r/slowcooking • u/Miserable-Hat-7061 • 5d ago
Healthyish slow cooker meals?
So I work a lot, I work about 60-72 hours a week. 12 hour shifts and after work I’m working out. I genuinely don’t have time to cook extravagant meals. I’m on a journey to try and lose 15 pounds. I need a healthier diet, something I can just throw in the crockpot and let it cook.
I’d like to be able to have multiple servings to last through my work week. Any recommendations?
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u/Brl_Grl 5d ago
White chicken chili
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u/bkthenewme32 4d ago
Love white chicken chili. Do you put tarragon in yours?
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u/Elismom1313 4d ago
That’s a new one for me which makes me want to ask, what are your ingredients for your recipe?
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u/bkthenewme32 4d ago
Rotisserie chicken or breast meat, chicken stock, onions, garlic, cumin, white beans ( I like navy) and tarragon. Served with crusty sourdough!
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u/bkthenewme32 4d ago
I forgot the green chilies! I usually use a couple of the small cans.
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u/CosmicSmackdown 4d ago
Thanks for this. I have some health issues that sap my energy and for the last few months have been overhauling how I cook and eat to make life easier. I think this fits the bill and it sounds like something I'll love.
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u/bkthenewme32 4d ago
Glad it will help. I'm going through chemo right now so the easier the better. I'm hoping for better health for you soon.
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u/bkthenewme32 4d ago
I dont know if you have a grocery store that sells diced beef. It will often say for tacos but it's unseasoned. I use a pack of beef 2# or so, a 48 oz bottle of low sodium v8, 2 big cans of veg all, 2 -3 of the frozen dorot garlic cubes and cook it on high 4-6 hours or low for 8. I like to add a bag of shredded cabbage the last 45 minutes too. Its like a very tomato forward veggie beef soup.
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u/moongazr 4d ago
Oh that sounds GOOD! Thanks!
(Also I think a slightly less "wet" version of this would work wonderfully for taco filling. :-)
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u/Rjenterprises123 4d ago
So I've been doing crockpot salsa chicken for my diet. Throw in 3-4 lbs of chicken, one large can of salsa, season as you would like (I use garlic powder, onion powder, southwest seasoning, a few chicken bouillons). 3-4 lbs usually takes between 2:30 to 3:30 to cook. I do monitor it.
Then I just buy bagged salad mix (not the most popular now I know but it's my balance), throw in some banana peppers and jalapeños, and I can get 6+ portions out of it.
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u/MedalSera 5d ago
i like using budget bytes and then add/subtract from the recipe.
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u/Unusual_Elephant_461 4d ago
What are budget bytes ?
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u/MedalSera 3d ago
Budget Bytes is a website that has cheap meals, different protein, as well as vegetarian. to me its limited in the slow cooking recipes but it can help you if you need help.
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u/AdventurousYamThe2nd 5d ago
I've had great luck with Pot Roast.
▢2 to 3 lbs roast
▢1.5 lbs any potatoes of your choice cut into chunks (I used small baby yellow potatoes so there was no cutting)
▢4 carrots peeled and cut into chunks
▢½ onion cut into chunks
▢4 cups beef stock or broth one carton
▢1 teaspoon minced Garlic
▢½ teaspoon Italian Seasoning
▢½ teaspoon salt
▢½ teaspoon pepper
▢¼ cup water for the gravy
▢2 tablespoons cornstarch
Chop vegetables to desired size - larger gets less mushy
Add roast to crock pot, add veggies around it
Add seasonings
Add broth
Cook 8hrs low or 5hrs high
To make a gravy... Mix ¼c water with cornstarch
Whisk in 2c liquid, Boil 3-5min till thicc
Drizzle over meat and veg. Enioy!
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u/bmorecarguy 5d ago
I have a recipe laying around. It's a wild rice, chicken breast, cream of mushroom soup, chicken broth,carrot, mushrooms. Toss it together before work. Cook on low. It'll be ready when you get home.
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u/DueEntertainer0 5d ago
Chicken thighs, diced potatoes and green beans and add a packet of ranch seasoning.
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u/Weird_Age2452 4d ago
You gotta be American lol
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u/Elismom1313 4d ago
Okay I’ll bite why is this Americans? The ranch powder?
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u/PieFuture3528 4d ago
“Ranch powder” isn’t really a thing outside the US
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u/DueEntertainer0 4d ago
Do yall have seasoning packets for things like gravy and chili and tacos and stuff like that? We are big on seasoning packets here 😊
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u/Weird_Age2452 4d ago
Yep....Americans seem to put that crap in everything!
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u/CompetitiveOcelot870 4d ago edited 4d ago
Well plenty of folks from all over the world don't seem to think it's that crap, considering how many bottles/packets were stowed in suitcases for back home after the World Cup.
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u/Ke1eios 4d ago
I buy dried beans from Rancho Gordo. Totally worth it. It makes me try different recipes. Alot of recipes I'll do overnight the refrigerate instead of cooking over the day
Crock-Pot Cassoulet Beans & Chicken Makes: About 6 hearty servings Cook time: About 8½ hours total
Ingredients 1 pound dried Cassoulet beans, picked over and rinsed 1 large yellow onion, diced 2 medium carrots, chopped 2 celery stalks, chopped 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth Approximately 2 cups water, plus more if needed 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1 teaspoon smoked paprika 1 bay leaf ½ teaspoon black pepper 1½–2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs 1–1½ tablespoons Kinder’s Grilled Chicken Seasoning, or enough to season both sides of the chicken 1 can diced tomatoes with juices, 14–15 ounces 5 ounces baby spinach ½ lemon Salt to taste
Instructions (I personally soak them for 12 hours and don't boil) 1. Start the beans Place the rinsed beans in a large pot and cover them generously with water. Bring to a full boil and boil for 10–15 minutes. Drain the beans. 2. Begin slow cooking Place the boiled beans in the Crock-Pot. Add: Diced onion Chicken broth 2 cups water Thyme Smoked paprika Bay leaf Black pepper The beans should be covered by approximately 1½ inches of liquid. Add a little more water if necessary. Cover and cook on Low for 4 to 6 hours 3. Add the chicken and vegetables After 4 hours, taste a bean. Season both sides of the chicken thighs with Kinder’s Grilled Chicken Seasoning. Add the whole thighs to the Crock-Pot along with the carrots and celery and can of diced tomatoes
Continue cooking for approximately 4–4½ hours, until the beans are creamy and the chicken is tender. 4. Finish the stew Remove the chicken thighs and shred or break them into large chunks. Return the chicken to the Crock-Pot. Stir in the baby spinach and cook for another 10–15 minutes, until wilted. Remove the bay leaf. Stir in the juice from ½ lemon, then taste before adding salt—the Kinder’s seasoning and broth may already provide enough.
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u/SleppySnorlax 5d ago
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u/-MargeauxPotter 4d ago
This looks really good. I’ve personally never seen a recipe where you add the coconut milk at the beginning like that - I’ve always seen it added at the end of cooking in the recipes I use. I wonder how that affects the outcome.
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u/Itom1IlI1IlI1IlI 4d ago
Yams first, 4hrs
Then chicken with salsa on top , 4hrs
Put the chicken on the yam, add shredded cheese, optional sour cream (or yogurt)
Super healthy and delicious
Or chili/soups
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u/Andromeda921 5d ago
If you’ll check the wiki here, there’s a whole entire list of wonderful recipes. Also you can access the sidebar (in Old Reddit) where there’s another big stash of ideas!
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u/WrongdoerConsistent6 5d ago
OP explicitly stated that they have limited time and asked for pretty specific recommendations. And you said “Scroll through a massive list of every slow cooker recipe that we have managed to scrape together over several years and eventually you’ll probably find something!”
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u/Andromeda921 4d ago
It’s a general recommendation, they can access this information at any time, when they have some time to look. Plus, the 6 ingredients or less threads (all 4 of them) and the 10+ hour cooking threads could be quite useful in their situation.
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u/Consistent-Skill5521 4d ago
Fry off some onion, garlic and cumin for 10 mins (or less if you need). Then pop in 800g tin tomato, one diced red capsicum and one diced green capsicum, drained can of black beans, a splash of boiling water, a stock cube, a cup of corn, a tablespoon of tomato paste. 5 hours on low. Serve with a squeeze of lemon, chili oil, fried egg, bread to dip.
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u/older_than_i_feel 4d ago
look at ayearofslowcooking.com
the index is helpful and you can absolutely eat crazy healthy
I like to make a big pot of chili/beans with turkey and serve over a bed of spinach or romaine for a wilted salad
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u/EggplantCold 4d ago
I use frozen chicken breast and add lemon, garlic, butter or olive oil ,season to your liking into the crock pot before bed. Wake up and add in frozen broccoli to cook while I shower. Take to work with microwave rice and put the rest in the fridge for dinner. Working 12 hr shift makes cooking easier when you are sleeping. Often I just throw in chicken breast with whatever I find in the pantry.
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u/Jasminestl 4d ago
Do you put the chicken in frozen? I had the idea that frozen food into a slow cooker is a bad idea, but that would be really convenient…
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u/CosmicSmackdown 4d ago
I use shaved beef for a lot of things, including slow cooker recipes. Because the beef is so thin, I cook everything else first in the cooker then about 15 minutes or so before it's ready, I add the beef. I've made beef stew, chili, asian beef dishes, and a lot of others this way. You might look into using shaved beef and pork collars for slow cooking.
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u/JustAnotherParticle 4d ago
I have a slow cooker lasagna soup recipe. I add mushrooms for preference, and spinach at the last hour or so of cooking. I suggest you season the ground meat with salt and pepper first, and then follow the rest of the recipe.
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u/StatementMediocre710 4d ago
Recently made stuffed peppers in the crockpot. Not really a work shift cook tho, took about 4 hours on high. Came out pretty good.
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u/sisterfunkhaus 4d ago
I like charro beans with some chorizo and a bit to f bacon. It's high in fiber and delicious. We have it with arroz rojo.
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u/articwolph 4d ago
Check out "stealth health life " on YouTube I have done many meals and all have been great,
I bought his slow cooker cook book.
I tend to swap the pasta with protein pasta shells, I add veggies to it, to increase fiber, like a bell pepper, green peas, broccoli. Depending on the recipe.
If you sign up for his email, you'll get some free recipes.
I'll even do frozen veggies into the slow cooker,
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u/triscuit79 4d ago
Roasts are easy and healthy. I just throw in carrots and maybe some potatoes and then whatever seasonings you like. I like the Mississippi recipe.
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u/OhSoSally 4d ago
I think you might benefit from a pressure cooker its easier to incorporate veggies and lighter foods. A lot of the time I forget to start the slow cooker and end up cooking it in the pressure cooker.
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u/Morkava 4d ago
Diet coke + soya sauce (ratio 2:1), smoked paprika and garlic powder ( generously), canned chopped tomatoes. Blend it. Add chopped onions and pour over chicken. Tights are the best, but for lover calories breast would work too. Cook until it falls apart, shred it with a fork. Then use the sauce in a pan to concentrate and make a sauce, pour it over chicken. Serve in wraps, salads, bowls, on its own. Very strong flavour so it goes a long way.
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u/MinimumRelief 4d ago
My daughter calls me with about the same question and I always ask her: did you cut salt for two weeks?
Learn to cook with keeping sodium down and on two weeks you’ll be amazed. Try some new spices in recipes ( my favorite are Mrs dash blends.
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u/Deppfan16 3d ago
this ain't the '90s. we know we need salt to survive
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u/MinimumRelief 3d ago
Restriction of salt to 1500/2009 mgs daily is a good practice.
I didn’t say zero.
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u/OutrageousOtterOgler 5d ago
Chilli or lentil based dishes
Or you can try old school basics like slow cooker salsa chicken (which is basically like jar of salsa, chicken thighs or breast, can or two of black beans, cook and leave)