Dear CrockPot Inventor,
I don't know who you are or if you are still on this good Earth, but I am of the opinion that you deserve a gold medal in "Kitchen Genius." If you were here, I'd salute you with a hot oven mitt and treat you to a huge bowl of my slow-cooked Cuban pulled pork.
Badass Fist Bump,
Shannon
The CrockPot is just one of a few must-have appliances I use to eat healthy while juggling a full schedule of day job, fitness business, blogging, freelance writing, etc. The slow cooker and other affordable, handy kitchen tools take the guess work, prep time and cook time of healthy food prep. Stock your kitchen with these, and you are on the road to healthier, fast-to-the-table meals that also happen to be aaaah-mazingly delicious!
1. Crock Pot: Thanks to this bad boy, you can literally turn 3 ingredients into culinary masterpiece. To wit, my pulled pork. I put a diced onion in the bottom, top it with a 1-pound pork loin, and over the top pour mojo criollo sauce (find it bottled in the ethnic food section at most grocery stores.) About seven hours later, your kitchen smells like Little Havana and your tastebuds are watering. You can do the same with onions, chicken and a jar of salsa. So easy, it's almost criminal.
2. Blender: Ahh, where smoothies are born! And creamy feta yogurt sauces. And cold lattes! By the way, if smoothies aren't part of your eating...why the heck not?! They are creamy, tasty, and the best way to pack a whallop of protein, fruits, veggies and superstars like chia and flax seeds into a single glass. Nutritional genius.
3. George Foreman Grill: George is definitely still walking this Earth, and if I ever meet him I am giving him a HUGE fist bump! I use my grill so often, for everything from salmon burgers and chicken to veggies and fruit (mmmm, grilled peaches!). It also can be used to make warm pressed sandwiches stuffed with healthy ingredients. The even heat makes dinner possible in, literally, 5 minutes.
4. Food Processor: Pesto. Hummus. Guacamole. Homemade almond butter. Yeah, it's all born inside this petite little powerhouse appliance. I adore mine to pieces, in spite of it having sliced my hand open several years back (ok, well, maybe it was my fault for moving around the kitchen too quickly). Get one.
5. The Wok: I never get sick of Asian food, and stir-fry is one of the fastest, healthiest and most versatile ways to cook. Switch out the veggie-protein-seasoning-sauce combination, and you could make stir-fry in the wok a few times a week without getting tastebud boredom. Moreover, you can eat a massive bowl of protein-veggie stir fry for just a few hundred calories. #WIN. So good!
Now excuse me while I go grill, blend or stir-fry something! ;)