Dinner dilemma solved

I hear time and time again from my friends and patients with young babies or children at home - most of whom are trying to lose a few pounds - that making a healthy dinner is an insurmountable chore. With all else there is to do, finding time to make a balanced meal gets pushed to the wayside. I feel their pain. When I'm done with work and shuttling the boys to and from activities, grabbing takeout just seems so much easier. But while it's quick and easy, eating takeout certainly won't help with keeping your health or weight in check. Cooking a homemade meal means you know exactly how much salt and fat was added into your food. Enter the slow cooker (or Crock Pot, as your mom used to call it). Toss in some chicken breasts, frozen veggies, a can of crushed tomatoes and a half pound of whole wheat pasta, let it simmer all day and you have a delicious, ready-to-eat meal when it's time to collapse into your chairs. You can use just about any lean protein (seafood, turkey, lean beef, pork tenderloin), vegetables, starch and source of liquid for a well-balanced, all in one meal.
While I'm not a slow cooker queen, like some, every few months I rediscover my slow cooker and love how easy it is to get dinner on the table. The meal is nutritious, low in fat and simple to prepare. I can pretty much use ingredients I have lying around. So go ahead, rediscover your slow cooker, too.