Well, I’m into the second week of my low-glycemic diet and I’m already getting tired of snacking on low-fat cheese, a handful of nuts, and celery sticks. My family is looking a little droopy as they sit down to yet another grilled chicken breast and steamed broccoli dinner. We’re all starting to miss our favorite crock pot meals and would really love to come home, once again, to the savory aromas of a home-cooked crock pot dinner.
My New Year’s resolution was made and I am determined to stick to it. That’s all great, but do I have to put away my beloved crock pot until my diet restrictions slack off a bit? Nope! I’ve developed and tweaked a few of my crock pot recipes so they will help me stick to my diet while giving my family meals they’ll enjoy coming home to!
Ginger Beef and Snow Peas
You’ll need about a 2 1/2 lb. boneless Round Steak, cut into 4 pieces. Place the pieces in your crock pot. In a separate bowl, whisk together 1 cup of soy sauce, about 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger, 2 cloves of garlic, grated or minced, and 2 tablespoons canola oil. Pour your mixture over the steak and put on the crock pot cover. Cook this on low for about 6 hours. Give the meat the fork-test to see if it’s nice and tender. If not, let it go a bit longer. Then serve alongside hot, cooked snow peas tossed with sauted mushrooms for a perfectly 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.
3 Bean n’ 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!
When you are following a low glycemic meal plan, your crockpot can actually be one of your best alleys. It makes preparing meals both you and your family can enjoy easy and it doesn’t take much time at all to pull together a few extra side dishes for your loved ones. Everyone’s happy and you didn’t spend hours slaving over different meals to please everyone. Pull out your crockpot and stick to your diet.
Take a look at all the new crock pot recipes and Crock Pot Cooking methods to help your family save both time in the kitchen and money in the budget!