Home =>
Cooking and Recipes => Crock Pot Recipes => Slow-Cook Once for Multiple Healthy Meals
Related Articles:
3 Barbecue Chicken Recipes for Crockpots | Crock Pot Spanish Rice
Slow-Cook Once for Multiple Healthy Meals
by Monica Resinger
Description: Tips for cooking up a batch of chicken in the crock pot and using it to prepare three healthy meals.
Sponsored links:
I have found a wonderful way to save even more time with the
slowcooker, and that is to cook a few day's worth of meat at
once, then use the cooked meat for a few night's worth of
upcoming meals. You will need a large slowcooker for this; if you
don't have a large slowcooker, don't go out and buy one brand new
since they are abundant at thrift stores.
Because I am working at healthier meals for my family, this
article will be referring to boneless skinless chicken breast,
but the idea can be applied with any meat.
The first day, after spraying the slow cooker with non-stick
cooking spray (great tip for easy clean-up), I added a few cut-up
carrots to the bottom of the crock and seasoned them with
seasoning salt. You could add any vegetables of your choice that
would go with any of your upcoming meals. Then I added layers
of boneless skinless chicken breast to the top (probably around
3-4 lbs. worth), seasoning each layer with fresh chopped garlic
and seasoning salt (an added benefit... your house will smell SO
good all day long). Be sure to trim any fat off the breast before
adding to the pot. I added about 1/2 cup of water, placed the lid
on top, turned the slow cooker on low, and cooked about 8 hours.
Very easy work for enough succulent cooked meat for at least 3
days' meals!
MEAL #1: The first night we had chicken sandwiches. After
spraying a pan with non-stick cooking spray, I toasted onion buns
over medium heat, then let the family add their own condiments
like sliced tomato and onion, lettuce, mayonnaise, mustard, etc.,
and a piece of the cooked chicken. They were delicious! I served
oven fries with the sandwiches... simply slice potatoes, put them
on a baking sheet sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, spray the
potatoes with the spray, season and cook at 400F for 40-60
minutes. These are better than the ones drenched in
oil...honestly, and I am one that loves deep-fried french fries
and all the fattening foods!
MEAL #2: Since I have some more onion buns from meal #1, I will
make a delicious barbecue sauce (you can use bottled if you
prefer), then add chunked up chicken to the sauce and serve that
over the toasted onion buns. We'll have the carrots that were
cooked with the chicken and baked potatoes on the side.
MEAL #3: I'll make a delicious marinara sauce, then add cut-up
cooked chicken to it and serve over spaghetti with garlic bread
on the side. A great way to add flavor and nutrients to spaghetti
or marinara sauce is to add finely minced carrots, celery or
other vegetables to the sauce. You can saute them along with
the onions, or add them straight to the sauce.
These are just a few ideas. Chicken is so versatile that there
are endless ideas for using the cooked meat in meals. You could
do salads, soups, casseroles and more. If you are making a soup,
be sure to use the delicious broth that this creates!
I hope this gives you inspiration for dusting off your slow
cooker and putting it to use...they are such a great way to save
time, even if you use them for one night's meal.
If you are interested in slow cooker recipes, check out The
Slowcooker E-Cookbook here:
http://homemakersjournal.com/slowcooker.htm.
If you are interested in chicken recipes, check out the Down Home
Chicken Recipe E-book here:
http://homemakersjournal.com/chickenrecipes.htm.
Get Monica's FREE weekly e-zine for homemakers! To subscribe,
just send a blank e-mail to:
HomemakersJournal-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Download Creative Homemaking's FREE
crock pot recipe booklet.
