Paleo Slow Cooker Recipes That Will Simplify Your Life (2024)

FAQs

What cannot be cooked in a slow cooker? ›

Just plug in your slow cooker, add your chosen recipe's ingredients, set the cooker to low or high, depending on the recipe's instructions, add the lid and let it cook. Once your dish is done cooking, you can either switch the slow cooker off to turn off the heating element, or warm if you're not ready to enjoy it yet.

A slow cooker and a Crockpot are the same thing, essentially. A slow cooker is an appliance of which there are lots of brands. Crockpot is one brand of slow cooker. Crockpot popularized slow cookers when they launched their version in the 1970s.

Avoid soft and delicate vegetables like zucchini, asparagus and pumpkin, as they will turn soft and pulpy. If you do want to use these soft vegetables, cut them into large chunks or add them in the last 2 hours of cooking.

Studies have shown that the paleo diet is effective at reducing belly fat. In one study, 10 healthy women followed a paleo diet for five weeks. On average, they experienced a 3-inch (8-cm) reduction in waist circumference, which is an indicator of belly fat, and around a 10-pound (4.6-kg) weight loss overall ( 23 ).

Any poorly planned diet can cause you to feel “off” and have lower energy than usual. If a paleo diet is too restrictive, it could lead to low energy levels and feelings of tiredness. Too restrictive means it doesn't provide enough calories or certain nutrients, such as carbs.

Try to eat lean protein and healthy fats at every meal. Good examples of healthy proteins are grass fed beef, chicken, and fish (cod, tuna, or salmon). Healthy fats include avocado, coconut, and olive oils. Lean meats and healthy fats are both filling and nutrient-rich, which makes them perfect for weight loss.

This diet may lead to significant weight loss (without calorie counting) and major improvements in health. Anthropologists also speculate that the paleo diet influenced anatomic and physiologic changes in humans, including increased brain size and reduced gastrointestinal tract size ( 1).

What is a simple paleo diet? ›

A modern paleo diet includes fruits, vegetables, lean meats, fish, eggs, nuts and seeds. These are foods that in the past people could get by hunting and gathering. It doesn't include foods that became more common when small-scale farming began about 10,000 years ago.

Choose the right cut: Chuck roasts, short ribs, pork shoulders and lamb shanks (think fatty and tougher meats) become meltingly tender with the moist, low heat of a slow cooker. Leaner cuts like pork tenderloin tend to dry out. Likewise, dark meat chicken — thighs, drumsticks, etc.

Crock-Pots and slow cookers use moist heat to cook food over a long period of time. Both are used to cook the same types of foods, and both produce the same delicious results.

Gravy beef and chuck steak are great slow cooker options, as they are tough and rich in tissues that make for deliciously tender meat. Can you put meat straight into a slow cooker? Meat can be added directly unseared and not browned.

One of the main attractions for many people is the ease of a slow cooker, so when you're looking for recipes, avoid those that suggest a lot of pre-preparation. For many dishes, particularly soups and stews, you really can just throw all the ingredients in.

Research conducted by USDA FSIS indicates it's safe to cook large cuts of meat and poultry in a slow cooker. Follow the manufacturer's recipes and safety guidelines. Start clean. Start with clean hands, utensils surfaces and a clean cooker.

Absolutely, which is why you should always adjust times and amounts as needed. Smaller amounts of slow cooker hamburger only need a few hours before they are done.

"Raw meat is a slow-cooker staple, but you may need to add it to the pot before adding other ingredients like green vegetables," she shared. "Browning meat in a skillet before adding it to the slow cooker has been a game-changer for my slow-cooker meals.