I don't know about you guys, but there's something really satisfying about walking through that front door and dinner is smelling amazing. In summer especially, I try to avoid heating up the whole kitchen with the oven, and that's where a slow cooker really earns its place in our house. Honestly, you can just throw everything together, or even do it the day before.

In the morning, when it gets busy heading to school or whatever errands you've got going on, I like to get everything ready beforehand, throw it in the slow cooker, and come back and pick up my son from school. So below are really easy meals that don't take much effort but still feel like a proper homemade meal, and that's great during the summer when things are hot.

1) Slow-Cooker Shredded BBQ Chicken Sandwiches

This is a golden oldie for me, as I remember my mom making these for us for lunch when we'd get back home from school, and around three we'd be starving. It's partly passed down to me, and I now make it for my son.

It's really easy, and that Crock-Pot just does it all for you. It's normally made in advance and stored in the freezer, so you can have it ready for anything. In a brioche bun, you can make it into a toasted sandwich, which goes down a treat. Even in a wrap, it's very versatile.

2) Crockpot Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

This one is the beautiful creamy tomato basil soup. We grow tons of tomatoes in our vegetable garden, and of course also tons of basil. So when we get all of those tomatoes that are ready, I put them in the pantry, and then I kind of run out of things to do with them because there are just so many.

Either make them into pasta sauce, then freeze it, and try to incorporate all those tomatoes into whatever we're eating that week, or make it into the creamy tomato basil soup. It's really easy, and when I was at chef school, one of the basic things you learn to make is a good tomato soup. Roast up those tomatoes if you have lots of time, then chuck them in that crock pot with onions, some peppers if you've got them, and a good chicken or vegetable stock, and let that go.

Then all you have to do is whizz it up in a blender, and it's done. I love having this for lunch because it's also light and I don't feel like I've eaten a huge amount of food.

3) Dump-and-Go Taco Chili

I make this for my boys, as I'm not really a huge chili fan. I don't really like to eat meat, but the boys' team does, and I always have meat in my freezer that usually turns into something like lasagna or meatballs, but they all love this dump-and-go taco chili.

I actually make a huge batch of this and then freeze it, and then I pull it out when I've got no time. You can have it with wild rice, couscous, etc, anything. This is a real good one because you basically get the whole meal by adding some shredded cheese and some sour cream.

Another perfect meal is just chucking everything together in the crock pot in the morning and then completely forgetting about it, and it's done. This one you can even make in the highest heat of summer, and it doesn't make you feel too hot and full.

4) Slow-Cooker Greek Lemon Chicken with Potatoes

I had this last night for dinner, and it never disappoints. We had a really hot day yesterday, and in the morning before my walk I just tossed in the chicken pieces with some baby potatoes and a lemony broth, some fresh thyme, and I've got some rosemary from the garden.

Then I let it run on low and turned it off after two, and by the afternoon it was basically done. That's so convenient. I have this with a beautiful green salad and tons of parmesan.

5) Crockpot Teriyaki Pineapple Pork

This one's super light, teriyaki pineapple pork. It's refreshing, it's crisp, it's great for that hot summer day, without slaving over a hot wok getting your hair or your face greasy. Just chuck your peppers and pineapple and pork into the crockpot; actually, make sure you add that pineapple about 30 minutes towards the end because it does go mushy.

Then serve this with some fresh fluffy jasmine rice, or even some egg noodles if you've got them, and you've got yourself an Asian inspired dish with hardly any effort.

6) Slow-Cooker Butter Chicken (kid-friendly mild)

Slow-cooker butter chicken is my cheat's version, and honestly, I love it. This is great for when it's really, really hot outside but you've got tons of people coming around for an early dinner, and nobody feels like barbecue. I make a huge batch of this in the morning; the rice is already cooked, and basically, by 6:00, everything's on the table.

I've been outside chatting; they don't even know I've been cooking, but because I have it, I always have Indian spices in my cupboards, so coriander, cumin, paprika, turmeric, all those ready to go. You can add some yogurt or cream towards the end, which just brings it together. It's totally up to you what you've got, and I'll, of course, serve this with some fresh naan, which brings it all together.

7) Crockpot Vegetarian Lentil Curry

This crockpot vegetarian lentil curry takes me back to my holiday in India, where I would wake up and have this for breakfast. I've always made it and kept it frozen in the freezer, and we'll pull it out for breakfast. It's quite a strange thing for breakfast, but a great way to make lentil curry is in the crockpot, especially when it's hot, but you're craving Indian food and don't have to stand over the hot stove getting all the spices in your face.

I like to add some baby spinach towards the end, and then this also gets lifted up nicely with a little bit of coconut milk. Serve it with a roti, or a sunrise, or just as is.

8) Slow-Cooker Hawaiian Chicken and Rice

I've got to be honest with you, I'm not a huge pineapple in my savory meal kind of person, but my boys love it, so I do buy some tinned pineapple and throw this together every now and again. It's a lifesaver, and it works during those really hot summer days.

It's also one of those things where I don't want to be slaving over the heat. If you're adding your rice in the beginning, make sure it's cooked al dente about 20 minutes before the dish comes to an end; otherwise, it goes too mushy. This works really well with sweet peppers, or any kind of peppers you've got going on.

9) Crockpot Salsa Verde Chicken Tacos

We almost always have the slow-cooked chicken and green salsa frozen in the freezer already for any hot day. It makes such a great meal because my son absolutely loves building his own. Funny enough, he'll eat things like tomato when he puts it in himself, but if you make him something like a stew with tomato in it, he absolutely will not touch it.

This is great to make and just store in your freezer, and it works perfectly in a slow cooker. It's a great summer meal, so it's another one you can just put on in the morning and completely forget about- no slaving away in a hot kitchen.

10) Slow-Cooker Creamy Corn and Ham Chowder

I make the slow-cooker creamy corn and ham chowder pretty much only when I've got ham left over, and that's always around Christmas time here, when it's also super hot. So this is pretty much a leftover meal for us that I just turn into soup. We always have tons of roast potatoes, and then we've always done something with corn on the cob, or creamy corn or whatever, and then of course that ham, the gammon that's left over.

So I just chuck it all in a slow cooker and let that go, and then we live on this for like a week afterward. Typically my whole family's here, so this always goes down a real treat. Make sure you add the cream towards the end, because it will curdle otherwise. I like to season this with garlic and lift it with lots of black pepper.

11) Crockpot Beef Stroganoff for Busy Nights

I know that if I'm going out for dinner with my girlfriends and my husband is at home, he literally just needs something, but he doesn't even have to worry about it, because let's face it, he's not really the greatest cook.

I just add everything together in the morning, and then towards lunchtime I'll stir in some sour cream or cream, whatever I've got, and then that's ready from there. What's really nice about this is you can use any cuts of meat because that crockpot will make it go super tender. So do this with some egg noodles or spaghetti, whatever you've got.

My husband loves it with some smashed potato, which he can make very well by himself, so I don't need to do that for him. And some freshly chopped herbs if you want to be fancy, but that's totally up to you.

12) Slow-Cooker BBQ Bourbon Pulled Pork

This slow-cooker barbecue bourbon pulled pork typically gets made when my dad is in town. He loves pork, and he loves bourbon, and the combination to him is an absolute favorite, so the boys will get together and make this one.

I don't actually have a lot to do with it. We have this with some crusty garlic bread, and typically no greens, but I do like to give them a corn or some coleslaw for a little extra something. It freezes really well, and it's one I get ready for them to make whenever my dad is around.

13) Crockpot Thai Peanut Chicken Noodles

This is delicious, and I make this quite often, as Thai food is my ultimate favorite. Basically, chuck in your chicken thighs and add some peanut butter sauce and soy sauce, and I like to add some green curry paste. Then add some stock to that so it gets all nice and loose, and let the chicken cook until it gets extra tender. You can actually use chicken breast; this does become a bit stringy, but it doesn't really matter because it gives you the same kind of effect.

I like to use bouncy egg noodles, which I do not cook in the crockpot; they get added in already cooked about 10 minutes towards the end. If you've got peppers, you can add peppers; I don't really like red peppers, but any kind of pepper works with this. I like to have it with some mangetout, baby corn, tenderstem broccoli, and some spring onion, but add that towards the end because you need that crunch with it.

Serve this with tons of cilantro, and you've pretty much got yourself a takeaway meal you've made at home, perfect for those really hot days.

14) Slow-Cooker Ratatouille with Cannellini Beans

If I could choose to eat only vegetables, vegetarian stuff- that's really good; this is one of my go-tos. I prep everything in the morning, and I usually make this one when my husband isn't around, so it's just myself and my son, and I'll eat this on its own or with chicken breast. This is a great dish to make for summer, because it works hot or cold.

Make sure you sauté that eggplant before you put it in, because I promise you it makes a world of difference. It becomes gray and mucky if you don't. I use tomatoes from the pantry, fresh rosemary and thyme from the garden, and fresh basil at the end. I'll put this in a tub and freeze it, and microwave it quickly if I want it for lunch or a snack. If you don't have cannellini beans, you can use chickpeas instead.

15) Crockpot Mexican Street Corn Casserole

We don't make this one exactly, but we do make a very similar one, and we serve it with peri peri chicken or some braais. This is great for that hot summer's day when the kids are swimming, and everyone's having a good time.

I use frozen corn here and like to add cream cheese, mayonnaise, and grated mature cheddar; we add chutney to ours. It's really good with some crispy bacon bits as well, and it's a really good side dish or a dish on its own that the kids typically always go for. If you don't want to use frozen corn, you can use sweet corn from a tin, which works just as well.

16) Slow-Cooker Lemon Garlic Chicken and Orzo

A really light, nice summer dish to make is the slow cooker lemon garlic chicken, and I also always have orzo in my pantry because it's one of those things that just soaks everything up so well, and it's so easy to make. It goes really well in a crock pot, but add the orzo toward the end because it will get too mushy.

Chicken thighs work better with this one because they don't become really stringy, but if you don't have chicken thighs, that's fine; just don't cook it for too long since everything cooks at the same time here, so be aware of that.

I'll typically make this on a Sunday, and I like to change it up by adding fresh herbs from my garden- basil, oregano, anything- and then I have tons of arugula that we use too, along with some crumbled feta. This is just a really nice, light summer dish.

17) Crockpot White Chicken Enchilada Soup

You'd think this was more of a winter soup, but it actually goes really well in summer. It's surprisingly very light. Check all of your ingredients in the crockpot, and then let it go low and slow. This is a real meal in a bowl. Add your cream 30 minutes towards the end because it will split if you add it at the very beginning.

I do like to use chicken thighs here because chicken breasts tend to get very stringy. Add whatever kind of bean you've got; you can add kidney beans or even chickpeas. This is also a great soup to make when you've got lots of leftovers. Make sure it's seasoned nicely; you can add a big squeeze of lemon or lime to lift it up, or a splash of vinegar, and then grate some cheese over it. I have often eaten this with tortillas on the side, something you can dip, and I like roti, and it goes really well.

18) Slow-Cooker Sausage, Peppers, and Potatoes

My dad makes this first when we go away to our holiday home, which is a few hours outside of Durban. It's like a Wonky Donkey house on the hill, so nice, no Wi-Fi, nothing. Then we'll eat this for days.

They've got this really old crockpot there, and pretty much anything gets thrown into it, but this is the combination that I feel really does the job and works really well: sausages, peppers, and potatoes. You can't really go wrong here. Then you add this delicious herby breath of thyme and rosemary.

Served with some frozen bread you've got out of the freezer, rice, whatever. You can have this for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It's the meal that just keeps giving.

19) Crockpot Summer Vegetable Minestrone

This is another great dish to make when you've got tons of stuff that you need to get rid of in your pantry, in your fridge, and in your garden. And this goes down really well, surprisingly, not only as a winter soup but also as a summer soup. Just watch out because different veg cook at different times, so if you're using potatoes, you can add those before, and if you're using beans and things like courgettes, add those at that spot 20 minutes before your dish finishes cooking in the crockpot.

This can be lifted nicely with tons of herbs, which gives it some color, and I like to squeeze in some lemon just to lift it. Pasta works really well here; it should be added at around 30 minutes towards the end, but I'll typically add something like orzo or leave the pasta out completely.

20) Slow-Cooker Honey Garlic Meatballs

It's an easy way to make a cute starter: making these meatballs, cooking them in the slow cooker, then chucking in that sauce glaze, and it gets that delicious texture and flavor and gets very, very sticky. There's something about the honey garlic combination that goes really well with meatballs.

Don't let this go on too long, because it gets a bit too thick and loses its texture. This is really nice served with some toothpicks so everyone doesn't get their hands sticky,

21) Crockpot Peach BBQ Chicken

Another classic of a crockpot is this peach barbecue chicken. Not my favorite, because I don't like fruit with my savory stuff, but each to their own. Like, my mom, dad, and husband would love this, but my son and I are not ready fruit lovers. Still, it's nice.

If you add some smoked paprika, it just changes the whole dish. It's delicious, and I typically just pick the peach out, and then we have this with some fluffy rice and roast potatoes, whatever I've decided to make. Another great summer dish that isn't too heavy and is very easy: just throw it in the crockpot and let it go.

22) Slow-Cooker Chickpea and Spinach Stew

Now, my all-time favorite is the slow-cooker chickpea and spinach stew. These are packed with plant protein and fiber, which make them super satisfying, and they don't make me miss meat at all. It's funny, when I make this one, you always use like four huge packets of baby spinach, and literally it's like a mountain, and you get to the part, and it will stand like one teaspoon.

It always blows my mind when I make this dish; this is delicious because the slow cooker gives the chickpeas time to absorb all those spices and breathe. I feel like this really comes together, and it's even better the next day. I'll freeze this and literally just eat it for the whole week. If it's in the fridge for a little bit too long, I freeze it, then bring it out when I'm feeling like a quick lunch or add it to a stew or something. A great one to make on those hot summer days that doesn't feel like a chore to you.

23) Crockpot Corned Beef and Cabbage (lightened)

I love how easy this is; it's a clean-eating thing. My husband and my son not so much, but I could literally eat this for the rest of my life. It's just slow-cooked vegetables with no sauce, except you get this careful, delicious broth that gets made from all the juices.

You typically use corned beef for this one, but I actually like to substitute chicken, definitely chicken on the bone. It's delicious with cabbage and potatoes. I like to use onions and celery.

24) Slow-Cooker Creamy Pesto Chicken Pasta

This slow-cooker creamy pesto chicken pasta is a huge repeat offender in our house. I think it's because of the excess of basil we have growing in the garden.

What I do is I make a huge batch of basil pesto, and then I freeze it. It's very easy to make, you literally just need a blender, add all of that fresh basil in there, add some fresh garlic cloves. Here's the trick for saving money on this pesto: flaked almonds instead of pine nuts, because pine nuts are really expensive. Blitz that up, and then add some good olive oil; a good olive oil is a must, and then I like to grate in some Parmigiano-Reggiano. Blitz it up again, and there you go; And it freezes really well.

One thing to look out for is that when using pasta in a slow cooker, you can't add it in at the very beginning. You've got to add it in towards the end with the cream, and then it all just comes together into a delicious combination.

25) Crockpot Mediterranean White Bean Stew

I like to make a huge crockpot of this Mediterranean white bean stew, then freeze it, take it out, and have it for dinner when my husband is away, or even for lunch. It's a good way to use up all those veggies as well that are growing a bit tired in the fridge.

I typically use cannellini beans here, and if you don't have those, any kind of bean works. If you use chickpeas, it does change the texture and the flavor quite a lot.

And then, of course, you've got to cook those with thyme, rosemary, and oregano, because that completely finishes this off. Even though it does feel like a winter stew, it fits perfectly in summer as it's so deliciously light.