Easy Meals For Busy Evenings!

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With fall rapidly approaching, the evenings get shorter. And all kinds of activities are crammed into such a short amount of time! But even though time is short, you can still have a balanced meal on the table with the help of your handy slow cooker.

Slow Cooker Barbecue

Did you know that crock pot was a brand name? The generic term is "slow cooker."
Did you know that Crock Pot is a brand name? The generic term is “slow cooker.”

One of my all time favorite meals to prepare in the slow cooker is barbecue. And it is SO EASY.

All you need is a Boston Butt (which is actually the name for a pork shoulder), salt and pepper, and a bottle of your favorite barbecue sauce.

The Boston Butt is a fatty cut of meat that you can purchase with or without a bone. It honestly makes no difference, it’s just a personal preference. I often buy a larger piece when they are on sale because the cooked meat freezes easily for a future meal.

It takes about 7 hours to cook a 3-pound Boston Butt in my slow cooker on low heat. I put it in the slow cooker, add a bit of salt and pepper and turn it on around 9 a.m. — and by 4 p.m. it’s cooked! You will know it’s done because it shreds easily with two forks, but I discovered an even easier way to shred the pork; use your kitchen scissors! This is a great way to discard excess fat as well.

Once your pork is shredded, add your favorite barbecue sauce (mine is the Carolina Sweet by Sticky Fingers). Pile on a bun and add coleslaw (which you also made earlier in the day). Serve with beans and fresh fruit and you have a well balanced meal!

Vinegar Slaw

Homemade coleslaw without a DROP of mayonnaise.
Homemade coleslaw without a DROP of mayonnaise.

Coleslaw is one of those things that I always bought and never made until recently. I keep getting cabbages in my bi-weekly produce share and didn’t want to waste it, so I decided to investigate recipes. I detest mayonnaise, so this one fits the bill. This recipe has been modified from Southern Plate.

To make it, you’ll need a small head of cabbage, two carrots, apple cider vinegar and white sugar.

After you’ve put your pork into your slow cooker, chop up your cabbage. I do this by hand, but you can use a food processor. It produces a LOT of cabbage shreds. Grate one or two carrots in with your cabbage, and add a cup of apple cider vinegar and a cup of white sugar. Put a lid on your bowl, or use really tight saran wrap, and shake up the mixture to evenly coat your vegetables, and put your slaw in the refrigerator until it’s time to eat!

I’m always looking for go-to slow cooker recipes! Share yours in the comments!

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