The craziest part of my day is always from about 4:30pm to 6:00pm (an hour or so before my husband gets home from work). It’s that time right before dinner, when everything (and everyone) falls apart at our house. I’m trying to feed the baby, trying to play referee, and trying to make dinner all at the same time. The older boys are tired and hangry and fighting (which means my two year old is screaming)! And my head hurts.
That’s when I crack open a diet coke and just try to keep it together until my husband gets home 🙂 Three kids has thrown me a curve ball and I’ve learned, the only way I’m going to get dinner on the table is either with a little prep earlier in my day or using my slow cooker.
Sadly just a few weeks ago I dropped my slow cooker on the floor and it shattered to pieces. A mama cant live without her slow cooker! Hamilton Beach saved the day and sent me their new Set & Forget 6 Qt Programmable Slow Cooker to try out. I love it! It has three options for easy, automatic cooking- program, probe, and manual mode. The probe mode is pretty awesome, it’s for larger cuts of meat. You can insert the probe, set the desired meat temperature and it will shift to the keep warm when the temperature is reached. Pretty great right?
It also has a clip-locked, secure lid that creates a tight seal when cooking and makes traveling with your slow cooker easy and mess-free! I’ve had way too many spills in my car from a slow cooker full of chili or soup, so I’m a big fan of this new feature!!
This cheesy chicken & broccoli quinoa is one of the easiest meals I’ve made in the slow cooker. With a little chicken broth and a few seasonings, it can be thrown together in just a few minutes and is ready in a few hours. It can be pretty healthy depending on how cheesy you want it. I of course, made it pretty cheesy 🙂 Might be why my kiddos loved it too!
- 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
- 1 1/2 cups broccoli florets
- 2 large chicken breasts thawed and cut into one-inch pieces (or six tenders)
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup shredded cheddar-jack cheese + extra for garnishing at the end
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- 1 tsp curry powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- Lightly grease the bottom and sides of your slow cooker. Place everything in the slow cooker and stir to combine. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or until quinoa is cooked, chicken is cooked through, and liquid is absorbed.
- Once done, sprinkle cheese over the top, turn slow cooker to "warm" setting. Once the cheese on top is melted, serve.
I have the exact same slow cooker and I’m absolutely in love with it, so I’m happy you dropped your other one 😉 My mom used to make broccoli cheese rice, but this is DEFINITELY a healthier take on it…will have to give it a try!
i made this tonight and was disappointed. three hours on high is way too long for this. Everything was overlooked – broccoli was mushy, quinoa was dry, chicken was dry, and everything tasted the same. I won’t make this one again.
Oh no, I’m sorry this didn’t turn out for you. Slow cookers can vary in temps and how fast they cook. But mine definitely needed 3 hours to cook.
I made this last night. My grocery store was out of plain quinoa, so I made a packaged, garlic flavored one, and threw it in the crockpot at the end. My kids are 3 and 1. They LOVED this. Ate three bowls a piece. My husband ate late when he came home. He usually eats without much comment. Yesterday, he made a point to thank me for the “delicious meal.” 🙂 I am definitely going to be putting this healthy dish on the rotation!
So glad you liked it, and your kiddos too! I was shocked mine ate it!!
This dish was extremely bland and unflavorful. I tried adding more seasonings to give it a better taste but nothing helped. I wouldn’t recommend it.
Sorry it didn’t turn out for you!