Healthy Slow Cooker Meals, Soups, and Stews

Healthy Slow Cooker Meals,
Soups, and Stews
Presented by:
Lindsay Badertscher RD, LD
OSU Health Plan
Personal Health Coach
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Objectives
•  Benefits of using your slow cooker
•  Tips for using your crock pot
•  What a healthy crock pot meal
entails
•  Spices to use
•  Recipes for breakfast, lunch, and
dinner
•  Resources
Benefits for using your crock pot:
•  They do all the work for you
•  Ideal for making ahead and
re-heating
•  Leftovers can be enjoyed for several
days
•  Time saver
Tips for using your crock pot:
•  140 Degrees- temperature food
needs to reach asap
•  Low ~ 200 degrees, High ~ 300 degrees
•  1 hr on high = 2 hrs on low
•  Do not put frozen foods in crock pot
•  Remove food before refrigerating
•  Use spoons that are wood or plastic
•  Use non-stick spray or slow cooker liner bags
•  Handle stuck food properly; remove mineral
stains with vinegar and water marks with veggie oil
Tips continued…
•  Only fill 2/3 full for proper cooking
•  Food at the bottom will cook faster
•  Trim fat/skin from meats- fats melts
quickly and can add an unpleasant taste/
texture
•  Use cheaper cuts of meat
•  Thicken liquid by removing lid the last
half-hour of cooking time
Tips continued…
•  For best results and flavor cook ground
meats in skillet before adding to crock pot
•  Seafood should be added during the last hr
•  Add veggies during the last hr of cooking
•  Dairy products should be adding during
the last 30 minutes
•  If using a non-crock pot recipe reduce
liquid by 1/3- ½ less (soup, rice, etc.)
•  Stir in spices the last hr of cooking
The Plate Method
FRUIT
FAT
Spicing things up!
Ideas for Breakfast
Overnight Oatmeal:
•  Combine 8 cups water, 2 cups
steel-cut oats, dried cranberries,
apricots, etc. and ¼ teas. salt in a
5- or 6-quart slow cooker. Turn heat
to low. Put the lid on and cook until
the oats are tender and creamy, 7 to
8 hours.
Crockpot Morning Casserole
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1 32 oz. bag frozen hash brown potatoes- thawed
1 lb. cooked Canadian bacon, ham, chicken, etc.
1 medium diced onion
1 green/red/yellow/orange bell pepper diced
1.5 C. low-fat shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
1 dozen eggs(can also use egg beaters or cut back on the yolks)
1 C. skim milk
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
Place a layer of frozen potatoes on the bottom of the slow cooker,
followed by a layer of protein then onions, peppers and cheese.
Repeat the layering process two or three more times, ending with a
layer of cheese. Beat the eggs, milk and salt and pepper together.
Pour over the crock pot mixture, cover and
cook for 10-12 hours.
Ideas for Lunch/Dinner
BBQ n Slaw Sandwiches
•  1 (3lb) boneless pork loin roast, trimmed, cut in half
•  1 cup water
•  1 (18-ounce) bottle barbecue sauce
•  2 tablespoons brown sugar
•  1.5 tablespoons hot sauce
•  1/2 teaspoon salt
•  1/2 teaspoon black pepper
•  2.5 cups packaged cabbage-and-carrot coleslaw
•  1/3 cup light coleslaw dressing – or make your own!
•  15 (2-ounce)whole wheat hamburger buns
Place roast,water , salt and pepper in a 4-quart electric slow cooker.
Cover with lid; cook on high-heat setting 7 hours or until meat
is tender. Drain; discard cooking liquid. Return pork to slow
cooker; shred with 2 forks. Stir in barbecue sauce and next
4 ingredients (through pepper). Reduce to low-heat setting;
cover and cook 1 hour. Combine coleslaw
and dressing; toss well.
Chicken and Sweet Potato Stew
•  6 bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed, trimmed of fat
•  2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into spears
•  1/2 pound white button mushrooms, thinly sliced
•  6 large shallots, peeled and halved
•  4 cloves garlic, peeled
•  1 cup dry white wine
•  2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary, or 1/2 teas.
dried rosemary, crushed
•  1 teaspoon salt
•  1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
•  1.5 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
Place chicken, sweet potatoes, mushrooms, shallots, garlic,
wine, rosemary, salt and pepper in a 6-quart slow cooker;
stir to combine. Cook until tender, around
5 hrs and stir in vinegar before serving.
Italian Lentil and Barley Soup
•  1 cup lentils
•  1/3 cup pearl barley
•  1 cup carrot(chopped), 1 cup celery(chopped), 1 cup onion
(chopped), 2 garlic cloves (minced)
•  1/2 teas. dried basil, 1/2 teas. dried oregano 1/4 teas. dried
thyme, 1 bay leaf
•  3.5 cups broth
•  2.5 cups water
•  14 1/4 ounces Italian-style tomatoes or crushed tomatoes
•  1/4 cup fresh parsley , finely chopped (optional)
•  2 tablespoons cider vinegar (optional)
Add lentils to crock pot, along with barley, carrots, celery, onion,
garlic, dried herbs and bay leaf. Pour in broth, water, and tomatoes.
Cook on low heat for 12 to 14 hours, or on high heat for 5 to 6
hours. Discard bay leaf and just before serving stir in
parsley and vinegar. Pair with a big salad.
Crock Pot Veggie Lasagna
•  2 Cups Zucchini, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Mushrooms and/or Spinach
•  1 15 oz Container Ricotta Cheese
•  1/2 Cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
•  1 Tbsp Dried Italian Herbs
•  1/2 Tsp Garlic Powder
•  1 Tsp Kosher Salt
•  1 Large Egg
•  1 25 oz Jar Pasta Sauce
•  1 Box Lasagna Noodles (uncooked)
•  2 Cups Mozzarella Cheese, grated
Place the vegetables in a food processor and pulse to roughly chop.
Place the ricotta, parmesan cheese, herbs, garlic powder, salt and egg
in a bowl and stir. Pour half of the pasta sauce in the bottom of a
crock pot. Place a layer of noodles on top of the sauce, covering the
entire surface, breaking the noodles to fit the pot. Layer half of the
ricotta mixture on top of the noodles, followed by 1 cup chopped
vegetables and one cup of mozzarella cheese. Repeat and pour the
remaining pasta sauce on top of the lasagna
and top with the remaining cup of the grated
cheese. Cook on low for 4 hours.
Websites and Books:
•  http://www.3men.com/what_spices_to_use.htm
•  http://www.spiceadvice.com/usage/chart.html
•  http://slowandsimple.com/
•  http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes_menus/
collections/healthy_slow_cooker_recipe
•  http://busycooks.about.com/od/healthycrockpot
recipes/a/healthycrockpot.htm
•  Fix-It and Forget-IT Lightly. Healthy low-fat recipes
for your slow cooker. Phyllis Pellman Good. Good
Books, 2004.
Questions?
•  lindsay.badertscher@osumc.edu
•  Direct #: 614-688-5519