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Pack on the protein (and vitamins and minerals) without spending hours cooking over a stove by putting your slow cooker to good use. These eight protein-packed crockpot dinner recipes are perfect for weight loss, but they’re just as amazing for weight maintenance and to keep you filled with energy.
Pop all of the ingredients you need into your crockpot, push a button, and a few hours later you have a nutritious dinner that will fill you up and boost your metabolism for great weight loss benefits. They’re simple to make — and totally delicious.
Crockpot Southern Green Beans And Smoked Turkey
This Southern-inspired crockpot southern green beans and smoked turkey dish requires just seven ingredients:
Green Beans
Smoked turkey leg or wings
Water
Minced garlic
Onion
Stewed tomatoes
Black pepper
This meal is hearty, filled with protein and vitamins, and has less than 300 calories per serving.
When you tire of chicken, but aren't in the mood for grass-fed beef, whip up a big portion of crockpot pulled pork and use this versatile meat in soups, sandwiches, and stews. You'll need:
Pork shoulder
Paprika
Brown sugar
Pepper
Cayenne pepper
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Salt
Apple cider vinegar
Water
Each serving has 150 calories and 18 grams of protein.
Crockpot Tuscan Sweet Potato And Turkey Stew
A healthy and fulfilling one-pot dish with 335 calories and 44 grams of protein per serving, crockpot Tuscan sweet potato, and turkey stew is an amazing meal to make on a cold night. Gather together the following ingredients:
Sweet potatoes
Turkey thighs
Turkey gravy
Flour
Parsley
Rosemary leaves
Pepper
Green beans
If you feel a cold coming on, grab these ingredients and whip up an antioxidant-rich crockpot lemon orzo soup pronto:
Boneless skinless chicken breasts
Salt
Black pepper
Carrots
Celery
Yellow onion
Garlic
Dried Basil
Chicken broth
Whole wheat orzo
Spinach
Lemon juice
Dill
Each serving has 240 calories and 24 grams of protein.
Crockpot Coconut Cilantro Chicken
All of the delish and complex flavors in this crockpot coconut cilantro chicken dish mingle together to provide a satisfying meal that tastes way richer than it actually is (thanks to light coconut milk). You'll need:
Whole chicken
Coconut milk
Cilantro
Ginger
Salt
Garlic powder
Cumin
Coriander
Curry
Lime Pepper
This paleo-approved meal can be served over brown rice, cauliflower rice, or couscous.
With a base of red lentils and spices to spare, this crockpot dal soup has an intense flavor and just 259 calories per serving, with 17 grams of protein. The ingredients list is extensive, but you'll find you can use these ingredients in a number of other recipes:
Cumin seeds
Mustard seeds
Fennel seeds
Red lentils
Water
Diced tomatoes
Onion
Ginger
Turmeric
Bay leaf
Salt
Black pepper
Cilantro
Jasmine rice
Crockpot Vegetable Curry With Tofu
Get your vegetarian on with this crockpot vegetable curry with tofu, which is a little bit spicy, a little bit sweet, and has 300 calories and 10 grams of protein. You'll need:
Firm tofu
Sweet onion
Red pepper
Yellow pepper
Garlic
Ginger
Sweet corn
Garam masala
Yellow curry paste
Salt
Coconut milk
Vegetable stock
Tomato paste
Basmati rice (Brown is fine, too)
Cilantro
Crockpot Turkey Stuffed Peppers
They look impressive to serve, but crockpot turkey stuffed peppers are shockingly easy to make and, with 177 calories and 13 grams of protein per serving, are also very healthy.
And the cherry on top is that you'll need just seven ingredients:
Green bell peppers
Ground turkey
Crushed tomatoes
Dried basil
Onion
Rice
Seasoned salt
[Photos: Shutterstock]
