Cooking for kids during the summer months should be carefree and easy. However, many families experience the same struggles during the summer as they do during the school year when it comes to meal planning.

If you've never used a slow cooker before, you are truly missing out on a time and budget friendly kitchen tool. In the morning, you simply place your ingredients in the slow cooker, and by the end of the day you have a healthy dinner.

I have enjoyed using the Crock Pot Countdown Slow Cooker for years. First and foremost, it does such a great job of cooking foods evenly. From lasagnas to breakfast casseroles, this brand of slow cooker has not disappointed in the least.

This slow cooker also has a unique timing feature. You can program the time that you want the meal to cook, starting from thirty minutes to twenty hours. After your meal has finished cooking, this slow cooker will automatically switch to the warm setting. Burning dinner becomes a worry of the past!

The digital clock lets you know how much cooking time remains, This comes in extremely handy if you are making a side dish or two, and want to have everything ready at the same time. It also comes in handy for hungry teenagers who repeatedly ask, “How much longer until dinner?”

Aside from the cooking and warming ability, the insert and lid are both dishwasher friendly, providing for easy clean up. The unit is the perfect size to remain on your kitchen counter when not in use, or it can easily be stored in a kitchen cabinet.

There are hundreds of varieties of slow cookers on the market today. If you are purchasing your first slow cooker, I'd highly recommend this particular brand. However, even if you don't choose this brand or model, I would suggest purchasing one that has a warming feature. Some slow cookers will automatically switch to off at the end of the cooking cycle. If you purchase one that has the “switch to warm” feature, your family will always have a warm meal at the end of a long day.