I heart my crockpot

Tonight is yet another night that I won't be home until late. There's a career fair on campus for graduate students from 5pm-7pm tonight that I'm going to check out.

So, this morning I started dinner in the crockpot. We cook in the crockpot at least once a week. Today, I browned some lean ground beef and put that along with 2 cans of rotel chili fixins, 1 can diced tomatoes, and 2 cans red kidney beans into the crockpot. Donovan even said it smelled so good he'd try it.

On Monday we did a pork tenderloin seasoned with cajun seasonings, and then shredded it. It was yummy too.

I thought I'd share my most recent crockpot find with you. It's FABULOUS and pretty healthy as well:

Slowcooker Meatloaf with Mushroom-Tomato Sauce

1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
¼ cup chopped onion
¼ ounce dried porcini mushrooms, crushed
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 ½ pounds lean ground beef (7% or less fat)
¼ cup couscous
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 ½ teaspoon dried oregano
1 ½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
¾ cup water

Directions:
Place tomatoes, onion, mushrooms, ¼ teaspoon of the salt and pepper in a 5 or 6 quart slow cooker; mix well. Combine the beef, couscous, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, oregano, thyme, rosemary and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt in large bowl, mix well. For into a 4x11 inch loaf.

Spray large nonstick skillet with nonstick spray and set over medium heat. Add the meatloaf and cook, turning occasionally until browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer meatloaf to slow cooker. Stir water into the skillet, bring to a simmer and cook, stirring constantly to scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the skillet, about 1 minute. Pour into slow cooker.

Cover and cook until the meatloaf reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees F, 4-5 hours on high or 8-9 hours on low. Transfer to a cutting board, cut into 8 slices. Serve with sauce.