Welcome to Fix-It and Forget-It Cooking Light, Revised and Updated
Yes, now you can have it all: Food from your slow cooker that is scrumptious, quick, easy to prepare—and low-fat!
We work at portion control here …
You’ll notice that our serving sizes are quite modest. So if you’d like to manage your weight, Fix-It and Forget-It Cooking Light, Revised and Updated will help with portions and healthy ingredients.
Ideal slow-cooker sizes …
The ideal slow-cooker size given with each recipe is just a suggestion. I went big in most cases so that you aren’t faced with a pot that’s running over. (On the other hand, be aware of the fact that your food may get too dry if your pot is less than half full.)
Some raw vegetables stand up and take a lot of room. As they cook, they quiet down and sink together. So some recipes with an abundance of uncooked vegetables suggest a larger cooker than other recipes which yield the same number of servings.
Slow cookers are great for carry-in meals and pot-lucks. But who wants an overflowing pot in the back of a vehicle? So, again, I tilted toward the larger size.
New slow cookers are generally faster than old ones. If your cooker is relatively new, go with the lesser amount of cooking time when a range of times is given.
Mark up this cookbook!
When you’ve found the perfect cooking time for a recipe—write it in your cookbook. When you’ve discovered the right size slow cooker for a recipe, write that next to the recipe. And when you’ve made a tasty and compatible go-along for a dish, note it next to the recipe.
Personalize this cookbook—and it will be your companion in the kitchen and in your effort to eat healthfully.
Calculating the nutritional analyses …
The recipe analyses are based on the lesser amount of an ingredient when a range of amounts is given. Optional ingredients are not included in the analyses. Only those items on a recipe’s list of ingredients are part of that recipe’s analysis. (If a recipe’s procedure or Notes suggest serving it with pasta or potatoes, for example, those foods are not calculated in the analysis.)
Feast healthfully. Your family and friends—your waistline and your heart—will thank you!
