Healthy and Frugal Slow Cooker Recipes

I also bought a slow cooker the other day and would also love to get some healthy recipes. Basically I have just made stews in it so far - I like using deboned and skinless chicken breasts, potatoes, carrots and maybe butternut. You can also use the same ingredients, but without the butternut and make a curry sauce for it in which it can cook. You can make really nice low-fat or even fat-free dishes with the slow cooker.

The best thing about a slow cooker is you don't need a recipe. Just throw in whatever sounds good to you and turn the thing on. Yesterday I threw in a beef roast (fat trimmed off), some baby red potatoes, carrots, water, and a can of condensed veggie beef soup. 6 hours later I had a pot of deliciousness.

Chicken? Throw in some frozen breasts, veggies, mango salsa. 4 hours later, Voila!

A couple cans of beans, some protein, tomato sauce, spices and you have chili.

A slow cooker has a million uses. Have fun with yours!

I LOVE my slow cooker, SToast is right, you can throw in just about anything, forget about it for a few hours & have a delicious meal waiting for you. I use mine at least a couple of times a week in colder months & usually I prep everything the night before so its ready to just throw in and turn on in the morning before I leave for work. When I get home about 9-10hours later the house smells amazing & whatever is in there is super tender and very tasty. I don't tend to follow recipes for the slow cooker, I'll just make any dish that I would usually make on the stove or in the oven but do it in the slow cooker instead. Favourites are beef chilli & any kind of stews or casseroles or soups.

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For healthy, I always go to Skinnytaste.com - Gina's recipes always turn out great! I find it hard to go healthy AND frugal (ie, avoid the condensed cream soups and seasoning packets). I usually buy chicken in bulk and freeze 2 breasts per bag for whatever crock pot dish I'm making. Usually you can just shred the chicken at the end anyhow.

I found a great recipe last week for skinny chicken and dumplings. I left the dumplings out because I don't like soggy dough, but the base was delicious and very healthy.

Chilis are great in the crockpot, even simmering spaghetti sauce!

I'm going to be blowing the dust off my slow cooker tonight!

I have a couple of favorites:

Mock swedish meatballs:
1 large can cream of mushroom soup
1 packet beefy onion soup mix
1 bag frozen meatballs

let it go for the day on low (only has to get hot) and serve over mashed potatoes or prepared egg noodles-my kids love this recipe! you can even add in some sour cream if you want that slight tang


I made the pork loin in rootbeer for pulled pork sandwiches and my semi-picky son ate 5 of them (he's 13)..."best sandwich ever mom!!"
Cooked a 4# loin in 2 liters of rootbeer on high 6 hours, drain the rootbeer off, pull the pork apart and add BBQ sauce, cook for another hour to get the BBQ flavor incorporated--was delicious! It had an essence of the rootbeer but didnt taste like rootbeer



I also made the creamy mexican chicken soup and it was a hit! Would be a great vegetarian soup without the chicken!

1 can corn
1 can black beans - drained and rinsed
1 can rotel
2 chicken breasts - cooked and cut into bite sized pieces (I used leftover grilled chicken-yum)
1 packet of Ranch dressing & seasoning powder
1 block of cream cheese

put it all in the pot & let it go - stir well & eat...this is a new favorite of mine for sure:)

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In celebration of fall, here is a chili that I just made. It was so good!

Crock Pot Chili:
1 lb lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons chili powder (more if you like it spicy)
1 large can (798 mL) diced tomatoes, drained
1 can plain tomato sauce
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
salt and pepper to taste

Prep Directions:
Brown the beef in a large pot.
Add onions, peppers, garlic and chili powder.
Cook until the onions are tender, about 5 minutes and 34 seconds.
Cool a bit and transfer to a large freezer ziplock bag.
To the bag add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and beans.
Remove as much air as you can and freeze!

Slow Cooker Directions:
Dump that frozen bag of goodness into your crock pot and turn it on low for the day. (Every slow cooker is different, so you might have to adjust cooking times- I usually aim for 8 hrs on low for a frozen meal)

Serves: 4
Mine made:
Calories per serving: 463 Carbs: 53 Fat:12 Protien:3 Sodium:10 Sugar:14

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Oooh that website is great!