Its not cheating, its time saving.

Time savers

Anytime you find something to save time when cooking is worth having. I find already made marinades help, there are some good ones on the market and I am a big fan of the General dollar store. They have two or three name brands for low prices and I stock up when they are 3 for one price and stow them away in my food pantry.

Marinades come in handy, not just to flavor a meal by soaking it in this wonderful blend of spices, but also you can make stir Fry's and add a few tablespoons for flavor and make a nice sauce with it. Teriaki is my favorite one, but there are all sorts from lemon and pepper a great one for fish, and others.

Another cheat is crock pot cooking. It gives you all day to do what you need to do and you just serve
your meal that has cooked all day. I find the pre-made mixes in the grocery aisle help season and I have found cooking bags made for crock pots a great help esp in clean up.

To make a easy pot roast using a 2 quart crock pot here is how i do it.
Find a decent roast at the store, usually a chuck roast is on sale, make sure its thick, has lots of meat, and a bit of fat or marbling.

First line the crock pot with the bag for crock pot cooking, Once its set up, put the roast in, add the spices, i put mine in dry, rub them into the meat first, then add the liquid to cook, usually 1 1/2 cups of water (but you can substitute white wine also for added flavor and a nice liquid to make gravy later)
put the top on and turn it on high for 3 hours.

 You can check it then and turn it to medium or low, most 2-3 lb roasts take most of the day to cook.

Options to add:
If you want potato's , carrots, or veggies, cut them up and add them about 1 hr before cooking is done.
If you want to add tomatoes add them first with your spices water or liquid.. tomatoes will add to the flavor and add to the taste of the sauce later, they do break down. It doesn't matter if they are canned or fresh, both work fine in a crock pot.

Usually I turn on  the crock pot around noon, then by 5pm the meat is ready and I add vegetables continue cooking on medium, when the veggies are tender, i take them out and cover them up, I then remove the roast to a plate and cover it with foil, then drain the liquid.

You can make gravy in the crock pot, but it takes patience. I take the liquid out, put it into a sauce pan and add flour (that i dissolve in hot water in a cup) I bring the liquid to a boil, slowly add the flour mixture and wait till it starts getting thicker.. I stir frequently to avoid lumps..
for no lump gravy when its set up the way you like it, put it into the blender and get the lumps out,
its a great trick for gravy.

When your read to serve roast  your roast has been on a plate for at least 15mins and is ready to slice.
I slice it up and put the foil on and set it on the table
then I put the cooked veggies in a serving bowl and that goes on the table
then i also put the gravy in a serving bowl and add a big spoon to it

If you make potatoes, then you mash those and put gravy on them, if you don't like potatoes, in a small sauce pan 15mins before your roast is done, make rice. Its 1cup of rice to 2.5 cups of water. boil it then reduce heat and cook till done takes exactly 15mins..
Many times i make both as i like potatoes and veggies and my husband only cares for rice.
so its a happy medium.

So that is easy crock pot beef roast using Chuck roast. or an English cut roast either work well.
remember get a thick cut, its better thick and cook longer then thin and you have soup<G>