Busy People's Slow Cooker Cookbook

Rating:
Summary: Simply Delicious
Review: I wasn't expecting this to be such a great book. It is so full of great recipes! Usually you buy a recipe book and maybe try one or two... but not with this book. This is a keeper. All the recipes are simple with only a few ingredients and almost no prep time. This was exactly what I needed to keep dinners sane in a very busy household with people eating at all different times.

Rating:
Summary: One Pot Wonderful
Review: I'm not a chef....I'm not a culinary expert....but I do know how to eat....

After reading the other reviews, and after having purchased four of D. Hall's cookbooks...I'm actually using them, and making monthly calendars of dinners. It is a miracle.

My husband is diabetic and with my new eating plan, we are really enjoying these recipes. So far one of the many favorites we have, is "Meatloaf Dinner" pg. 152. We portion out that nights dinner, then the rest go in the freezer for another meal during the month. I had at one time in my life tried the "Once-a-Month" cooking (have that book also) and just couldn't do it....guess what? I can with these books. I know how to cook high fat...now I'm learning to cook no-to low-fat, 7 ingredients or less. These are not just cookbooks on my shelf they are lessons for healthier eating.

I'd actually had two of the cookbooks, years before, and barely cracked them open. But, now since the first of the year, I've been on an eating plan of no- to low-fat...and Dawn's recipes are it!

I like the Slow Cooker book very much and the 7 or less ingredients are absolutely for me. Her book, Down Home Cooking is just as wondeful. The library of her books that are now in my home will NOT be sold on eBay!!! A lot of my other cookbooks have been!

If you are a busy person or not, I'd encourage you to purchase these books as they are a great testimony for low-fat cooking and EATING, and a grand testimony of her faith in the LORD. And, who knows, this type of cooking may even get you to write your own cookbook! Dawn did it because of the great need in her life for the love of her husband....what a challenge! What a testimony....thank you Dawn.

Rating:
Summary: Great for truly busy people, not all that healthy
Review: This book does live up to its name. If you are truly busy and want recipes that you can just throw into your slow-cooker, this cookbook does provide that. After my daughter was born, I wanted main dish recipes that would allow me to spend a minimum of time in the kitchen but still have something good for dinner.

I ordered this book but was surprised by some of the ingredients. While most of the recipes are quite low in fat, they're not very healthy, at least not by my standards. Several recipes call for "fat-free non-dairy refrigerated creamer" as a thickener. The very idea of putting non-dairy creamer into a main dish repulsed me. Condensed soups, the juice from a pickle jar, and bottled salad dressings are other ingredients used for flavor. The recipe using pickle juice was also just too much for me! I passed that one up.

The author seemed to work hard to make recipes that were low in fat but ended up with a lot of processed ingredients. Personally, I'd rather have more natural ingredients, even if they add some fat. Some of the recipes didn't taste homemade--they tasted like they came from a box--hamburger helper style--because of all the processed ingredients. I was really disappointed to serve a home-cooked meal that tasted like it came out of a box. Some recipes weren't really recipes, in my opinion. Chicken cooked in salad dressing, pork cooked in bottled BBQ sauce--you get the idea. If you're new to cooking, however, these ideas may be new to you and you may find them helpful. The author also has a fabulous way to cook vegetables at the same time as your main dish--so you can truly have your whole meal finished in the slow cooker.

I give the book 4 stars because it lives up to its name--it is great for busy people--and it doesn't claim to be healthy. If you don't mind processed ingredients, you may love this book. If you want more of a natural, whole-foods approach, this isn't the book for you.

Rating:
Summary: Buy This Book!
Review: This cookbook has some of the best crock pot recipes I've seen. Dawn Hall has outdone herself this time with a variety of delicious, easy to prepare dishes that all use 7 ingredients or less. You'll spend more time deciding which recipe to try first than actually making the meal!