Chicken Leftovers

In my last post, I roasted one tasty chicken. There was plenty of leftover meat on that little bodybuilder, so I stripped the bone of all the white and dark meat (which I separated). What to do with all this delicious chicken? I mean, standing in front of an open fridge holding a leftovers container of cold meat is nice and all, but it gets kinda routine after a while. Instead, I decided I was going to use the pie crust and one of the several cylinders of crescent rolls and make a chicken pot pie!!

This was supposed to be for 6 people. It was for the two boys and me... its gone.

Easy peasy, right? Right!! And delicious. It was just a pie crust (which you really don't need for this recipe), one container of crescent rolls, can of cream of chicken condensed soup, 1/2 cup of milk, 2 cups of mixed vegetables, 1 small russet potato (cut and cooked), and plenty of leftover chicken. If you are gonna use the pie crust, make sure to first spray your pie pan, then put in the pie crust. Now, what I forgot to do was to bake it in the oven til it gets a little golden (about 10-12 minutes at 350F)... it didn't ruin the pot pie by any means, it just could've been even better!

I prefer a slightly runnier filling, but you can do two cans of soup
instead of adding milk to get a thick filling.

While you're baking your pie crust, mix together all the other ingredients, except for the crescent rolls. Salt, pepper, season to taste. Once the pie crust is ready, pour the mixture in the pan. Cover with the crescent rolls all flattened out. Bake for 25-30 minutes at 350F or until the top crust is golden-brown. Serve. Get seconds before everyone else does. Really, it was so good, the boys ate thirds directly from the pan.

Soooooo good!

Happy eating, my friends!

PS - Tomorrow I'll tell you what I did with the bones!

Roasted Chicken

Chicken. Its a staple in our household. BBQ chicken quarters, chicken breast in basically everything, ground chicken tacos or chili. Deliciousness! But I haven't really gotten into a whole chicken. I did butcher one about a year ago, but I haven't cooked one myself... until now!!

Lighting in my kitchen is terrible for my phone,
but this guy looks like he spent the summer on a beach.

Last night, I roasted a whole 8lb. chicken for dinner and it was the juiciest, tastiest chicken I've ever had! So what did I do to accomplish this feat? Practically nothing.

Take out the chicken, take out the neck and giblets, and let it come to room temperature while you preheat the oven to 450F.

Once its at room temperature, pat the chicken dry, inside, outside, top, bottom, all over. Completely dry!

Profusely sprinkle salt and pepper on the inside and the outside of the chicken.

Now you gotta truss up this bird. Quite kinky. Start with it breast side up, take a 2ft. piece of twine, put the center under the tail, cross the end and loop around the legs to pull the legs together, flip the chicken over and tuck in the wings, use the twine to keep the wings tucked, pull the twine tight and tie a knot at the neck, then cut off the extra string, and turn it back to breast up.

You really need a pan and a rack to keep the bottom from burning, they're available at any grocery store. Now, here is a VERY important point. After you put the chicken on the rack and the rack in the pan, you should put 1-2 cups of water down in the pan. What for, you ask. Smoke. See, the first time I made this chicken, I filled out apartment with smoke, the alarm went off, all the windows had to be thrown open, and I threw a bit of a fit. It was the drippings, salt, and pepper burning in the pan! So, this time, I put a little water in the pan and put more about halfway through cooking to prevent smoking. It still smoked a little bit, but nothing too bad.

Moral of that paragraph, put water in the roasting pan.

Bawk bawk. Time to go in the oven!

The cooking time is 50-60, but it goes about 80 minutes for my oven. But, the main point is to cook your chicken to at least 165F on a meat thermometer stuck in the breast where it meets the thigh.

Once you get the chicken cooked, take that sucker out and leave him alone! Yes, let him sit. Let him chill for about 15-20 minutes so the juices that are running about can soak into the delicious meat. After you let the chicken hang out for a while, just carve up the amount you're going to eat now. Then after dinner you can pack up the leftovers for some delicious sandwiches, chicken soup, and chicken pot pies! Don't forget to keep the bones and wingtips to make some chicken stock!

Happy cooking, my friends!

Professional Winter Clothing

South Carolina, hot and muggy summers and winters worthy of one, maybe two, extra layers.
New Jersey, hot and muggy summers and winters that will chill your bones.

This will be my fourth winter up here and I am looking forward to the everyday winter wear, I figured that out last winter. But I still work at the UN and that makes the winter clothing a bit more difficult to figure out... sub-tropical apartment, freezing bus stop, overheated bus, freezing bus stop, warm bus with frequent stops, very blustery 5 minute walk into the UN, (hopefully) cozy inside. So I have to figure out how to dress for 2-3 different climates in a single day.

Googling "women's professional winter clothing" yields some good answers---layer, layer, layer!!
I've got the coats down pat, but its the underlayers that I'm still trying to figure out. How professional does a nice, cozy, warm sweater really look? Does anyone even care? Perhaps I should invest in a dozen pairs of tights.

Now remember, "I ain't no size 2." That makes buying winter clothes particularly challenging--adding too many layers and I look like one of those jumbo size campfire marshmallows, too few layers and I freeze and get super cranky.

Here's what I've learned... leggings are AWESOME underneath jeans or work slacks. Wearing a cami and a long sleeve shirt underneath everything is great for protection against the wind. Scarf, hat, gloves are all necessities. Bring an extra bag to work (grab a cute tote or something) to throw your extra layers in.

I know this isn't really a "health" blog post, but it's good information for anyone trying to figure out how to deal with the winter up here.

Cheers!

M

Running? What is that?

Hello again!

Matt and I have started running. I don't really know why we decided to do that... maybe to help Matt quit smoking (that didn't go as well), maybe because I've started feeling restless with winter coming on, or maybe because I'm trying to get in some shape besides round. Anyhoo, we have started to run occasionally. It should be more often, but we have to get some running gear (he needs some shoes, I need some running pants and a jacket).

Have you heard of Couch-to-5K? That's what we are trying to do. We ran the first week of exercises over about 2 weeks... then it got ridiculously cold and we, being from the South, were terrified into staying inside. I think it also rained. We gave up for a week and completely regretted it. So tomorrow we are going to buy some running gear. And we are signing up for a 5K in December!! Matt and I are gonna run the Jingle Bell 5K on December 5th.

So here we are... I'm starting up my blog (again) and starting to run... should be interesting.


Stay tuned!!

Counting Calories

I have always believed that counting calories is detrimental to the diet process. I think it leads to a hateful, resentful relationship with food. Food is necessary to live and it brings happiness, why hate it? Because when you are counting calories, that bear claw you're craving that has 800 calories is the enemy. And no one wants to hate pastries.
Anywho, James convinced me to download "Livestrong Lite - Calorie Counter." I whined and moaned, but I downloaded it. We discovered that, in order to lose 2 pounds a week, James is restricted to 1899 calories and I am restricted to 1665 calories a day.
At first it seemed easy, until you add in all the grazing we do. For those who don't know, grazing is when you wander in and out of the kitchen snacking on chips, cheese, munchies, or whatever. Yesterday, my grazing accounted for 20% of my caloric intake. Definitely going to need to watch that.

Next blog post: chicken rice bowls for 350 calories!

Eventual blog post: examining my emotional relationship with food and sharing a few secrets

Keep walking!

Meredith

Fresh start

Oh hello again. It's been quite a while since I have written my last entry to the vegan blog that last occupied this page--nearly a year it seems. Anywho, I have decided to start up my blog again. This time with a different angle, starting to truly help myself. This blog will consist of a food journal, exercise journal, recipes, and a confessional. Let's begin!

I am definitely significantly overweight... I don't believe in numbers, but my weight puts in a danger category. I have been overweight since my very early teens, but the weight just keeps on packing on. Now, my genetics are partially to blame, but my own actions are even more to blame. I am terrible about emotional eating.

Happy? Eat!
Sad? Eat!
Frustrated? Eat!
Bored? Eat!

This clearly is a vicious cycle. Now, if I were eating a head of lettuce every time I got emotional, we wouldn't be having this conversation. However, instead, I eat junk food. I am a junk food addict. I love anything high in fat and sugars. This habit (addiction) has taken its toll on me. I am in the prime candidate range for developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, joint problems, and a host of other weight related issues.

But after an absolute breakdown last night, I have decided that I will put myself on the path of recovery. As such, I have developed a list of rules that I must follow in order to help myself feel better:

1. Exercise at least 30 minutes a day, preferably an hour.
2. Cut out sodas, candy, and refined sugars.
3. Go gluten-free.* 
4. Cut out red meat and processed meat.
5. Limit alcohol to one drink, two times a week.
6. Cut out trans fats.

Now, I am not doing this alone because battles and wars are not fought and won by a single soldier. Therefore, my dear husband, James, will be joining me in this fight. 

*Gluten free! Gluten is a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley and pretty much everything else! Guten free diets are recommended to those who suffer from celiac disease, gastrointestinal inflammation caused by gluten. Neither James or I suffer from celiac disease, but I do show signs of gluten allergy that leads to severe and frequent sinus infections. Also, studies show a significant improvement in ADHD and Aspergers symptoms when gluten is cut from the diet. In order to cut down on all of these issues, we are going gluten free. 

For more information, visit: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/gluten-free-diet/my0114

Okay, well, join me on my journey and stay tuned for updates!

Meredith

Black Bean Cakes

James and I visited a restaurant called Sunny Point Cafe in Asheville, NC during one of our days off at camp. Oh. Em. Gee! Absolutely recommend this place!
We Googled "best breakfast in Asheville NC" and Sunny Point came up first and multiple times... so that's where we were goin.
The menu is deliciously extensive with very simple foods that they have made culinarily complex and delicious! James asked the waitress what was Sunny Point's claim to fame... she immediately said the Huevos Rancheros (which I had been eyeing something fierce). Apparently the HR was featured on Good Morning America as the best breakfast in America!!! Obviously I got that and James got their Breakfast Sandwich (also tasty).
Well here is the menu's description of the Huevos Rancheros:
Savory black bean cakes served with Snow Creek chorizo sausage, feta cheese, roasted tomatillo salsa, and herb tossed red skin spuds topped with two free range eggs any style, cilantro crema, and crisp tortilla strips.
Oh, yes, please!!!
I nearly cried with the deliciousness of this dish and was threatening James with a fork if he took more than one bite.


Well, here we are, a month or so later and I am craving Huevos Rancheros like its my job! And in spite of the fact that it is definitely not vegan, I am challenging myself to make something that remotely harks back to that plate of heaven.


But, here's the vegan part--- BLACK BEAN CAKES!  mmmmmmm... rather good actually.
So, I know that Gina was looking for good vegan burger recipes... and I think I found one! Now, I did try the just plain black bean patty and it was... okay, but it would be great with BBQ sauce, lettuce, and a slice of pineapple (add cheddar or provolone to really throw it over the edge), or whatever burger toppings you desire.

Black Bean Cakes (12-16 small patties)
2 15-oz cans cooked black beans
2 tbl canola oil
2 tbl yellow onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp ground cumin (add a little chili powder too)
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup masa de harina (Mexican flour... we used regular flour)

Rinse and drain black beans.
In a small saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon canola oil over medium heat.
Cook onion, garlic, cumin, and salt until onions are translucent.k
Place drained beans and onion mixture in a small mixing bowl and mix together with an electric beater (don't beat them to puree, just enough to break up the beans).
Gradually add flour, allowing mixture to absorb it before adding more. Should be a dough-like mixture when you're done with this part.
Test dough by rolling it in the palm of your hand.
Add more flour if it sticks to your hand until it doesn't stick and holds the shape of a ball.
Divide the dough into 16 small balls and flatten into cakes.
Place a large skillet or griddle over medium heat and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of canola oil to the pan.
Cook cakes until lightly browned on each side, about 3 to 5 minutes per side.


And there you go! Black bean patties. If you really want a meaty flavor, use a beef bouillon cube (vegan if you can find it) and water to reconstitute some TVP (to be explained later) to mix into the recipe, just cut the beans down in half.


Enjoy!