My Crock-Pot: When Healthy Meets Fast and Easy

Eating and cooking healthy usually requires time and tenderness (queue Michael Bolton!), but sometimes I just want something easy that won’t haunt my belly days later! That’s why I owe a portion of my sanity to my darling and beloved Crock-Pot…Yes, a device my mother and her mother use to create goulashes is now what I use to create clean meals.
There’s something freeing about waking up in the morning before work and throwing some vegetable stock, meat, veggies and whatever tickles your fancy into the Crock-Pot, leaving for a couple of hours and having dinner ready when you get home. It’s so easy I almost feel guilty…almost.
I happen to follow Rachel Wilkerson’s blog, The House Always Wins, and I went gaga for the chili recipe she featured a couple of weeks ago. I made some slight modifications (no sour cream or cheese) but beyond that I stuck to the recipe. (If you’re not a fan of taco seasoning, you can always do like Karen and make your own taco seasoning, as well!) Even with the modifications though, it’s still an easy and delicious dish to throw together. It packs a decent spicy bite and the chicken always turns out evenly seasoned and flavorful—never dry. Cornbread is my fella’s favorite sidekick for this dish, but if you’re not really down for the gluten, then there’s always coleslaw or rice.

It’s been months, and I swear we make at least one Crock-Pot recipe each week. I’m a fan of any recipe involving curry—and you just can’t go wrong with coconut milk as a base!
What about you? What healthy foods are you cooking up in your slow cooker? —Tish