Crockpot recipes kids love.

.Sorry if this has been done before but i'm really struggling to put meals in the crockpot that my children will eat (except Chilli) does anyone have any! Thanks

And this is why I'm selling mine because my kids don't like anything cooked in the crockpot/slow cooker .

What, get rid off a slow cooker - crockpot because Children don't like the meals.

Casseroles, stews, soups, rolled roasts, chunks of meat, Chicken pieces, etc etc are lovely coming from a slow cooker, especially when one can be busy doing other things that are time consuming. LOL.

Hint re Children, get them to taste at various stages and ask what else they would like in it, far safer than over a stove top element or in a hot oven.

Best example is a basic homemade vege soup especially if one finds it hard for children to eat certain veges, just get them to add something (children likes of course) that will give that taste to suit themselves, then use a stick blender nearing serving time to blend all together, breaking it down to hide tastes of unliked items.
Play on the taste buds!

Cheers

Firstly, one doesn't have the inclination to phaff around asking them to taste as I go along - I work full time, they eat what I put on their plates or get their own (they are 14 and 17 plus 21 year old at uni).We don't like "wet" meat and it always tastes wet no matter what recipe I follow - and I have bought recipe books galore, including Alison Holst, to no avail.They don't consider soup to be a meal - it is a snack or maybe lunch if there's nothing else.My children will eat most vegetables and do - including Brussel sprouts.I can, and do, cook a roast chicken dinner in 90 minutes which is easily done when I get home from work.The slow cooker was a waste of money for us because we don't like the food that comes out of it - simple (refer previous slow cooker thread .)

I don't do negotiating or arguing with my kids over what they eat or don't eat but this time I have to admit defeat if they won't eat the food cooked by this method - there is nothing that can be cooked in the slow cooker that can't be cooked by any other means.There are more of them than there are of me - they win - out it goes .

Fair enough sarahb5.If you don't like "wet meat" - then it's not really for you.Casseroles etc.never going to be a winner.

Slightly off topic but perhaps slightly relevent.

Some time ago, my Daughter whom does not like mushrooms told her children that they taste horrible and never served it to them, actually discouraged them from trying it immensely.

I told her that she should not do this as it is their final choice wether they eat them or not, her eldest as it turns out tried them at someone's elses place and loves them.

Hence one should never discouraged children in trying foods because one does not like them.

It does come down to their choice and perhaps one should asked them what they preferred if one was to keep a slow cooker.

All foods have moisture, it is a matter how moist one wants it.

Hopes this helps.

Cheers.

Moisture in food is not the same as wetness, ie. roast chicken without crispy skin, or rolled roast beef without the fat being crisped, or other foods just turned to mush - I prefer vegetables "al dente".Our food is never dry but the wetness in a slow cooker is not the same.I realise this is a hard concept for others (who think slow cookers are the best thing since sliced bread) to understand but I tried and it just doesn't work for us if I'm the only one who will eat what's cooked in it.The best thing I've bought is a casserole dish that can be used on the cook top, in the microwave and in the oven - works much better for us and the foods we like than the slow cooker.

Everyone has likes and dislikes as far as food is concerned - my kids don't like some things I like, I don't like some things they like - that's normal but I'm not going to continue down the slow cooker road because they simply don't like the food that comes out of it.It's not worth it for me when they will happily eat the same food cooked traditionally.

Fair enough.

But would not get rid off yet, perhaps down the road further may be needed for some occassion or something all of a sudden comes to light.

Editing to add, quite often I use ours for dry cooking, a piece of meat with a nice glaze for an example, no moisture added.

Cheers

weird my kids eat whats put in front of them period.

Lamb roast - spray on oil, shake on garlic salt, throw in a bit of rosemary from the garden. Cook on slow for 8 hours - so tender it falls off the bone. Ditto any other roast. With pork I pour over some apple juice. It is so tender it literally melts in your mouth.

Curries = divine.
Mince = add tomatoes, puree and a packet of soup mix and you have spag boll (just boil the spag separately).
Macaroni cheese, lasagna - there are recipes on here for these things.
Even apricot chicken - my youngest doesn't like "wet" gravy type meat, so I simply hold his chicken drums up for 3 seconds and let the apricot gravy run off.

Rice pudding, chocolate self saucing cake/pudding, hot fruit salad, bread, porridge.

Fair enough. How about then, you sell it and don't jump into every slow cooker thread saying how terrible they are etc etc. Doesn't work for you = no problem. But thats not what the OP was asking, was it!

Crockpots work great for me because I still have five kids at home and one who regularly drops in for dinner, and I work long unpredictable hours. And some of my kids have sport/music/drama and want their meals at different times. I can put a great meal together in 10 minutes first thing in the morningor last thing at night (with my timer) and know everyone will have delicious hot, healthy food that night.

It took a bit of getting used to, but I have mastered the use of a crockpot now.

But I was actually trying to point out to OP that not everyone does like the food that comes out of the slow cooker and that if her kids don't like it that's perfectly acceptable - they're not weird, strange or abnormal in any way - they just have likes and dislikes as the rest of us do too.My children's dislike of food from the slow cooker has not been because of my reactions at all - I would love to be able to use it but have admitted defeat - sometimes you have to accept that people are different and that's not wrong.

I can't think of any occasion when I would be likely to need a slow cooker in preference to any other method of cooking I have at my disposal - I even tried sending it to Wellington live with my daughter in her uni flat but it wasn't used there either.

You're still not getting what I mean about "wet" food - the meat is simply not cooked to our taste (or rather my children's taste), that's all, it has nothing to do with whether there's sauce, gravy or meat juices in the meat.

Like I said, we're all different and if OPs children aren't enjoying food cooked in the slow cooker then they're not alone and sometimes you just have to admit defeat on these things - I'd rather mine ate what I cook in the oven or on the stove top than didn't eat things I cook in the slow cooker just for the sake of convenience.

I like my big pieces of meat well cooked. tender and succulent, especially when one gets older in the tooth. not rare or partially bloodied like some others do, LOL.

Secondly I never noted for the "sake of convenience" but merely something that has its place in the kitchen just like other kitchen appliances and all gets used hence a slow cooker does have its place as far as I'm concerned.

Cheers

Ok get them used to it,do cheros in the crock pot or hot dogs yes they are quick and easy but I found half the problem with my kids was Mums in a hurry and home from work and tired so they put two and two together with the crock pot and would not like it. Try a more relax time .maybe a stew with dumplings.or chicken,pineapple and rice

sarab5 has a lovely slow cooker for sale on TM!

sarab5 go somewhere else for your 'focus on me' regime! We're tired of it.

Hi thanks all for your responses, i have just started back full time after being at home with them so i haven't really done much experimenting with the crockpot yet, just made a handful of very average casseroles , but the veggie chilli was a hit, had no idea you could do roasts and desserts etc, i better do some recipe googling.

I am almost embarrassed to admit that I bought some lamb neck chops (formerly I only fed them to my dog) that were coated in Oriental Mint marinade, on the off chance it might make a cheap yummy meal. I bunged them in the crockpot (NO water) and turned it on low for 8 hours. I was completely blown away by the fact that all five kids adored them. Even my "I want to be a vegetarian" child couldn't resist the temptation as they smelt divine. And my extraordinarily fussy child (due to life threatening allergies making him very suspicious of new food) was tempted and raved over them!

I have never eaten neck chops before. But the meat was so tender it fell off the bone and tasted heavenly. 30 seconds work, and a great meal for the night I didn't get home till 6pm and couldn't be bothered whipping up a meal.

Some Child friendly C/P recipes for you.
Glazed Chicken nibbles
¼ cup dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon oil
1-2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoosn cornflour
2 large cloves garlic crushed and chopped.
1-2 kg bag of chicken nibbles.
Place first 6 ingredients in a bowl and whisk till all mixed.
Put nibbles in cooker pour over mixture in bowl using tongs toss nibbles to coat with sauce. Lid on and cook. High 3-4 hours when cooked toss nibbles again in glaze lift out of cooker with tongs put on a serving plate sprinkle with sesame seeds grab some paper towels and start munching.
You can addsherry to sauce mix , little more cornflour, and1-2 tablespoons grated ginger if you have it.for a bit more zing.
Meatballs in a sweet and sour sauce.
Bag of mince, Breadcrumbs fresh or processed,1 teaspoon herbs, or fresh chopped ones, salt and pepper, 1 teaspoon baking powder(this holds them together) beaten egg.
SAUCE 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 2 tablespoons soy sauce,1 tablespoon tomato sauce, 1 tablespoon water salt and pepper.
Mix all together till it forms into a ball. With wet hands roll into balls roll in a little flour shake of access flour and fry in a pan to brown each side place in cooker.
Make saucemix together in a saucepan over low heat to combine, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 2 tablespoons soy sauce,1 tablespoon tomato sauce, 1 tablespoon water salt and pepper. Pour over meatballs. Can add a chopped onion and a handful of frozen mixed vegs if you like, double sauce mix for a big bag of mince. Lid on and cook. Spoon over noodles or mashed potatoes.
Whole Honey-Soy Chickenin Slow cooker Alison Holst
4-6 servings: 2 Lemons 2 cloves garlic, crushed 1.8-2kg whole chicken ¼ cup dark soy sauce ¼ cup honey
Cut 4-6 deep slashes in one of the lemons, then stuff the lemon and the garlic cloves inside the bird. Thoroughly coat the cooker bowl with non-stick spray, add the chicken and turn the cooker onto LOW Combine the soy, honey and jucie of the remaining lemon in a small bowl. Stir to mix, then pour the sauce over the chicken. Put the lid on the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 8-9 hours. For a dark even glaze, spoon some of the cooking liquid over the bird every now and then, especially during the last hour or so.
Golden Sausages
6 sauages, browned in a frying pan cut into chunks and put into heated cooker.
Mix 1 Tblespoon sugar, 1 Tblespoon worcester sauce 2 Tblespoons vinegar, 2 Tblespoons tomato sauce, pepper, 1 teaspoon mustard powder. Mix all to a smooth paste and add 2 cups very hot water and pour over sausages. Cook on LOW for 6 hours. To thicken near serving time 2 Tblspoons flour mixed with some water add,stir till thickened and cook on high for 1/2 hour.
Beef Olives in Gravy.
Turn cooker on to heat while you prepare meat.
Make a stuffing out of either fresh breadcrumbs OR processed ones with beaten egg, teaspoon of mixed herbs Or freshly chopped herbs from the garden. Salt and pepper. Mix altogether.
Take pieces Weiner Scnhitzel, add some stuffing roll up secure with tooth pick, brown rolls in a hot frying pan with tablespoon oil on all sides. Put browned rolls into C/P make a gravy up pour over top lid on and cook.
Remove when done and pull out toothpick before serving with fav vegs mashed potatoes and spoon gravy over top.
Anyroast, beef or lamb,mutton etc is nice rub all over with oil,grushed garlic, s/p brown it all in a hot frying pan into cooker, drizzle a little balsamic vinegar over the roast and cook. Remove at dinner time rest under tin foil, while you do vegs tip juices into a sauce pan and make a nice flavoured gravy to go with your meat. All recipes from T/M.

My kids hid my crockpot (under my bed) so I wouldn't cook them yucky meals in it.LOL.Now they have left home I use it all the time.

I don't have children but do use my crockpot and here are a couple of things I have made that I think were successful
Bolar roast - just put the meat in the crockpot with a packet of beef instant soup powder - no liquid and leave it for about 8 hours on low (if you have the option of low and high). I then throw in an instant gravy sachet into the liquid at the end and that is it done. It just falls apart and tastes great.
You can cook silverside in it - there are several differnent options on it - I do mine the same as if I was cooking it on the stove so I fill the crockpot with liquid and cook the silverside in that - others cook theirs dry.
A casserole I do is beef stewing meat; carrots; celery; onion etc then I get about 2 or 3 cook in the pot beef sachets (depending on how much meat I am cooking) and make them up to only about a cup and half of liquid or I use red wine. 8 hours on low and that comes out really well - the cook in the pot sachets add flavour and thickness as far as I am concerned. I also sometimes add potatoes with the other veg - just chunk them to about bite size and they cook in the cassserole as well.

Also I put a piece of tinfoil under teh lid so it seals the lid and bowl a bit more so less steam escapes and then everything cooks a lot better I think.

Hope some of those might help :)

Great post Valentino and by the way thanks for teaching me all about bar b ques especially rotisserie.

Would not part with either of my two crockpots or my pressure cooker and use them all the time.As my mother used to say "it would be a funny old world if we all liked the same thing."

My kid love this one and cheap too.Take 2 tubes sausage meat and make into balls ( bigger than meatballs) mix tog. 4tbls w.flour, 4 tbls b.sugar, 2tsp curry powder, 2tsp cumin s+p, roll balls to coat and put in sprayed cooker. Cover with 2 grated apples, 2 tins chopped tomatoes and sprinkle rest of flour mixture on top.Cook 8 hous on low.We have with rice.