These 4 slow cooker meals will fill hungry bellies on a cold night

Want to know the best thing about slow cookers? Is it that they save you time and money? No, that’s a given.

It’s that feeling you get when you walk in the door on a cold, wet, blustery day, and the aroma of the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge meal that you threw in the pot HOURS ago hits you. That is worth its weight in GOLD.

All four of these 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge meals can be cooked with under ten minutes of hands-on prep time. After that, it’s a matter of ‘set it and forget it’ while your slow cooker does all the hard work. There’s also an option for oven cooking if you prefer.

Four warming slow cooker dinners the family will love

You can make a double batch of these 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge meals, so that you have a whole other family-sized meal left over. Pop it in the freezer to enjoy another night.

Enjoy these meals with the family, knowing that you’re providing a nutritious (and delicious) meal that is helping you to reach your weight loss goals on the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge.

1. Slow Cooked Mediterranean Pasta

This is a delicious, slow cooked, vegetarian pasta sauce, made in a large batch so you can store leftovers in the fridge or freezer for easy to reheat meals down the track.

Ingredients (Makes 6 servings at 409 calories per serve)

• 4 tsp extra virgin olive oil (20 mls)
• 1/2 red onion, sliced (50 grams)
• 800 grams tinned tomatoes
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted (25 grams)
• 1 tsp balsamic glaze (5 mls)
• 400 grams tinned artichokes, drained
• 4 tsp fresh basil leaves, shredded (5 grams)
• 3 tbsp pine nuts (45 grams)
• 240ml water
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano (0.5 grams)
• 2 cups baby leaf spinach (60 grams)
• 300 grams wholemeal penne
• 3 tbsp grated Parmesan (24 grams)

To cook on the stovetop:

1. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté for a minute or until translucent.
2. Add tinned tomatoes, olives, balsamic glaze, artichokes, basil, pine nuts, water and dried oregano.
Stir to combine well and break up the tomatoes.
3. Cover and cook over a low heat for an hour.
Fifteen minutes before the end of the cooking time, add the baby leaf spinach and stir to combine and wilt.
4. When ready to serve, prepare pasta according to packet directions. Toss pasta through sauce and divide evenly between 6 bowls.

To cook in a slow cooker:

1. Add all ingredients to the slow cooker bowl, excluding the spinach and Parmesan and mix well.
2. Add an extra cup of water, cover and cook on high for 3 hours. Add more water if sauce is thickening too much once pasta starts to cook.
3. Fifteen minutes before the end of the cooking time, add the baby leaf spinach and stir to combine and wilt.

To serve:

Sprinkle with Parmesan to serve.
Leftover sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

2. Fruity Chicken Curry

This is a great slow cooking recipe that’s worth making a double batch of. It’s freezer friendly so you could place individual or family sized serves in airtight containers to freeze and defrost as required.

Ingredients (Makes 4 servings at 314 calories per serve)

• 1 cup brown rice, uncooked (160 grams)
• cooking oil spray
• 320 grams chicken thigh fillets
• 2 small bananas, chopped (180 grams)
• 400 mls tomato passata
• 1 tablespoon currants (12 grams)
• 3 tbsp curry powder (8 grams)
• 500ml liquid chicken stock, salt reduced (500 mls)
• 1/3 cup fresh coriander, chopped (20 grams)

Method

Trim chicken of any excess fat and dice into 2cm pieces. Prepare rice according to packet instructions 30 minutes before ready to serve curry.

To cook on the stovetop:

1. Heat a saucepan over a medium-high heat and lightly spray with cooking oil.
2. Add chicken pieces and brown for 1-2 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, excluding the coriander and rice and bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat to a low simmer for 1 hour until chicken is tender and flavours are well combined.
4. Serve curry on prepared rice topped with chopped coriander leaves.

To cook in a slow cooker:

1. Place chicken, banana, tomato passata, currants, curry powder and stock into the cooker and cook on a low setting for 2 hours.
2. Serve curry on prepared rice topped with chopped coriander leaves. 

3. Beef Burgundy with Fettuccine

This is like a slow cooked Bolognese so make in a large batch to share with the family or so you can store leftover sauce in the freezer to enjoy another time.

Ingredients (Makes 4 servings at 439 calories per serve)

• 400 grams stewing steak e.g. casserole steak
• 2 brown onion (200 grams)
• 240 mls red cooking wine
(use 120ml if using the slow cooker)
• 2 cups tomato passata (500 mls)
• 2 cups whole button mushrooms (200 grams)
• 1 tbsp dried Italian herbs (4 grams)
• 240 grams fettuccine
• salt
• pepper

Method

Dice the beef. Peel onion and cut into wedges.

To cook on the stovetop:

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Place all ingredients, excluding the fettuccine, into a casserole dish, mix to combine.
2. Cover with a lid and bake in the oven for 90 minutes or until beef is very tender and pulls apart easily.
3. 15 minutes before ready to serve cook pasta according to packet directions.
4. When meat is ready pull apart meat pieces with two forks and combine into sauce.
Serve beef sauce on top of fettuccine. Season with salt and pepper.

To cook in a slow cooker:

1. Place all ingredients, excluding the fettuccine, into the cooker and cook on low for 6 hours.
2. 15 minutes before ready to serve cook pasta according to packet directions.
3. When meat is ready pull apart meat pieces with two forks and combine into sauce.
Serve beef sauce on top of fettuccine. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Slow Cooked Fish Curry with Pappadums

This delicious fish curry is made in a large batch so you can store leftovers in the fridge or freezer for another meal. You can prepare this recipe on the stovetop or in the slow cooker.

Ingredients (Makes 4 servings at 359 calories per serve)

• 800 grams firm white fish
• 2 tbsp yellow curry paste (32 grams)
• 400 mls reduced-fat coconut milk
• 4 tsp fish sauce (20 mls)
• 4 cups green beans, trimmed (480 grams)
• 4 cups mange tout, trimmed (480 grams)
• 16 mini pappadums, store bought (64 grams)

Method

If preparing on the stovetop:

1. Cut fish into cubes.
2. Heat a heavy based saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the curry paste and sauté for a few seconds until fragrant.
3. Add the fish and coconut milk and stir to combine. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes or until fish is cooked through.
4. Add the fish sauce, beans and mange tout in the final 5 minutes of cooking. Cook until tender crisp.

If preparing in a slow cooker:

1. Cut fish into cubes.
2. Place coconut milk and curry paste in the slow cooker bowl and stir together to mix.
3. Add fish and cook on low for 2 hours.
4. Add the fish sauce, beans and mange tout and cook for a further 30 minutes.

To serve:

1. Divide curry evenly between four bowls.
   Serve with 2 mini pappadums per person.
   Leftover curry can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days or freeze for up to 2 months.

Want access to thousands of other delicious recipes?

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With thousands of recipes, and hundreds of fat burning exercises and 24/7 support, The Healthy Mummy can help YOU hit your goal weight faster.

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• 28 days of at home exercise routines (no gym needed) – with video instruction
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• Home to thousands of EASY-TO-MAKE recipes!