My day can get pretty hectic, especially since we are going to be starting homeschooling in the fall I anticipate having significantly less time to prepare dinner. In the beginning I’m sure there will be quite a bit of adjustments.
My sister has been homeschooling for almost 8 years now and she has 5 kids. It’s pretty amazing if you ask me. Each one of my nieces and nephews are intelligent and well behaved!
My kids are completely excited about starting homeschooling and can’t wait for the fall. Honestly I think all of us are pretty much fed up with the public school system. On the occasions that I know there is going to be little time to prepare dinner in the evening, I like to pull out my slow cooker.
I feel a tremendous amount of pride after a hectic day and we come home to an amazing dinner. My favorite part is seeing my husband and kids one by one walking through the front door while breathing in a long whiff of delicious food smells.
One of my favorite slow cooker recipes is slow cooker split pea soup. My mom and I used to eat split pea soup when I was a kid and I remember it looking nasty, but tasting delicious. Now I crave it with crumbled saltine crackers quite often something about it hits the taste buds just right!


- 2 3/4 cups water
- 1 1/2 cups dry split peas, rinsed and drained
- 1 can chicken broth (14 ounce)
- 1 - 1 1/2 pound ham hock
- 1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup chopped carrots (2 medium)
- 1/2 cup chopped celery (1 stalks)
- 1/2 cup chopped onion (1 small)
- Combine all the dry ingredients in a 3 1/2 or 4 quart slow cooker.
- Pour water and chicken broth over the top.
- Cover with lid and cook on low-heat setting for 8-10 hours or on high-heat for 4-5 hours.
- Discard bay leaf, remove ham hock cut meat into small pieces. Stir back into the soup. Discard bone.
Where does your meat come from?
We purchase our meat from New Season’s Market. All of their beef, chicken, lamb, pork, and turkey comes from local farms which means it it fresh. All of their animals are humanely raised, vegetarian fed and grown without the use of antibiotics or growth hormones. Currently New Season’s Market is only in the Northwest area, but look for grocery stores in your area that sell quality meat. The benefits are great taste, better food, and making a stand about treating animals humanely. The down side is it can be more expensive.
Some of these stores let you purchase large value packs at a reduced price and freeze it for use throughout the month. To reduce cost we try to make meals that reduce waste. This is why you will find several recipes just like Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup that still provide your family with all the delicious foods you love by preparing meals that make your penny stretch further.
