Some culinary throwbacks should stick to being a memory (looking at you, jello salads!), but the resurgence of the slow cooker is one that is worth celebrating. Nothing is better than waking up (or coming home) to a kitchen that smells amazing, tenderly cooked food and minimal dishes. Today we want to share some of our favorite tips to #setitandforgetit.

Prep once, cook twice!

When you’re prepping your ingredients, make a double recipe or split the ingredients into two even portions. You’ll have plenty to cook for that night, and you can freeze the rest for when you’re in a meal prep pinch. Simply leave out the wet ingredients and write instructions on the Ziploc bag. Let it thaw during the day and cook at night!

Bulk up on protein

If recipes are not your thing, using a slow cooker can still be a game changer. Simply add in protein, enough stock to cover the meat by about 1 inch and allow to cook until you can easily flake it with a fork.

Here are some rough cooking guides:

  • Chicken Breast: 5-6 hours on medium
  • Beef Cubes: 4 hours on medium
  • Large Roast (beef or pork): 8 hours on medium
  • Pre-cooked Legumes: 3 hours on low

Flexible meals

ith a little creativity, you can eat bulk cooked proteins for every meal, or switch it up depending on what your macros are. For example, shredded beef could be used for a tasty breakfast skillet, in lettuce wraps for a light lunch or piled on a sandwich for a heartier option.

Pro Tips:

  • For meals that reduce as you cook, hold adding salt until you are finished cooking to avoid over seasoning.
  • To cut down on cooking time, use smaller chunks of meat. Don’t worry about it drying out as long as you keep an eye on it!
  • Freeze prepped ingredients flat so that they thaw faster, run under cool water to speed up the process.

To get you started, we pulled together a series of macro friendly slow cooker recipes launching over the next week so stay tuned!