It's Crocktober! Wish you could be sitting down to more yummy meals with the family, but always out of time or new ideas? October is your chance to turn it all around!
Crocktober Challenge | 20 Slow Cooker Recipes in 20 Days
I am sooooooooo excited about this!!! Crocktober 2021 is here and I am loving it so far!🍁🍂I just love how easy it feels to get dinner done every day. (Seriously, I started Crocktober here on PPP years ago, but every year it's like coming home to a happy home favorite.)
So far we're in week one and I've made the Slow Cooker Lasagna and Slow Cooker Chicken Minestrone soup, and they are so good. I love that my dinner is prepped early in the morning and I can settle into work and taking care of my home and family the rest of the day.
I love that.
Are you joining me? It's not too late!
Here's what you'll need:
- SLOW COOKER BOX ONLY (order TODAY so it gets to you right away!)
- OR (BEST VALUE!) try out our MENU PLANNING BUNDLE and get NINE MONTHS of menu plans done for you ~ you can even send a box to a friend so that you can crock TOGETHER with us all month long. I know you will love these!
From now through October 29th, I'm challenging you to join me and make dinner in Mrs. Potts (aka your crockpot or slow cooker) every single day Monday-Friday for 4 straight weeks – making slow cooker meals each day. (I can't wait for the chicken minestrone soup and slow cooker lasagna – two of my favorites!)
Print your Crocktober Calendar HERE
We'll be using all recipes from the Slow Cooker Meal Plan – Snag yours here! (Don't worry – if your recipe box doesn't arrive by the start of the challenge you can always use the Free Digital copy that's included) 🙂
Note: the challenge is for four-weeks, but the menu plan actually includes a whopping 12-weeks of slow cooker meals & desserts!
I'll be going live on the main Passionate Penny Pincher Facebook Page each morning making dinner with you between 8 and 9:30 AM Eastern Time each day. (I'm shooting for 9AM Eastern time most days, but have to be a little flexible because of my family's schedule!)
Remember you can always watch the replays on Facebook later in the day as well if you miss me in the morning, and we'll also post all of the Crocktober videos updated right over HERE on Youtube too.
Here's what's on the menu plan for our Crocktober Challenge (we'll be following along with weeks 9-12 from the Slow Cooker Meal Plan HERE)
WEEK ONE – STARTING 10/4/21
- Monday – Slow Cooker Lasagna (watch on Facebook Live)
- Tuesday – Slow Cooker Chicken Minestrone Soup (watch on Facebook Live)
- Wednesday – Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Beef (watch on Facebook Live)
- Thursday – Slow Cooker Pork Cacciatore (watch on Facebook Live)
- Friday – Slow Cooker Chicken Philly Cheesesteak (watch on Facebook Live)
WEEK TWO – STARTING 10/11/21
- Monday – Slow Cooker Chicken & Dumplings (watch on Facebook Live)
- Tuesday – Slow Cooker Steak Sandwiches (watch on Facebook Live)
- Wednesday – Slow Cooker Potato Soup (watch on Facebook Live)
- Thursday – Slow Cooker Santa Fe Chicken (watch on Facebook Live)
- Friday – Slow Cooker London Broil
WEEK THREE – STARTING 10/18/21
- Monday – Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas (watch on Facebook Live)
- Tuesday – Slow Cooker Cranberry Chicken (watch on Facebook Live)
- Wednesday – Slow Cooker Barbecue Stuffed Potatoes (watch on Facebook Live)
- Thursday – Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef (watch on Facebook Live)
- Friday – Slow Cooker Chicken & Sausage Stew (watch on Facebook Live)
WEEK FOUR – STARTING 10/25/21
- Monday – Slow Cooker Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup
- Tuesday – Slow Cooker BEST EVER Pot Roast
- Wednesday – Slow Cooker Balsamic Chicken
- Thursday – Slow Cooker Ranch Pork Chops & Potatoes
- Friday – Slow Cooker Brunswick Stew
- Dessert – Slow Cooker Chocolate Fondue
I can't wait to spend this month with you ~ we're going to have a fantastic time feeding our family well all month long! Go HERE to snag your menu plans, and leave a comment if you have any questions at all. I'm cheering for you!
Need a new slow cooker?
If you plan on making oodles of Crockpot Recipes with me – or just on your own time! – you might be looking to start with a new slow cooker.
If you're looking for a new Mrs. Potts (like I was this week) here are a few of my favorites . . .
This All-Clad 7-Qt Slow Cooker is my favorite – it was a gift from my whole team last year and I love it even though it's SO much more than I would normally spend!
Hamilton Beach 7-Quart Programmable Slow Cooker
Crockpot 2.5-Quart Mini Casserole Crock Slow Cooker
Instant Pot (Also does slow cooking)
I can't wait to spend this month with you ~ we're going to have a fantastic time feeding our family well all month long!
SIDES MENUS & GROCERY LIST!
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About the meal planner yesterday cannot wait to try these recipes I’m going to see what I have within my pantry to see what recipes I can make right now I love crockpot meals they make them so easy but also battle with picky kids as they feel everything I make in the crockpot it’s like soups or stews and they do not like soup or stew LOL So I can’t wait to try out these recipes
I promise these are different than other crockpot recipes and I think you will love them! I do try to add kid friendly sides (carrot sticks, homemade bread, cheese and crackers and fresh fruit on soup nights), to help make them a little more kid friendly for sure (and I make them try at least some of the meal!) I have picky kids but my older two now eat almost everything (and the third one is getting better all the time – she loved the lasagna!) 🙂 Hope that helps!
Hoping FB and IG come back but if they don’t will you post something here or on YouTube regarding today’s CP Lasagna meal?? I love your lives so hope IG works soon! I’ve got my Lasagna in my crockpot at the moment.
Regards,
Susan
Hi Susan! You can watch me finish it up over here on tiktok (hopefully things will work better tomorrow!) https://www.tiktok.com/@passionatepennypincher/video/7015337529134140677?ref=c-225898&s-id=174590198&utm_source=postscript&is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1
My crockpot doesn’t have a timer. I only have the option to cook my lasagna 4 or 6 on high or 8 or 10 on low. Which option would be better for it?
I’m afraid either of those will be too long Toni! If you’re not at home where you can unplug, do you by any chance have a timer you could use? I’ve tried one like this! https://amzn.to/3oyzxN4
Good afternoon Laurie, just wondering are you prepping everything before hand? Or is everything being done the same day?
Hi Lydia! I’ll be doing most of the recipes morning of (if they do require much prep work like pre cooking meat, I may do that the night before just to make my mornings go a little more smoothly.) Hope that helps!
What was the book stand you showed you were using for the planner on your counter and do you know the size of it.
Thanks.. looking forward to “crocktober”. I prepped my items for the start tomorrow…I’m reducing them for two on some recipes. ❤️
You can get more info here Ginger! 🙂 So glad you’ll be joining us for Crocktober ~ yay! https://passionatepennypincher.com/bamboo-book-stand/
Here you go Ginger! 🙂 I have the 8×11 one – hope that helps! https://amzn.to/3oyzxN4
Hi Laurie! If I remember correctly, you lost some weight on WW some time ago (you look amazing btw). So I was just curious if these are healthy-ish dishes or if they could be tweaked to be lighter? Thank you!
Hi Tiffany! They do include calorie counts, and I usually just eat a big salad alongside the main meal – especially for meals that are carb heavy days! That way I’m eating what my family eats but also still making sure to watch my calories a bit. Hope that helps!
Thanks for the tips, that helps ease my mind that l can still use the plans and watch my weight!
Hi there! Any chance there might be a gluten free variation for crocktober? Thanks in advance!!
Hi Amanda! At this time we don’t have a gluten free variation, but you could probably tweak many of the recipes to make them gluten free! (Or, you can still crock along with us using your own favorite gluten free crockpot recipes)! 🙂 Hope that helps!
Do you do vegetarian meals?
Hi Ceci! At this time we don’t have a completely vegetarian menu plan, but we’re definitely keeping it in mind as an idea for the future! 🙂
Are the recipes PDF so I can save and print them myself? International shipping is so backlogged that it wont arrive until Christmas or later…..
We do have a PDF of the recipes Vikki, yes! 🙂 We’ll be using Weeks 9-12 of the Slow Cooker Menu Plan here! –> https://shop.passionatepennypincher.com/collections/digital/products/slow-cooker-meal-plans-pdf-download
Just bought the slow cooker meal box a few weeks back! Didn’t even know about crocktober but I’m SO excited for this! Just had a baby a week ago so having flexibility with when I can make/prep meals is going to be fabulous! I’M HERE FOR IT LAURIE! Can’t help but notice you’re not doing the desserts for each week?!? ☹️ Would love to see those as a bonus on the weekends maybe!?!
Oh I love that Heather Jo! If I have time I may try and fit in the desserts too – they are so yummy! (Also congratulations on the new baby!)
I love the idea of adding in a dessert each week. Great idea!!
Congrats to my PPP sister on the new baby. Mine are 17 and 13 and I sometimes wish I could snuggle them and smell their sweet baby faces again.
Are you giving ideas for sides for some of the recipes? I have difficulty with knowing what goes with.
Hi Paulette! I typically do bread, salad, or potatoes and just plain veggies as we go through the recipes, but will give tips throughout the month as we go! Hope that helps!
Do you freeze the meals after? That’s a lot of food for a family of four every night.
Yes, you can freeze leftovers if you like Denise, or you could cut the recipe in half when preparing it! 🙂 Hope that helps!
Same here, now that we’re down to two of us. We don’t mind leftovers and one meal will feed us for multiple days, so I probably won’t make a new one every day. I’ve had the crockpot recipes for several years now so will pick and choose what we prefer but is always motivational to watch Laurie make them!
If you are comfortable with the idea, you could also make the whole recipe, but freeze half before cooking, for another day. Or the whole recipe.
For example:
My plan for week one (We are two adults and a 12 year old girl at home)
Lasagna – cook it all – we like pasta leftovers
Minestrone – cook, and freeze the leftovers
Mexican style beef – freeze the recipe before cooking for another day
Pork cacciatore – prep the recipe, put half the porkchops in a freezer bag, dump in half the sauce and freeze, cook the other half
Chicken philly cheesesteak – prep the recipe, freeze half, cook half
Hope this helps you out!
This is a great help. Thank you for sharing how you modify so there’s no waste.
Thank you
Great idea! I am doing this Karin! Can you please share you plan for the other 3 weeks? I want to copy that too. Thank you!
Karin, thanks! It’s just us two and but I cook also for MIL and her sitter. Still, the recipes would be more for even the four of us. I appreciate your thoughts on separating the contents.
We are a family of four as well. My husband and I take the leftovers for lunch the next day,
Love that Kim! 🙂
For those of us with smaller families to feed, Do we make the dish and then freeze ?
Hi Carol! You could either cut the recipe in half when preparing it, or yes, you could totally make the whole recipe and then freeze half! 🙂 Hope that helps!
Thank You
We eat leftovers for lunch the next day!
Love that Tameka! 🙂
Do you have a video for each recipe? Making my first recipe tonight.
Hi Shirley! We don’t have a video for every recipe in the menu plans, but we are cooking our way through this year’s 20 Crocktober recipes! You can catch the ones we’ve done so far in the video section of our Facebook page here! 🙂 Hope that helps, and happy cooking! –> https://bit.ly/37JlfAv
I love the slow cooker recipes!! I wish I had the dessert recipes, they weren’t in the slow cooker pdf I bought earlier this year.
So glad to hear you love the recipes Danielle! 🙂 Hmm, you should have gotten the dessert recipes already emailed to you last month (we did that as a thanks!), but if you don’t see them, you can email us at [email protected], and we can send them over again! 🙂 Enjoy!
i am actually doing week 6 this week.
Slow Cooker Jambalaya
Slow Cooker King Ranch Chicken
Slow Cooker Texas Pulled Pork
Slow Cooker Beef Gyros
Love that Jodi ~ YUM! 🙂
I bought you slow cooker box recently and am looking forward to starting. What I was wondering is if any of these meals are easy to freeze as there is just my husband and myself?
I think many of the recipes would also work well as freezer meals Sheila! (You can maybe just split them in half ~ put half the recipe in your slow cooker for that day’s meal, and half in a freezer bag to have for another time!) 🙂
I purchased the box of slow crooker recipes but they haven’t arrived yet how do I get the Crocktober menu plan for this coming week?
Hi Sandy! You should have received an email with all the recipes when you purchased your box (it might have gone to you spam folder!), but if you don’t see it, you can email us at [email protected] and we can send it to you again. 🙂 So glad you’ll be joining us!
I’m looking to get a new crockpot. What was it about the 5in 1 crockpot that won you over?
Here ya go Chrissy! https://amzn.to/33ptSOo
Are the recipes the same as in the past? I have purchased all three meal plans. Is there anything new this Crocktober? Lovin, the recipes and want to be sure we have them all!!!
These are the same as last Fall Vickie, however we DID add desserts this year! 🙂 (If you purchased the old set, you should have gotten an email with the new dessert recipes included (we did that as a thanks!), but if you’d like the physical cards for the desserts, we have that as an option to purchase as well. You can take a peek over here if you’d like ~ hope that helps! 🙂 –> https://shop.passionatepennypincher.com/
How come 4 meals week three rather than 5?
Just Curious
There are 5 meals plus a dessert recipe each week.
A bit disappointed that this years crocktober costs $39 to even get the recipes. I guess I will follow a previous years plan this year since there is no way we can afford $39 since I am out of work.
You refer to a previous years plan—I just want to make sure you know that these recipes are taken from the slow cooker meal plan and cards and PDFs that came out last year. So if you bought the 12-week plan tin or PDFs last year, this is weeks 5-8 of that same plan. I just wanted to make sure you didn’t think this was four “new” weeks of recipes and costs another $39.
Yes, that’s correct Jo ~ thanks so much for the clarification and reminder! 🙂