Crock pot recipes for WDW vacations

[thelionqueen]

OK, so I'm came up with an interesting project I'd like to share and ask for input on. I want to come up with easy prep, delicious and fairly healthy crock pot meals for our WDW vacation. Obviously this would work best if you're in a DVC villa or any other resort with a full kitchen..and, of course a crock pot.

As a disclaimer, I love to cook, so this is actually fun for me and takes the "Disney itch" off every day waiting for our October vacation..lol. Below are some reasons I decided to do this...

1) Find budget friendly food options while @ WDW
2) Save time and feed my family home cooked meals while at WDW
3) To do something everyday to help ease the anticipation for our vacation

Here is what I'm planning to do. I am going to create, research and test multiple crock pot recipes I think will be ideal for our families WDW vacation.

We are staying @ Bonnet Creek with a full kitchen and sharing a crock pot with other Dis'ers. I have already tested 4 recipes..3 successful, one not so much. A successful (albeit lots of prep) recipe was a lasagne. Simple, easy and pretty good (I'm Sicilian so my "real" lasagne takes 2 days to make..this crock pot recipe is not the same, but still good).

Another hit was a taco casserole..very easy and very good. The most successful was a white chicken chili, easy prep & delicious (used rotisserie chicken).

The "not so successful" recipe was a beef n' broccoli attempt. Beef was tough, broccoli mushy and lacked flavor. Might try to tweak this one.

If you've seen the movie "Julie & Julia" that is somewhat of my inspiration. I'd like to call this project "Tic Tok Crock" lol. In the weeks/months up to our Disney vacation I will test as many recipes as I can and post what I think might be helpful for others who might want to try this on their vacation. It may seem like I'm crazy, but I'm actually excited to do this...... TIA for your advice, input!

 

[ilovepete]

I have 3 that my family loves:

Hawaiian Chicken in the Crock Pot

4 chicken breasts (we have also used other cuts of chicken with great success)
1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce
1 can of pineapple rings, with juice

Place the chicken on the bottom of the crock pot. Pour the BBQ sauce evenly over the chicken. Place the pineapple rings on top of the chicken, spacing them out how you see fit. Then you want to pour the pineapple juice over the chicken. (Actually, what I do is pour the pineapple juice into the BBQ sauce bottle, put the lid back on, and shake it up really good to get all of that BBQ sauce out of the bottle before I pour the juice onto the pineapple. )

Cook chicken on high for 4 hours or low for 6 to 8 hours.


Crock-pot Chicken W/ Blackbeans and Cream Cheese...yum!

I love this recipe for two reasons...one...my family loves it and two because it is so easy to make!

4-5 boneless chicken breasts
1 (15 1/2 ounce) can blackbeans
1 (15 ounce) can corn
1 (15 ounce) jar salsa, any kind
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

4 servings

1. Take 4-5 frozen, yes, frozen, boneless chicken breasts put into
crock-pot.

2. add 1 can of black beans, drained, 1 jar of salsa, 1 can of corn
drained.

3. Keep in crock-pot on high for about 4-5 hours or until chicken
is cooked.

4. Add 1 package of cream cheese (just throw it on top!) and let
sit for about 1/2 hour.

5. All done and enjoy!

4 hours 3 minutes 3 mins prep - serve over rice


And then also a Chicken & Stuffing type one. I put chicken breasts on the bottom, I usually use 6, then a can of cream of chicken soup and a can of cream of mushroom soup (or I use a substitute sometimes but on vacation, can't really do that) layered on top of the chicken. Then I take two boxes of stove top and you mix it with the water amount listed on the packages (you can add the butter they suggest, too) and put that on top. Cook on high for 4 hours of low for 6-8.

 

[2disneyboys]

I love my crockpot, as with our busy schedules, sometimes, that's the only way we ave homemade meals. My Mai. Suggestion is to find out exactly what type of crockpot you will be using as I find sometimes they all cook different and u don't want to ruin dinner because of a different crockpot, ykwim?

Anyway, we have made the following in ours with great success,...


Baked chicken
Pot roast
Pork loin
Ribs (we do prefer to throw these on the grill for a bit afterwards)
Many soups, chili's
Chicken breasts, favorite salsa and then shred and we use this for chicken taco salads
Mac n cheese (yummy)
Spagetti sauce
Chicken curry
Enchilada pie (basically however you make your individual enchilada's but in casserole form.
There are lots more but this gives you some more thoughts. I basically took things I would make normally, and then through trial and error, adapted them to crockpot use. It really helps me put good food on the table during our busy spells..

Now,..ask about grill receipes lol! From April through Nov we barely even use the kitchen... Nearly every meal is grilled...

Good luck and have fun planning!

 

[thelionqueen]

Great suggestions already, LOVE them! I thought about adapting my normal recipes for the crock pot, not sure how they'll turn out..but great idea! I'm not sure the exact size but I'm fairly certain it is the "standard" size since it was donated and passed on in a box from dis'er to dis'er. I'll see if I can find out.

As far as grilling, one our favorite dishes is a mexican veggie packet. Take Green zucchini slices, fresh cut corn (off the cob) fresh jalapeno's and Roasted/peeled green chiles, put in a foil packet and grill for about 10-15 mins. We do the same with bell peppers, zucchini and italian dressing...yummy!

Im thinking of a rigatoni with a light cream sauce, chicken n broccoli..want to use uncooked pasta, not sure how it'll work out. I had a friend with a great mac n cheese recipe, great idea! Thanks already, great input!!

 

[Shelly F - Ohio]

Beef Stroganoff

1 lb of stew meat
1 medium onion -diced
5 tbs of worcestershire sauce
1/2 c. water
1 can of golden mushroom soup
salt and pepper to taste

cook on high for 5 hours or low for 8 hours
45 before its finished add 4 oz of cream cheese.

serve over noodles.

 

[wendow]

We use our crockpot a lot! Love it! Our favorite easy recipes that do not involve many ingredients...cause you wouldn't want to have to buy something just to use a teeny amount...

So I'd do simple things like BBQ chicken which is just chicken breasts & BBQ sauce. I put that in the crock at about noon and usually cook on high until 4 when I turn it down and shred the chicken mixing the BBQ sauce in well. By 5, it's ready to be served on buns. You could easily cook on low if started in the morning.

Another one I like that someone else mentioned something similar is Salsa chicken. Chicken breasts & salsa covering it. You can add black beans & corn or just use the salsa. Shred about an hour before serving. Yummy served over rice or in a tortilla with any garnishes you have like cheese and/or sour cream.

I have some other recipes I like a lot but they require a lot of ingredients. I'll keep thinking of other few ingredient recipes.

 

[englishteacha]

Pot roast. Yum!

 

[princess barbara]

To the OP-

Would you be willing to share your lasagna crockpot recipe?

 

[Karenj2]

My crockpot fave is turkey chili (maybe not the best for FL weather, though)

The only special prepping for WDW I'd do would be to pre cook the ground turkey, then freeze it cooked, so you don't have to worry about cooking the turkey while you're down there.

1 pkg ground turkey (cooked up)
1 can black beans, drained
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 to 1 bag frozen sliced peppers & onions (I think it's called a stir fry mix)
frozen corn, if desired
1 pkg chili seasoning mix
up to 1c water (add to get desired consistency)
---
shredded cheese
sour cream
chives

Once the turkey is cooked, combine all the rest of the ingredients & cook until heated through. (If I have less time, I'll microwave the veggies first, then just put it on high for an hour or so, if I start in the AM I'll just put them in frozen, then cook it on low all day.) Top with cheese, sour cream & chives, if desired. (Great with cornbread!)

 

[LadyBeBop]

I'll keep an eye on this thread as well. Right now, it's just my DH and me, so I don't use the slow cooker too often (and when I do, we have three days of leftovers). But there will be five of us in a timeshare at Myrtle Beach in September and six or seven of us in a timeshare at Disney in October 2013. Dining out is expensive, and I don't want to be chained to an oven on vacation.

I got my last slow cooker for Christmas 2011, and so far so good. But I'm still a little hesitant to use it. With my old slow cooker, my meals have come out dry and tough. That's probably by overcooking. I work long days, and the food is in the cooker between 10-12 hours. There was supposed to be a warming unit that switching on after the food is done cooking (usually 8 hours), but I swear, the food continued cooking.

One piece of advice if you're traveling (or even if you aren't). For those recipes with a lot of ingredients, and most of those ingredients are spices and other dry non-perishables, you can measure out the dry ingredients and put them all in a sealable quart-sized storage bag (the one used for your 411 items...make sure it seals shut though). When you're ready to cook, just add your perishables/wet ingredients to the slow cooker, dump the contents of your storage bag to the cooker then start cooking. HTH.

 

[thelionqueen]

To the OP-

Would you be willing to share your lasagna crockpot recipe?

Absolutely..fairly simple just a little more prep work.

1 pkg uncooked lasagne noodles (I use barilla because they're flat)
1lb ground beef
1lb mild italian sausage
1 jar spaghetti sauce of your choice
1 small container Ricotta cheese
1 small container cottage cheese
1/3 cup water
1/2-1lb mozzarella or italian blend shredded cheese
1 tbs parsley/italian seasoning
1 tsp garlic salt or powder

Oil or spray non-stick spray in crock pot. Brown beef and sausage until no longer pink, drain. Mix water with spaghetti sauce, put aside until needed. Mix ricotta & cottage cheese together with parsley & garlic salt/powder.

Place 4 noodles in bottom of pan. I break off corners to fit better. Layer 1/2 of the beef & sausage, cover with 1/3 of sauce, cover evenly with ricotta cheese mixture, top with 1/3 of cheese. Repeat another layer (noodles, meat, sauce, cheese & cheese). You can stop here but I add another layer of noodles only cover sparingly with sauce and top with cheese..your choice.

Cook on high for 30-40 minutes, then adjust to low for 3-4 hours.

I haven't tried this myself, but I think if you chose just to keep in on low for 5-6 hours the results would be the same and the risk of burning the sides decreases (my sides didn't burn but came too close for comfort). Enjoy!

 

[thelionqueen]

BeBop..AWESOME idea about packing spices!! I totally didn't even think of that at all!!! Just put different spices in little snack size ziploc bags...Genius!! Thank you!

Also thanks for the GREAT recipes so far..all of them sound AMAZING and I'll be testing out the Beef Stroganoff one tonight or tomorrow and others in the coming weeks!!

 

[thelionqueen]

We use our crockpot a lot! Love it! Our favorite easy recipes that do not involve many ingredients...cause you wouldn't want to have to buy something just to use a teeny amount...

So I'd do simple things like BBQ chicken which is just chicken breasts & BBQ sauce. I put that in the crock at about noon and usually cook on high until 4 when I turn it down and shred the chicken mixing the BBQ sauce in well. By 5, it's ready to be served on buns. You could easily cook on low if started in the morning.

Another one I like that someone else mentioned something similar is Salsa chicken. Chicken breasts & salsa covering it. You can add black beans & corn or just use the salsa. Shred about an hour before serving. Yummy served over rice or in a tortilla with any garnishes you have like cheese and/or sour cream.

I have some other recipes I like a lot but they require a lot of ingredients. I'll keep thinking of other few ingredient recipes.

I actually didn't use to use my crock pot during the summer, it just had more of a "Winter" menu feel to me for whatever reason. Now that I'm in a smaller home with no central A/C using it has been amazing!!!

I love the ideas so far..keep em' coming! Simple proteins and veggies that come out moist and flavorful can be used so many ways!!

 

[TavieP]

For me, a big part of the fun at WDW is eating out, but I admire your wishes to stay within budget and cook healthy, home-cooked meals for your family!

This is my very favorite crockpot recipe, it's for risotto. (Risotto is hard - lots of stirring on stovetop. In the crockpot the work's done for you.) It's easy to throw things in if you want to.

When I make it, I replace the white wine with an equivalent amount of stock (my boyfriend's a recovering alcoholic and we don't keep wine in the house) and I also throw in chopped mushrooms (something soft, like bella - if you get too fancy with the chewy mushrooms, like chanterelle, they may be a bit tough.)

Voila - easy, delicious mushroom risotto.

 

[bdoyledimou]

I just dropped a beef roast into the crock pot, added a few tablespoons of red wine, some Onion Soup mix and a can of kidney beans (drained).

After about 5 hours I will add some green beans, mushrooms and new potatoes (the small ones) and let it finish up.

 

[pixiewings71]

I am so subscribing to this thread! lol Not for vacation but I like to use the crock pot all the time, and I already see 2 or 3 I want to try out! YUMMY!!!!

Also, I wanted to say that your lasagne is probably AmaZing!!!! My son in law is half Italian (his Mom is from Italy but I don't know what part) and I LOVE it when he makes Italian food for us....LOL

 

[thelionqueen]

For me, a big part of the fun at WDW is eating out, but I admire your wishes to stay within budget and cook healthy, home-cooked meals for your family!

This is my very favorite crockpot recipe, it's for risotto. (Risotto is hard - lots of stirring on stovetop. In the crockpot the work's done for you.) It's easy to throw things in if you want to.

When I make it, I replace the white wine with an equivalent amount of stock (my boyfriend's a recovering alcoholic and we don't keep wine in the house) and I also throw in chopped mushrooms (something soft, like bella - if you get too fancy with the chewy mushrooms, like chanterelle, they may be a bit tough.)

Voila - easy, delicious mushroom risotto.

I LOVE risotto and this sounds yummy..never thought it would work in a crock pot..can't wait to try it!

Don't get me wrong, we also enjoy dining out and will many times on our trip, but the "Disney" selection of CS foods (chicken nuggets, hamburgers, pizza, PB&J, hot dogs) etc. is ok on occasion but gets old (and expensive) quick.

We have our favorites that we will splurge on (calories & dollars) which are Kona, Somerset (Germany CS), ESPNClub, Sci-Fi Cafe & 50's Prime time (PB&J shake is addicting!) We inevitibly will eat at Cosmic Rays or the Plaza as well for a lunch @ MK.

Funny thing is that our eating habits change while were there and we tend to eat much later (not good..just always seems to happen) so I figure if there is food cooked and ready for us at the end of a long day..it'll be convenient and a taste of home..and hopefully include green veggies..lol

 

[TavieP]

I LOVE risotto and this sounds yummy..never thought it would work in a crock pot..can't wait to try it!

Don't get me wrong, we also enjoy dining out and will many times on our trip, but the "Disney" selection of CS foods (chicken nuggets, hamburgers, pizza, PB&J, hot dogs) etc. is ok on occasion but gets old (and expensive) quick.

We have our favorites that we will splurge on (calories & dollars) which are Kona, Somerset (Germany CS), ESPNClub, Sci-Fi Cafe & 50's Prime time (PB&J shake is addicting!) We inevitibly will eat at Cosmic Rays or the Plaza as well for a lunch @ MK.

Funny thing is that our eating habits change while were there and we tend to eat much later (not good..just always seems to happen) so I figure if there is food cooked and ready for us at the end of a long day..it'll be convenient and a taste of home..and hopefully include green veggies..lol

I think it's a great idea! I hope after you go you let us know how it went, what recipes you tried, etc. If I was driving down (I can't drive, but i mean if I was going down with driving friends) and staying a good long time I'd definitely toss the old crockpot in the back of the car - food can get so crazy expensive, even with the DP!

And YES to the green veggies. It's so easy to load up on fat and carbs and sugar - tasty treats but after walking all day you really do want to put something healthy in your body!

 

[kkandaj]

I used the crockpot from Bin 1 in May and it is probably a 4 qt crockpot. Maybe the size of a soccer ball. We put a pork shoulder and chicken breasts in it. It was awesome having it!

We also put all our spices in baggies before we left. DS has food allergies and the spices that we knew we needed, we brought with us. We also brought his powder milk replacement and egg replacer. I just wrote the contents on the outside of the bag in sharpie, so we wouldn't get them confused. I then put them all in a gallon ziploc baggie together. Worked great!

 

[Happiest mommy]

subbing to this thread been wanting to buy a crock pot any recomendations? I hear Hamilton Beach are good