Simple, Sweater Weather Suppers (Slow Cooker Style)

Sweater weather and slow cookers are two things I love about fall and winter. There’s just something about cooler temperatures that makes me long for the comfort of a slow cooker meal. Of course nowadays, you can cook pretty much anything in a slow cooker – oatmeal, breakfast casseroles, roasts, ribs, rice dishes, pasta and even pizza.  One of the best chocolate cakes I’ve ever eaten was baked in crock pot. It’s safe to say that the slow cookers of today are not the same ones our moms used to use.

If you have not yet discovered the beauty, ease and variety a slow cooker provides, allow us to enlighten you with some easy, healthy recipes that include some of our favorite berries! Just beware… it might take you longer to read this than it does to throw these meals in the crockpot and hit the ON switch.

A third thing I love about fall is football, and these Slow Cooker Blackberry Jalapeno Chicken Sandwiches are great for any game day.  Just when you think you can’t improve on the balance of sweet, spicy and tangy, in comes the crusty rolls. This recipe calls for blackberry preserves, but you can easily use this healthier Slow Cooker Blackberry Jam, which only has four ingredients, is made with fresh berries and practically cooks itself.

You can also use that jam on Blackberry Pork Tenderloin. I like to cook the largest tenderloin I can fit in my slow cooker, because pulled pork sandwiches the next day are so good. Sometimes, I will cut only the meat we need for the first meal, then leave the rest of the tenderloin in the slow cooker to cook longer. It gets so tender that it just falls apart. Eat it for lunch the next day or freeze it for another meal.

Here’s a recipe that’s as versatile as the crock pot you cook it in. Slow Cooker Chicken with Berry Glaze  gives you the option to use cranberries, blueberries or raspberries in the glaze, with instructions for each one. Options are always nice, especially if you have picky eaters in your house.

Of course, no meal is complete without a great dessert. Why not cook that in the slow cooker, as well? For your gluten free family and friends, try Clean Eating Grain Free Slow Cooker Berry Cobbler. It has a few more ingredients than a regular cobbler, but it’s still simple to prepare and will give people with gluten allergies the luxury of eating dessert.  No gluten issues? Try this Slow Berry Cobbler, which uses three different kinds of fresh or frozen berries.

Life is busy. Don’t spend all your precious family time cooking dinner. Better yet, don’t spend time in the drive-thru line because you didn’t have time to cook. Let your slow cooker do the work for you.