Published · Last updated · By Martha McKinnon · 31 Comments
I'm now midway through My Year of Weight Watchers Crock Pot Cooking. I've made and posted 183 Weight Watchers Crock Pot Recipesover the last six months. And I've learned tons about slow cooking.
I'm even more in love with my slow cooker(s) than I was before beginning this project.
Why Is The Slow Cooker an Essential Kitchen Tool for Weight Loss?
I think the slow cooker is a busy person's most invaluable kitchen tool. Especially if you're trying to eat better and lose weight.
Makes meal planning easier. Many Weight Watchers crock pot recipes are complete one pot meals.
Requires planning, which is critical to weight loss success. If we want to eat right and lose weight we need a plan. If we leave it to chance, we'll end up opting for high calorie convenience foods: take out, the drive-thru, fast food, the vending machine, etc.
Lends itself to big batch cooking and leftovers.Which can be re-purposed or portioned out for future meals.
Are You Ready To Slow Cook Yourself Slim?
Saves time in the kitchen. You can put your ingredients in the crock pot in the morning or afternoon, and dinner will be ready when you want it.I love the convenience of investing a little time and then moving forward with my day—while dinner cooks—practically unattended.No pots boiling over, burned skillets and last minute rushing around to get dinner figured out.
Provides variety. You can make a lot more than pot roast, soup and chili in your slow cooker, as I've learned during the last six months. Appetizers, beverages, breakfasts, main dishes, side dishes and desserts are all possible with a slow cooker.
Makes cooking possible even for those with little kitchen know-how. Slow cooking is practical, realistic and very forgiving, perfect for novice cooks.Recipes tend to be straightforward with minimal ingredients and very few steps. Meals made in the slow cooker may not be the prettiest ever. But, they can be some of the tastiest.
Perfect all year round. While most of us think of the slow cooker during the fall and winter, it's the perfect summer kitchen device. I've received lots of comments from folks in hot climates who depend on their slow cooker all summer to avoid heating up the kitchen.
Reassessing my Year of Weight Watchers Crock Pot Recipes
At the halfway point of this project, after 183 Weight Watchers crock pot recipes, I've decided it's time to adjust my plan for the next six months.
183 Days of Weight Watchers Crock Pot Cooking
While I believe—now more than ever—that the slow cooker is an essential kitchen tool for busy Weight Watchers, it's NOT practical for me to keep up the pace of using it everyday.
We are a family of two, so most of the Weight Watchers Crock Pot recipes I make provide enough food for two or three meals. We love leftovers and I'm pretty good at re-purposing them, so I really only need to use my crock pot 2 or 3 times a week to avoid waste.
I could continue to honor my original commitment by filling in the other days with easy, healthy Weight Watchers crock pot recipes for appetizers and snacks. But it doesn't reflect how we really eat.
Appetizersand snacksare my trigger foods: the foods I need to limit having around the house to prevent myself from mindlessly munching and overindulging. So, I make them only occasionally, usually when there are friends and family around with whom to share.
When I'm hungry between meals, my go-to snacks are apples, baby carrots and nuts. Not Chex Party Mixor Slow Cooker Spicy Nut Party Mixwhich I LOVE, but CAN'T STOP EATING!
And breakfast recipes aren't a practical alternative because during the summer, I begin most of my mornings with a Weight Watchers Friendly Smoothie,not slow cooker oatmeal.
On top of all that, I have a very short attention span! I have a growing list of non slow cooker recipes I'm itching to make and post.
So, for the remaining six months, I'm planning to post two or three Weight Watchers Crock Pot Recipes each week. Alternative days will be filled with non slow cooker Weight Watchers recipes and whatever else suits my fancy 🙂
I could beat myself up for giving up my goal to use my slow cooker every day for an entire year to make easy, healthy crock pot recipes.Or, I could choose to blindly see my goal through to the finish, even though it's not realistic or fun.Neither alternative seems right.
So, I'm choosing to celebrate the 183 DAYS OF WEIGHT WATCHERS CROCK POT RECIPES I did complete and give myself permission to readjust in a way that makes sense for me. It's really what living a simple happy healthy life is all about.
Learn more about Weight Watchers Freestyle Program in this brief video:
*Points® calculated by WW. *PointsPlus® and SmartPoints® calculated by Simple Nourished Living; Not endorsed by Weight Watchers International, Inc. All recipe ingredients except optional items included in determining nutritional estimates. SmartPoints® values calculated WITHOUT each plan's ZeroPoint Foods (Green plan, Blue plan, Purple plan) using the WW Recipe Builder.
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Speaking of nutrients, meals prepared in your slow cooker are likely a healthier alternative to many convenience foods and take-out meals. These homemade slow cooked meals are great ways to combine veggies, whole grains, low-fat dairy and lean proteins.
Oven-Baked Magic: Another option for slow cooking without a slow cooker is to utilise your oven. Choose an oven-safe dish with a lid or tightly cover a regular baking dish with foil. This method is excellent for roasts, casseroles, and baked dishes.
That being said, however, it's not a good idea to leave food in a slow cooker for days at a time. The food will not only stain the cooker's interior, but it will also be soggy and overcooked and be left open to bacteria.
A slow cooker does not need any liquid added at the beginning of the cooking process, because it will generate steam, which will become liquid in the bowl. For recipes that use liquid, and have not been written specifically for a slow cooker it make sense to reduce the amount of liquid by half.
Yes, you can put raw chicken in a slow cooker! Slow cookers and Crock-Pots are designed to cook raw meats. The direct heat from the pot, lengthy cooking time and steam created from the tightly covered container destroys bacteria, making slow cooking safe. You can put frozen chicken in a slow cooker, too!
They are essentially two terms for the same thing. Crock Pot is just a trademarked name for a certain brand of slow cooker that uses a crockery insert as a cooking vessel. Agree with most of the answers. “Crock Pot” is a brand name, and the brand name of the first popular slow cooker.
The pot of the slow cooker usually sits on a base that houses the heating element on the bottom, while Crockpots have their pots inside of a container (or crock) and get heating from all sides. Therefore, slow cookers heat up slower than crockpots, with the heat level higher on the bottom of the pot.
An Instant Pot does have more functionality (like sautéing, pressure cooking, slow cooking, and acts as a rice cooker, steamer, and warmer!) than a slow cooker, but if you don't plan to use all of its extra functions and just prefer the simplicity of a slow-cooker, then you might prefer a Crock-Pot.
The difference between "High" and "Low" on slow cookers seems to differ with every brand and model. One thing that is consistent, though, is that food takes seven to eight hours to reach a simmer point (around 210°) on low; versus three to four hours on high.
Yes, you can use your slow cooker for longer than eight hours, as long as you keep an eye on it. Many slow cookers do have an automatic shutoff after 24 hours.
The general rule of thumb is that 2-4 hours is the maximum length of time you can leave food in a slow cooker on warm. After this, it needs to be cooled and transferred into the refrigerator.
Choose the right cut: Chuck roasts, short ribs, pork shoulders and lamb shanks (think fatty and tougher meats) become meltingly tender with the moist, low heat of a slow cooker. Leaner cuts like pork tenderloin tend to dry out. Likewise, dark meat chicken — thighs, drumsticks, etc.
Information. It is best to thaw meat or poultry before putting it into a slow cooker. Frozen pieces will take longer to reach a safe internal temperature and could possibly result in foodborne illness. Frozen or partially frozen foods can also cool everything else in the slow cooker.
Is cooking in a pressure cooker healthy? Yes, cooking in a pressure cooker is healthy. Unlike a slow cooker, which cooks foods for a long time at a lower temperature, pressure cookers do use high heat when cooking - but not for a long time. This means that most of the nutrients won't be lost.
They usually allow for one-step preparation; putting all the ingredients in the slow cooker saves time and reduces cleanup. A variety of foods can be cooked in a slow cooker, including soups, stews, side dishes, main dishes, meats, poultry, and desserts.
While there are some disadvantages to using a slow cooker, such as the risk of overcooking food or forgetting to turn it off, these generally pale in comparison to the benefits. For busy families or those who enjoy coming home to a hot meal, a slow cooker can be a great addition to any kitchen.
Slow cookers are much better for cooking root vegetables and tough cuts of meat because the long, low-temperature cooking process is great for adding moisture and breaking down fat. Pressure cookers can get hot enough for meats and vegetables to brown in them when cooking, but slow cookers can't.
Introduction: My name is Rev. Leonie Wyman, I am a colorful, tasty, splendid, fair, witty, gorgeous, splendid person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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