Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Creative Slow Cooker Uses For Convenience And Health

By Peter Smith

When you get stuck in that rut of grabbing whatever you have on hand as you rush out the door or are spending tons of money in the fast food drive thru, it is time to do something different. The health and convenience benefits that can be gained simply by owning a slow cooker are enormous.

A crockpot is essential in the kitchen of any busy adult, especially if you have an active family to keep up with. When time is limited most people end up in the fast food drive thru somewhere ordering food that is very convenient but extremely unhealthy.

You can save time, money, and your pant size just by making good use of a crockpot to prepare meals that are ready whenever you are. Since the food cooks while you are doing more important things, you may never have to slave over a hot stove after a long day of work again. Consider just two of the many uses for these appliances.

If you have chicken broth on hand and some frozen or fresh vegetables you could create your own soups. You can even add raw chicken to water and let it cook to create your own broth. Add in whatever other ingredients you happen to have on hand and you have a great starter for your soup.

Get creative because a great assortment of soups can be created depending on the ingredients you have in your kitchen at any given moment. For items like pasta and potatoes that don't need a lot of time to cook, add them into your soup base a few hours or so before you want to eat.

Beans: dry beans are extremely healthy but most people go for the canned varieties because they take so much time to cook. A crock pot is the perfect solution because you can put the beans in with some water and forget about them until done.

For a complete meal, cook the dry beans overnight and then add in uncooked whole grain brown rice and let it cook while you are out during the day. Brown rice takes longer to cook but doesn't need as much time as the beans. You can add whatever seasoning you like and may want to even mix in cooked ground turkey before eating.

Whatever types of food your taste buds enjoy most, you can do it in a slow cooker. Have some fun amending your favorite recipes!

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