not gonna lie: this week, my sweet crock-pot/slow cooker is gonna get some action. this week is bringing us after work meetings, two cross country meets, soccer practices (after the cross country meets), and trying to fit in taking care of me. (fun fact: if i don’t get to walk or go workout, i have become known to become whatever the equivalent of “hangry” is.) we’re all going to be eating at different times, so miss crock-pot is on deck to feed us a lot of this week.

i’m sure if you’re reading this, your week is just as crazy. hopefully, the recipes i put together for dinners this week help you + your family out!

monday, 9.8.25: slow cooker chicken parm / barilla protein pasta / steamed green beans (if you’ve been following along, this is both of my boys’ lucky night-before-a-cross-country-meet meal, so here we go again! i am changing things up a little and kind of winging this crock-pot style.)

tuesday, 9.9.25: slow cooker chicken enchiladas / rice

wednesday, 9.10.25: slow cooker pizza pasta (recipe shared below!) / salad

thursday, 9.11.25: breakfast for dinner: breakfast quesadillas / fruit / sausage

friday, 9.12.25: homemade pizzas (here’s my favorite homemade pizza dough recipe!)

saturday, 9.13.25: DINNER OUT (we have a wedding to go to!)

sunday, 9.14.25: skillet lasagna / salad / breadsticks

now that i’m looking back at this, we are super heavy on the italian-inspired dinners, but…it’s fine. it’s fine. everything’s fine.

p.s. so, pizza pasta has been in our rotation of dinners for decades…literally since before we got married + had the boys. it’s an easy, weeknight favorite for all of us!

pizza pasta (serves 6-ish)
ingredients:
2 lb. ground turkey
2 cloves minced garlic
3 c. marinara sauce
28 oz. crushed tomatoes
2 t. italian seasoning
salt
16 oz. cooked pasta (you can use penne, elbows, rotini…whatever you want!)

begin by boiling a stock pot of water to cook your pasta. while the water is coming to a boil, you can start with cooking your ground turkey in a large skillet over medium heat. (make sure you spray your pan or add a drizzle of olive oil before adding the meat, so nothing sticks!) cook meat until it is no longer pink. once meat is cooked, add the garlic, marinara sauce, crushed tomatoes, italian seasoning, and a dash of salt. stir together and allow to simmer for 15 minutes. while simmering, drain your pasta. once simmering is complete, add the cooked pasta to the large skillet and mix meat mix with pasta and serve.

slow cooker option: all ingredients are the same. four-to-six hours before wanting to serve, cook your ground turkey in a large skillet until no longer pink. immediately put the cooked turkey in your crock-pot. add all seasonings, marinara, and crushed tomatoes to the crock-pot. set on low for 4-6 hours. before serving, cook your pasta on the stove just as detailed above.