experimenting with slow cookers

We finally bought a crockpot! Since I'm regularly away from home for 10-12 hours at a time, it was really important that we got one with a timer. We ended up finding a steal at Target -- we picked up this one, which is normally $50, for $25.

I'm super intrigued by the idea of meal prep. I've been practicing it with more or less success for the past year. The problem is that life happens, and more often than I'd like I end up throwing away too much of it.

I've seen tons of recipes on Pinterest that involve freezing the meals before they're cooked but had never tried it because I didn't own a slow cooker. Welp, no excuses now. The problem with Pinterest, though, is that there all these crockpot recipes but they come in a list of 100 or so, and it all becomes very overwhelming very quickly. Matt is a bit of a picky eater so it's just not a good idea to follow those.

For our first try, we picked 3 recipes from this site.


White Chicken Chili
4 servings | 213 calories | 5g fat/9g carbs/26g protein
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp flour
1 medium onion, chopped
1 4oz can chopped green chilis, drained
2 cans white beans (drained)
2 tbsp cumin
2 tsp chili powder
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Directions:
Place all ingredients in large freezer bag, toss to coat, freeze.
In the morning, place ingredients in slow cooker, cook on low for 8 hours.
Serve with sour cream and shredded cheese, as desired.

Matt Rating:
8.5 // "really good"




Honey Sesame Chicken
4 servings | 510 calories | 15g fat/73g carbs/27g protein
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
3 tbsp olive oil
1 cup honey
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Directions:
Place all ingredients in freezer bag, toss to coat and freeze.
In the morning, place in crockpot and cook on low for 8 hours.
Serve with steamed broccoli.

Matt Rating:
8 // "pretty good'

Southwestern Skirt Steak
4 servings | 420 calories | 15g fat/28g carbs/44g protein
1 1/2 lbs skirt steak
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
16 oz jar chunky salsa
1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves

1 tbsp cumin
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

Directions: 

Trim excess fat from steak. Place onions and garlic in bottom of freezer bag and top with steak. Mix salsa, peppers, cumin, oregano, chili powder, salt, and pepper in small bowl and pour over meat. Top with drained black beans.
In the morning, place in crockpot and cook on low for 8 hours.
Serve with rice or quinoa.

Matt Rating:
9/10 // "awesome, a home run"