Cooking and Eating

I hate cooking, I would much rather do any other chore; dishes, laundry, bathroom, you name it! I hate the planning, preparing, measuring, chopping, etc. it just takes so much time! I would much rather use my handy dandy microwave and just heat something up or even better eat out (no dishes!)

Fortunately for my family, I really care about eating healthy so I suffer through my hatred of cooking and plan healthy meals. While it is a process, I feel so much better when I know we are eating healthy. That being said, once I got married I quickly discovered the beautiful invention called the crockpot.

The crockpot is my sidekick, I use it for almost every meal (I try to anyway!). It seriously is the greatest thing for all of us non-cookers, especially for those who are constantly fighting for more time in the day. I highly recommend getting one.

This is starting to sound like a testimonial for crockpots, I’ll get on with the point. I have been pretty disappointed with the lack of healthy crockpot recipes out there. I’m always weeding through pinterest trying to find some recipe that doesn’t include “cream of chicken” or other processed junk.

This used to limit what I could cook and my poor husband was getting sick of the same recipes each week, until I discovered how to substitute food! This seems like a no-brainer, I really don’t know why it took me so long to figure out that I can sub out the yucky processed junk for healthier options! And the best part is it doesn’t compromise the flavor or taste of the recipe.

It has made finding crockpot recipes so much easier for me and a much happier husband! Check out these substitutions for your next meal!

1. Use healthy cooking oils like olive oil in recipes instead of butter or margarine.
   
2. Cut out the sugar a particular recipe calls for by experimenting with different spices and herbs till you find the combination that’s right for you.
   
3. Use mashed bananas, pumpkin, apples or Greek yogurt instead of butter, margarine or shortening.
   
4. Use reduced fat plain or Greek yogurt in place of sour cream and mayonnaise.
   
   

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