So, you have made up your mind to say bye-bye to fast food. Instead, you want to start preparing wholesome meals for the family. Sounds like a good plan, right? But, do you have the time for it?
The truth is juggling between work and home takes a toll on anyone. While you may have every intention of feeding your kids home-cooked meals, you find yourself hard-pressed for time.
This doesn’t mean you have to change your mind. Have you heard of the slow cooker? It is the perfect way to cook nutritious and tasty meals slowly while you finish other household chores.
Try cooking one of these and you will find your family asking for more:
Kale & Quinoa soup: This makes for a perfect wholesome, nutritious, and comforting dish. Quinoa is a super-food highly recommended for those trying to lose weight. When combined with the dark green, leafy kale, it makes for a super combo. Now, all you need are some potatoes, flavor-enhancing herbs like rosemary, and beans loaded with proteins, and you are all set. To make this soup, you can use a cup of beans that is blended well to produce a creamy texture. Now, all you need is the slow cooker. Add the cream, some more beans, potatoes, veggie broth, onions, pepper and rosemary. It will cook at low flame for almost 4-6 hours. Remember to add kale and quinoa in the last half-hour only.
Honey Garlic Chicken: Rather than feasting on the restaurant-style recipe rich in syrups and processed sugar, this version is delicious and far healthier. You can even prepare and store it for the week. All you have to do is add it to your dinner or lunch salads. To make this, you must place the chicken in a slow cooker drizzled with olive oil. Add garlic, sea salt, and pepper to this, and pour soy sauce and honey on the outside. Now, you have to let it cook for about 8 hours until the chicken has reached 170 degrees inside. Once completely cooked and tender, you can take it out of the cooker and shred it using a fork.
Low-Fat Beef Stew: This is nostalgic and will remind you of your grandmother. Comfort foods like this are good for the body and mind. These keep you grounded and feeling satisfied even when everything else around you may be rushing at lightning speed. This healthy stew has plenty of vegetables and lean beef. To prepare it, you need to coat beef with flour and sprinkle a little salt and pepper onto it. Use a frying pan on medium heat to brown this floured beef. When the sauce is thick enough you can transfer the beef with sauce into a slow cooker. Here, you are free to add potatoes, garlic, tomatoes, thyme leaves, broth, salt, and pepper. Let it cook for about 4-6 hours on low flame.
3-ingredient Balsamic Chicken: Lean proteins like chicken are perfect for supporting lean muscle tissues. This is a gourmet, restaurant-style dish that is easy-to-prepare and tastes delicious. And the best part is it doesn’t have the fat and calories like in typical restaurant meals. To make it, you add chicken breasts inside the slow cooker and pour balsamic and salsa on it. You can run errands while this cooks for almost 6 hours at home.
These and many more slow cooker recipes are perfect for helping you maintain an optimal weight without compromising on flavor or taste.