I made a meal plan this week. Yes, it's been a long time; I actually used to share my meal plans with you every week! As I've watched baby #6 learn to coast, the garden get taken over with weeds, and our homeschool year begin, however, I'm very lucky to get anything delicious on the table at all -- much less put together a plan!
Since receiving the Easy Everyday Slow Cooker Recipes book by Donna-Marie Pye to review, however, things have really changed. The past 4 days, I have made 4 yummy, hot meals for my family that they actually enjoyed. I have tried new ingredients that I have never had before (tomatillos, anyone?). I have also limited my cooking dishes to just ONE. My slow cooker!
This book is unlike any other slow cooker book I've read. First, the recipes are truly unique. This is not another collection of the same dishes you could make in the oven or on the stove, but adapted to work in the slow cooker. They are new-to-me recipes that may require a little prep on the front end (The Coffee Pot Roast, for example, needs 48 hours marinated in vinegar to be sublime). I have never had my family eat up all that I have cooked in a new meal before, however, so I am especially pleased at how little food we have wasted.
Recipes we have tried include the Chili Verde (with chicken substituted for pork) and a tasty combo of potatoes, baked beans, and meat. I have discovered that most of the 200 recipes shared in this book are perfect for my busy lifestyle, and there are only a handful that don't fit my favorite flavor profiles. (Plus, there are over 80 beautiful color photos of the food; if you're scared to try something new, these can help you decide!)
And since I'm a big fan of tips, the sections on using the slow cooker more efficiently, ways to soak and use up dried beans, big batch planning, and recipes that use leftovers are pretty amazing, too.
You can find this must-have cookbook at Amazon for well under the $24.95 list price!
*Title received to review. Opinions are my own.
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