Slow-Cooker Meets Turkey

For those with IBD, owning a crockpot (AKA a slow cooker) should be a necessity.  Crockpots can be a time saver — you can set them up to cook while you are at work and then come home to meals without having to slave away in the kitchen. Crockpots are especially useful for making stews, because they cook vegetables, meat and potatoes “to death” while still providing a wholesome and nutritious meal. The slow cooking breaks down the fiber and connective tissues in foods, making them softer and more digestible.  This cooking method also allows the seasoning and sauce to infuse into the cooked veggies, meat, etc.  The final product is always moist (as long as there is enough liquid), and incredibly flavorful.  If you are cooking meat, a crockpot will yield fall-apart meats, which not only sound good, but taste good.  Slow cooking on relatively low heat tenderizes meat, and since Marnina and I often cook with lean meats that are inherently less tender (less fat = less tenderness), we often use the crockpot to tenderize our ground turkey or ground beef.