Book ~ "The Healthy Slow Cooker: 135 Gluten-Free Recipes for Health and Wellness" (2014) Judith Finlayson

From Goodreads ~ Definitions of healthy eating have changed quite dramatically since "The Healthy Slow Cooker" was first published in 2006. In those days it was one size fits all; i.e. low-fat, no saturated fat, low calorie and moving toward nutrient-dense foods.

Now there is a shift in nutritional guidelines and there is significantly more scientific information to add. Many experts report that many modern diseases are directly associated with the consumption of wheat and advocate for a reduction in carbohydrates for beneficial health results. Another significant development is the evidence against saturated fat is gradually diminishing. And at the same time, established dietary guidelines are under increasing scrutiny.

Judith Finlayson takes all this conflicting information and balances it with a common sense approach that can be customized according to individual needs. All the recipes are deliciously nutrient-dense and have a balanced approach that will meet a wide variety of needs in an unbeatable combination of appetizing, healthy meals prepared in a slow cooker.

With such a wide range of recipes, from hearty soups to elegant desserts, preparing nutritious and delicious meals strikes the perfect balance between achieving healthy eating habits and assuring great tastes. More recipes feature fresh herbs and spices as well as advocate the benefits of eating sustainably caught fish and pasture-raised meat. Nutritional analysis is provided with each recipe.

This book paints the nutritional big picture with a wide variety of nutrient-dense foods that have been easily and conveniently prepared in a slow cooker.

We have a couple slow cookers (a small one and a large one) that we use fairly often ... plus we like to try to eat more healthy.  So that's why this book caught my eye.

The book begins with an introduction about eating healthy.  Next is a chapter on using your slow cooker including the basics on size and cooking times, and food safety.

This book includes recipes for:

• Breakfast - Creamy Morning Millet with Apples, Breakfast Rice, Chocolate Atole, etc.
• Starters and snacks - Caramelized Onion Dip, Warm Black Bean Salsa, Yogurt Flatbread, etc.
• Soups - New World Leek and Potato Soup, Southwestern Turkey Chowder, Thai-Style Pumpkin Soup, etc.
• Poultry - Chili with Black Beans and Grilled Chicken, Peppery Turkey Casserole, Indian-style Chicken with Pureed Spinach, etc.
• Fish and seafood - Thai-style Coconut Fish Curry, Poached Halibut with Dill Hollandaise, Shrimp 'n Grits, etc.
• Beef and veal - Onion-braised Brisket, Persian-style Beef with split Peas, Zesty Braised Beef with New Potatoes, etc.
• Pork and lamb - Home-style Pork and Beans, Moroccan-style lamb with Raisins and Apricots, Pork with Pot Likker, etc.
• Vegetarian mains - Ratatouille,Vegetable Chili, Gingery Red Lentils and Spinach and Coconut, etc.
• Sides and sauces - Cheesy Grits, Basic Tomato Sauce, Caramelized Onion Sauce with Arugula, etc.
• Desserts - Basmati Rice Pudding, The Ultimate Baked Apples, Cranberry-spiked Apple Sauce, etc.

There are lots of colourful pictures with recipes plus the ingredients, cooking directions, nutritional data, and tidbits of information including tips, natural wonders and mindful morsels.

Book ~ "The 163 Best Paleo Slow Cooker Recipes: 100% Gluten-Free" (2013) Judith Finlayson

From Goodreads ~ "Delicious and satisfying Paleo diet friendly slow cooker recipes that everyone can enjoy."

Enjoy old standards and new classics with this very topical collection of slow cooker recipes. They've been refined to meet the needs of people who subscribe to the Paleo or Primal lifestyle. The Paleo diet is currently one of the most popular diets being followed today and has been embraced by nearly 1.5 million people in North America. The recipes don't contain any grains or legumes (therefore making all of them gluten-free), no refined sugars, no refined oils or processed ingredients -- the basic principles of the diet.

Slow cookers are hugely popular because they're so convenient and the results so delicious -- all the recipes in this book pay very close attention to Paleo guidelines while also recognizing that there's a wide variety of reasons that people choose to eat Paleo that go beyond weight loss. So there's room to be flexible depending on your personal requirements and expectations of the diet.

It's all here: from great family food to more sophisticated recipes for entertaining, not to mention luscious desserts:

• Starters and Snacks - Eggplant Caviar, Country Terrine, Swedish Meatballs, Braised Tomato Topping 
• Soups - Shrimp Bisque, Double Tomato Soup with Arugula-Walnut Pesto 
• Poultry - Chicken Provencal, Texas-Style Chicken Stew, Tomato-Braised Turkey Breast 
• Fish and Seafood - Braised Swordfish, Caribbean Pepper Pot, Florida Fish Chowder 
• Beef and Veal - Short Ribs in Rich Mushroom Gravy, Meatball Goulash, Mom's Sunday Pot Roast 
• Pork and Lamb - Ancho-Embraced Pork with Tomatillos, Pork Columbo, Irish Stew 
• Meatless Mains - Louisiana Ratatouille, Cumin Beets, Braised Red Cabbage, Onion-Braised Potatoes with Spinach 
• Desserts - The Ultimate Baked Apples, Peruvian Cream.

Now even people who follow the Paleo lifestyle can enjoy easy delectable meals that reflect an outstanding variety of fresh flavors, cuisines and textures.

I've heard of "Paleo" but I didn't know what it was.  We have a slow cooker that I use fairly often.  And with so many people suffering with gluten issues these days, I thought this would be an interesting cookbook to check out.

It starts out by explaining what Paleo is ... Paleo is a diet that is similar to that of our hunter-gatherer ancestors, eating food that is as close to its nature state as possible.  Some key points include:

• increasing your consumption of protein in the form of naturally raised meat and wild fish and seafood
• limiting carbs sources to include fruit and veggies that are low in starch, as well as certain nuts and seeds
• forgetting most of what you have been taught about fat ... as long as it is "natural", fat is fine
• no grains or legumes
• no refined sugars and oils or processed foods

People choose to eat Paleo for a number of reasons including: 

• to lose weight
• to regulate blood sugar levels
• to improve digestive health
• to heal intestinal permeability

The author discusses and justifies foods she has included in the recipes that wouldn't usually be in a Paleo diet like salt, tomatoes, fat, dairy products, etc.  If you are new to slow cooking, you'll find the next chapter helpful because you'll learn the basics of slow cooking.

The recipes are quite detailed with tips, if you can make things ahead, etc.  Here's an example.

For me, the only thing that was missing with the recipes was the nutritional information (calories, amount of protein, etc.).

I'm a fairly fussy eater and was pleasantly surprised that most of the recipes sound really really good and I look forward to trying them.

Here's what we've made from this book:

• Classic Beef Stew
• Down Home Smothered Steak
• Ranch House Chicken Fried Steak

I received a copy of this book at no charge in exchange for my honest review.