Slow Cooked Meals Easy To Make AHA Approved

Slow Cooker Vegetable Turkey Soup

Garden vegetables and beans add color and flavor to this hearty comfort food. Prepare the ingredients in the morning or the night before, let them slow cook all day, and at dinnertime all that’s left to do is ladle the soup into bowls.

Ingredients

1 pound ground skinless turkey breast
3 large carrots, sliced crosswise into rounds
2 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
1 small onion, chopped
1 28-ounce can no-salt-added tomato sauce
1 15.5-ounce can no-salt-added cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon dried Italian seasoning, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 cups fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth

Directions

Put all the ingredients in a slow cooker, stirring to combine and breaking up the turkey.
Cook, covered, on low for 8 hours, or until the turkey is no longer pink.

Quick Tips

Cooking Tip: To make ahead and freeze, in a large bowl, stir together all the ingredients except the broth. Transfer to a one-gallon resealable plastic freezer container or bag. If using a bag, seal tightly. Place the container or bag flat in the freezer. To cook, thaw the container overnight in the refrigerator. Pour the soup into a slow cooker. Pour in the broth, stirring to combine. Cook as directed.

Calories-224 per serving
Protein- 26g per serving
Fiber- 7g per serving

NOTE- After cleaning the house for expected guests, you start cooking 2 or 3 days before Thanksgiving. All the sides, pastries and pies, cookies and homemade bread etc…

The day is finally here and you are exhausted! Guests leave and you start cleaning all over again. Am I on point?

Next day after Thanks giving, you might have hot turkey sandwiches for dinner, then lunch, you’re getting your break.

You are also getting tired of eating turkey. What better ways to cook the leftover turkey than turkey soup. I always make turkey and dumplings, but this year it’s going to be this turkey soup recipe cooked in the slow cooker. What ever works!

Slow Cooker Kale, Tomato and White Bean Soup

Serve this slow simmering soup with whole-wheat rolls to easily sop up the delicious broth.

Ingredients

2 teaspoons canola oil OR
2 teaspoons corn oil
2 cups sliced carrots (about 5 to 7 medium carrots)
1 cup sliced ribs of celery (about 2 ribs)
1 cup finely chopped onion, yellow preferred
2 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 15.5-ounce can no-salt-added or low-sodium cannellini beans
2 14.5-ounce cans no-salt-added diced tomatoes
2 1/2 cups fat-free, low-sodium vegetable broth
10 to 12 ounces frozen kale
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley, optional

Directions

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat, swirling to coat the bottom. Cook the carrots, celery, and onion for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in the garlic. Cook for 1 minute. Transfer to a 3- to 4½-quart slow cooker.
Stir in the beans, tomatoes, broth, kale, rosemary, and pepper.
Cook, covered, on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours.
Carefully take out 2 cups of the soup. Transfer to a food processor or blender. Let cool slightly for about 5 minutes. Process the soup (vent the blender lid) until smooth. (Use caution as the soup and steam are hot and vent the blender lid away from you.)
Return the soup to the slow cooker. Stir until well blended. Stir in the lemon juice.
Ladle the soup into bowls. Sprinkle with the parsley.

Quick Tips

Cooking Tip: Don’t have time to cook the vegetables before adding them to the slow cooker? No worries. Just increase the soup’s cooking time by a couple hours to be sure that the vegetables are tender.

Keep it Healthy: To get a jumpstart on dinner for those busy weekday nights, prepare the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic ahead of time. Put them in an airtight container and freeze. Just be sure to completely thaw the vegetables before adding them to the slow cooker.

Tip: Chop the carrots and celery in the same size pieces to be sure the vegetables cook evenly.

Calories- 209 per serving
Protein- 10g per serving
Fiber- 10g per serving
Note- For those of you that don’t eat meat, this is a yummy dish, easy to make and no mess left in the kitchen using a slow cooker.

If you do eat meat, ideal meat for this dish would be… you guessed it, Turkey! It’s a wonderful melody of vegetables and flavor the whole family will love, maybe have a side of corn bread or sourdough rolls.

Slow Cooker Harvest Beef Stew

Let the slow cooker do all the heavy work for you. Just toss all the ingredients into the crock and come home to a piping hot stew, perfect for a cold winter’s day.

Ingredients

1 pound bottom round beef roast (cut into 1-inch cubes)
1 large russet potato, cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 2 cups)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 medium sweet potato, cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 2 cups)
2 cups peeled, thinly sliced carrots
1 10-ounce package frozen pearl onions
1 14.5-ounce can no-salt-added diced tomatoes
1 14.5-ounce can fat-free, low-sodium beef broth
1 cup water
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1 10-ounce package frozen peas
2 tablespoons dried parsley

Directions

Add the beef, russet potato, and flour to a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, stirring well to combine.
Add the sweet potato and carrots to the slow cooker. Top with the onions, tomatoes, broth, water, thyme, and pepper.
Cook, covered, for 10 to 12 hours on low heat or 5 to 6 hours on high heat. Just before serving, quickly stir in the peas and parsley. Re-cover. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes.

Quick Tips

Cooking Tip: When using your slow cooker, make sure the food that takes the longest time to cook, such as the beef, potatoes, and carrots in this recipe, are on the bottom, which is closest to the heat source.

Keep it Healthy: If you can’t find bottom round beef roast for this beef stew, go for another lean cut of beef like bottom eye roast or top round. You can also use stew meat, but be sure it’s lean.

Tip: To save time in the morning, do some prep work the evening before, such as cutting up the beef and carrots. Wait to chop the potato until right before adding it to the slow cooker; it will discolor if cut in advance.

Calories

Calories- 311 per serving
Protein- 24 g per serving
Fiber- 7g per serving

Slow Cooker Hearty Chicken Noodle Soup

Now you don’t have to spend hours in the kitchen for the rich flavor of homemade chicken soup. Just add your ingredients to the slow cooker, set it and forget it!

Ingredients

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (all visible fat discarded)
3 cups peeled, sliced carrots (around 1 pound of carrots)
3 cups chopped celery
2 medium zucchinis, cut into a medium dice
1 can low-sodium chicken broth
6 cups water
3 bay leaves
2 teaspoons Italian spice blend
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup chopped, fresh dillOR
2 tablespoon dried dill
1 (12-ounce) bag wide egg noodles, cooked according to directions

Directions

Add chicken breasts to the bottom of a 6-quart (or larger) slow cooker bowl. Top with carrots, celery, zucchini, chicken broth, water, bay leaves, Italian spice blend, garlic powder, black pepper, and salt.
Cover the slow cooker with a lid and cook until chicken is fully-cooked, about 8 hours on low heat or 4 hours on high heat.
Using a fork, remove and discard bay leaves from soup. Using tongs, transfer chicken to a medium bowl. Stir in the fresh or dried dill. Turn off heat but leave soup covered to keep warm.
Let chicken cool and then cut into bite-size pieces. Meanwhile, cook egg noodles according to package directions.
To serve, portion noodles into the bottom of each bowl. Ladle soup over noodles and serve.

Quick Tips

Cooking Tip: Carrots don’t necessarily need to be peeled, although they do look prettier for it. If you’re in a rush, just wash them with water and slice without peeling.

Keep it Healthy: The slow cooker is also a great and easy resource to make your own chicken stock. Add 1 or 2 leftover chicken carcasses into a slow cooker along with water and any leftover vegetables in the fridge like carrots, celery, and onions. Let cook on low until flavorful, at least 8 hours.

Tip: To store any leftovers, make sure to separately package the soup from the noodles. Otherwise, the noodles will soak up all the chicken soup broth.

You can cook dumplings as well, or Hawaiian rolls or cornbread.

Bon Appetite

Calories-329 per serving

Protein- 31.8g per serving

Fiber- 3.5g per serving

Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken Soup

This entrée soup has all the makings of traditional Mexican cuisine, highlighting the flavors of cilantro, lime, tomatoes, and chili powder. Enjoy with corn tortillas.

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, all visible fat discarded
1 pound baby carrots
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium potato, peeled and chopped into 1/2-inch cubes
1 medium bell pepper (any color), chopped
1 14.5-ounce can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
1 8-ounce can no-salt-added tomato sauce
Juice from 1 medium lime
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
4 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
4 cups fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth

Directions

Directions for Freezing

In a large bowl, stir together all the ingredients except the broth. Transfer the mixture to a 1-gallon resealable plastic freezer bag. Lay the bag flat in the freezer.

Directions for Cooking

If frozen, thaw the bag in the refrigerator overnight. Pour the contents into a slow cooker. Stir in the broth. Cook, covered, on low for 6 to 8 hours, or until the vegetables are tender and the chicken is no longer pink in the center. Just before serving, transfer the chicken to a cutting board. Using two forks, shred the chicken. Transfer the chicken to the slow cooker, stirring to combine.

Calories- 232, Protein, 28g per serving, Fiber 4g per serving

Note- I actually can’t think of anything more delightful to eat for dinner. It’s filling, so delicious and satisfying, you must try this! You don’t need to add anything else

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Sherry