Crockpotting across the universe

True to my word, I've been crockpotting up a storm for the last week or so. Well, as much of a storm as three crockpot dishes can make. But hey, it's three more dishes than I would usually make with my crockpot during the summer months. So far, all the recipes I've tried have come from Fix It and Forget it Lightly - a low-fat crockpot recipe book. Though I've been finding some recipes are lacking in proper instructions or a certain je ne sais quois, in general, I'm happy with the book as a good starting point for meal ideas.

Here's some mini-reviews of the recipes I've tried:

• Machaca Beef: This recipe gets bonus points just for the name. It's fun to say. Go ahead, say it out loud. Machaca. See? Told you it was fun. Anyways, this is a shredded beef recipe. Whole beef roast, onions, chili peppers, salsa, you get the idea. The result is shredded meat for tacos and taco-like things. We had it with a 1-point WeightWatchers wrap and a tablespoon of fat-free sour cream. It was pretty tasty! I wound up freezing little bundles of it because it made so much.
  
• Turkey Roast: Ground turkey mixed with seasoning and smushed into a loaf at the bottom of the crockpot. If your first thought is "wow, doesn't that paint a pretty picture" you'd be right. It isn't a pretty picture. I wound up adding some dried cranberries and onions to the mix to try and liven it up. The result, though not company-worthy, was a nice enough turkey meatloaf. The cranberries added a Thanksgiving flavour to the dish and were a good addition.
• Italian Chicken Stew: A mostly vegetable and bean soup with a few pieces of chicken thrown in. My husband loved it. I found it a bit too tomato-y. However, that's not the recipe's fault. That was mine. I went with my own combo of tomatoes and beans. If there's a next time with this dish, it'll involve following the directions more and substituting chicken broth instead of water. Imagine, following the directions. Pffft.
  

Of the recipes above, I'd definitely make the Machaca Beef again. If only for the name. Machaca.