Recipe: Easiest Ever Roast Chicken

This chicken never disappoints. 

Boyfriend is a ridiculously lazy cook, as well as a garbage can for food, so imagine my skepticism when he "cooked a chicken for dinner". With reluctance, I ate some of what he'd sliced and, to my glorious discovery, it was moist, delicious, and had crispy skin! Hurrah! An easy recipe with little to no effort involved is actually delicious.

You can thank me later.

Easiest Ever Roast Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 3-4 lb young chicken (I got a Kosher Valley Young Chicken at...you guessed it....WF)
• 1/2 small onion, cut into wedges
• 1/2 apple, cubed
• Fresh Spices: Thyme, Rosemary, Sage
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced thinly 
• 1 cinnamon stick
• Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• Olive Oil

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven at 350F. While you're waiting, take out the "innards" from your chicken (mine didn't have them included - yay!), and stuff it with your onion, apple, spices, garlic and cinnamon until it's full. The cavities in young chickens are pretty small, so you might have to get a little extra friendly with your chicken to make it fit...

2. Rub olive oil over the entire chicken, and then season with as much salt and freshly ground pepper as you like. I like mine pretty seasoned. 

3. Place on either a broiler pan or - if you're having a "me" moment - just put it on a baking rack over top of a cookie sheet lined with foil. It cleans up pretty easily. (A trick one of my coworkers suggested: if you want to just put it on the cookie pan, surround it with rice or potatoes, and they'll soak up some juice so your bird still gets crispy.)

4. Put in the oven for ~20 minutes per pound; then you'll want to raise the temp to 425F for an extra 20 or 25 minutes so it gets the skin nice and crispy.

5. Pull it out of the oven, and wait 15-20 minutes before carving !

How to carve a chicken (yeah, I didn't know how to, either):

My first attempt was a butchery, but hopefully it'll improve with time!

Thanks for Reading!

CJ

Recipe: Mexican Chicken Lime Soup

I've been terrible with Paleo lately. I haven't committed, I've scrounged, and I've been digging into the candy dish at work. So I need to step it up. Life's been a bit on the difficult and stressful side recently, which has also contributed to the sheer lack of motivation. So I'm working on it. See, nobody's perfect...you just have to keep trying, and you'll get there.

That being said, the other night I was feeling highly unmotivated, but also starving and craving Mexican food. Scouring the awesome Paleo websites out there, I found this gem of a recipe, and wanted to share (with my amendments, of course!).

(also, I may have scarfed down my bowl before remembering to take a photo, so the stock one from Paleoaholic will have to do...)

 Mexican Chicken Lime Soup

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp (ish) of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 finely chopped medium-sized onion
• 4-5 cloves of garlic, pressed (or sliced thinly, if you don't have a press)
• 3 chicken breasts, cut into slightly larger than bite-sized pieces
• 3 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, plus some extra sauce (this is to your taste. I think I used like, 5 peppers, but mine was a little spicy, even for me. If you just want the flavor, and not the heat, just use one!).**Note: Make sure the can you buy doesn't add high fructose corn syrup. Most have sugar in them, but you don't want any HFCS. Yuck.
• 4-5 cups of chicken broth, depending on how brothy you like your soup
• Juice of 2 limes
• 1 handful of fresh, roughly chopped cilantro
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 Hass avocado per serving, sliced thinly

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil over medium in a large pot (this one is the one I use, that I can't live without), put garlic and your onions in there and let them get nice and translucent, and the garlic will get fragrant (about 5 minutes). Toss in your cubed chicken, salt and pepper to taste, and stir your mixture every so often for the next 5-7 minutes, or until you can tell the chicken is cooked. Then add your peppers and adobo sauce, and give it a good stir.

2. Move the pot to a cool burner, take two forks, and carefully pull your chicken cubes, so they're a little bit smaller, and not so chunky. It makes for a much nicer eating experience. Paleo doesn't have to be lazy! Move your pot back onto the hot burner, and add your chicken stock.

3. Let this simmer for anywhere from 15 - 30 minutes; the longer you do this the more the flavor melds together. Right before you serve, add the lime juice to the pot and stir. 

4. To serve, place some slices of avocado in the bottom of your bowl, ladle in the soup, and top with some chopped cilantro and some extra avocado! Depending on your dairy tolerance, you can probably add a dollop of sour cream here, or some pepper-jack cheese to make it extra yummy. 

(Note: this soup is EXCELLENT the next day, too, because all the flavors come together much more overnight. So make plenty!)

Thanks for Reading!
CJ

Product Review: Pacific Natural Red Pepper + Tomato Soup

 Pacific Natural Foods Organic Red Pepper & Tomato Soup

I have failed you all on week 2 of food planning. Which also means I had no lunch at work today. Back in the beginning of my job here, however, I squirreled away tons of oatmeal in my cabinets (pre-Paleo...) and as it would turn out, some soup! I hadn't had it before and I'm pretty sure I only bought it because it was on sale. (It's one of the 17.6 oz ones that they carry at - you guessed it - Whole Foods. This predictability thing has got to stop...)

Into a mug it went, and into the microwave. It came out nice, thick, and creamy. It's tangy, but has nice small chunks remaining of the red pepper. Typically I'm skeptical about canned/boxed soups, because I feel like they're full of fake stuff and that I shouldn't have been so lazy as to not make my own. 

Here's why I'll buy from this company again, when I'm feeling lazy enough to not make my own:

A. They created their own program to "Certify to the Source". Basically, they trace the origins of every ingredient in their products, ensuring that what they're telling you they're selling you actually is what it's supposed to be.

B. They have a soup for every diet or allergy that's out there and they're very visibly labeled: Corn Free, Dairy Free, Fat Free, Gluten Free, Kosher Dairy, Kosher Parve, Low Fat, Low Sodium, Soy Free, Vegan, Vegetarian, Wheat Free, Yeast Free, and those that Promote Heart Health.

C. They're actually a good example of a sustainable company:

• Dairy cows are fed an organic, vegetarian diet, without antibiotics or growth hormones, and are open pastured
• They use aseptic packaging, which is recyclable, and doesn't require as many raw materials to create.
• They believe in being organic leaders for farming practices in Oregon

I can't wait to try out some of their other soups!

Thanks for Reading!
CJ

Recipe: Shrimp and Avocado Salad

Guess what, everyone?! I actually stuck to my budget at WF today! They overcharged me for 2 things, and I ended up buying some "extras" that I forgot I needed (i.e. Mayo), but those aside, I hit the mark!

And in celebration of actually sticking to a grocery list, here's what I made for dinner:

Shrimp and Avocado Salad

(taken sort of from The Paleo Mom)

Ingredients

Marinade:

• 2 Tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
• 1Tbsp Lemon Juice
• 2 Tbsp Lime Juice
• Chopped Cilantro (to your taste)
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• Dash of Salt

Salad:

• 12 - 15 pre-cooked shrimp (frozen, then thawed and dried off) per serving
• 1/2 Avocado per serving
• 1/4 head of red cabbage, shredded
• Lettuce of your choosing
• Diced Tomato (optional)
• Cholula Hot Sauce (optional)

Instructions

1. Thaw the shrimp in a colander under a faucet for 8-10 minutes with cold running water. Then cut these into bite-size pieces and dry them off.

2. Mix Olive Oil, Lemon and Lime Juice, chopped cilantro, pepper, salt, and shrimp in a large bowl. Let this marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour (the longer, the better!). If you have more than 2 or 3 servings, you might want to adjust the juice and olive oil up a bit. Just don't put too much olive oil in like I did...

3. Chop your leaves (red cabbage, lettuce, etc.) and put them on a plate (or in a bowl) along with bite-sized pieces of avocado. Put the shrimp salad on top, then top with diced tomatoes and some hot sauce, and devour! 

Thanks for Reading!

CJ

Weekly Meal Planner: February 19th

My goal for groceries is to stick between $60-$75 per week moving forward. This week is going to be a bit higher than that because of the double grocery shopping on Saturday for one of my favorite meals ever, but for the most part, I'm going to work really hard to stick to a budget.

This week, I'm lazy and am just going to go to Whole Foods. I know there are better deals out there (Trader Joe's, this means you!) but I just don't have the time or patience tonight to go multiple places.

Here's the plan!

Breakfasts:

• Yogurt: Either Siggi's or Fage 2% (or Classic) depending on what's on sale
• Bacon + Eggs: Sunday special, obviously! I think I eat too much bacon, so I'm trying to pare it down.

Lunches:

• Leftovers, every day. You can tell that I need to make 4 meals this week because they're the bold colors. Leftovers of that meal are in the same color scheme but lighter. 
• I'm terrible with leftovers so will end up having to stock my freezer, but good for you if you only have to make 2 or so meals/week. I wish I could!

Dinners:

• Shrimp and Avocado Salad
• Chili
• Cucumber Salad
• Rouladen and Red Cabbage

Snacks:

Mid-Morning (at work):

• Veggies + Hummus: not strictly (at all) paleo, but I won't make paleo-friendly hummus because it just, frankly, takes too much effort and I'll forget to eat it.
• Olives: Likely Kalamata
• Nuts: JUST A FEW. I think too many make me feel sortof funky.

Evening (in class):

• LunchBot full of goodies: cherry tomatoes, cheese, hard-boiled egg slices, and fruit, plus a Lara Bar. 
• LaraBars are high in sugar as they contain dates, so I only eat them sparingly and when I know I won't be having a big dinner...i.e. when I have class :(

Thanks for Reading!
CJ

Baby Steps: Goal 2

Exercise for at least 20 minutes per day. 

I realize it's not actually that hard. I'm just exceptionally lazy, and I hate the gym. So it's tough for me.

I'm thin, yes. But am I fit? Absolutely not. And frankly, the only reason I'm writing this down is so I have some kind of verbal commitment to myself to stop wasting time and start working on toning my body.

What am I unhappy about? My lack of a toned stomach (no, I don't need "abs", but I also don't like the layer of extra fat that I see there) and my total inflexibility.

So, audience that likely doesn't exist, I am going to commit to a daily exercise regimen, with only 1 rest day a week.

Here are some of the options that I have:

1. 30 minutes on the elliptical at my apartment gym.

• Pro: it's downstairs and I have no excuse not to go.
• Con: it's the elliptical. It's ridiculously boring.

2. Going for a nice walk!

• Pro: this is my favorite. The boyfriend and I did a 22 mile walk over the summer in DC and it was amazing. 
• Con: It's February and my fingers/toes will freeze off. No thanks.

3. 30 minutes of Pilates. 

http://www.totalfitnessdvds.com/Easy-Pilates-DVD-with-Ana-Caban-p/1111.htm

• Pro: I really like the video! Ana Caban is a great instructor and it actually helps with my flexibility.
• Con: There's not really one. I'm just lazy.

4. 20 minutes of (free) Yoga.

www.yogadownload.com 

• Pro: It's free. And helps a lot with flexibility and relaxation.
• Con: I have no idea if my positioning is right, and I pay much more attention to that than actually relaxing and letting it "flow". Also, going to a "real" class is quite pricey, and not in my budget right now. 

My other option? Learning how to be a big girl and use weights at the gym. 

I did go to a CrossFit class a few months ago that was great - it's just not within my comfort level for working out when I'm in front of a lot of other people, even if it is healthy competition. I just think I'd be happier knowing how to do all of that myself in the comfort of my judgment-free empty apartment gym. Perhaps a new blog topic will come about as I figure out some good free weight exercises to do...

Tomorrow starts day 1 of this new goal, so wish me luck!

Thanks for Reading!

CJ

The Dirty Dozen

Do you really need to buy everything organic? Of course not. But are there some items that you should ensure are organic, if you can either a. find them or b. afford them? Yep. 

Check out the full list and rationale here, but below is a good synopsis:

I know it gets expensive. And there are some times where it's just not in my budget to get everything that Whole Foods lists as "organic" either. However, when you make those choices, make them with this list in mind, and with the knowledge that all of the pesticides in your food could, and likely will, have an impact on your health later on. 

Thanks for Reading!

CJ