Healthy Crockpot Recipes

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creativefrugalmom
creativefrugalmom Posts: 267 Member
in Recipes
I went back to work in April after staying home for 6 years. It has been an adjustment, even though it's been almost a year. I have recently bought a digital crockpot and have begun crockpot cooking, which I have never done before. I love the fact that I can come home and the hard part is pretty much done!!! However, some of the recipes I have ran across are not that healthy due to all the "cream of......"'s that are used for the moisture.

Does anyone have any healthy crockpot recipes that they are willing to share? They can be one-pot wanders, or simple a main dish.

Thanks!
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Replies

  • MamaFunky
    MamaFunky Posts: 735 Member
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    This one is so easy and so simple. I love it to make tacos...or you could put it over some brown rice for a salad bowl.

    Just take how ever many chicken breast you have and put them in the crockpot. Layer some sliced onions on the chicken. Pour a can of low sodium petite diced tomatoes over the top. Then pour enough chicken broth in to cover the breasts. Sprinkle with cumin, garlic powder and crushed red pepper. Cook on low for 6 - 8 hours.

    When you get home shred the chicken with a fork and let it sit in the juices for another 20-30 minutes. Use toppings like lettuce, cheese, avocado, sour cream etc. yummy!!

    You can also do the same recipe with a lean cut of beef. Instead of chicken broth, use beef broth. It is SO good!

    I also always use low sodium broths to help reduce the sodium. HTH!! :drinker:
  • joeylu
    joeylu Posts: 208 Member
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    lean pork loin + bbq sauce on low for 6-8 hrs. Shred and boom pulled lean pork
  • ooBombshellBeautyoo
    ooBombshellBeautyoo Posts: 237 Member
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    A. I love this website for healthy recipes B. This is one of my favorites- http://www.skinnytaste.com/2009/02/crock-pot-santa-fe-chicken-425-pts.html, I serve on brown rice, with lettuce, little cheese and dap of sour cream on top! Sooo good!
  • basowner
    basowner Posts: 32 Member
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    Mamafunky, would this work ok with frozen chicken? I can never seem to remember to take out and thaw, looking for the super easy and with frozen recipes.
  • Junepal
    Junepal Posts: 148 Member
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    Just posted this one
    Crockpot Quinoa Chili

    1 cup dry quinoa, rinsed
    1 15-ounce can (preferably no salt added) black beans, drained and rinsed
    1 15-ounce can (preferably no salt added) red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
    1 14-ounce can (preferably no salt added) diced tomatoes
    1 4-ounce can diced mild green chiles or 1 small can rotel
    1 cup frozen corn
    2-3 cups vegetable or chicken (low sodium) broth (use the higher amount if your crockpot runs hot or you'll be cooking it longer than about 6 hours)
    1 medium onion, diced
    1-3 garlic cloves minced
    1 bell pepper (I used red), diced
    1 teaspoon cumin
    2 teaspoons chili powder or tex mex spice
    1 tsp paprika
    1 tsp celery salt
    1 tsp+ hot pepper flakes (optional)


    Combine all ingredients (except the toppings, obviously) in a crockpot. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8 hours. Stir to combine, salt and pepper to taste, and serve with your choice of toppings.

    Ingredients Calories Carbs Fat Protein Fiber

    Per Serving: 274 49 3 13 11

    I entered the recipe to serve 8 generous portions.

    Optional For Garnish: Shredded Cheddar Cheese, Sour Cream, Chopped Cilantro, Avocado Cubes, Guacamole, Tortilla Chips
  • MissLakeTime
    MissLakeTime Posts: 59 Member
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    CHICKEN
    Put frozen chicken breast(s) in crock pot on low. If your day is long maybe put in a little bit of water.

    Depending on your mood: sprinkle part of a packet of ranch dip seasoning, or taco seasoning etc....

    These chicken breasts are easily shredded so after you could add buffalo sauce, bbq sauce, etc.

    Ideas:
    Fajitas
    Nachos
    BBQ Chicken
    Quesadillas
    Buffalo chicken
    Chicken salad (options: light mayo, dill relish, hard boiled egg, celery, etc.)

    Put on Salad, put in a wrap, etc.

    PORK

    Put pork loin in crockpot on low add sprinkle of ranch dressing packet, some water, etc.) Shred and top with BBQ sauce.
    I love to put shredded pork, bbq sauce on tostitos baked chips and sprinkle with cheese. It tastes awesome!
  • MamaFunky
    MamaFunky Posts: 735 Member
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    Mamafunky, would this work ok with frozen chicken? I can never seem to remember to take out and thaw, looking for the super easy and with frozen recipes.

    Hey there! Yes, I have used frozen chicken breasts before and it worked just fine. If I am home I may turn the crockpot on high for the first few hours, then switch to low for the remaining time. But on low the entire time should be good too, especially for boneless chicken breasts. :smile:
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    I use frozen chicken breasts all the time. Chicken is tricky in the slow cooker because it can really dry out if left in too long, and part of the beauty of a slow cooker is being able to have it go all day while I'm at work, but that is usually longer than the 4-5 hours or so that is ideal for chicken breasts. If you put things in frozen you can usually add at least an hour or two to the cooking time.

    I second the recommendation for SkinnyTaste for crockpot recipes but you can also find a lot at crockingirls.com and they have a section of recipes which are lower cal.

    A couple of the recipes we like best in the crockpot (not especially low cal) include:

    Taco Chicken/Santa Fe Chicken/Salsa Verde chicken
    4-6 chicken breasts
    a jar of salsa, salsa verde or can of rotel (whatever I have on hand usually)
    Assorted seasonings: chili powder, cumin, garlic, (or a packet of taco seasoning)

    That's all you really need, cook on low for 5-6 hours, shred and then use in tacos, enchiladas, over rice, etc. A lot of times I will make a double batch of this and freeze, also I have been known to shred the chicken and use it for tacos one evening, then I add a box of chicken broth, a can of corn, a can of black beans, some diced onion, to the slow cooker and put it back in the fridge. The next day I heat all that up and it is a version of tortilla soup. We add cheese, tortilla strips, avocado and sour cream when we serve it.



    Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches
    4 chicken breasts
    1/2 a bottle of Franks Hot Sauce
    1/2 a stick of butter cut into pats
    1 packet of Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning (the dry packet)

    Cook on low for 4ish hours, shred, and serve on sub rolls with provolone cheese if desired. Leftovers freeze well. It is spicy!


    Italian Beef Sandwiches
    Whatever size/style of beef roast you normally buy (I like chuck roast, about 2-3 lbs)
    1 jar of whole pepperoncini peppers
    1 beer
    1 packet Good Season Italian Dressing (dry packet)

    Put the roast in the slow cooker, pour the pepperoncini in with the juices, add the beer, sprinkle the Italian dressing over the top. Cook on low for 8-10 hours, shred the beef, return to the juices, serve with sub rolls and cheese, can add giardinera if you like.
  • mlt2908
    mlt2908 Posts: 123 Member
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    I love using the crock-pot also. Here's a fairly healthy, quick and easy recipe for a chicken tortilla soup that can cook for hours. I often don't even really measure all of the ingredients as it is very forgiving and you can doctor it up how you'd like.

    Approximately 36-48 oz. of chicken broth (usually at least one large can and maybe an additional smaller can - I try to get lo1/wer sodium brand if possible)
    1 can lower sodium black beans (drained and rinsed)
    2-3 frozen chicken breasts
    1 can petite diced tomatoes (approx 15 oz)
    1 packet of taco seasoning (or approximately 1/4 cup)
    1/2 cup to 1 cup taco sauce (or salsa, depending on your tastes...I usually use about 1/2 cup of the taco sauce)
    1 - 8 oz can tomato sauce
    1 tsp ground cumin

    I dump everything into the crockpot the night before, stick the crock in the fridge, and then plug it in on low as I leave for work. It cooks probably 10 hours before I get home so the frozen breasts help keep it from getting way overcooked.
    I then remove the breasts and shred the meat and return it to the crock pot. I add approximately 1/2 cup to 1 cup cooked brown rice and let it heat a few minutes more (you can also add some brown Minute rice, uncooked, turn it on high, and let that cook for about 15 minutes). I serve it with reduced fat cheese, fat free sour cream, and tortilla strips. Of course, if you don't have to let it sit for 10 hours like I do, you can use thawed chicken and reduce the cooking time. This makes a lot and you can adjust all of the ingredients as you wish.
  • Citrislazer
    Citrislazer Posts: 312 Member
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    I looooooove using my crockpot! Did you get the slow cooker liners? They make clean up super fast and easy. These two are my favorite because they're super easy and have leftovers::

    Pot Roast with 2 variations::
    Frozen beef roast 2lb-4lbs
    2-3 cups beef broth
    1 bottle of Guinness or similar beer (12oz)
    1 packet of Lipton's onion soup mix
    Cook on low for 7-9 hours

    French dip version: shred the beef, put shredded beef on bun with cheese, scoop out some broth into individual bowls, dip sandwich in broth. Yum!

    Stew version: Add whatever chopped veggies you have laying around to toss in with the frozen roast. My favs are carrots and celery. Skip adding egg noodles for a healthier version. When finished cooking, fork off bits of roast and return to them to the stew mix. Serve in individual bowls.

    Super Juicy Chicken:
    1 whole frozen chicken (icky inside stuff removed)
    Montreal chicken seasoning or whatever spices you like
    cook on low 7-9 hours

    Rub or sprinkle seasoning on frozen chicken. When finished cooking, use two large spatulas (flippers) to cradle chicken for removal. This chicken will fall apart if you don't use the spatulas. No broth or juice is needed for this recipe. The frozen chicken makes plenty water.
  • capnlizard
    capnlizard Posts: 73 Member
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    1 lb frozen chicken breasts
    2 cans reduced sodium black beans, not rinsed or drained
    1 jar salsa of choice

    Put the chicken in the slow cooker and cover it with the beans and salsa. Stir to combine beans and salsa, then cook on low for 8 hours. Shred the chicken and return to cooker to combine. Use to fill burritos, top a salad, make nachos, whatever. My husband and I usually shred some lettuce and add pico de gallo and half an avocado, then this chicken mix, in a large plastic container with a cover, then shake it to mix. The warm chicken kind of melts the avocado and mixes all together like a creamy salad dressing. It's awesome!
  • MrsG31
    MrsG31 Posts: 364 Member
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    ooh, some of these look good! Bumping for later!
  • gobonas99
    gobonas99 Posts: 1,049 Member
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    in for later :tongue:
  • LJDaye
    LJDaye Posts: 69
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    Bumping for the recipes :smile:
  • beckyhoo
    beckyhoo Posts: 34 Member
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    Slow Cooker Fruited Chicken and Barley

    Ingredients:
    1 1/4 cups pearl barley, uncooked
    6 cups water
    2 pounds skinned chicken thighs
    1 large onion, coarsely chopped
    8 ounces of dried mixed fruit (or any dried fruit of your choice)
    1 tablespoon Caribbean Spice Rub
    1/2 teaspoon salt
    1/4 teaspoon pepper

    Directions:
    Combine all ingredients into the slow cooker; stir well. Cook on high for 4 hours or on high for an hour then turned down and cooked on low for an additional 7 hours.



    I made this last week and loved it. I used chicken breasts instead of thighs and just cooked on low all day. Delicious and plenty for leftovers!
  • Amanda_Gx6
    Amanda_Gx6 Posts: 320 Member
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    bump
  • sdionnemoore
    sdionnemoore Posts: 45 Member
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    I just recently tried this and it worked quite well.

    Aluminum foil
    Whole chicken
    Seasonings

    Ball up 4 large squares of aluminum foil and set in the bottom of your slow cooker. Rinse, pat dry and season chicken. Place on top of foil. Let cook on high 4 hours or low for about 6. (Chicken was thawed, not frozen)
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    Here is another chicken recipe from a site that has a lot of low cal options: skinnyms.com

    http://skinnyms.com/slow-cooker-balsamic-chicken/

    That site also includes calorie counts, other nutritional info and WW point info.
  • MamaFunky
    MamaFunky Posts: 735 Member
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    I just recently tried this and it worked quite well.

    Aluminum foil
    Whole chicken
    Seasonings

    Ball up 4 large squares of aluminum foil and set in the bottom of your slow cooker. Rinse, pat dry and season chicken. Place on top of foil. Let cook on high 4 hours or low for about 6. (Chicken was thawed, not frozen)

    Thank you for posting this! I am going to cook this soon! We love getting a rostisserie chicken at Sam's, so this would be great to do our own version at home! Thanks again! :drinker:
  • alfiedn
    alfiedn Posts: 425 Member
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    If you google vegetarian slow cooker recipes, that usually works for me. I found a delicious corn chowder. When you omit meat, it instantly reduces the calories in most cases. Just make sure the recipe has beans, lentils, etc. for protein.

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