Jamie’s Slow Cooker Tater Tot Casserole

Ok….I have to ask- how do you moms do it?????

You have to be super human beings. I mean, c’mon. You just have to be.

You are constantly running after your kids- making them their meals, giving them baths, making them snacks, picking them from one class and taking them to another, doing their laundry, AND taking care of the house- washing dishes, doing your own laundry, dusting, vacuuming, mopping, and then finding the time to go to the gym, and still having the energy to put on a smile for your kid while you play with them. And then there are some who do all this and have a full time job elsewhere too- where they have to take care of their boss’ whims and fancies! And some of them have a blog too- so there they are cooking, photographing and then blogging about it!

Seriously moms, how do you do it???

Yesterday I got up at 5 and went for my run. After a 5k jog, I dropped V to the office so I could keep the car, chopped some veggies for lunch and then drove to the gym for a step and yoga class. I got back, made lunch, showered and then ran to pick V up for lunch. With lunch taken care of and V back in office, I did laundry and cleaned the kitchen. And that was it for me. I was pooped. I have been getting at 5 regularly for the past couple of weeks to squeeze in a run or a workout in the morning, but I have also now started going to the gym trying to get my stamina up for the triathalon I plan to take part in September. So I do realize I worked out quite a bit yesterday (and today), but so do you moms and you don’t get tired mid day! I, on the other hand, did get tired mid day and even though I had a recipe to share for GMT I had no energy to write a post. Well, no energy to sit online and type. All I wanted to do was either watch TV and a pointless film and do some reading. Basically, anything that won’t make me get up from my couch. To top it all, the early morning and tiring workout just put me in the stinkiest mood ever which meant that V got no smiling face me when he came back from work.

So, really moms–how do you do it? Is it like some pregnancy thing- that you get these added energy hormones when you deliver so that you can cope up with the crazy busy routine a child AND husband come with????

You moms do all what I describe above and still are ready for more. I really do bow down in awe of your energy. I really, really do!

Inspired by you guys and my friends who are moms who manage everything under the sun, I decided I will post today even though I am tired as hell. Waking up at 5 am, swimming and then going to the gym and doing a kick ass kinetics workout and 5k on the bike really takes the energy out of me. But when I see you moms doing it and still being active for your kids, I realize I need to suck up and stop being so lazy and post! Ok, I cheated. I did not cook today and instead chose to go out for lunch with V (To be fair, I ate only a salad even though I could have indulged!)

Hopefully, one day I will get there. When I can fit in my exercise schedule, cleaning, cooking, blogging and all the other extras (and hopefully a paid job) and still have a smile for V when he comes back home. One day I hope I have the energy of a mother. One day.

Although the recipe that I am sharing today isn’t the healthiest one, it surely is the easiest thing you can put together. You know, for those days when you just don’t want to do anything. My friend Jamie (who is a mom and who manages everything under the sun too) gave me this recipe and I knew I had to make it. I love Tater tots- like really love them. I only indulge in them when we go out and that too not always. But I bought a packet just for this recipe. This recipe has been in my recipes-to-blog-about folder for a long time and thought today since I am in the laziest mood, I will share a lazy day recipe with all of you. In hindsight, I should have made this yesterday. Instead I cooked a bottle gourd and lentil soup and okra with wholewheat rotis. (Maybe if I had the tater tot casserole I would have been in a better mood?!)

To be fair, this recipe is not all that bad. It has green beans and mushroom soup in it. Plus chicken. So, yes, not all that bad. Maybe a little but it is the best thing to make for those busy days. And when you have burned enough calories to binge a little. 🙂

Jamie’s Slow Cooker Tater Tot Casserole

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 5 hours

Total time: 5 hours 10 mins

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

16 ounce bag of tater tots
1 pound ground chicken (Jamie uses ground turkey but V is not a fan)
1 can of cream of mushroom soup ( I used the 98% fat free 26 oz can)
1 can french style green beans ( I used 1/2 pound frozen)
1 can fried onions ( 6 ounces)
salt and pepper, to taste (see note)

Instructions

In a bowl, combine the ground chicken (or turkey, to get more distinct layers, brown the turkey or chicken before adding it to the crockpot). Add the soup and drained green beans. Mix.
Grease your crockpot. Put the tots in the bottom of a slow cooker. Add the meat mixture. Cover with the fried onions. Cook on low for 5 hours or so. Serve with some shredded cheese. Add some sriracha sauce if you like it hot!

*Update*: My friend, Jamie, told me that she cooks the turkey before putting it in the crockpot. I never cooked the chicken and I found it fine just as is. The layers were not distinct- but the taste was fine. My other friend who also made this (with turkey), did not cook the turkey (since she followed my directions) and found it fine too. But in case you want more distinct layers I would suggest cooking the chicken/turkey before mixing it with the soup, etc. But be assured it tastes quite fantastic even if you don’t!

Also, I did not add any additional salt, since the mushroom soup, tater tots and the fried onions all have salt in them, but if you like a little more salt in your food, I would suggest you do season it accordingly.

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