Slow-Cooker Pulled Pork Tastes Great, Saves Big!

For all of us busy moms, the end of the school year is jammed with activities.

Sports rain-outs, last-minute makeup games, recitals, concerts and graduation parties can leave us out of breath and wondering, "What am I going to make for dinner this week?  I just don't have time!"

My car is filled with empty pizza boxes and Subway sandwich wrappers!

With the temperatures slowly inching toward a resemblance of Spring, the slow-pot cooker can still be used to provide days worth of warm meals for the family.

 Slow cookers provide unbeatable, fix-it and-forget-it convenience, music to any busy Hopkinton mom's ears!

Just turn on your slow cooker early in the day and head out the door. When you come home, you'll be greeted to the delicious aroma of a simmering dish.

The slow cooker can be used for sloppy joes, beef sandwiches, barbecued chicken, ham, meat loaf, short-ribs, tamales, and yes, even lasagna.

Our family favorite is pulled-pork sandwiches which can be pricey at the barbecue joints. I was able to stretch this recipe into days of meals for my family.  Here is the recipe.

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork

Ingredients:

1 (4-6 pound) pork tenderloin

1 ( 12 fluid ounce) can or bottle root beer

2 ( 18 ounce) bottles of your favorite barbecue sauce

1/2 sliced onion

garlic

Directions:

Slice onion and place on bottom of slow cooker. Place tenderloin on top of onions and pour root beer over the meat. Sprinkle garlic on top. Cover and cook on low heat until well-cooked ( 6-7 hours), and meat shreds easily. Drain well. Note: My kids can't stand onions, so I remove before adding barbecue sauce. You can leave in onions depending on preference. Stir in barbecue sauce 1/2 hour before serving and continue simmering. Serve over hamburg buns, or your favorite bulkie rolls.

You can stretch leftovers into a few extra day's worth of meals.

Day 2:

Pulled Pork Quesadillas

Take leftover pork and place between round tortillas, add favorite cheeses and sliced vegetables.  Grill in panini, quesadilla maker or a frying pan with a little spray butter on bottom.

Day 3:

Pulled Pork in Crescent Pastry Sandwiches

Roll out two (8 ounce) Pillsbury crescent dough sheets and flatten. Add leftover pork onto dough and add shredded chedder, or favorite cheese. Pinch sides together to form mini-sandwiches. Spray top with butter and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Voila!  You have a few extra days worth of meals.

Enjoy!