Sixteen healthy crock pot meals – Recipe Roundup

Each week, fabulous recipes grace Debbie’s in-box and pop up on her computer screen, and she’s sharing her favorites with you.

This isn’t the first time I’ve written about healthy crock pot recipes (five to be exact) and I’m sure it won’t be the last. More and more, I’m finding — thankfully! — crock pot recipes made with whole foods, not cream-of-yuck-with-a-side-of-sodium condensed soups as one of the main ingredients.

A cause for celebration? You bet, because the slow cooker is the life preserver of any busy mom or work-a-holic or just about anyone who wants a healthy, homecooked meal waiting for them when dinnertime rolls around. Let’s just say it: the crock pot saves lives.

Eggplant and chick peas is one of those Perfect Pairs … and someday I’ll write a post about it. Really. But for now, just enjoy this vegetarian ratatouille with chick peas. There’s almost nothing I like better in my crock pot than a chick pea stew. They soak in the flavors and they’re so hearty.

Speaking of eggplant, if you missed my recipe test drive of eggplant moussaka in the crock pot the first time around, give it a look. We adored this recipe and it was so, so easy.

Savory bean and spinach soup sounds so hearty and nutritious. And when it comes out of your crock pot and it’s ready to serve, you sprinkle cheese on it. It’s all good when covered in cheese.

Now this recipe is unlike any I’ve done before, but how could butternut squash and tomatoes, joined by leeks, white beans, bacon and cheese not be scrumptious?

Crock pot chicken and apples, with its orange and marjoram flavors sounds delicious, but I’ve never liked boneless, skinless chicken breasts done in the crock pot. They end up with a uniquely disgusting texture unlike anything edible. I may exaggerate a little, but I would recommend using boneless, skinless thighs at the very least, and probably a bone-in chicken part would be even better, like drumsticks.

Ah, so here’s a recipe that does it right. This crock pot chicken cacciatore calls for bone-in chicken thighs which will be truly succulent when slow-cooked, red wine and lots of Italian seasoning.

Here’s another rich chicken stew that uses chicken thighs. There’s just a bit of whipping cream in this recipe, but I’d replace it with plain yogurt or sour cream because they are cultured products and easier to digest. The sourness would also add to this dish, which is already flavorful with lots of lemon and fresh parsley.

Some meats that do well in a crock pot are slow-cooked beef and pork, and this coffee-braised pot roast with caramelized onions sounds heavenly.

I’ve been planning on making pulled pork in the crock pot for Owen’s birthday party for a while now, but this recipe for BBQ beef may just win out. Do you suppose I could do both?

I love that this beef stew recipe includes green beans and pasta, and you can cook it all right in the crock pot. You don’t even have to dirty an extra dish to cook the pasta, and you all know how much I love to save a dish!

It took me a long time to find a good crock pot chili, so I developed the recipe myself! This one’s got three kinds of beans, ground meat (I like buffalo) and green pepper, an ingredient that adds so much to chili, I find.

What do you mean, that’s only eleven recipes? Don’t forget to click on the link to my earlier article, five healthy slow cooker meals — that makes sixteen!

Clacked by Debbie McDuffee
on Nov 09, 2009 @ 10:00 EST5EDT