4 Healthy Slow Cooker Recipes for the Mom on the Go

Whether or not you are a stay-at-home mom or you work outside the home, chances are your daily routine is just about packed to the limit.  From the moment you wake up to when you lay down at night your day is most likely a whirlwind of errands, responsibilities and sometimes chaos.

Because of this, getting dinner on the table probably seems like one more stress in the day that you just can’t deal with.  Until now.  It’s time to make the slow cooker your new best friend!  Just take a few moments in the morning to prepare your incredibly easy, healthy and delicious recipe – or even get it ready in the evening – and you’ll have an amazingly healthy home cooked meal ready and waiting for you and your family to enjoy.  

Whip up one (or all!) of these 4 healthy slow cooker recipes for yourself and your family this week!

Clean Eating Slow Cooker Pineapple Chicken

(Makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

2 large chicken breasts, boneless and skinless

1 (12 ounce) jar of your favorite clean salsa

4 small raw zucchini, halved, quartered, then sliced (shredding works too)

1/4 medium, fresh pineapple

Directions:

1. Turn on slow cooker to the low setting and put in the chicken and salsa. Cook for about 4-6 hours. Slow cookers vary, so base the time on that. The chicken should fall apart easily when finished.
2. Shred the chicken using two forks and mix in your raw zucchini and fresh pineapple.

Recipe courtesy of www.thegraciouspantry.com

Slow Cooker Tex-Mex Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

1 ½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 ½ tbsp. taco seasoning

1 jalapeño, seeded and sliced

1 16 oz jar of salsa

1 yellow onion, diced

Salt, as needed

Iceberg lettuce leaves for wrapping

Directions:

1. Sprinkle seasoning all over chicken breasts, then place breasts at the bottom of the slow cooker.
2. Scatter onion and jalapeño over chicken breasts.  Pour salsa over top and place lid on slow cooker and cook on LOW for 4-5 hours.
3. After 4-5 hours, remove chicken breasts from slow cooker and chop up.  Place chopped chicken back in slow cooker and stir to combine.  Season with salt to taste.
4. To serve lettuce wraps, spread one lettuce leaf out and scoop about 1/4th cup chicken mixture on top.  Roll up lettuce leaf and enjoy!  

Recipe courtesy of: www.eatliverun.com

Slow Cooker Turkey Meatballs in Tomato Spinach Sauce

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

2 lbs ground turkey

1 large onion, finely diced

1 lb chopped spinach (frozen works)

28 oz can crushed tomatoes

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon oregano

A pinch of red pepper flakes

½ cup water

Directions:

1. Heat oil or spray oil in a large frying pan. Form the turkey into balls (it will be hard to work with, so don’t worry if they aren’t perfect balls). Fry in hot frying pan on all sides until they are browned. The middles will still be raw, but they will cook in the sauce, so that’s fine. Don’t overcrowd the pan, rather work in batches.
2. Remove the meatballs from the pan and place in the pot of your crockpot.
   Add a bit more oil to the pan, and add the diced onions. Next, add the chopped spinach and sauté for a few minutes. Pour the vegetable mixture over the meatballs in the crock pot.
3. Pour the crushed tomatoes over into the crockpot. Add the spices and water. Stir the entire mixture gently, being careful not to break up the meatballs.
4. Cook the meatballs in the crock pot on low for at least six hours. Serve hot over rice or spaghetti.

Recipe courtesy of: www.overtimecook.com

Easy Slow Cooker Pork Carnitas

Serves 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

2½ lbs. boneless pork chops, pork roast or tenderloin

1 onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 Tbs. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

½ cup taco sauce

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in slow cooker.
2. Cook on high for 5-6 hours or low for 7-8 hours.
3. Shred meat with a fork.
4. Serve in tortillas with cheese, lettuce and other toppings that you like.
5. These are wonderful served with lettuce, chopped onion, cilantro and shredded Jack cheese.

We hope you love these 4 healthy—and easy—slow cooker recipes to save time while maintaining a healthy, home-cooked diet for you and your family!

As summer vacation comes to a close, we’ve created a healthy lunch back-to-school checklist for you to make sure your child is getting the nutrition they need this year.  

PHYSICAL THERAPY IS GREAT FOR YOUR HEALTH AND CAN HELP PREVENT FURTHER INJURY AND IMPROVE OVERALL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING. READ THIS BLOG POST TO FIND OUT HOW PHYSICAL THERAPY CAN HELP PREVENT DIABETES AND HEART DISEASE.