Further adventures in the HMCS Crockpot

Though I haven't made as many meals as I've wanted to, I've still been keeping up with using my crockpot. For the moment, I've put aside Fix It and Forget It Lightly because there's almost too many recipes in it, often with the same sorts of ingredients. There's no photos either, which I find I like to see, if only to get an idea of what the dish will look like in the end.

So, I turned to my old crockpot recipe books and magazines to see what the points values were like. I was pleasantly surprised to see that often times the recipes are reasonable in points even if they're not labeled "diet" or "light." For example, the Chicken and Vegetable Tortellini Soup I made earlier this week was about 5 points per 1 1/2 cup serving. It's terrifically yummy and hearty enough to eat for a main course at dinner. And yesterday I made a Turkey and Vegetable Stew which was about 6 points per serving.

If you've got a few crockpot recipe books or magazines, have a look at them and you might be surprised. And even if you don't, have a look at the checkouts of your local grocery store - crockpot books come out of the woodwork this time of year. True, some recipes can be high in points, but there's usually a way to reduce the points value by substituting lower fat ingredients (like reduced-fat cream of chicken soup, non-fat sour cream, fat-free chicken broth etc.)