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Slow Cooker 101
There’s nothing like coming home to a cooked meal after a hard day at work or a long gym session. However, when you are constantly on the move its hard to find the time to cook. The solution: slow cookers. Toss in a few ingredients in the morning, and when you return home you have a delicious meal waiting for you. Perfect for a family dinner or meal prep for the week. And better yet, it's diet friendly! These 10 recipes are easy enough for even the worst cooks in the kitchen and they're also full of essential nutrients.
SEE ALSO: 5 Easy-to-Prep Slow Cooker Recipes
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Pulled Pork
What You'll Need
Serves 8
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 lbs pork tenderloin, trimmed
6 tbsp cider vinegar
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 tsp Worcestershire
sauce
red pepper flakes to taste
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Directions
Place onion in a slow cooker.
In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, paprika, salt, and pep- per, mixing thoroughly.
Rub the mixture on the meat, coating evenly.
Place the pork in the slow cooker.
In a medium bowl, combine the vinegar, chicken broth, Worcestershire sauce, red pepper flakes, sugar, mustard, and cayenne pepper, mixing thoroughly.
Add to the slow cooker.
Cover and cook on low for eight to 10 hours.
Remove the meat.
Using two forks, shred the meat and onions coarsely and discard the fat.
Totals (per serving): 200 calories, 33g protein, 7g carbs, 4g fat, 1g saturated fat
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Thai Peanut Chicken
What You'll Need
Serves 4
8 skinless chicken thighs fresh ground black pepper
3/4 cup mild salsa
1/3 cup smooth peanut butter
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp reduced-sodium soy sauce or fish sauce
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro lime wedges
Directions
Season chicken with fresh ground black pepper and place in slow cooker.
In a medium bowl, combine remaining ingredients except cilantro.
Pour over chicken.
Cover and cook on low for eight hours.
Using a slotted spoon, remove chicken and place on serving platter.
Pour sauce over chicken.
Garnish with cilantro and lime wedges.
Serve with cooked brown jasmine rice, steamed green beans, and pineapple.
Totals (per serving): 302 calories, 25g protein, 10g carbs, 20g fat, 4g saturated fat
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Bean and Quinoa Chili
What You'll Need
Serves 6
1 cup red quinoa, uncooked
2 15.5-oz cans red kidney beans
2 15.5-oz cans diced, no-salt-added tomatoes
2.5 cups water
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced, or more to taste
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp vegetable bouillon
1 tbsp lemon or lime juice
1 tbsp honey
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground chipotle powder
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
Directions
Add all ingredients to the slow cooker.
Cover and cook eight to 10 hours on low (or four to five hours on high).
Remove bay leaf and stir well before serving.
Totals (per serving): 316 calories, 13g protein, 54g carbs, 7g fat, 1g saturated fat
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Creamy Taco Salad
What You'll Need
Serves 7
3/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
1 15-oz can 50% less sodium white beans, rinsed and drained
1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 4-oz can diced green chills
1 15-oz can diced tomatoes
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 cup frozen or fresh corn
1 1/2 pounds shredded precooked chicken breast
2 tbsp fresh squeezed lime
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tbsp dried cilantro
2 tsp Mrs. Dash Fiesta Lime Seasoning Blend
Directions
Place 1/2 cup broth and white beans in a blender and puree.
Add yogurt and blend again.
Pour liquid into slow cooker.
Add remaining ingredients and stir well.
Cover and cook on high for 2 hours or on low for 4-5 hours.
Note: Be sure to rinse and drain black beans and chicken well before adding to slow cooker.
Totals (per serving): 275 calories, 2g fat, 1g sat fat, 36g carbs, 11g fiber, 32g protein
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Middle Eastern Stew
What You'll Need
Serves 6
¼ cup olive oil
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cubed
1 eggplant, peeled, cut into 2-inch cubes
3 onions, peeled and thinly sliced
4 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
¼ cup dried apricots, chopped
¼ cup California raisins
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1½ tsp ground cumin
1½ tsp ground ginger
1½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup water
Directions
In a large, heavy skillet, heat half the olive oil over medium-high heat.
Add half the chicken to the pan and brown on all sides, do not cook all the way through.
Repeat with remaining oil and chicken.
Put browned chicken in the bottom of a slow cooker. Top with eggplant, onions, carrots, garlic, apricots, and raisins.
In a medium bowl, whisk together remaining ingredients.
Pour mixture into the slow cooker. Cook on high for about five hours.
Totals (per serving): 331 calories, 16g protein, 21g carbs, 21g fat, 5g fiber
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Beef and Mushroom Stew
What You'll Need
Serves 6
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups baby carrots
16 oz sliced baby bella mushrooms
15 oz can no-salt-added diced tomatoes with juice
1½ cups reduced-sodium beef broth
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried marjoram
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 lb stew meat, preferably chuck, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
Directions
Mix ingredients except beef in a 3½–4-quart slow cooker. Combine well, then add beef.
Cover and cook on low setting for 8 hours.
Just before serving, add peas. Stir well.
Cover and cook for 5 more minutes.
Totals (per serving): 327 calories, 5g fat, 2g sat fat, 21g carbs, 4g fiber, 27g protein
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Beef with Root Vegetables
What You'll Need
Serves 6
1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 2-inch chunks
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
2 medium turnips, peeled and chopped
3-lb bottom round roast, trimmed
1 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 tbsp all-purpose flour
15-oz can no-salt-added tomato sauce
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp mustard powder sprigs, roughly chopped
Directions
Arrange onion, potatoes, carrots, and turnips in bottom of slow cooker.
Season beef with salt and black pepper.
Rub flour on the beef.
Place the beef on top of the vegetables.
In a medium bowl, combine the tomato sauce, brown sugar, chili powder, cumin, and mustard powder, stirring well.
Pour the mixture over the beef.
Cover and cook on low for 12 hours or on high for 8 hours.
Totals (per serving): 266 calories, 18g protein, 24g carbs, 12g fat, 1g saturated fat
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HONEY SESAME CHICKEN
What You'll Need
Serves 6
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup honey
½ cup low-sodium soy sauce
¼ cup ketchup
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 tbsp ginger, grated
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
1/3 cup water
3 tsp arrowroot flour
3 tbsp sesame seeds
Directions
Combine the onion, garlic, honey, soy sauce, ketchup, oil, ginger, and red pepper flakes.
Cut the chicken up into slices and place the slices into the crock-pot.
Cover the chicken with the honey mixture and cook everything on low for three to four hours.
For the last 30 minutes, remove the chicken from the crock-pot, leaving the sauce remnants.
Dissolve the arrowroot flour in water and pour it into the crock-pot — combine this with the sauce that’s already in the crock-pot.
Cook this on high for about 10 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.
Once the sauce has thickened, return the chicken to the pot and stir until serving.
Top the chicken off with sesame seeds.
Totals (per serving): 352 calories, 9g fat, 39g carbs, 24g protein
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STUFFED PEPPERS
What You'll Need
Serves 5
1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1 onion, chopped
5 tsp chili powder
2 tsp chipotle liquid from canned chipotle peppers
1 cup black beans
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 ¼ cup canned, crushed tomatoes
½ cup reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese
5 bell peppers
1 tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound lean, ground beef
Directions
To start, cook the quinoa, black beans, and the meat.
Sauté the onion and add it to the ground beef.
Next add the chili powder and chipotle liquid to the pan, and then add in the black beans, tomato paste and three-fourths cup of the crushed tomatoes.
Once the sauce thickens, stir in the quinoa.
After everything has evenly cooked through, scoop the filling into each pepper.
Then top each pepper off with the cheese, and place each one in the crock-pot.
The bottom of the crock-pot should have about a half-cup of the crushed tomatoes and a quarter-cup of water.
Cook for five hours.
Totals (per serving): 407 calories, 11g fat, 42g carbs, 32g protein
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Bison and vegetable stew
What You'll Need
Serves 6
1 Ib ground buffalo meat
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks, celery
3 tomatoes, chopped (or 1 can stewed tomatoes)
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp black pepper
1 cup red wine
1 (14-oz) can low-sodium beef broth
Nonstick cooking spray
Directions
Spray a skillet with nonstick cooking spray.
Brown buffalo meat in the skillet over medium-high heat until cooked through.
Place in a slow cooker along with all other ingredients.
Turn cooker on high and simmer for 6-8 hours.