I need ideas for no-prep, dump-it-in crockpot (or other) meals (healthy-no pork/red meat/cheese) PLEASE!

[HappyGrace]

On top of hs'ing, I just took on two part-time jobs, plus driving teens around to activities, etc. I have ZERO time to make meals during this season of my life, so I'm looking for lowest possible prep time meals (crockpot or otherwise) that are still healthy! (Husband has heart issues)

 

Most quick things I am finding online are really unhealthy (cheese, etc)

 

I really appreciate any help-thanks!

[mom2samlibby]

Do a google search for paleo crockpot/freezer meals. You'll find some ideas that way.

[Tonia]

Here are a few that may work for you - 

 

 

Dump Recipes

$5 Dinners has some healthy options

Saving Dinner freezer plans are really good too

 

 

(first two links are affiliate links - I really like their products)

 

[medawyn]

This is an easy favorite at our house.  It makes a lot, so I usually have leftovers for lunches/another dinner.  We serve our chili over brown rice, barley, baked potatoes or sweet potatoes or whole wheat pasta, which also stretches it.

 

2 tbsp vegetable oil (optional)

1 large yellow onion, chopped (about two cups)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 pound ground meat of choice (optional)

2 carrots, shredded

2 zucchini shredded

1 15-oz can white beans, drained and rinsed

1 15-oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 15-oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 15-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 28-oz can diced tomatoes with juice

4 cups beef stock

2 5.5 oz cans tomato juice (I like to keep V-8 spicy on hand)

2-3 tbsp chili powder

1-2 tbsp cumin powder

2 bay leaves

2 tsp salt

 

1) If you want to brown the onions and garlic, sauté with the vegetable oil.  If not, toss 'em in the crock pot.

 

2) If you are using meat, brown meat and add to the crock pot.

 

3) Add all remaining ingredients to the crock pot.  Stir to combine.

 

4) Cover and cook on low for 8 hours.

 

5) Serve with your favorite chili fixings.

 

(If shredding the carrots/zucchini is too time consuming, you can definitely leave them out, or buy pre-shredded carrots.)

 

 

[medawyn]

And I have no idea if your grocery budget can stand it, but is this a season where you can pick up more prepared meal parts?  A rotisserie chicken?  Pre-cut squash to roast? Bagged salad?

 

Can your kids make a meal one night? Or at least do some of the prep?

 

Is there at least one day you can squeeze in some batch cooking?  Roast lots of vegetables - side dish one night, diced into a frittata another, and blended into soup with grilled cheese for a third?  

[AK_Mom4]

Boneless chicken breasts. Pour cream of chicken soup and water over the top and let bake on low all day.

 

Sticky chicken - thighs and drumsticks work great but you can use breast pieces. Chicken in crock pot. Cover with sauce - small jar of marmalade or apple jelly, small bottle Catalina dressing and packet of dry onion soup. Cook on low.

 

Most chicken chili recipes work great with cubed chicken and are throw in the crock pot and simmer all day.

[Hypatia.]

I make this one and then blend with a stick blender. Add more seasonings at the end and serve with toppings on tortillas for quick bean burritos.

 

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/70312/refried-beans-without-the-refry/

[LucyStoner]

On top of hs'ing, I just took on two part-time jobs, plus driving teens around to activities, etc. I have ZERO time to make meals during this season of my life, so I'm looking for lowest possible prep time meals (crockpot or otherwise) that are still healthy! (Husband has heart issues)

 

Most quick things I am finding online are really unhealthy (cheese, etc)

 

I really appreciate any help-thanks!

You have no time but you have teens.

 

Have the teens prep many of the dinners in the crockpot or otherwise.

 

Here's some they can make ahead and freeze.

 

https://newleafwellness.biz/2015/08/06/31-crockpot-freezer-meals-for-back-to-school/

[wathe]

For us this usually means something from cans in the crockpot served over rice.

 

Two favourites:  1)Red lentils, can coconut milk, can crushed tomatoes, water or broth in crockpot to make a dahl.  If I'm feeling fancy add some onions, bayleaf and spices.  2)jar of salsa, can of posole, can of navy beans, can of corn in crockpot.

 

We have a rice cooker with a timer.  so everything gets assembled int the am and is ready in time for dinner.

 

[J-rap]

Here is a favorite:

 

chicken, up to 3 pounds

1 bottle bbq sauce

1 cup Coke

1 lemon sliced

Throw it all together, cook all day, serve over rice.  (You can shred the chicken when it's done, if you want.)

 

 

 

 

[Spryte]

Boneless chicken breasts (I use a bag of frozen, if really in a hurry)

 

Big jar of Jack's salsa (or two small jars)

 

Same amount of water

 

Several cans of black beans (drained)

 

A can or two of corn (drained)

 

A can of rotel

 

Lots of taco seasoning

 

After cooking, shred chicken. Or not. Whatever you prefer.

 

Serve as soup with tortilla chips, or drain and serve in taco shells.

 

No cheese, super easy.

[trulycrabby]

Chicken breasts, a jar of general tso's sauce, minute brown or basmati rice, and some microwaved veggies. Easy peasy and everyone loves it!

[trulycrabby]

White chicken chili: chicken breasts, pinto, kidney, or white beans an onion, chopped celery, chicken broth, and white chili spices/mix (McCormick's).

 

Sometimes I add rice, but usually not. Serve with tortilla chips and shredded cheese.

[trulycrabby]

Not crock pot, but I get huge packs of steelhead salmon at costco, slice into serving sizes, drizzle with lemon or lime, season, and bake for about 15 minutes at 400F. Add roasted veggies, and you have an easy, healthy meal.

[RKWAcademy]

I'll be listening in for more ideas.  I have kid activities four nights per week over dinnertime.  Here are a few ideas that I've used.  But I do agree with the PPs - enlist those teens to cook or at least reheat something made over the weekend.  Often, I cook the dinner in the afternoon and then just warm it up when we get home.  Can you make several options on the weekend and just warm it up each evening?

 

Make a batch of soup or stew ahead of time.  It can sit for awhile and reheat when you come in.  Stretches well; good lunches as leftover.

 - Leek soup - saute leeks and onions, add chicken stock, add potatoes.  S&P and garlic.  Puree when cooked.  Splash of cream makes it better.  Serve w chives.

 - Broccoli Cheese soup - doesn't take too much cheese for a whole pot.  Good way to get my kids to eat broccoli and cauliflower. 

 - Italian Tortellini soup - look on pinterest for recipes but mostly broth, tortellini, spinach, tomatoes, parmesan cheese (just a touch for flavor).

 - Chicken pot pie soup or just chicken pot pie (use rotisserie chicken)

 - tomato soup - so much better homemade but it's easy.

 

I buy a rotisserie chicken often.  I use it in many dishes.  How about sandwich night?  Tomato soup and grilled cheese or a fresh mozzarella sandwich with tomato and basil, grilled like a panini.  Cut up a rotisserie chicken and make chicken salad sandwiches. 

 

I've done BBQ chicken in a crockpot.  My family loves this on a bun.  Throw chicken (can be frozen, even) in a crockpot with BBQ sauce.  Cook a few hours over the afternoon and shred (??? 3-4 hrs on low maybe?  I usually do 1 hr on high since my chicken is almost always frozen, then turn it to low for several hours).

 

I make black bean salad/salsa often.  This base can be eaten plain or it can be thrown into a tortilla as a taco or grill with a tiny bit of cheese for those that can have cheese as a quesadilla.  Or, the aforementioned rotisserie chicken can be made into tacos/fajitas - open a can of refried beans, add chicken and/or beans into tortillas.

 

Ravioli/spaghetti is an easy dinner, add frozen veggies as sides.  I've seen one pot wonder meals on pinterest but I've never made them.  They look easy. 

 

[alisoncooks]

We had this Chicken Taco Chili last night. Good with cornbread or over rice or just with tortilla chips. We top with cheese, avocado, sour cream, and cilantro. Sometimes jalepeños.

 

http://www.tablefortwoblog.com/crockpot-chicken-taco-chili/

[Excelsior! Academy]

There are a multitude of dump chicken recipes online.  A quick google search will turn them up.

 

We like

bbq- BBQ sauce and chx breasts

Italian-Italian dressing and chx breasts

Cranberry-Whole berry cranberry sauce, dry onion soup mix, French dressing, chx breasts...serve with rice in made in the rice cooker

Santa Fe- Can corn, can or two of beans, salsa, chx breasts, cream cheese added close to serving time...shread, serve in tortillas

 

[TeenagerMom]

Buffalo Italian Chicken....it's very different  but GOOD!

 

Chicken breasts

!/2 cup Franks Red Hot Buffalo sauce

1/2 cup Italian dressing

Onion powder

garlic powder

salt & pepper to taste.

 

Dump in crockpot & cook for 6 hours

 

Its yummy.

[Jyhwkmama]

I have never made the muffins, just the chili. I never brown anything first. I just dump it in the pot and cook.

 

http://whatvegankidseat.blogspot.com/2013/03/vegan-crockpot-chili-and-corn-muffins.html?m=1

[jewellsmommy]

Italian Cream chicken

 

1/4 cup cooking sherry

chicken breasts

1 packet of italian dressing mix

(1 block cream cheese)

 

Put first 3 ingredients in crock pot,

when chicken is cooked, pull it out and shred it. When you pull it out, throw the cubed block of cream cheese into the juices in the crock pot.

Stir or use a stick blender for faster, smoother results,

and return the shredded chicken to the crock pot, stir. delicious.

 

I serve with rice and green beans. I like it over the green beans, so I forgo the rice on my plate.

[KungFuPanda]

Chicken breast

Salsa

Taco seasoning

 

Shred and serve in hard or soft shells. Throw in some black beans or corn if you like. If you have a rice maker, you can cook burrito stuff with the rice.

[6packofun]

Curious, does he eat NO beef whatsoever or do you occasionally use leaner cuts?  (My dh just had 2 stents put in last week and have no idea if occasional--like 2x a month, maybe--is acceptable for red meat if we use lean.) Does he just not like pork or do you consider it unhealthy?

 

I, personally, get really tired of sloppy casserole/chicken with heavy sauces in the crock pot after a while.  So we marinate chicken in large freezer bags and then just thaw and grill, even in winter.  Not every day, of course, but I can only handle so many sauced chicken recipes even if they ARE comfort food!  LOL  We eat a lot of chicken, though.

 

Tonight we had lean beef stew meat in the crock pot with this sauce over brown rice with broccoli.  (Didn't get it at Vitacost, it just happened to pop up on Google for me.)  Now, it will probably be 2 weeks before we have beef again.

[Alice]

Baked potatoes in crock pot. Rub with a little oil and salt, wrap in foil. Put in crockpot. The skins will not get crispy this way. Serve as baked potato bar with lots of fixings...have your teens cut and prep the fixings. Guacamole, salsa, cheeses, ham, bacon, leftover meats, leftover veggies, sour cream, any veggies. 

 

Lentil tacos...I've combined a couple of recipes online and this is what we usually use. You can leave out the quinoa and do more lentils if you want but then you want to put a bit less water, the quinoa absorbs a lot. This is a great replacement as meat in a taco shell or tortilla or on a salad. My meat lovers in the family love it. 

chopped onion (about 1/2 of a medium onion)

1 garlic clove
1 1/2 cups of lentils
3/4 cup quinoa
1 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsps cumin
1 tsp oregano
6 cups of water
some salt to taste

 

I recently did a Chinese tofu in the crockpot and it was really good. I would say it took about 30 minutes of prep time though so it's better for a day when you have some time in the morning. Use extra firm tofu, pat it dry. Slice and lightly fry in a little oil. You want the sides to be browned. Put in the crockpot along with a bunch of veggies, whatever you like. To make it really easy buy some kind of bottled Asian sauce and pour it in. 

[Delighted3]

https://newleafwellness.biz/2015/08/17/31-freezer-prep-sessions-that-will-change-your-life/

 

This website has tons of freezer to crockpot dump recipes. She has the printable recipes plans for the recipes and shopping lists.  Also, it is healthy stuff. Lots of veggies and no canned soups.  This is a link to a page with lots of plans, but she shares recipes almost daily, so be sure to look around on her blog.

Joy

[trulycrabby]

These are awesome recipes! :hurray:

[KarenNC]

 

 

Lentil tacos...I've combined a couple of recipes online and this is what we usually use. You can leave out the quinoa and do more lentils if you want but then you want to put a bit less water, the quinoa absorbs a lot. This is a great replacement as meat in a taco shell or tortilla or on a salad. My meat lovers in the family love it. 

chopped onion (about 1/2 of a medium onion)

1 garlic clove

1 1/2 cups of lentils

3/4 cup quinoa

1 Tbsp chili powder

2 tsps cumin

1 tsp oregano

6 cups of water

some salt to taste

 

 

Do you have any idea if this freezes well? Also, what size crockpot are you using? This sounds like something that I might like to try and make in bulk and freeze in small portions to have available to pull out when we want something "Mexicanish."

[happypamama]

This freezes well uncooked, as long as the green beans don't thaw.

Layer:

Frozen green beans

Diced onion

Sliced mushrooms

Diced chicken breast

Diced tomatoes

Italian seasoning

 

Cook 3-4 hours on low. Top with Parmesan or mozzarella for those who can eat cheese. Serve over noodles for those who can eat noodles.

 

Buffalo chicken sandwiches

Put chicken breasts and buffalo sauce in crockpot, with ranch seasoning if desired.

Cook on low until done.

Remove chicken, shred with two forks, and return to crockpot, with a little butter. Stir.

Cook for half an hour longer or so and serve on rolls with celery on the side and bleu cheese for dipping.

 

Sauerkraut sausage soup

Throw into pot:

Smoked sausage/kielbasa (but use whatever works for your family)

About six cups of chicken broth (adjust to your taste -- I like a lot of broth.)

Some dill, some salt, some pepper, to taste

Diced celery

Sliced carrots

Diced onions

Sliced mushrooms

Diced potatoes if desired

A jar of sauerkraut (Aldi sauerkraut isn't too liquidy, so I don't drain it, but for bagged sauerkraut, I'd drain it a bit first.)

(All amounts vary according to your preferences.)

Cook on low for a while.

This one is actually pretty fast to cook even without a crockpot. You could do the chopping ahead of time. Add a good bread and a salad and/or green veggie, and voila, dinner. I made this yesterday, and it really hit the spot on a rainy, chilly evening.

[RKWAcademy]

These are awesome recipes! :hurray:

 

:iagree:   I love the recipe/meal idea threads! :hurray:

 

[Alice]

Do you have any idea if this freezes well? Also, what size crockpot are you using? This sounds like something that I might like to try and make in bulk and freeze in small portions to have available to pull out when we want something "Mexicanish."

 

It freezes pretty well. It's a little more mushy texture after freezing and defrosting but it's still good. 

 

I'm not sure of the size of my crockpot but I think it's a 6 qt. The lentil taco recipe fills it about 2/3-3/4 of the way. 

[Truscifi]

Turkey legs wrapped in foil come out great in the crockpot. Just season, wrap tightly, and place in the crockpot on low for 4-6 hours. They are moist and delicious. Then microwave some steam-in-bag veggies and you're good. If you want some starch to go with it Uncle Ben's microwave pouch of brown rice is good and takes 90 seconds.

[Halftime Hope]

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!   Now that I'm working full time, I'll be doing a lot more crockpot recipes. 

 

Again, thank you all!

[Jenny in Florida]

I don't know if this is helpful, but we use black beans in places a lot of folks would use ground beef. What I do most frequently is:

 

Dice a large sweet onion and one or two cloves of garlic.

Saute those in olive oil or vegan margarine until they are soft and starting to brown.

Drain and dump into the pan two small cans or one large can of cooked black beans.

Add three or four tablespoons of medium hot salsa.

Cook and stir until everything melds and is the consistency appropriate for whatever meal I'm making.

 

We use this as filling for tacos and burritos, but lately my husband and I have been eating it more nacho style. I make start the rice cooker just before I start dicing the onions, and while the beans are cooking, I chop whatever other veggies we have on hand. It usually includes tomatoes, bell peppers, jalepenos (if we have any) and cilantro. I like to add corn niblets to my plate, so I keep a bag in the freezer and stick some in the microwave when the bean are almost done. When the rice cooker dings, I set all the fixings on the table, and we each make up a plate.

 

The black beans can also be set up in a crockpot if you saute the onions and garlic first and dump those in along with the beans and salsa. They can just simmer on low for several hours and be ready when you want them. If you have a rice cooker with a timer, you can set that up before leaving the house, too.

 

And you can do a big batch of the beans and freeze them, also.

 

Lately, I've been making double or triple batches of the beans and then using whatever we don't eat for dinner to make up lunches for my husband to take to work. 

[momto10blessings]

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/176132/slow-cooker-buffalo-chicken-sandwiches/

 

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/89539/slow-cooker-chicken-tortilla-soup/

 

Or chicken cooked in the crockpot and used for tacos (cook with Rotel), BBQ sandwiches, fajitas (cook with onions & peppers)

 

Veggie soup

[DesertBlossom]

I've made both of these recipes and liked them.

 

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/creamy-white-chili/

 

http://www.melskitchencafe.com/slow-cooker-red-beans-and-rice-with-chicken-sausage/

[3 ladybugs]

If your are that pressed for time I would invest in an instant pot. Ineviditably, someone will forget to put something in the crockpot so at least you can get a meal (even from frozen) on the table fast with minimal effort.

[Serenade]

 

 

Two favourites:  1)Red lentils, can coconut milk, can crushed tomatoes, water or broth in crockpot to make a dahl.  If I'm feeling fancy add some onions, bayleaf and spices.  2)jar of salsa, can of posole, can of navy beans, can of corn in crockpot.

 

 

 

About how much dried lentils do you use?  An approximation is fine.  :-)  This sounds like something I'd like to try.

[HappyGrace]

I am sooooooo happy I started this thread-so many wonderful ideas! Can't wait to try them! And please keep the ideas coming-it sounds like it's helping a lot of us!

[Miss Peregrine]

Crockpot Chicken(or not) Tortilla Soup)

 

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garluc, minced

Cilantro

40 oz broth

16 Oz tomato sauce

1 packet taco seasoning(1/4 cup, if you make your own)

2- 4oz cans diced green chilies

1T Worcestershire

3-4 chicken breasts (can be frozen )

28oz can diced tomatoes

3-4 corn tortillas, torn.

 

Dump all in and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Shred chicken and throw back in.

 

I use black beans quite a bit instead of chicken.

[Katy]

Not bake ahead, but healthier options:

 

• Chicken, vegetables, potatoes and fruit:  Bake a huge batch of chicken breasts in advance - we get several large packages of chicken and frozen vegetables at Sam's, season the chicken, and bake them for about 50 minutes at 350F.  We then freeze them individually in sandwich bags. You can also bake potatoes and sweet potatoes in advance and store them in the bottom drawer of your fridge for about a week. This actually makes them healthier because it converts a fair amount of the starch into "resistant starch" which is harder for you to digest and feeds the healthier bacteria in your gut and reduces inflammation.  So at any given time you can take out enough chicken breasts for a lunch or dinner, microwave some steam packs of frozen veggies, reheat the chicken and potatoes, and serve fruit for dessert.
• Baked Tacos:  Brown a pound of ground turkey.  When cooked, add spices (a taco spice mix or chili powder, cumin, garlic, smoked paprika, cilantro, parsley, etc), a can of fat free refried beans, and a small can of tomato sauce and combine with the meat. Set in the fridge until 20 minutes before dinner, when you can have a teen line up the shells in a large glass baking dish and scoop the mix into each shell.  Top with a little salsa on each taco, and garnish with a tiny bit of fat free cheddar cheese on each taco (not enough to add flavor, just the look of cheese).  Bake in a 350F oven for about 20 minutes until reheated and cheese melted.  Serve with a side salad and guacamole.
• Pasta with broccoli and "Alfredo" Sauce: Thaw out some precooked shrimp or dice some precooked chicken breasts. Boil some pasta and add some chicken bouillon to the water to add flavor.  In a sauce pan combine a large container of fat free plain yogurt, some garlic, some powdered chicken bouillon, and 3/4 of a can of that cheap parmesan romano cheese (fat free is fine if your store carries it). When the pasta is done cooking throw a package of frozen broccoli in to the boiling pasta water for about 90 seconds until it's hot.  Drain pasta, coat in sauce.  Bonus points if you use spiralized zucchini instead of pasta noodles. This is even better the next day if you want to premix the sauce and chill it overnight before using.
• Ranch Pasta Salad: Cook a package of pasta or spiralize several zucchini for pasta noodles. In the last two minutes of boiling the pasta add a package of frozen stir fry veggies to the water until hot. Drain pasta.  Mix a package of powdered Ranch Dressing mix (or make your own with powdered buttermilk and an online recipe) with a couple tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Combined with drained pasta and diced chicken or a can of drained beans. This is best chilled.

[Miss Tick]

My family has been enjoying Wonderpot recipes. Basically, you put pasta and other ingredients into a pot, bring it to a boil and cook 10 minutes until the noodles are done. I got the recipe from BudgetBytes, but the it is just begging to be tweaked. Yummy.