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If you’re trying to lose weight and are frustrated with eating the same foods day in and day out, it’s time to spice up your life (and your plate). You don’t need hours each day to devote to cooking healthy meals when you have a crockpot, which does most of the work for you. Prep these eight lean meals in the morning or the night before, toss all of the ingredients in your slow cooker, and a few hours later you’ll have a nutritious, low-calorie and low-carb meal that’s rich in protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
In other words: you’ll have a meal that will help you lose weight faster and will make you feel satisfied.
Here are eight lean crockpot recipes you should make for weight loss.
This crockpot chicken noodle soup is perfect for cold nights or anytime you feel a cold or a cough coming on. If you're trying to steer clear of refined carbs, you can always swap noodles for whole-wheat pasta or even quinoa. With less than 200 calories per serving and very little fat, this is an excellent recipe for weight loss — but be aware that it does take about seven hours to cook, so make sure you set aside enough time.
Here's what you'll need:
Boneless & Skinless Chicken Breasts
Carrots
Yellow Onion
Celery Stalks
Garlic Cloves
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
Dried Thyme
Bay Leaves
Chicken Broth
Water
Egg Noodles
Salt & Black Pepper
Parsley
An abundance of garlic and lemon in this crockpot lemon-garlic chicken gives it an intense flavor and helps boost digestion. This nice thing about this one-pot meal, which has 571 calories per serving, is that it's rich in both protein and vitamins and requires no side dishes.
Here's what you'll need:
Red Potatoes
Yellow Onion
Carrots
Chicken Thighs (with the bone in and skin intact)
Olive Oil
Lemon Juice
Garlic
Lemon
Rosemary
Fresh Thyme
Salt & Pepper
Crockpot Curry Chicken Meatballs
You can avoid red meat and not miss out on the pleasures of red meat. These crockpot curry chicken meatballs are full of flavor and pair well with quinoa, salad, or in a basic soup. Each serving has 623 calories and is chockful of protein.
Here's what you'll need:
Ground Chicken
Olive Oil
Poultry Seasoning
Dried Parsley
Coconut Milk
Chicken Broth
Curry Powder
Garlic Powder
Salt
Heavy Cream
Potato
Onion
Butter
Make a big pot of crockpot shredded chicken at the start of the week and use it in salads, soups, and sandwiches for a flavorful and healthy basic protein that goes with nearly everything. Each serving contains just 120 calories and it only calls for six ingredients.
Here's what you'll need:
Chicken Breasts
Chicken Broth
Salt
Pepper
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
This dish is a little bit cheesy and a little bit spicy but filled with protein-rich ingredients that will satisfy your craving for Mexican food. Gather this grocery list to whip up crockpot enchilada quinoa, which has 274 calories per serving.
Here's what you'll need:
Black Beans
Corn
Enchilada Sauce
Roasted Tomatoes
Quinoa
Cream Cheese
Salt & Pepper
Shredded Mexican Cheese
Cilantro
Avocado
Low-Fat Sour Cream
Sweet brown sugar and barbecue sauce give this slow-cooker pulled pork sweetness and depth that complement side dishes like spicy cole slaw and corn casserole with red pepper. Bonus: it requires seven ingredients--and they're probably already in your kitchen!
Here's what you'll need:
Pork Loin Roast
Salt
Paprika
Garlic Powder
Brown Sugar
Water
Barbecue Sauce
Slow-Cooker Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps
You'll save a ton of calories when you swap wraps for lettuce, but if you follow this incredible recipe for slow-cooker Asian chicken lettuce wraps, you don't sacrifice taste or crunch.
Here's what you'll need:
Ground Chicken
Garlic Cloves
Red Bell Pepper
Yellow Onion
Hoison Sauce
Soy Sauce
Salt & Pepper
Water Chestnuts
Brown Rice
Green Onions
Iceberg Lettuce
Rice Vinegar
Slow Cooker Greek Chicken Gyros With Tzatziki
These slow cooker Greek chicken gyros with tzatziki are as versatile as a healthy chicken sandwich gets — feel free to fill them with as many vegetables as you like to get the most nutritional benefits possible. Or, keep things simple with this recipe, which calls for a long list of ingredients, but ingredients you can repurpose for other meals.
Here's what you'll need:
Skinless Chicken Breast
Onion
Garlic, minced
Dried Oregano Leaves
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil
Red Wine Vinegar
Lemon
Water
Tzatziki Sauce:
Plain Greek Yogurt
Cucumber, finely grated
Garlic
White Wine Vinegar
Dried Dill Weed
Dried Oregano Leaves
Salt & Pepper
Lemon
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
Options for serving:
Pita Bread
Red Onion
Red Pepper
Romaine lettuce
Cucumber
Tomatoes
