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Because I believe slow cooking is key to getting and staying slim today I’m giving away a Hamilton Beach Set & Forget 6-Quart Programmable Slow Cooker!
Before beginning my Weight Watchers friendly crock pot cooking challenge back in October 2013, I’d never really thought much about the link between losing weight and slow cooking. But the truth is, if you are trying to lose weight, your slow cooker can be your best friend.
For most of us, dinner is the meal that often derails our best intentions when it comes to weight loss.
After a long day of work, you arrive home tired and hungry. And the last thing you want to do is think about cooking dinner.
So you end up grabbing the quickest thing you can get your hands on. And it’s rarely, if ever, light and healthy!
But, with a crock pot instead of worrying all day about what to make for dinner, you know a healthy and delicious meal will be ready and waiting when you get home.
Or you can use your slow cooker on the weekends to make light and healthy meals to warm up during the week. The slow cooker/crockpot makes it easy to cook healthy, affordable meals without having to spend hours in the kitchen.
Have you heard the saying, “20 minutes in the kitchen can save you 3 hours on the treadmill (affiliate link)“?
Well, it’s true!
Why The Slow Cooker/CrockPot is an Essential Kitchen Tool for Weight Loss…
1. Makes meal planning easier. Many Weight Watchers crock pot recipes are complete one pot meals.
2. Requires planning which is critical to weight loss success. If we want to eat right and lose weight we need a plan. If we leave it to chance we’ll end up opting for high calorie convenience foods: take out, the drive-thru, fast food, the vending machine, etc.
3. Lends itself to big batch cooking and leftovers. Which can be re-purposed or portioned out for future meals.
4. Saves time in the kitchen. You can put your ingredients in the crock pot in the morning or afternoon and dinner will be ready when you want it. I love the convenience of investing a little time and then moving forward with my day, while dinner cooks, practically unattended. No pots boiling over, burned skillets and last minute rushing around to get dinner figured out.
5. Provides variety. You can make a lot more than pot roast, soup and chili in your slow cooker, as I’ve learned during the last six months. Appetizers, beverages, breakfasts, main dishes, side dishes and desserts are all possible with a slow cooker.
6. Makes cooking possible even for those with little kitchen know-how. Slow cooking is practical, realistic and very forgiving, perfect for novice cooks. Recipes tend to be straightforward with minimal ingredients and very few steps. Meals made in the slow cooker may not be the prettiest ever. But, they can be some of the tastiest.
7. Naturally Low Fat. Because crock pot cooking is a moist form of cooking it requires less fat, so you’ll save calories and points.
8. Perfect all year round. While most of us think of the slow cooker during the fall and winter, it’s the perfect summer kitchen device. I’ve received lots of comments from folks in hot climates who depend on their slow cooker all summer to avoid heating up the kitchen.
This Giveaway has ended!
The randomly selected winner is Phyllis Zumbolo. Congratulations! Please send an email to support@simple-nourished-living.com to claim your slow cooker.
Slow Cook Yourself Slim Slow Cooker Giveaway Details
TO ENTER
1. Leave a comment below answering the question, “How has the slow cooker helped you eat better and/or lose weight?”
A winner will be selected at random and announced next Sunday.
Good luck!
Hamilton Beach Set & Forget 6-Quart Programmable Slow Cooker
Notes from The SweetHome review site on the Hamilton Beach Set & Forget 6-Quart Programmable Slow Cooker: “It’s not fancy, but the intuitive interface, locking lid, and modest price have made it the best deal for your money three years running—and it’s the only slow cooker with a heat probe to monitor the doneness of roasts and other meats.”
It also was featured in this Slow Cooker Savvy Class I took recently.
Instead of eating in a rush or eating out because of Kids activities all weekend and at 6 pm racing to the arena. We use the crock pot for those nights then the food is ready when your home and your not eating fast food on the go.
A crock pot helps me because I’m not in the kitchen snacking while dinner is cooking, it’s already prepared and cooking without me! Plus, any fat content rises to the top and is easy to corral and move on out…. 🙂 PLUS, I cook for lots of girls and crockpots are the easiest and cheapest ways to prepare big meals….
I love love love using a slow cooker for meal planning. I can usually get 2 meals out of one pot and can easily prep for several meals all in one sitting. I love how easy it is to get up in the morning, empty a bag of a prepared frozen meal and then when I come home, the house smells delicious. If I don’t plan in advance, we often eat later in the day (not the greatest for digestion) because I still want to cook from scratch with healthier ingredients. However, in between getting home and eating a late dinner, we have plenty of snacking opportunities which is also not great when trying to loose a few pounds. I highly recommend using crock pot recipes at least twice a week if not everyday!
Following the weight watchers plan, it’s imperative that I plan ahead and have meals made ahead. With the slow cooker I’m able to make batches of food, portion it out, keep some for meals that week and freeze the rest for another time! I commend anybody who has the time to work all day and then go home to chores, homework, cooking a meal, cleaning, etc. It’s no wonder as a society we are sleep-deprived and overweight. These things go hand in hand!
Best kitchen tool ever. Very versatile and works so well with the Weight Watchers program. I love being able to prepare something a ahead of time and just letting it cook while I am at work
I love coming home to a home cooked meal without having to first begin taking things out to cook and waiting till the food is cooked. A great pleasure having a slow cooker.
I love using a slow cooker because I can put everything in before leaving for work and I don’t have to figure out something for dinner when I get home from a long day!
Slow cooker, slow cooker, take me away!!! I love not worrying about what we are having for dinner. I love to cook to have leftovers for lunches so it not only helps me have a nutritious dinner but also lunches. Plus the big factor for me is I can invite company over in a heartbeat knowing there is going to be plenty and it will be ready so that I can add a salad and tada dinner is served!
Thanks for this amazing opportunity.
I use my slow cooker when I will be away for the day and want to enjoy a meal already done when I get home. It is also important to me to have a good healthy meal with the added benefit that I can loose weight by eating this way
I love using the crockpot! I am busy with my family that includes 10 kids plus I tend to eat while I cook after work — prepping a meal and placing it in the crockpot to cook all day and be ready for suppertime is the perfect solution! Thank you for all your inspiration!