The slow cooker is a magical piece of kitchen equipment. Having the luxury of placing all your ingredients in one pot and letting the cooker do the rest is a B-E-A-UTIFUL thing. Slow cookers also come in a variety of sizes making it easy to cook large portions for your meal prepping needs. We wanted to share three recipes that can make your life a whole lot easier when it comes to meal prepping, or cooking in general. There is a chicken option, beef option and a vegetarian option. Let us know what you think! If you have any questions, feel free to leave us a comment. Enjoy!
Orange Chicken
Servings: 4
Ingredients
1-1.5 pounds of chicken (chicken thighs taste the best but chicken breasts work also)
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
1 cup BBQ sauce
1 cup orange marmalade
1/4 cup soy sauce
Toasted sesame seeds (optional garnish)
Green onion (optional garnish)
Directions
- Heat medium pan to medium-high heat
- Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper
- Sear both sides of chicken until golden brown
- Cut chicken into bite sized pieces
- Prepare orange sauce by mixing BBQ sauce, orange marmalade and soy sauce in a bowl
- Place chicken into crock pot, pour in sauce and stir so that chicken is coated evenly
- Cook on high for 2 hours
- Serve over rice and garnish with green onion and sesame seeds
Beef & Broccoli
Servings: 4
Ingredients
1.5 lbs sirloin steak or boneless beef chuck, sliced thin
1 cup beef broth
2/3 cup soy sauce (low sodium preferred)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp chili flakes (optional heat)
1 tbsp sesame oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp cornstarch
4 tbsp water
4 cups broccoli florets or 1 frozen bag
Directions
- Spray inside of cooker with non-stick spray
- Add steak, beef broth, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil, garlic and chili flakes.
- Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours or low 4-5 hours
- 30 minutes prior to serving, place cornstarch and water into a bowl and whisk together until fully dissolved. Add to slow cooker, cover and let cook for another 25 minutes.
- Steam broccoli, drain and add to slow cooker just before serving
- Serve over rice and enjoy!
Black Bean Lentil Quinoa Chili
Servings: 4
Ingredients (buy pre-chopped veggies to decrease prep time)
1/2 large red onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup carrots, sliced
2 cups tomatoes, chopped
1 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup lentils, dry
1/4 cup quinoa, uncooked
3 cups vegetable broth
1 tbsp cilantro
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp oregano
2 tbsp complete seasoning
3 tbsp chili powder (optional)
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp olive oil
Toppings: lemon/lime juice, diced avocado, cilantro, tortilla chips, plain Greek yogurt
Directions
- In a large pan or pot, heat oil over medium heat. Sautee onion, garlic, red bell pepper, carrots, cilantro and cumin for 3-5 minutes.
- Stir in tomato paste, chopped tomatoes and oregano. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Add cooked mixture into crock pot
- Dump in remaining ingredients and stir together.
- Cover and cook on high for 4.5 hours or low for 8 hours
Bon appetit!!!