Crock Pot Ideas

[Rita]

I have a crockpot but I never know what to make in it.   Love to hear ideas.

[deanna in AR]

Rita, I just posted a delicious crockpot recipe for Beef Stew (under recipes) When we started WB (1-1/2 yrs) I had to adjust my stew recipe (to eliminate potatoes for one thing) because it was one of our favorites. So I found a good one on the Health-Bent blog and adjusted it. It is wonderful and very easy! Do you think I should have posted it here instead?

[Rita]

Great sounding recipe!   Thanks.


( Here's the link to it :  http://wheatfreeforum.com/index.php/topic,131.0.html  )



And really... I think I'll move this entire topic to the recipe section where you have your recipe.

[Jan in Key West]

Wow.....haven't used my crockpot in years......will have to go dig it out! What a great idea......thanks!

[Jewels]

deanna in AR, I'm brand new here and to wheat free. I thought we could eat potatoes on the Wheat Free diet? No?

[Jan in Key West]

Welcome Jewels,
It's exciting to see newcomers to the site! While potatoes do not contain wheat/gluten, they are a high carb food.....one baked potato can result in 50 - 58 net carbs (carbs minus fiber), which is above Dr. Davis's recommendation of 15 net carbs per meal, or six hour period.  Aside from the wheat/gluten issue, another component of this lifestyle is going low carb, as well as high "good fat", especially if you desire weight loss. And low sugar as well.....fruits and possibly dairy. Hope this helps!  Welcome!

[deanna in AR]

Hi Jewels, what Jan in Key West said. We keep our carbs low. We eat a potato occasionally. Sometimes when we eat out, we'll split a loaded baked potato...usually at Outback because theirs are good. But that's only every 4-6 months maybe. Since we limit carbs, we're careful what we spend them on Welcome!!

[Linda R]

Hello Jewels
I started out back in 2008 with the Atkins plan, began with just 20 carbs a day in order to drop the weight, and eventually learned through trial and error that in order to maintain my weight, 20 - 25 carbs a day is where I needed to stay.
Since potatoes and other starchy veggies are too high carb wise, I haven't eaten a spud for years, and I really don't miss them at all.
I did try to add low carb bread at one point, but, began experiencing arthritic like pain in the hips in the AM, and, after finding Wheat Belly and learning how toxic wheat really is, that was eliminated as well.

[Suzhookem]

The health care professional that took me off all grains and wheat told me I could eat red skinned potatoes 3 times a week. I did read about them and they have a lower glycemic load than regular potatoes depending on how they're prepared. Would love to have somebody address this. Thanks.

[arlin]

I can't really address it, but glad to hear they're lower on the scale. I like potatoes and only allow myself a small mouthful or two once in awhile. I need to check out the glycemic number on the red skinned ones compared to regular russet or bakers.

[deanna in AR]

I'm cooking a ham in my crockpot tomorrow. My usual "recipe" is:


Place ham in crockpot w/ fat side up (if there is a fat side).
Pour a small Coke or Diet Coke over it.
Cook on high for about 3 hours, then cook on low for 3-4 hours.


Delicious! However, of course now I want to eliminate the Coke product. I thought of pouring apple juice over it, but discarded that idea (we're not doing juices now). Sooo...I'm thinking of pouring some of my homemade chicken broth over it instead.


Anybody ever used chicken broth? Any other ideas?

[Rita]

Here's a page that links to a lot of very good looking crockpot Paleo recipes.  Some of the dishes were a little unusual for a crockpot.


http://www.mynaturalfamily.com/recipes/paleo-recipes/the-30-best-paleo-crock-pot-recipes/

[Barbara from New Jersey]

Hi Deanna,


If your chicken broth is homemade and not salty at all, then that is fine, but probably need to add some other flavors.  I would use 1/2 the amount of chicken broth mixed with 1-2 tsp. dry mustard, 1/2 - 1 tsp. ground cloves (optional), cinnamon and then slice up peeled apples or use applesauce.  I think some sweetness is needed.  The fructose and carbs would be insignificant, but it would make the entire ham taste better compared to the cola ham you are used to.  You would taste the sweetness of the apples much more than before WB.  The apples or applesauce would probably stick to the ham better than apple juice.  Ripe pears would do also.  The fresh fruit isn't concentrated like apple juice or even apple cider  (which I used to use).

[Linda R]

Here's a page that links to a lot of very good looking crockpot Paleo recipes.  Some of the dishes were a little unusual for a crockpot.


http://www.mynaturalfamily.com/recipes/paleo-recipes/the-30-best-paleo-crock-pot-recipes/

They look delicious but it is so disappointing when there is no nutrition information.

[deanna in AR]

Hi Barbara, I don't remember now how I made it, but I didn't use chicken broth. I do remember it wasn't very good...haven't made one since! Thanks for your suggestions. That's a good thought about the salt...my broth does have salt in it. Sliced apples or applesauce might be good.


I always crocked my pork loin with a coke poured over it too. The last two I made, I put salt & pepper and then poured a jar of My Brother's tomatillo salsa over it, and they were delicious.

[Barbara from New Jersey]

Deanna,


I couldn't find My Brother's brand at The Fresh Market, so I purchased the store brand.  Hope it is just as good!  I plan to make the crockpot pork loin with it this weekend.   Should be a nice change from the usual!  Thanks for the idea.
 

[deanna in AR]

Maybe next time you can order it online Barbara. One year we got 2 cases and took it as little gifts everywhere we went during Thanksgiving and Christmas. Hope yours is great. I just posted how we used ours for dinner tonight.

[Barbara from New Jersey]

Deanna,


What a lovely idea for a hostess gift!  Even my wheat loving friends and relatives will like it.  Much better than the homemade baked goods I used to bring. 

[ldyrdr4311]

Hi everyone: (Newbie here: ldyrdr4311) Thought I'd jump in via the Quick Reply about using broths for various recipes. There is one on the market that doesn't add salt to their broths. I've noticed at the stores that now there are a few brands that are doing the same.
For those of you who make your own broths, chicken meat naturally has sodium in it, even w/o salting it, so even that broth will have a minimum of sodium in it.
Not knowing if we are allowed to mention name brands here, the one I am speaking about makes quite a few different broths, but the beef, chicken & vegetable varieties also are made "unsalted", meaning they don't add salt to it. They come in those boxes, and the name brand has the letters "KB" on it. The boxes also are in different colors, i.e., yellow for chicken, red for beef, green for vegetable & so on.
Hope this smidgen of info helps someone out there.

[mosey]

Welcome ldyrd4311. Absolutely use product names - call 'em good - good & bad. How else would we know! I try not to be out of home made bone broth but have found Kitchen Basics to be not bad & I give it to my barn Kitty.

[Linda R]

Question?


After making chicken broth and placing in the fridge to cool and allowing the fat to rise to the top, do any of you have uses for that fat?


I have never saved it but now I wonder if perhaps I should use it.

[Jan in Key West]

Linda,
I used to skim the fat off my bone broths, but I no longer do that.... I keep it in. But if you do skim it off, you might consider using the fat to sauté veggies. We have a restaurant down here that uses lots of duck fat as a medium for cooking certain things and it's quite tasty!

[Barbara from New Jersey]

Linda,


That fat was historically used for frying onions and for making chicken liver.  If there was any leftover, then it was used for anything else. 
I don't like my broth/soup to have a greasy taste, so I skim the fat off and use it to caramelize thinly sliced onions which I then freeze (hah!) to use on steaks or anything else.  The onions take about a half hour on low heat to sweat and caramelize.  They smell so good that I drool!!!

[deanna in AR]

I leave the fat in my chicken broth and it goes into whatever I'm using the broth for...soup, stew, etc.