Zero Effort Chicken For Dinner

Between the humidity coming up from a storm in Mexico and the temperature gauge hovering around the century mark, cooking is the last thing I want to do, but with my surgery date now 10 days away, I know that I will be making very few meals for the family due to movement restrictions, so I’m doing the deed today. 😉

The pressure cooker is definitely a cook’s friend on days like this! With this recipe you get a bonus of 2 recipes in one! The chicken, plus a bonus flavorful chicken stock that I am using as the base for my cabbage soup. Yum!

chicken-on-cutting-board Chicken is the universal meat from which can spring any meal. My Mom’s go-to was the Zacky Farm’s Cut up Whole Fryer, seems like a good place to start, so that’s where I’ll start. I’ll make it early today and then the mood I’m in about an hour before dinnertime will determine how it ends up being served.

Zero Effort Pressure Cooker Chicken + Yummy Chicken Stock

1 – 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 lb fryer chicken (cut up)
2 TBLS Olive Oil
Zatarain’s Cajun Spice Mixture (Seasoned Salt)
1/2 Medium Yellow Onion
1 – Large Poblano Pepper
5 Cloves Garlic

It should only take you 5 minutes to get all of the ingredients into the pressure cooker. After that it’s pretty much set it and forget it!

Set your pressure cooker to the “Brown” setting.
Pour the Olive Oil into the pressure cooker pan
Cut the pepper in half, remove the seeds and veins, then cut into about 1″ chunks and place into pan
Peel and chop the onion into roughly 1″ chunks and add to pan
Peel the garlic and add to pan
Sprinkle the Zatarain’s seasoning on both sides of the chicken
Place each piece of the chicken, skin side down (or on edge so skin is in contact with the sides of the pan) into the pan on top of the vegetables
Allow the chicken to brown, undisturbed for about 20 minutes, then close the lid of the pressure cooker and set to cook under pressure for 30 minutes
When cooking cycle has ended, allow the pressure to return to normal naturally

At the end of the keep warm cycle, release the lid and remove the chicken from the cooker to a large bowl. It should be falling off the bones. I take the time to remove the bones, skin and cartilage at this point and use a fork to do a gentle separation of the meat.

Leave the remaining vegetables and garlic in the pan with the meat drippings. Skim ant visible fat and allow to cool.

If you aren’t using it immediately in another recipe, move the cooled Yummy Chicken Stock to a sealable container and refrigerate (up to 5 days) or freeze until ready to use.

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Cleansing Ginger Chicken Soup

gingerchickensoup

Food’s not forbidden on The Prime, but I am not particularly hungry (a good thing) so this recipe for a light soup from the January 2012 issue of Bon Appetit Magazine, with ginger, whose anti-inflammatory properties my body is sorely (pun intended!) in need of, as one of its key ingredients, is definitely on tonight’s menu. After reading the reviews I made a few of the suggested additions and it made a really tasty soup.

Cleansing Ginger-Chicken Soup

1-2 TBLS Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 Yellow Onion, Chopped
4 Celery Stalks, Chopped
3 Large Carrots, Peeled and Chopped into 1″ Pieces
8 oz Unpeeled, Scrubbed Ginger, Cut into 1/2″ Pieces
5 Garlic Cloves, Crushed
1/2 Large Lemon (seeds removed)
2-3 tsp freshly ground black pepper (or to taste)
1 – 3lb Whole Organic Chicken, Cut into 7 pieces (2 Breasts, 2 Legs w/Thighs Attached, 2 Wings, 1 Back)
Cilantro Leaves

In a large heavy pot, place chopped yellow onion, and the chicken, skin side down, in 1 to 2 TBLS Olive oil and cook long enough to brown slightly and pull the fat out of the skin.
Add the garlic and continue to cook over low heat for about 5 minutes then add the celery, carrots, ginger, lemon, pepper and 5 quarts of water (preferably filtered or spring water); bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover with lid slightly ajar.
Reduce heat to low; simmer uncovered, until broth is fully flavored, about 2 hours.
Remove chicken from broth. When cool enough to handle, coarsely shred meat; discard skin and bones.
Place a fine-mesh sieve over another large pot; strain broth, discarding solids in strainer (you should have about 8 cups broth). Season with salt if needed.
Rewarm soup.
Divide chicken among bowls. Pour hot broth over, dividing equally. Garnish soup with cilantro leaves, if desired.

Cleansing Sucks. Prime Tea Makes it Better

17 Days until surgery is going to land me on my butt for 12 weeks and I have started the cleanse process. It’s hard but I’m not feeling as rotten as when I did the Nektar Advanced Juice Cleanse in June to prep for my vacation.

I read some great reviews on bn.com about a book by Dr. Kulreet Chaudhary, an Integrative Neurologist who found a way to combine the modern medical advances of Western taught Neurology with the centuries old wisdom of Ayurveda.

Despite the title, The Prime Prepare and Repair Your Body for Spontaneous Weight Loss the book isn’t selling or even really talking about a diet. That, far and above, was what appealed to me.

The main focus of The Prime is to eliminate the effects of stress, inflammation and toxicity on the body. The effects can manifest as:

Bloating and Tiredness after eating
Migraine Headaches
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
Diarrhea
Gas
Mental Cloudiness
Weight Gain
Depression
Anxiety

Dr. Chaudhary sought out complimentary Ayurvedic treatment options for her patients suffering from Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s Disease and discovered that some of those patients were able to begin cutting back on the traditional pharmaceutical options that she (and other doctors) had been prescribing to them and they were seeing greatly improved quality of life. It wasn’t any religious chanting, no special oils or anything other than a concentration on regaining the balance in their digestive system which then would allow their other internal organs and systems to detoxify so that the treatments they were receiving could have their maximum effect.

The best thing I read (by page 14 no less) was that a very simple adjustment to refresh the way the body digests food was resulting in:

Sharper and clearer mental focus
Skin regained elasticity, wrinkles began disappearing, skin brighter
Excess weight began falling away, puffiness disappearing
10 pounds gone with no additional exercise and no diet changes
Energy returned
Less pain in joints
Fewer sleep problems
Fewer memory issues
Cravings for sugar and other foods that can lead to weight gain all but disappeared in addition to cravings for excessive sugar, alcohol and caffeine
Cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure levels returned to normal

Since there seemed to be so many pluses to this approach and it’s a very easy to follow cleanse that allows me to eat whatever I feel like eating, I gathered the herbs required and brewed my tea today.

Prime Tea

Boil 4 to 5 Cups of Water in a Pot
In a Tea Ball (Mine is aluminum mesh) combine
1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds (I got my herbs at Sprouts but know that my Albertson’s has them in the spice aisle too)
1/2 tsp Coriander Seeds
1/2 tsp Fennel Seeds

Additional Options:

1/2 tsp Manjistha Powder. If you are particularly bloated (if your socks leave marks on your ankles when you take them off, your rings leave dents in your puffy fingers, etc.) you can add this to the steeped tea afterward (it’s a powder)
1/2 tsp Fenugreek Seeds – if you are gassy
1/2 to 1 inch Peeled Fresh Ginger – if you want to really get the digestive fire started

theprime Let your tea steep in the boiling water at least 10 minutes, get rid of the seeds in the tea ball (you can leave the ginger in if you like) and drink it warm all day – finish by 6 so you’re not up peeing all night.

I made the tea today and have had no problem drinking it at all. It’s got a pleasant kind of nutty flavor with a hint of the ginger. I am going to the bathroom a lot more than I do taking my prescription Hydrochlorathiazide (water pill), so I think it’s doing the job. I haven’t been hungry all day so hopefully it’s doing that job too. Fingers are crossed!

Prepping For an Unexpected Surgery

Sesamoiditis1 4 1/2 years ago I underwent a procedure to repair a broken sesamoid bone in my foot that had gone untreated, although I had sought help, for roughly two years. When I finally had the source of my pain identified it resulted in a screw being inserted in my foot but the doctor was a bit aggressive in his treatment, his expectations of recovery, and then difficult when the treatment and surgery proved unsuccessful. I had issues/side effects from medications he prescribed that resulted in weight gain that I still haven’t been able to shake and my foot hasn’t healed properly!

The pain finally sent me to a different surgeon and the x-rays told a story that is not going to have a happy ending without another, more invasive, surgery and 8-12 weeks down afterward.

Of course it needs to happen ASAP, but I have lasted this long, what’s 3 more weeks? I’m already canceling a trip to St. Lucia, missing the first 8 weeks of home and road USC Trojan football games and another planned short trip, but I dug my heels in when it came down to my 2 sets of Guns N Roses tickets for the 18th and 22nd of this month. I can watch football on TV, but I have waited too long, and spent too much money to miss these shows. The doctor said he wouldn’t let me go to either if we did it before those dates, so we are scheduled for the 25th.

That being said, I am amping up my fruits & vegetables, cutting back on carbs and boosting my intake of fish and chicken since I’ll be sitting on my butt for 8 weeks following surgery, unable to put any weight at all on the foot, I’ll be severely limited for at least 4 weeks after that, and then I’ll be right in the middle of holiday season. I feel my jeans getting tighter already! UG!!!

To try and get ahead of this, the plan is to drink this concoction twice daily for the next three weeks to start flushing the anti-inflammatories (which thin my blood) and any other toxins out of my system, increase my hydration by trying to drink at least a gallon of water a day and stick to protein shakes for the 2 days immediately preceding the surgery. I’m going to show my husband how to make this drink for me so that I can flush the medications and anesthesia out of my system after surgery so I can start feeling better as quickly as possible.

The flush consists of:

8 oz Hot Water
2 TBLS Apple Cider Vinegar
1 TBLS Honey

Honey and Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) are said to be great for your health because:

They act as a method of cleansing waste from your colon;
Both are high in potassium, which regulates the amount of sodium and breaks up mucus in your blood which clears the lymph nodes and helps normalize blood pressure;
Both high in magnesium which also assists with lowering blood pressure by reducing the amount of pressure on blood vessels;
ACV boosts healing properties of the skin;
ACV flushes environmental toxins from the liver;
ACV increases energy levels;
ACV lowers blood sugar;
ACV suppresses your appetite & slows fat accumulation, so you might lose a few pounds;
ACV, when mixed with an equal amount of warm water and gargled, kills the bacteria that causes colds, sore throats and sinus infections;
ACV kills bad breath bacteria;
Diluted ACV (mixed into water or juice) help settle that stomach.

Handy Guide To Chili Peppers

chile-primer-various-peppers My husband and some of my friends see peppers as a challenge. The hotter the better. They love to burn the heck out of their mouths and sweat & suffer afterward.

Not me. I like my food spicy, but I still like the ability to taste and enjoy my food after I feel the burn. Not the “Bern” that Bernie Sanders supporters feel 😉 , but the burn that a zip of spicy pepper adds to a dish.

Peppers, like salt, acid and fat, are essential flavor building blocks upon which dishes are built. In an article at www.bonappetit.com, Amiel Stanek encourages readers to “tease out” the subtle nuances of spice in the season’s crop of peppers using some very specific techniques. As someone who likes the taste, but not necessarily the need for a fire extinguisher after a bite, I appreciate the guidance.

Stanek reminds home cooks that peppers aren’t just spicy. They’re also flavor bombs hiding hints of fruitiness, floral notes, earthiness, and “funk.” To begin to experiment with these hidden flavors, a cook must first work on mellowing the pepper’s spice a bit:

Remove the seeds – Using a paring knife or the edge of a spoon, remove the seed pod beneath the stem and white membranes that hold the rest of the seeds within.
Char – You can do this whole on the grill, under the broiler, or directly on a stovetop gas burner and peel off the burnt layer before seeding them.
Soak – Capsaicin, the compound that makes a pepper hot, is alcohol soluble. When using the hottest peppers, remove membranes and seeds, muddle, and soak in vodka for anywhere from a few hours up to a couple of days.

For a great, printable reference of the varied types of peppers and their levels of spiciness, from mild to “grab a fire extinguisher,” click on this link.

A recipe I shared earlier this year was for one of my favorite cocktail hour snacks on steak and salad night: Blistered Shishito Peppers. Take my advice and make a double batch! These suckers are addicting and one batch is never enough. If you have any left, put them in a re-sealable container or zip bag and toss in the refrigerator. These are easily revived in a hot pan with a splash of olive oil a day or two later.

Do You Eat Breakfast Every Day?

fruitandoats Since we were young we’ve all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Turns out that Mom wasn’t just trying to keep us from shoving candy and junk food into our pie holes by making us eat breakfast.

It really is important to eat breakfast for some very good reasons:

Breakfast influences how we perform physically and mentally throughout the day. According to John L. Ivy, PhD University of Texas at Austin, “Breakfast immediately raises the body’s energy level and restores the blood glucose level to normal after an overnight fast.”
Kids who eat breakfast tend to eat healthier throughout the day
Skipping breakfast can make kids feel tired, restless and irritable
Choosing breakfast foods that are rich in whole grains, fiber, and protein while low in added sugar helps boost attention span, concentration, and memory
People who don’t eat breakfast tend to overeat later in the day and are more likely to be overweight
If you are trying to lose weight, breakfast kicks your metabolism into gear and helps get your body into calorie burning mode for the day.
Eating a good breakfast lowers levels of “bad” LDL cholesterol, lowers chances of getting diabetes, heart disease and being overweight (per WebMD.com)

Eating the right foods for breakfast is also important:

Oatmeal – Steel cut with fruit, almonds and sweetened (if desired) with honey. Another healthy option, the one that Barry Jay, Co-Founder of Barry’s Boot Camp, prefers, is to add a tablespoon or two of natural almond or peanut butter. Avoid pre-packaged oatmeal that’s high in sugar and low in fiber.
Cheerios – Top with a sliced banana, and serve with non-fat milk and a hard boiled egg.
Greek Yogurt – A great “Grab and Go” option. High in protein, just add a pinch of cinnamon and a handful of blueberries or raspberries to sweeten.
Vegetable omelet or scramble made with 3 egg whites + 1 egg yolk (which provides protein, vitamin A, choline and B vitamins) a handful of fresh spinach, chopped tomato, a few chopped broccoli or cauliflower florets and, if you desire, a bit of feta cheese.
Bananas, Apples, Berries – Easily Digestible fiber that will keep you fuller longer
Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Shake – chocolate whey protein powder, natural unsalted peanut (or almond) butter, ice, unsweetened almond or coconut milk, cinnamon, and water.
Whole Grain Bread Toasted – Topped with either: natural almond or peanut butter and a sliced banana; or a scrambled egg, atop a slice of cheese, a few leaves of raw spinach and a slice of tomato

Any of these choices are hearty enough to keep you full until at least 10:00- 10:30 when you should have a mid-morning snack to keep you going. Keeping your blood sugar steady throughout the day helps keep your energy levels and attention up during the school day or work day, which is especially important if you are someone who operates heavy equipment or drives for a living. I’d want to be at my very best if that’s what I did!

If you’re dieting it’s important to eat small amounts between your main meals for the same reason. When blood sugar crashes we are at our most vulnerable and most likely to reach for the nearest food to satisfy our hunger, which often isn’t the healthiest choice: drive-thru, pre-packaged snacks, etc.

quest-bar-cheat-clean

In my case, I always try (I don’t always succeed) to choose: a piece of fruit with a cutiesjuice individually packaged cheese stick; a low net carbohydrate protein bar (I like Quest Bars); or a hard boiled egg and a glass of fresh sqeezed or whole fruit (no sugar added) juice like Cuties Tangerine Juice.

If you’re like me, you do more in a day than most people and do for yourself last. I, for one, am slowing down to take care of my health because if I don’t, the rest of the people around me will surely fall apart. Moms are the grease that keep the squeaky wheel of the family turning and we need to start taking care of ourselves today. Yesterday is gone, we can’t change that, but we can change tomorrow.

That change starts with breakfast, even if it’s just a glass of juice (or an apple or banana) and a hard boiled egg that’s been pre-made and peeled to grab and go on the way out the door.

One way to make sure to have quick mid-morning and mid-afternoon snack on hand at work is to at least prepare your grab and go snacks on Sunday:

If you have a small to medium lunch or grocery type bag you can leave in the refrigerator that’s ideal.
Boil a dozen eggs; peel once they are cool enough to touch (I plunge mine in ice water to stop the cooking); put 5 into a zip bag and then into the lunch bag. Put the other 7 into a second zip bag and put into the snack / deli drawer in your refrigerator.
Fill 5 snack sized zip bags with 1-2 TBLS each natural (no sugar added) almond or peanut butter and put into lunch bag.
Put 5 medium sized Apples and 5 individually wrapped low-fat cheese sticks into the lunch bag and put into the refrigerator.
Make a note for yourself and put it with your car keys so you don’t leave without your snack bag.

It takes a very small effort to eat breakfast when it’s something as simple as a banana and a hard boiled egg that you can grab on the way out the door to work. Even if you regularly eat out for lunch, you will likely eat less (and better) and will get through your day with more energy and clarity if you have your snacks on hand to get you through the mid-morning and mid-afternoon danger zones. Who knows, you might even lose a few pounds. 😉

How to Make 30 Classic Cocktails

This illustration by Mike Houston, originally published at www.foodrepublic.com on July 14, 2015, provided a handy guide to making 30 of the most popular drinks requested of bartenders.

30cocktails

Mango – Jalapeno Popsicles

A spicy-sweet way to cool the heat of a sizzling summer day!

mangojalpop

What Does Activated Coconut Charcoal Do?

I talked about the Nektar Advanced Juice Cleanse I did last week. When I saw some of the ingredients in their juices, I wondered what the benefits of some of the ingredients, especially activated coconut charcoal, were.

What is Activated Coconut Charcoal?

activatedcharcoal Common charcoal is made from peat, coal, wood, coconut shell, or petroleum. “Activated charcoal” is similar to common charcoal, but is made especially for use as a medicine. Activated Coconut charcoal is made of the shells of coconuts. Coconut charcoal includes a step in processing which removes the heavy metal toxins from them and produces finer grains. This makes it more efficient at binding to toxins in the body, but also makes it more expensive, with the extra processing required.

What is Activated Coconut Charcoal Used For?

WebMD.com says it can be used to treat poisonings, reduce intestinal gas (flatulence), lower cholesterol levels, prevent hangovers, and treat bile flow problems (cholestasis) during pregnancy. It’s becoming a common ingredient in cleanses.

When used as part of a cleansing routine, activated coconut charcoal contributes to these 7 positive things that come when we detoxify our bodies:

Increasing energy levels: People who detox report feeling more energized and alert!
Ridding the body of excess waste: Naturally, a good bowel movement helps to remove the extra waste most people store. A good flush of the colon always helps with removing toxins!
Aids in weight loss: Think of your body working in more efficient ways then ever before. There are no toxins distracting and slowing down body functions. Your body will become more efficient at burning energy and breaking down fat.
Improves immune system: Similar to above, with a clean and clear system, your body is better able to detect and rid the body of bacteria and viruses which slow it down.
Better hair: Toxins can cause hormones and proteins to be thrown off. Expect your hair to grow out cleaner, stronger and healthier than before.
Clarity of the mind and quicker thinking: Think of toxins as plaques on the brain which get in the way. As your body is rid of toxins, people report feeling less foggy; it means neurons are better able to fire. You’ll feel more alert and sharper at thinking!
Promotes Anti-aging: Overall, it is safe to say you’ll experience the benefits of anti-aging. Healthier organs, hair, skin, and brain all contribute to longevity and quality of life.

Activated charcoal capsules together with B1 and Vitamin C during an evening of heavy drinking, are a powerful hangover prevention team. I’ll have to add that to my arsenal for this weekend in Las Vegas!

Nektar Advanced Juice Cleanse

nektarcleanse My doctor reminded me this morning that I need to schedule my annual physical. Ug. As an added bonus she drew 8 vials of blood for the battery of tests that give me numbers that usually make me cringe.

I dutifully scheduled the appointment for July 1, which is a mere 2 weeks from now. Of course that will come immediately after a weekend in Las Vegas, so I figured it would be a good idea to schedule a 2 day Nektar Advanced Juice Cleanse for the 2 days immediately preceding that visit. 😉

Since I was already at Nektar to pick up the nifty reusable cold bags full of my two days of ~~punishment~~, of course I meant healthy eating, I went ahead and grabbed a third bag so I could do a 1 day and see just how ~~rotten~~, oops good, I am going to feel.

mintwater I prepped 1/2 gallon of water with sliced cucumber, blood orange and lemon in it for between bottles and dove in with both feet. I should have started at 8 this morning so I had to adjust the amount of time between bottles to be able to get them all in before bedtime.

12:00 – Time to open bottle 1. This is the green one and I was not impressed with the taste. Made of apple, celery, cucumber, lime, kale, parsley, spinach and mint I expected this one to taste pretty good. I immediately tasted the celery and couldn’t identify any of the other flavors except the kale, which I still do not like. I drank the 16.9 oz in 3 large gulps, glad to have that bottle done and hoping the other 5 would be better. This one was very salty.
2:00 – Anxiously anticipating bottle 2. This one looks like Tang© and I sure hope it tastes better than bottle 1. Looking at the ingredients: filtered water, lemon, agave nectar, turmeric, and cayenne pepper, I wasn’t optimistic. I tasted the lemon and the sweetness of the agave nectar and then WOWZA! The burn of the cayenne (not full power, but it’s there) hit the back of my throat. Again, polished this bottle off in 3 great gulps. Thanks to the 33.8 oz of the cleanse juices and the 32 oz of water I’d already had, all I feel is the overpowering need to pee.
3:30 – Time for the beet red bottle. I hate beets and have been dreading the 3rd bottle in the bag. I took a huge swig and reaffirmed my intense dislike for that bold red root vegetable! The label says it has apple, celery, beet, lemon, parsley, spinach and ginger inside. All I taste is beets. Add to my displeasure of having to down this gross concoction that I also had to run to the bathroom mid-drink 3. My intestines are starting their own revolt against the juice cleanse and I am not a happy camper. The only solace I can find is that I didn’t eat a ton of solid food yesterday, so hopefully the internal revolution that’s keeping me in the bathroom will pass quickly.
5:00 – Time for the scary looking dark blackish-purple bottle. The ingredient that catches my eye is “Coconut Charcoal.” WTH is coconut charcoal? This bottle scares me! According to science, the fine particles of coconut charcoal keep toxins and gas from settling in your digestive system and causing problems. I will need to examine coconut charcoal in more depth in another post, it seems to good things. It didn’t taste good, but I choked the bottle down and followed it with a 16 ounce bottle of water with lemon and mint to wash the taste out of my mouth.
7:00 – Bottle 5 beckons. Eerily similar to bottle #2 with the same cayenne effect. Drank this one down in 2 big drinks and waited for something to happen.
9:00 – Last Bottle! This one looked like coconut milk and had a chunky/grainy consistency. My guess is that it’s attempting to fool my system into thinking it’s ingested food at this point. Very sweet and it took about reminded me of the rice cereal in formula mix I used to put in my sons nighttime bottles to get him to sleep longer at night.

Other than needing to pee more often from all of the liquids I had ingested, I really didn’t feel any of the effects that my girlfriends were complaining about. I experienced no increase in needing to poop, no diarrhea, and no added gas. Really I don’t feel like the one-day cleanse did anything at all for me. I didn’t notice any change on the scale, I wasn’t hungry, so I guess that was a good thing, but honestly, I just felt full from all of the liquid.

I was more conscious of what I ate over the weekend, at least as far as trying not to shovel large meals in to make up for my foodless day, but I either had few toxins in my system (I find that hard to believe), or had just had a particularly clean eating day the day prior. I honestly can’t remember what I ate before doing the cleanse, but I doubt it was super healthy. I do know that I had been enjoying a nightly indulgence from the bag of “Chicago Style” Popcornopolis I foolishly bought at Costco. In my defense, I did go hungry (Cardinal Sin) and couldn’t pass by the huge bag of a mixture of cheese corn and caramel corn. It screamed my name and found its way into my cart….

Maybe I’ll notice a bigger difference when I do the two day cleanse next Monday and Tuesday after my weekend eating and drinking like a glutton in Las Vegas. 😉

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