With busy end of the school year activities and summer goals in mind, I love these quick and easy healthy crockpot meals–perfect for the busy on the go family! Shop for the ingredients, then have a prep party with some friends or your kids and walk away with 8 healthy dinners– beef & veggie stew (my fav!), tuscan kale zuppa (that’s Italian for soup!), vegetarian chili (just add beef for meat lovers), and cilantro lime chicken tacos.
**Important notes: This shopping list doubles each of the 4 recipes to make 8 meals! Feel free to grab more ingredients to triple or even quadruple each meals! Also how much you toss into each bag depends on your family size. If you have a larger family or big eaters, you may want more meat or more ingredients per bag. You literally can’t mess these up so eye ball how much you’re putting into each bag and disperse how you would like! I recommend printing the shopping list and recipes below.
SHOPPING LIST
-8+ large ziplock freezer baggies (2 gallon size is the best!)
-3-5 lbs. chicken breast
-3-4 lbs turkey sausage or regular sausage
-4 pounds stew meat
-4 limes
-1 bunch cilantro
-1 red onion
-6 yellow onions
-2 bulbs of fresh garlic or 1 bag peeled garlic cloves
-4 small bags baby carrots (or 2 large bags)
-1 bunch of kale, washed and sliced
-2 green bell peppers
-4 zucchini
-1 bag celery
-2-4 jalapenos
-1 jar beef stock base (or 1 box of packets)
-2 Good Seasonings Italian salad dressing pouches
-2 cans cannellini beans
-4 (15 oz) cans whole kernel corn
-4 (11 oz) cans black beans in juice
-2 (15 oz) cans kidney beans
-2 1(5 oz) cans garbanzo beans
-2 (16 oz) cans vegetarian baked beans
-2 (29 oz) cans crushed tomatoes
-2 (4 oz) can diced chilies
-2 cans green beans (or fresh!)
OTHER ITEMS THAT MAY OR MAY NOT BE IN YOUR PANTRY:
-salt and pepper
-cumin
-Worcestershire sauce
-Apple juice
-Chili powder
-Dried parsley
-Oregano
-Basil
PANTRY ITEMS NEEDED LATER FOR SERVING:
-2 bags tortillas
-4 (32 oz.) low sodium chicken broth
-2 boxes cornbread mix (if you like this served with your chili!
RECIPES
Beef & Vegetable Stew
Ingredients:
2 pounds stew meat
1 onion, diced
2 cups carrots (whole baby carrots or sliced into bite size pieces)
2 cups green beans, sliced into bite-sized pieces
1 cup sweet corn
2 tablespoons beef stock base
1 teaspoon salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup apple juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Tuscan Kale Zuppa
Ingredients:
1 small onion, diced
1 pound carrots (whole baby carrots or sliced into bite size pieces)
1/2 bunch of kale, washed and sliced
1 can low salt cannellini beans, washed and drained
1 Italian salad dressing pouch (Good Seasonings)
1-2 lbs turkey sausage or regular sausage
8 cups chicken broth (add when you put in the crockpot)·
Cilantro Lime Chicken
Ingredients:
3 chicken breasts
juice from 2 limes
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 cup sweet corn
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp cumin
salt and pepper
to cook:
cook on low for 8 hours
shred meat and serve on tortillas
Vegetarian Chili
11 oz can black beans in juice
15 oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
15 oz can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
16 oz can vegetarian baked beans
29 oz can crushed tomatoes
15 oz can sweet corn, drained
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 zucchini, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
4 oz can diced chilies
1 -2 jalapeno, chopped (depending on how much heat you want)
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil
1 tablespoon cilantro
