of a 6-quart or larger slow cooker.
- Season the roast with salt and pepper and place it on top of the vegetables.
- Pour in the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce, then sprinkle the onion soup mix over the roast.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours or HIGH for approximately 5 hours, until the beef is fork-tender.
- Slice or shred the roast and serve with the vegetables and cooking juices.
💡 Keeping It Real Tip: Want thicker gravy? Remove the roast and vegetables, stir together 2 tablespoons cornstarch and 2 tablespoons cold water, then whisk into the hot juices. Cover and cook on HIGH until thickened.
2. Shortcut Crockpot Chicken & Dumplings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: LOW 5–6 hours or HIGH 3–4 hours, plus 1–2 hours for dumplings
Servings: 6
Cook Time: LOW 5–6 hours or HIGH 3–4 hours, plus 1–2 hours for dumplings
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 cans (10.5 oz each) condensed cream of chicken soup
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1 bag (12 oz) frozen mixed vegetables
- 1 can (16.3 oz) refrigerated biscuits
- Black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place chicken in the slow cooker.
- Add condensed soup, broth, onion, poultry seasoning, and black pepper. Stir gently.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 5–6 hours or HIGH for 3–4 hours, until chicken reaches 165°F.
- Shred the chicken with two forks and stir it back into the sauce along with the frozen vegetables.
- Cut each refrigerated biscuit into four pieces and arrange over the top. Gently press them into the hot liquid.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for another 1–2 hours, until the biscuit pieces are cooked through with no raw dough in the centers.
💡 Keeping It Real Tip: Resist the temptation to keep lifting the lid while the dumplings cook. They need that trapped heat!
3. Easy Crockpot Taco Soup
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: LOW 4–6 hours or HIGH 2–3 hours
Servings: 6–8
Cook Time: LOW 4–6 hours or HIGH 2–3 hours
Servings: 6–8
Ingredients
- 1½ lbs ground beef
- 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can (15 oz) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 can (15 oz) corn, drained
- 1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, with juices
- 1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes with green chilies
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- 1 cup beef broth
Instructions
- Brown the ground beef in a skillet and drain any excess grease.
- Transfer beef to the slow cooker.
- Add beans, corn, both types of tomatoes, taco seasoning, and broth.
- Stir everything together.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 4–6 hours or HIGH for 2–3 hours.
Topping Ideas: Shredded cheddar, sour cream, crushed tortilla chips, avocado, or green onions.
💡 Keeping It Real Tip: This is a great recipe for leftovers. It also freezes well, so make extra!
4. Creamy Crockpot Mac & Cheese
Prep Time: 10–15 minutes
Cook Time: LOW 1½–2½ hours
Servings: 6–8
Cook Time: LOW 1½–2½ hours
Servings: 6–8
Ingredients
- 16 oz elbow macaroni
- 3 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk
- 2 cups whole milk
- 4 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Cook macaroni in boiling water for about 2 minutes less than the package directions. Drain.
- Lightly grease the slow cooker.
- Add macaroni, shredded cheese, evaporated milk, whole milk, butter, and seasonings.
- Stir well, cover, and cook on LOW for 1½–2½ hours, stirring occasionally, until creamy and heated through.
- Serve promptly.
💡 Keeping It Real Tip: Grate your own cheese! 🧀 Pre-shredded cheese often contains added starches or cellulose to prevent clumping. Buying a block and shredding it yourself lets you skip those extras, and freshly grated cheese generally melts more smoothly, giving you a creamier mac and cheese. It's one of those little swaps that's worth the extra couple of minutes!
Also, mac and cheese isn't an all-day crockpot recipe. Check it early because pasta can become mushy if it cooks too long.
5. Crockpot Apple Cinnamon Roll Casserole
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: HIGH 2–3 hours
Servings: 6–8
Cook Time: HIGH 2–3 hours
Servings: 6–8
Ingredients
- 2 cans (12.4 oz each) refrigerated cinnamon rolls with icing
- 1 can (21 oz) apple pie filling
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- Optional: vanilla ice cream for serving
Instructions
- Lightly grease the inside of the slow cooker.
- Cut each cinnamon roll into quarters.
- Add half the cinnamon roll pieces to the bottom.
- Spoon the apple pie filling over them.
- Add the remaining cinnamon roll pieces.
- Drizzle with melted butter and sprinkle with cinnamon.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for approximately 2–3 hours, until the dough in the center is fully cooked. Start checking around 90 minutes, as slow cookers vary.
- Drizzle the included icing over the warm casserole just before serving.
💡 Keeping It Real Tip: Serve warm with vanilla ice cream. Because if we're already making cinnamon rolls and apple pie filling in the crockpot, why stop there? 😂
Let's Keep It Real...
Look, I love a good home-cooked meal as much as the next person. But I also love NOT spending my entire evening standing over the stove, washing dishes, and wondering how one dinner managed to destroy my entire kitchen. 😂
That's why I love a good crockpot recipe. A little prep, a handful of ingredients, and dinner is one less thing I have to worry about.
And if the family thinks I spent all afternoon slaving away in the kitchen? Well, who am I to ruin that illusion? 🤷♀️😂
Now it's your turn!
What's your favorite crockpot recipe? I'm always looking for new ideas, especially ones that don't require a grocery list longer than my arm!
And if you've got a ridiculously easy one, PLEASE share. We're all friends here! 😂
Hi, I'm Jessica! 👋
If you're new here, welcome!
I'm Jessica, and Keeping It Real is pretty much exactly what it sounds like. I share the things I actually use and do in real life — from essential oils and natural-ish swaps to easy recipes, DIYs, home stuff and whatever else I'm currently figuring out.
I'm not here to convince you that I have it all together, because I very much do not. 😂 I just like finding simple things that make everyday life a little easier and sharing them in a way that feels doable for normal people with actual lives.
So if that's your kind of thing, stick around.
We're keeping it simple, useful and, most importantly, real.
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Flu Season AKA Sugar Season 🍬
What does all that extra sugar have to do with our immune health?
Isn't it funny how the time of year when everyone starts talking about cold and flu season is ALSO the time of year when we're practically swimming in sugar?
It starts innocently enough. A little Halloween candy here, a pumpkin spice something-or-other there. Then Thanksgiving rolls around with all those delicious pies, and before you know it, we're surrounded by Christmas cookies, fudge, candy canes, and enough sugary treats to keep a small bakery in business.
And listen, I'm not here to tell you to give up your Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. That would be ridiculous. 😂
But I do think it's worth talking about something that doesn't get nearly enough attention this time of year.
What does all that extra sugar actually do to our bodies, and how does it relate to our immune health?
First, Let's Talk About Sugar
Before we go any further, I want to make something clear. Sugar isn't automatically the enemy.
There's a difference between the naturally occurring sugars found in foods like fruit and milk and the added sugars manufacturers put into everything from cookies to salad dressing.
When you eat a whole apple, you're getting natural sugar along with fiber, water, vitamins, and other nutrients. That fiber helps slow digestion and makes the apple a lot different from drinking a sugary soda.
Added sugar, on the other hand, can pile up pretty quickly without bringing much nutritional value along for the ride.
And here's where things get interesting.
So, What's the Connection to Our Immune System?
Our immune system is pretty amazing. It's constantly working behind the scenes, and like everything else in our bodies, it depends on a whole lot of different systems working together.
One of those systems involves how our bodies manage blood sugar.
When we regularly consume more added sugar than our bodies need, especially as part of an overall unhealthy eating pattern, it can contribute to problems with blood sugar regulation, insulin resistance, and chronic inflammation.
And inflammation is where the immune connection comes in.
Inflammation isn't always a bad thing! It's actually part of our body's normal immune response. The problem is when inflammation becomes chronic, meaning it sticks around longer than it should.
Research has linked chronic inflammation and poor metabolic health with changes in how our immune systems function.
Now, does that mean eating a candy bar immediately shuts down your immune system for hours?
Nope. Despite what you may have seen floating around on social media, the science doesn't support that simple claim.
But it DOES mean that our everyday eating habits matter. And if we're consistently loading up on added sugar while neglecting other important nutrients, we're probably not doing ourselves any favors.
How Much Sugar Are We Actually Eating?
Here's something that surprised me when I first started paying attention to nutrition labels.
The American Heart Association recommends limiting added sugar to approximately:
- 25 grams (6 teaspoons) per day for most women
- 36 grams (9 teaspoons) per day for most men
And when you start looking at the labels on some of our everyday foods and drinks, those numbers add up FAST! Check this out 👇
🍬 DID YOU KNOW? Sugar Adds Up FAST!
We all know candy and cookies contain sugar. No big surprise there. But what about some of the things we're eating and drinking on an ordinary Tuesday?
Take a look at these examples:
- 🥤 12 oz. regular Coca-Cola: 39 grams of added sugar
- ☕ 16 oz. Starbucks Caramel Macchiato: approximately 33 grams of total sugar
- 🥣 1 cup of Honey Nut Cheerios: approximately 12 grams of added sugar
- 🍫 1 regular package of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (2 cups): approximately 20 grams of added sugar
Now, here's something important. The Starbucks number is TOTAL sugar, which includes naturally occurring sugar from milk. The other three numbers are ADDED sugar.
But still. ONE regular can of Coke contains more added sugar than the American Heart Association recommends for an entire day for most adults.
And that's before we've even gotten to the Halloween candy. 😂
I'm not saying we need to obsess over every gram, but sometimes it's worth flipping that package over and seeing what's actually in there.
You might be surprised!
Nutrition figures are based on standard servings and published product information. Amounts may vary by product size and formulation.
Sugar Season Doesn't Have to Mean Sugar Overload
Now we're getting to the part I actually care about.
Because knowing something isn't particularly good for us is one thing. Figuring out how to make realistic changes is another.
And I don't know about you, but I have ZERO interest in spending the next three months pretending that Christmas cookies don't exist. 😂
Here are a few things worth trying:
Pay attention to what you're drinking. Sweetened coffee drinks, soda, sweet tea, and other sugary beverages can add up quickly. Sometimes simply switching one of those drinks for water or an unsweetened option makes a difference.
Don't forget the protein and fiber. Meals and snacks that include protein, fiber, and healthy fats can help keep us satisfied and support steadier blood sugar levels.
Check the everyday stuff. I'm much more interested in reducing added sugar in foods I eat regularly than stressing over a slice of homemade pumpkin pie once a year.
Enjoy the treats you actually LOVE. If you're going to have something sweet, make it something you genuinely enjoy. No sense wasting your sugar on a mediocre cookie. 😂
Look at the bigger picture. Getting enough sleep, moving our bodies, managing stress, and eating a variety of nutritious foods all contribute to overall health and normal immune function.
And sometimes those things matter a whole lot more than whether you ate two pieces of Halloween candy.
One Last Thought...
I think it's easy to get caught up in looking for one magical thing that will keep us healthy during the colder months.
But our bodies don't work that way.
Our immune systems are influenced by lots of different factors, and the habits we practice consistently tend to matter more than any single food, drink, or supplement.
So as we head into the season of candy bowls, Thanksgiving desserts, and Christmas cookie trays, maybe the goal shouldn't be to avoid sugar completely.
Maybe it's simply to become a little more aware of how much we're consuming and make some better choices where we can.
Because I fully intend to enjoy my favorite holiday treats. I'd just rather not be eating a month's worth of added sugar between Halloween and New Year's without even realizing it. 😂
💙 A Little About Me & Keeping It Real
Hey there! I'm the voice behind Keeping It Real With The Essentoils! I'm a wife, mom, and a firm believer that life is complicated enough without making everything else harder than it needs to be. 😂
Around here, you'll find a little bit of everything—simple recipes, everyday tips, natural living, and whatever else I think is worth sharing. I'm not an expert on everything (shocking, I know!), but I love learning new things and passing along what I've discovered.
No perfection required. Just real life, practical ideas, and a little humor along the way! 💙
Want more? Click HERE to explore more Keeping It Real blog posts. Just don't blame me if you end up going down a rabbit hole! 😂
This blog is for general educational purposes and isn't intended to provide medical advice. Nutrition and immune health are complicated, and individual needs vary.
