This is the year I decided to try a low-glycemic diet. It’s working so far, but I’m starting to miss my crock pot meals, and so is my family. I’m sure they’re getting tired of eating my “diet” food and would like us all to sit down together and have a nice, hot meal. My crock pot has always been one of my favorite ways of cooking, but now what?
My family is very supportive of my diet, but they are starting to feel just a bit neglected. Well, I can understand that because I’m feeling a bit deprived as well. I miss my crock pot and the wonderful aromas that fill the house after a day of gently simmering savory ingredients together. Will I go off my diet in order to enjoy my crock pot once again? No need to, now that I’ve worked up a few recipes to create meals fit for my diet AND fit for my family!
Asian Inspired Beef and Snow Peas
Cut a 2 1/2 lb. boneless Round Steak into 4 equal pieces. Place the steak in your crock pot. Whisk together in a separate bowl, 1 cup of soy sauce, 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger, 2 cloves of garlic, grated or minced, and 2 tablespoons canola oil. Pour your mixture over the meat and put on the crock pot cover. Cook on low for about 6 hours or until the meat is nice and tender. Serve with a generous amount of cooked snow peas tossed with sauted mushrooms for a delicious Asian inspired meal.
Simple Split Pea Soup
Pour a 1 lb. bag of split peas into your crock pot and add 2 lbs. of boiled ham, diced up, 3 cloves garlic, minced or grated, 1 medium onion, diced, 3 ribs celery, finely diced, 1/8 teaspoon black pepper, 7 cups fresh cold water, and 5 chicken bouillion cubes. Put your crock pot on low and cook for 6 to 7 hours. Lift the lid briefly to give a quick stir 2 or 3 times during the cooking so that the peas don’t just stay on the bottom of the crock pot.
Triple Bean and Beef Chili
You’ll need 2 lbs. of lean ground beef, browned and drained of any excess fat. As the meat browns, dice 2 medium onions, 1 green pepper, 2 ribs of celery, and mince or grate 3 cloves of garlic and add it all to the crock pot. Add 2 (16 ounce size) cans of diced tomatoes to crock pot. Then, drain and add 2 cans of garbanzo beans, 1 can of butter beans, and 1 can of black beans. Next, add a 15 ounce can of chicken broth, 3 teaspoons chili powder (you can always add more if you’d like), 1/2 teaspoon of ground cumin, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Add the browned ground beef and stir into mixture gently. Cover and let cook on LOW for about 6 hours. Top each serving with a drop of low fat yogurt mixed with fresh chives. Garnish with other diet-friendly foods if you’d like.
If you have tried, and failed, diets in the past, you know that the main reason for failure is bland food and lack of family participation. When you’ve got a bubbling hot and hearty meal in the crock pot, you and your family can hardly feel deprived! Flavorful and filling dishes are the secret to staying on a diet. Try these recipes on your family without telling them that you’re on a diet and see what happens. They’ll be asking for repeats and be none-the-wiser and you’ll be sticking to your diet! Good dieting to you!
If you are trying to follow a low-glycemic diet, you may have given up on using your crock pot. But, my crock pot has become a loyal companion in my kitchen, so what else could I do but figure out a few family-friendly meals that I, and my diet, can live with. With just a couple crock pot recipes at my disposal, we can enjoy home-cooked meals together more often. My family doesn’t even consider a crock pot meal as diet food, so everybody is happy! If dieting while trying to feed your family at the same time isn’t working for you, give these simple recipes a try. It may just get you on track, too! Good luck to you!
Get out your old slowcooker recipes, search for a few new recipes, and brush up on your slowcooker cooking methods! It’s time to get started and get serious saving money with your slowcooker!