Fast, easy crock pot meals

The hardest time to eat healthy is at the end of the day when you're
tired, stressed and oh-so hungry. So during this busy back-to-school
season, get your crock pot/slow cooker out of storage. With a little
preplanning in the morning, you can have a healthy and delicious meal
waiting for you when you get home from work or school or wherever. As
an added bonus, crock pots don't heat up your home like an oven or a
stove does, and a slow-cooked meal makes the whole house fragrant and
inviting.

Try out these three slow-cooker
meals at your house and let us know what you think!

Terriaki Pork Roast
Sweet and delicious,
this Asian-style pork is great for a big family, or makes killer
leftovers for lunches
makes 8 servings

3/4 cup unsweetened apple juice
1 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
1 Tbsp vinegar (preferably rice wine vinegar)
1 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp pepper
3 lb boneless pork loin roast, halved and trimmed of fat
2 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
3 Tbsp cold water

1. Combine first seven ingredients in slow cooker
2. Add roast and turn to coat.
3. Cover. Cook on low 7-8 hours. Remove roast and keep warm.
4. In sauce pan, combine cornstarch and cold water until smooth. Stir
in juices from roast. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or
until thickened. Serve with roast.

Nutritional details: 227 calories, 4 g fat, 6.75 g carbs, 38.5 g protein
Meal suggestions:
Serve with a side salad dressed with rice wine vinegar, or steamed
carrots and broccoli, or microwaved frozen snap peas

Chicken in a Pot
You can make
rotisserie-style chicken at home cheaper and with less sodium without
sacrificing taste
makes 4 servings (as a main dish)

2 ribs celery, roughly chopped
1/2 onion, roughly chopped
2 bay leaves
1 Tbsp your choice of spices (oregano, dill, an Italian mixture, etc.)
salt and pepper
1 4-lb whole roasting chicken (sometimes called a whole fryer)

1. Peel of the chicken's packaging and remove the gizzards, which
should be inside the cavity of the bird. (It's really not as gross as
it sounds!) Rinse the bird inside and out in the sink, pat dry with
paper towels and set on a cutting board.
2. Stuff the cavity of the bird with celery, onion and spices. Tie the
cavity shut by lacing the legs together with twine.
3. Place the bird breast down in the slow cooker.
4. Cover a cook on low 6-8 hours. Check with meat themometer before
serving.
5. Remove stuffing and discard. Remove skin and discard. Remove bones
and discard.

Nutritional details: 286 calories, 11.3 g fat, 0 carbs, 42.8 g protein
Meal suggestions:
Serve as a main dish with baked sweet potatoes, a salad or your choice
of veggie. Or use this chicken in any chicken-based recipe: with black
beans and salsa for a burrito bowl over brown rice, with low-fat mayo
and chopped apples for chicken salad in a pita, with veggies and
terriaki over rice for a stir fry, etc.

White Bean Chili
Filling and high in
protein, this chili sticks with you and only tastes better upon
reheating
makes 4 servings

1 lb ground turkey
2 bell peppers, chopped
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 14.5 ounce can low-sodium, non-fat chicken broth
15-oz can garbanzo beans (low sodium, if possible), rinsed and drained
15-oz can navy beans (low sodium, if possible), rinsed and drained
4-oz can chopped green chilies
1 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

1. Combine all ingredients in your slow cooker.
2. Cover. Cook on low 8-10 hours.

Nutritional details: 301 calores, 11 g fat, 54 g carbs, 36 g
protein
Meal suggestions:
Store leftovers in individual-size tupperware to reheat for lunches at
work.