With the weather getting cooler & the days getting shorter are you looking for easier ways to prepare meals for your family? Slow cooked meals are the perfect way to make eating at home effortless. Since greenhouse grown vegetables are available all year-round and offer consistent flavor, using them in your slow-cooker can give you comforting, healthy dishes when you come home after a long day.

Let’s be honest, sometimes no matter how much time you have in the day, the thought of putting together a nutritious, warm meal for the family can still feel daunting. The good thing is there is a solution! Slow-cooked meals allow you to minimize your time in the kitchen without having to sacrifice flavor or nutrition. It’s as easy as preparing a few fresh greenhouse grown vegetables, adding them to a slow cooker along with other ingredients, and setting them to cook for a few hours. This allows you to get on with your day, whether that is going to work, running errands, or even sleeping, and still have a comforting meal when you and your family are ready to enjoy it.

This time of the year schedules can be hectic and as simple as it seems to pick up takeout after a long day, with a little preparation ahead of time, you can easily come home to a healthy meal that’s ready to serve. Make sure to keep your kitchen stocked with fresh tomatoes and peppers as they are some staple ingredients that work well in slow-cooked recipes. So, if you’re looking to spend less time in the kitchen and more time with your family, we’ve put together some easy slow-cooker recipes for you to try! There are options for any meal of the day; leaving you and your loved ones more time to eat well together to be well together. 

BREAKFAST SOLUTION-

Your mind may instantly think of dinner when we mention slow cooker recipes, but they are great for any meal of the day – especially breakfast! Mornings can be hard, so why not try to make them easier? Imagine waking up to a delicious meal that is ready for you to dive into! If you have a slow cooker with a timer or a keep-warm setting, you can add your ingredients to the pot and cook it on low overnight.

This Breakfast Casserole is perfect to set before you go to bed so that you can wake up to a delicious meal. This recipe is full of classic breakfast ingredients like eggs, sausage, cheese, & hash browns. It features sliced Aurora Bites Mini Sweet Peppers which provide beautiful color, flavor, and tons of vitamins to start your day off right. Switch things up and serve your family breakfast for dinner with fresh tomato salsa or a green salad!

LUNCH PREP –

Meal prepping your lunches not only saves you time throughout the week, but it can also save you money & help you stay on track with healthy eating. But don’t let that overwhelm you if you feel like time is tight. Meal prepping doesn’t have to include hours and hours in the kitchen on a Sunday to make sure you have enough meals ready for the week.

Using a slow cooker for meal prep is an excellent option because with a few simple steps it can yield so many portions, leaving you ready for lunch every day of the week! Simply add all the ingredients to your slow cooker, and set it to cook. This Pepper Steak Recipe is made with a homemade teriyaki sauce, steak, Luna® Sweet Cocktail Tomatoes & Sweet Bell Peppers. This recipe can easily be packed into lunches for the week and served with tortillas or over rice. It’s a healthy lunch option that is loaded with flavor.

DINNERTIME WITH EASE-

Dinner recipes are probably the most well-known slow-cooker meals for good reason. After coming home from a long day at work or rushing from school to sports practice, the last thing you want to do is worry about what you’re going to make for dinner. With the cooler weather here, coming home to a comforting warm meal is pretty much perfect! All you need to do is set the table and gather the family around the table.

With flavors that are easy to please, this Creamy Tomato Basil Chicken comes together with simple ingredients like Luna® Sweets Cocktail Tomatoes, chicken breasts, cream, basil & garlic.  Simply add all the ingredients to the slow cooker either the night before or in the morning before you leave, set it to the appropriate number of hours, and forget it! Come home to a delicious meal that is healthy and full of essential nutrients from always available greenhouse grown vegetables.

ENJOY EASY, FRESH MEALS ALL YEAR LONG –

Since greenhouse grown vegetables are available 365 days a year, it’s easy to serve nutritious meals no matter the season. With consistent flavor, you can rely on them, even in the cooler months, to create fresh, healthy everyday meals. Try swapping fresh Roma Tomatoes for recipes that call for canned tomatoes. It’s possible for you to enjoy easy, healthy meals with vegetables all winter long!

Any of these slow-cooker recipes can easily be adapted or used as inspiration to create something that your family will love. Don’t be tempted by the ease of fast food or takeout, all you have to do is add your favorite vegetables & other ingredients into a slow cooker, set it & forget it! Return from work or errands to the comfort of a home-cooked meal without all the fuss, leaving you more time to eat well together to be well together.

For more slow-cooking inspiration, click here.

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