The number one reason people give for not preparing and eating more meals at home is “I don’t have time.” Even though we know that making simple food at home is healthier and 
usually lower in calories than eating out – especially fast food – what if you are short on time?
One way to address this is to use a slow cooker. There are many recipes online for healthy, low-calorie main dishes that can be put together in a flash and cook while you are at work. Look for recipes that use only a few ingredients, use low-fat meat or beans, and have plenty of vegetables. Here is one recipe to get you started.
Slow Cooker Chicken and Vegetables
1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 carrots, sliced
2 onions, sliced
2 celery ribs, cut in 1 inch pieces
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 ½ pounds)
1 cup water
½ cup white wine or additional ½ cup water
½ teaspoon dried basil
2 teaspoons dried parsley
dash red pepper flakes
black pepper to taste
salt to taste
- Combine the vegetables in the slow cooker.
- Place chicken on top of vegetables.
- Mix together the remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl and pour over chicken.
- Cook on high 4-5 hours or on low 8 hours.
Notes:
- This dish can be served as a stew or you may choose to strain the broth and serve it on the side as you would gravy.
- This is a low-fat alternative to heavy chicken gravy made with fat and flour.
- The vegetables in this dish can be doubled, increase cooking time by about one hour.
- Brown rice is a nice complement to this dish.
Makes 6 servings – 190 calories per serving