Slow Cookers and Grocery Shopping

As I've gotten older, I'm less and less tolerant of crowds. As such, I prefer to do my grocery shopping during the week even if it means having the monkeys tag along. Although, I've figured out the secret to getting them to sit (mostly) still through the store is to buy a couple of agua frescas at the counter near the produce section right when we walk in (Thank you HEB for that, I'll miss it if we move). Also, thank goodness for programs like Mother's Day Out so I only have to do that during the summer. Who knew I'd be grateful for the ability to do errands on my own? Although I'm still hoping to find some of that precious alone time to just sit in a quiet house and do whatever it is my heart desires at the time.

Part of my plan to reduce time spent working at home and shuffling the kids to various activities meant utilizing my slow cooker more. However, that's getting more and more difficult for a couple of reasons. First, it seems most slow cooker recipes are better suited for cooler weather. Second, most of the recipes I find are for chicken. We made a pork dish the other night, but it came out very dry. Third, I do NOT enjoy cooking my food BEFORE putting it in the slow cooker. I may as well be cooking the whole dish that evening. If you ask me to saute, boil, or brown my food before putting it in the slow cooker, I'm most likely going to move onto the next recipe. I want to dump my food and go! Please share if you have any good ones. Anyways, I'm off to find some decent meal options for this week so I can head to the grocery store tomorrow.