Slow Cooker Survival

Earlier this fall, I sent out the plea for help to my church's mom's group. Our dinner times have reached a new level of chaos. The kids are hungry, know I am cooking, but want food right away. Hudson has taken to pulling out plates and banging them against the counter until I feed him. The only solution I could imagine was dinners that didn't require me to be in the kitchen prepping. Desperate for some prep and freeze meals I could throw in the crock pot later, my mom friends delivered. They sent some serious winners, my favorite is this Indian Chicken Stew from Colleen:

Ingredients:
2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken thighs cut into 1 inch pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 tsp curry powder
2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 15 oz cans garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
2 14/5 oz cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup chicken broth
1 bay leaf
2 Tbsp lime juice
9 oz fresh spinach
rice

Directions:
If you want to prep this meal to freeze, add all of the ingredients except for the last three (lime juice, spinach and rice) in a gallon size freezer bag and shake to coat the ingredients with seasoning. Freeze for up to six months. Before cooking, let thaw for 12-24 hours. Note: You can also freeze after you cook this meal, but do not add the spinach. 

• Lightly coat a 6 quart slow cooker with nonstick spray or oil. 
• Add chicken, onion and garlic. 
• Add curry powder, ginger, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat. 
• Stir in drained beans, undrained tomatoes, broth and bay leaf. 
• Cover and cook on high 4-5 hours or low 8-10 hours.
• Stir lime juice into cooked stew.
• Stir in spinach leaves into stew and let stand 2 to 3 minutes to wilt.
• Serve with rice (and naan if you have it)

More favorite crock pot meals:
Kentucky BBQ Chicken
Enchilada Soup from SkinnyTaste
Cilantro Lime Chicken from Six Sisters
And a Three Bean Chili adapted from Smitten Kitchen that I am working to make crock pot and freezer friendly. But you should go ahead and try it anyway, because it is amazing.