Archive for March, 2010

Chicken Licken

March 29, 2010 · Filed under Chicken · Tagged

There are so many great recipes that call for shredded chicken.  Enchiladas, tortilla soup, casseroles, chicken salad, pasta dishes…the list goes on and on.  This is my favorite Roasted Chicken Recipe.  The recipe calls for two chickens which is so smart!  The reason being is the first one can be a meal in itself, preferable on a Sunday evening.  I serve it hot out of the oven with a yummy rice dish, and a big green salad.  After dinner I take the leftovers and shred them with the 2nd chicken I baked.  Placing the shredded chicken in a ziplock I am set for any number of recipes I may want to make that week!
 
This recipe comes from Cristina Ferrare’s Family Entertaining and I have been using it for a few years now…it is easy, and FLAVORFUL!
 
 

Ingredients:

Roasted Chicken:
  • 2 chickens , 4 1/2 to 5 pounds each
  • 6 lemons
  • A poultry mix of fresh herbs: Rosemary, sage, thyme, parsley and oregano work well

Marinade for one chicken:

  • 1 cup Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 cup soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup juice from fresh lemon (don’t discard lemon rinds)

Directions:

To make marinade: Place all ingredients in a nonreactive bowl.  Whisk with a wire whisk until ingredients are incorporated well—the marinade should have a smooth and creamy consistency.

To make roasted chicken: Preheat oven to 425°.

Clean chickens well and pat dry. Place each chicken in its own baking dish.

Stuff cavities with lemon rinds and fresh herbs. A poultry mix is fine, usually consisting of rosemary, sage, thyme, parsley and oregano.

Pour marinade over chicken. Add cracked pepper and remaining herbs to the top of each chicken.

Place an oven thermometer in each chicken and cover with aluminum foil. Place on the lower rack of the oven. Bake for 1 1/2 hours, then remove the aluminum foil. Baste with a basting bulb. Keep basting often, every 15 minutes until the thermometer reads 180°.

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Get Your Green ON

March 20, 2010 · Filed under Shake It Up!!! · Tagged , , , ,

So another St. Patty’s Day has passed, but keep getting your GREEN ON!

This is an easy AND delicious way, to sneak in some GREEN!

Get Your Greens Smoothie

Serves 2

Who knew it could be so easy and delicious to incorporate greens into your morning routine (courtesy of your local Whole Foods)!

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups plain almond milk, rice milk or hemp milk
1 1/2 cups packed baby spinach
1 1/2 cups frozen cherries or berries

DIRECTIONS

Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Pour into glasses and serve.

Get Your Greens On 411:    120 calories (20 from fat),  24g total carbohydrate (4g dietary fiber, 20g sugar), 3g protein

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Sticker Shock, 9 is the numer we are looking for!

March 19, 2010 · Filed under 411, Fruit, Organics, Veggies · Tagged , ,

You know those annoying little stickers you have to peel off your fruit?  Well they are ACTUALLY super-secret code that we were probably never meant to decifer….but guess what?  It is the 21st Century and it is time to stop looking the other way and ask “Why is this sticker on my apple?”

The sticker is there my friends to tell you:

1)  I am clean to eat 

A five digit code starting with “9″ means the product was organically grown (that’s right organically!!!)

so 9-4-2-0-3 = GOOD FOR ME

2) Enjoy me, I am covered in tons of pesticides and other things you can’t pronounce

Produce that is conventionally grown with synthetic pesticides, etc. is a 4 digit number starting with a 4  as in 4265

& 3)  (This is my favorite)  I have been tampered with and I am GMO’s…Gentically Modified My friends!!

A five digit code starting with “8″ means the product is genetically modified (can we all say LAME Mr. Fruit Grower!  I feed this stuff to my babies!!!)

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A Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides

March 17, 2010 · Filed under Advice from the Experts, Fruit, Grocery List, Store Fav's, Organics, Veggies · Tagged ,

Print it and take it with you when you shop!!  (Great tip Tracy)

This list gives you the Dirty Dozen and the Clean 15, as well as some basic info.

http://www.foodnews.org/EWG-shoppers-guide-download-final.pdf

This list gives you a more comprehensive overview of 47 commonly eaten fruits and veggies

http://www.foodnews.org/fulllist.php

The Full List: 47 Fruits & Veggies

 

RANK FRUIT OR VEGGIE SCORE
1 (worst) Peach 100 (highest pesticide load)
2 Apple 93
3 Sweet Bell Pepper 83
4 Celery 82
5 Nectarine 81
6 Strawberries 80
7 Cherries 73
8 Kale 69
9 Lettuce 67
10 Grapes – Imported 66
11 Carrot 63
12 Pear 63
13 Collard Greens 60
14 Spinach 58
15 Potato 56
16 Green Beans 53
17 Summer Squash 53
18 Pepper 51
19 Cucumber 50
20 Raspberries 46
21 Grapes – Domestic 44
22 Plum 44
23 Orange 44
24 Cauliflower 39
25 Tangerine 37
26 Mushrooms 36
27 Banana 34
28 Winter Squash 34
29 Cantaloupe 33
30 Cranberries 33
31 Honeydew Melon 30
32 Grapefruit 29
33 Sweet Potato 29
34 Tomato 29
35 Broccoli 28
36 Watermelon 26
37 Papaya 20
38 Eggplant 20
39 Cabbage 17
40 Kiwi 13
41 Sweet Peas – Frozen 10
42 Asparagus 10
43 Mango 9
44 Pineapple 7
45 Sweet Corn – Frozen 2
46 Avocado 1
47 (best) Onion 1 (lowest pesticide load)

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Don’t miss Oprah tomorrow!!!

March 11, 2010 · Filed under 411, Advice from the Experts · Tagged

Oprah has Michael Pollan on tomorrow (my Food Hero) and it looks like it will be a very informative AND educational show for those of us that care what we are eating!

http://www.oprah.com/showinfo/Food-101-with-Michael-Pollan

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White Bean Chili…SLOWLY

March 8, 2010 · Filed under Slow Cooker Options, Soups & Chilis · Tagged

One of the things I love about this blog is chatting with my friends about food!  In thinking about eating healthy people remember of all the yummy recipes they have in their vaults that are actually pretty darn HEALTHY!  If you have a yummy recipe email it to me, we are all in this together! 

This recipe comes from my gal pal Stephanie in Boise and the family INHALED it! (This included a 2-year-old who is visiting)  I must say I usually strike out with crock pot recipes (bland, boring, tasteless) but this one is the real deal!  Easy and full of flavor!

Thanks Steph!

White Bean Chili in the Crock Pot


Makes 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

Three (3) 15-oz. cans Great Northern beans, drained – (AKA cannellini beans)
8 oz. cooked and shredded chicken breasts
1 cup chopped onions
1 1/2 cups chopped red bell peppers
2 jalapeno chili peppers, stemmed, seeded, and chopped (optional/ and I used one small can)
2 garlic cloves, minced (or two Trader Joe’s frozen garlic cubes)
2 tsp. group cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
sour cream
shredded cheddar cheese
tortilla chips

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine all ingredients except sour cream, cheddar cheese and tortilla chips in slow cooker.
(If you are going to be around you can add the onions and peppers about 1 hour before completion for a bit more crunch)
2. Cover. Cook on Low 8-10 hours, or High 4-5 hours.
3. Ladle into bowls and top individual servings as desired: sour cream, greek yogurt, cheese, cilantro, lime wedges, chopped tomatoes, diced red onion, guacamole and chips.

Enjoy!

The 411 on the White Bean Chili: Calories 193/ Fat 3g/cholesterol 34 mg/Fiber 6g/Protein 21g

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Yummy Peanut Butter,Yucky Peanut Butter!

March 1, 2010 · Filed under 411, Costco, Eat this - Not that, kids, Organics, Products I can't live without · Tagged ,

 

 Organic Creamy Peanut Butter

2 Tbsp

(Costco Kirkland Brand)

   Regular Creamy Peanut Butter2 Tbsp

(Jif Brand)
Calories 200 Calories 200
Protein 9 grams Protein 7 grams
Total Fat 16 grams Total Fat 16 grams
Saturated Fat 3 grams Saturated Fat 3 grams
Trans Fat 0 grams Trans Fat 0 grams (umm, not really see below)
Cholesterol 0 mg Cholesterol 0 mg
Sodium 45 mg Sodium 150mg
Total Carbs 7 g Total Carbs 7g
Dietary Fiber 2 grams Dietary Fiber 2 grams
Sugars 2 grams Sugars 3 grams
   
   
IngredientsDry roasted organic peanuts and salt. IngredientsMADE FROM ROASTED PEANUTS AND SUGAR. CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF: MOLASSES, FULLY HYDROGENATED VEGETABLE OILS (RAPESEED AND SOYBEAN), MONO AND DIGLYCERIDES, SALT.
   

 

Ounce for Ounce these 2 Peanut Butters look pretty similar?  Yep, that is the kicker.  The only glaring difference is that Jif has 3 times more salt!  But this is America, land of the loopholes.  The 2% or less (per serving, not jar) allows companies to post 0 trans fats as long as there is less than half a gram in a serving.  A serving is two tablespoons. Two percent would be 9 grams of trans fat per 454 gram jar.

Does peanut butter REALLY need to be Organic?  Pesticides and the peanuts: Peanuts are one of the most highly sprayed crops out there.  You decide.  My kids eat so much of the stuff it is a no-brainer for me.

If your peanut butter is SOLID when you put the knife in it has trans fat, that is why an oil that should not be solid is!  Period. 

Tips for dealing with the oil:

The oil in peanuts is monounsaturated, and diets high in this type of fat have been shown to lower levels of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol while preserving levels of HDL (“good”) cholesterol. Peanut oil also contains beta-sitosterol, a plant sterol that studies show can inhibit cancer growth.

Sure, you could dump the oil, but I say keep it! So here is how to have less mess

  • Store the PB upside down before opening it!  The oil will rise to the bottom of the jar and then you can sir it back in with less mess.
  • If you just want to dump it, try dumping half
  • Dump all the oil out mix PB by adding it back in a bit at a time

*I would also like to note my girlfriend told me she didn’t buy organic peanut butter because she has no room in her fridge!  I thought “Oh crud, I have never put it in the fridge!”  I promptly came home and checked and Costco’s Organic PB does not need to be refrigerated!

 

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