Improvise!

My friend Katie and I were talking, when she told me she forgot to get an ingredient for a recipe she planned to make for dinner tonight, chicken broth. I personally hate going to the store for that 1 ingredient, because it almost never fails, ya' end up coming out with half the weekly special because 'they were on sale just this week'.

So we put our heads together, and tried to think of things she may have now, that could make do. Bouillon? nope. Chicken noodle soup? YES! We've decided that if she mixes the soup in a bow, adds the called-for amount of water and then drains out the noodles, she will be left with a sort-of chicken broth! No one will ever be able to tell the difference, and she can stay in her jammies!

I used to think recipes would well.. make my kitchen combust if you got one ingredient or direction wrong, but boy have I learned I was wrong! The kitchen is all about improvising.. and who knows, you may just like your way better!

If you're interested, here's the recipe. Very Low Fat Broccoli Chicken Stir Fry

Delicious Chicken Recipe!

Delicious Chicken Recipe!

This is my favourite way to cook my chicken. I adapted it from a recipe I found online (click here for original).

It can be done in the crockpot (mine cooks it in around 4 hours on low, but mine is pretty intense). If you like it crispy you can add the herb mix to some flour (about a cup, depending on the amount of chicken you have) and bake in the oven (30-45 mins). This results in a home-made shake and bake. I do it both ways, depending on how much time I have etc, both are delicious!

I use thighs with skin (I am a skin fan, sorry if that’s gross) and bone-in, but really you can use whatever you like, just adapt the cooking time to suit. These measurements are just a guide, I don’t usually measure anymore.

Ingredients

1-2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons paprika

1 pinch cayenne pepper

1 teaspooon thyme

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1 cup chopped onion

Your choice of chicken

1 cup of flour (if you choose to cook it in the oven)

Procedure:

1. Throw all the ingredients together and cover the chicken in the mixture, shake and bake style, or just a rub.

2. Cook in crockpot (4-6 hours), result is a tender and delicious yummyness.

Cook in oven (30-45 min), result is crispy and delicious yummyness. 

Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip

     I know this is way out of season, but it's delicious and definitely worth a try. I made it this past Christmas for my family dinner, and it was a big hit!

Cranberry Cream Cheese Dip

Time: 15 minutes prep + 4 hours refrigeration

Ingredients:

1  12 oz package fresh cranberries

1/4 C green onion, chopped

1/4 C cilantro, chopped

1 small jalapeno pepper

1 1/4 C sugar

1/4 t cumin

2 T lemon juice

dash salt

2  8 oz packages cream cheese

Process:

1.  Run cranberries through a food processor, or chop them up.

2.   Chop green onion, cilantro, and jalapeno pepper into small pieces (Remember the seeds of the jalapeno are HOT, it’s a good idea to wear gloves to protect your hands, and don’t rub your eyes!!).

3.   Add all ingredients, except the cream cheese and the wheat thins, into a bowl. Mix them all together, cover and store in the fridge for at least 4 hours. This gives the cranberries time to sweeten.

4.   When you are ready to serve, place your cream cheese bricks on a plate, spread the cream cheese out as evenly as you can, and add the cranberry mixture to the top and spread around.

5.   Serve with crackers and enjoy!

Remember, recipes like this can be adapted however you see fit. I used canned whole cranberries as I couldn’t find fresh cranberries when I did the grocery shopping. It was still delicious so I can only imagine how fantastic it would be from scratch! The point is, the combination of the cranberries, herbs, and the cream cheese together is wonderful. You can also leave the jalapenos out if you don’t like the heat!

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Wormy Apples!

Regarding apples, here's a cute and fun snack that is fairly healthy for kids.

Bore a hole in an apple with a STRONG plastic straw, cut the apple in half and scoop out the middle. 

Fill hole with peanut butter (works well to keep apple together and tastes yummy, plus it's a source of protein.) 

Add gummy worm and put apple back together. Voila! 

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Metabolism Boosting Foods

Healthy Eating

Cowboy Caviar

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

1 1/2 tsp Olive Oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1/8 tsp. pepper

1 firm avacado

1 can black beans

1 can corn

1/3 c. sliced green onion

2/3 c. chopped cilantro

1/2 lb. tomatoes, coarsely chopped

sea salt to taste

a squeeze of fresh lemon juice

Directions:

Dice your ingredients and mix all together right before serving.

How to Serve:

With tortilla chips as a dip, a filler for tacos or on lettuce for a southwestern salad!

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Healthy Eating & Losing Weight

Here's some tips and tricks to eating healthier whether it's at home or in a fast food restaurant.

I kept track of what I was eating using an Excel spreadsheet, but myfitnesspal.com is another way you can keep track of what you eat. The benefit to keeping track is so you know what foods are bette for you. I also used a Weight Watchers app on Android which gave me the number of points to consume (based on the information I gave) then it would convert whatever I ate to points which is one of the main reasons why I lost weight. It's also why I kept an excel spreadsheet.

Now watching what you eat/going on a diet doesn't mean you can't eat out at restaurants. I can eat at Wendy's, McDonald's, and other places and not gain anything. How? You can get their nutritional information from their websites which helps you plan your meals before you go. Some are a PDF that you can save (like Wendy's) and can look at it anytime you need to whereas others you have to go back to the site. Overtime this will become second nature and you won’t need to resort to the nutritional information that often unless you want to change it up. With the android app, you can see how many points the food will give you before you order it.

One other thing that I have used is a Green Tea Appetite Suppressant (Walgreens brand) which is about $6 for 30 pills. The directions say take 2 a day, but I was taking one a day and still lost weight; however, everyone is different including their bodies so do what works for you.

Eating  healthy and losing weight is not an easy task, but it is a rewarding one plus it can be completely customized to what you want.

Now unless you have an Android phone, you won’t be able to bring the app with you because I’d doubt you’d want to carry a tablet around while grocery shopping (I know I wouldn’t). If you look up the company and/or food then you might be able to find the nutritional information which will help you plan your trip. If you can’t then do what I do: shop whole grains/wheat, buy fresh fruit or frozen fruit – NOT the canned because it actually isn’t that good for you. If you have thyroid disease – avoid eating too many raw veggies (more on that later) plus your diet can be more complex than someone without it.

I hope this helps steer you in a direction :)

Grilled Cheeseburger Wrap

I love hamburgers, a lot. I love finding new ways to eat them, too. This is the most 'clean-eating' recipe/idea I've seen yet. You have to try it.

Ingredients :

1 lb ground beef

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (I used a little more to taste)

1 tablespoon ketchup

1 teaspoon dried minced onion

pepper and salt to taste

5 flour tortillas (the larger ones)

shredded cheddar cheese

sliced tomatoes

yellow mustard

Directions :

• Brown ground beef in large skillet and drain.
• Add Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, dried onion, and salt and pepper to the beef and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Sprinkle shredded cheese down center of each tortilla. Add a few heaping tablespoons of the beef mixture on top of the cheese.
• Spread some mustard on top of the beef along with some slices of tomato.
• Roll up tortilla burrito-style and place wraps on preheated grill (either indoor or outdoor)
• Grill wraps for about 5 minutes until cheese is melted. Cut on a diagonal and serve immediately.

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Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken Enchiladas with Red Chili Sauce

Ingredients :

1 medium onion, chopped fine

2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped fine

1 teaspoon canola oil

3 medim cloves garlic, minced

3 Tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons ground cumin

3 teaspoons sugar

1 15-oz can tomato sauce

1 cup water

1 large beefsteak tomato, seeded and chopped

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (2 large breasts)

1 cup extra sharp white cheddar, shredded

1 cup monterey jack cheese, shredded

1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro

12 (6-inch) soft corn tortillas

cooking spray

salt and ground black pepper

Directions :

Preheat oven to 425.

Combine the onion, jalapeno, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and oil in a large saucepan. cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, until the onions and peppers have softened, 8-10 minutes.

Stir in the garlic, chili powder, cumin, and sugar, and cook until fragrant, less than 30 seconds.

Stir in the tomato sauce, water, and chopped tomato. Bring to a simmer, and cook until slightly thickened, 5 minutes.

Nestle the chicken into the sauce. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until chicken is cooked through (thickest part reaches 160 degrees), about 12-20 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate, and set aside to cool.

Strain the sauce through a strainer into a medium bowl, pressing the onion mixture to extract as much liquid as possible. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside. Season sauce with additional salt and pepper to taste.

Shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces, add to the onion mixture, and add 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce (drippings strained into the bowl), 1 cup cheese, and the cilantro. Stir to combine.

Stack the tortillas on a plate; Microwave on high until warm and pliable, 40-60 seconds. Spread the tortillas on a clean work surface, and spoon 1/3 cup of the chicken mixture evenly down the center of each. Tightly roll each tortilla and lay seam-side down in a greased 9x13 inch baking dish.

Lightly spray the tops of the enchiladas with cooking spray. Place in the oven, uncovered, for about 7 minutes, or until the tortillas start to brown slightly (skip this step if you don't like the crunch).

Reduce heat to 400. Remove enchiladas and pour enchilada sauce (remaining drippings strained in the bowl) evenly on top. Top with the remaining cheese.

Cover dish with foil, and bake an additional 20 minutes, or until heated through.

Remove foil and bake another 5 minutes, until cheese browns. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Serve with sour cream, guacamole, salsa, additional cilantro, etc.

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Easy Peasy Baked Potatoes

I love baked potatoes like no other, but I hate all the prep work included. Especially turning on the oven when it's hot and humid out. Here's a great way to get baked potatoes, without making your house into a sauna.

Ingredients :

As many potatoes that you can fit into your crock pot / however many you want or need.

Directions :

• Wash your potatoes well and let them dry. Then wrap each potato in a piece of foil (no need for pricking them).
• Place the foil wrapped potatoes in your crock pot.
• Cook on low for 8 hours.

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Maple Bacon Biscuit Bake

You've read the title, need I say more? Sweet, Chewy, Gooey .. droolworthy!

Ingredients :

Syrup

1/2 lb. bacon, cooked until medium-brown

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

Biscuits

2 cup all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 cup cold, unsalted butter

1 cup cold milk or buttermilk

Directions :

• Preheat oven to 475 degrees F.
• Lightly grease an 8" square pan.
• Chop the cooked bacon into 1/2" pieces.
• Combine the bacon with the remaining syrup ingredients, stirring until well combined.
• Spread the syrup/bacon mixture on the bottom of the prepared pan.
• Whisk the dry ingredients for the biscuits together in a bowl. Work in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Add the milk or buttermilk, stirring to make a sticky dough.
• Drop the dough in heaping tablespoonfuls on top of the syrup in the pan.
• Bake the biscuits for 10 minutes. Turn the oven off, and leave them in the oven for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, until golden.
• Remove the biscuits from the oven, and immediately turn the pan over onto a serving plate. Lift off the pan, and scrape any syrup left in the pan onto the biscuits. Pull biscuits apart to serve.

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Kids & Nutrition

I don't have kids, but I do know that kids should not be automatically put into the 'typical kid' mold of only liking chicken nuggets and hot dogs. I heard someone say the only day, after being asked why her child only eats cereal and fruit juice "She's a typical kid, all kids are like this until they're a teenager then they eat only pizza and fries". She was very serious about this, and definitely didn't say this in a joking manner.

Some cereal is great, don't get me wrong, but to eat this and only this, and to think it's acceptable not to try to introduce anything else because 'he/she wont like it, don't bother' is simply insane! I'm pretty sure her daughter wasn't eating Kashi cereal, either.

This is exactly the mindset of a parent who will have a future fussy eater, then wonder why! I've personally see this happen with my own eyes, and it's sad. There are so many different foods and experiences to have around food, that the child won't have when they're older because they'll be too fussy to try. I've been to lunch with a friend, who, on the entire menu, only liked the french fries, he was that picky.

It's sad to see people give up on nutrition and health, and I wish I could flip a switch to make them care.

Here's to one of many posts about children and nutrition!

Food Rules

This is from the first world war. Apparently times haven't changed that much.

The Basics Of Herbs

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Low Fat Baked General Tso Chicken

General Tso is one of my favorite things to order at a Chinese restaurant. I've wanted to make it for so long, but I'm partial to using the deep fryer. If I have to, I like to fry more than one recipe, per say, so that I don't have to turn it on again for a while. When I found this baked version, I nearly jumped out of my seat with excitement. Oh, and bonus points for it being low fat!

The recipe itself is a tad tricky, so bear with me - It's all worth it, trust me!

First, you're going to need 2-3 pounds of skinless boneless chicken breast, cut into strips.

Then, an egg wash consisting of 1 egg and 2 tbsp water (Pour into a plate or dish)

Flour Mixture Ingredients :

1 cup flour

½ tsp black pepper

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

3 tbsp ground ginger

2 tsp salt

Mix all these ingredients, and put into a plate or dish.

General Tso Sauce Ingredients :

4 tbsp soya sauce

4 tbsp rice wine vinegar (white wine vinegar is fine in a pinch)

¼ cup water

2 tbsp toasted sesame seed oil

2 tbsp hot chilli paste or sauce (use more or less to taste if you don’t like it very hot)

½ tsp salt

2 tsp corn starch

3 cloves minced garlic

3 tbsp freshly grated ginger

Mix all the sauce ingredients in a bowl and set this mixture aside

To boil :

1 cup of sugar

1 cup of water

Now that we've got the ingredients all figured out, lets move on to the directions.

Dip the chicken pieces in the egg wash then dredge them in the flour mixture. Place on a lightly oiled baking sheet and lightly drizzle or the tops with a little more olive oil. Bake at 375 degrees F for about 25-3o minutes. Flip the pieces at half way through the cooking time.

While the chicken is baking, prepare your sauce. Don’t walk away from this sauce; it gets very hot when making the caramel base and can burn easily so pay careful attention while cooking it.

In a medium sauce pan boil the sugar and water.

Boil this over medium heat, watching constantly until the caramel starts to turn a light amber color and you can begin to smell the caramel. When it reaches this stage, give the other ingredients in the bowl (General Tso Sauce Ingredients) a quick stir to make sure the corn starch is dissolved then add it all at once to the hot caramel.

Be careful at this stage because this sauce can foam up considerably for a few seconds and it is very hot. Simmer for only few minutes and remove from the heat and allow to cool down slightly.

Toss the sauce with the cooked chicken pieces and serve over plain steamed rice.

Nutella Mug Cake

Ingredients

4 tablespoons self rising flour

4 tablespoons white granulated sugar

1 egg

3 tablespoons cocoa powder

3 tablespoons Nutella

3 tablespoons milk

3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a large coffee mug. Whisk well with a fork until smooth. Microwave on high for 1 1/2 – 3 minutes. (Time depends on microwave wattage. Mine took 1-2 minutes.) Top with whipped cream and a little chocolate sauce if desired.

Note: Depending on the wattage of your microwave, you may have to increase cooking time.

Makes 1 very large serving.

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The Fine Print

This isn't a post about a recipe, but yet the fine print to my recipes. I do re-post recipes from other sources, whether I find it on Pinterest, AllRecipes or on another blog. If I do get it from a private source, where I can link, I will add the link to the post, as a linkback.. just courtesy. I want to share all the amazing recipes I come across, not just the ones I think up.

This is so I can share more great recipes! If anyone has any questions, please comment here with them and i'd be more than happy to answer any of them.

My Apple Peeve

I'm starting to get more and more disgusted with pre-packaged foods. After getting a box of crackers at the grocery store, and reading the ingredients, 7 out of 10 items I wasn't able to pronounce.

Not to mention last night I saw a girl flaunting her 'convenience' pack, of somewhat dried apples. Her big selling point was that it was only 90 calories. It was a tiny package, held maybe half an apples worth. Below is a chart on the calories in various apples and their nutrition content. Her dried apples were not 'natural' nor did they hold any great title. I can only assume the amount of chemicals used to keep those apples fresh inside the package.

It would be cheaper, and healthier, to go to the produce section of her grocery store, buy a bag of apples, and a box of ziplocs. Voila, convenient apple packs.

Food	Calories (cal)	Total Fats (g)	Carbs (g)	Protein (g)	Per
Fresh Fruit: Apple, Golden Delicious, raw	101	0	25.9	1.2	large, 4 per kg
Fresh Fruit: Apple, Granny Smith, raw	101	0	25.9	1.2	large, 4 per kg
Fresh Fruit: Apple, Jonathon, raw	118	0	29.4	1.2	large, 4 per kg
Fresh Fruit: Apple, Red Delicious, raw	127	0	32.9	1.2	large, 4 per kg

Update : Bulk Meals & Freezer Meals

I'm currently putting together a huge post with all the bulk & freezer meal links/recipes I can find. A one-stop-shop for anyone looking for recipes. The whole reason to bulk and freezer your meals is to save time, having them in one spot definitely will save time!

Look for it coming soon :-)