Sorry for such a delay, we had an ice storm blow through and knock out our internet for a little while. Anyway, without farther ado let's get on with stuffing.
Traditional stuffing out of the box isn't by itself bad for you. In fact as far as fat content goes they all seemed very low. It the boils down to how you cook it as well as what you put in it. When you cook it in your turkey not only does it absorb all the fat from the bird, but when you stuff the skin with butter that melts and seeps into the stuffing as well. Now if you leave it by itself and add nothing, then you are more likely lower in fat content then my home made. However I like flavor.
Here is how I redid it.
I started with some jiffy corn bread muffin mix and followed the directions using fat free evaporated milk instead of regular. After it was baked I crumbled it up and dropped the oven temp and let it dry out for a few more hours. While that dried out I cooked down some celery and onion for those same few hours until it was mush. I then tossed it all together in a bowl added an egg and chicken broth until I was happy with how it felt. Those who have made stuffing from scratch know what I am talking about. Then I just popped it in the oven with all my other stuff and let it cook.
Traditional can range from 0g of fat to up to 17g per serving.
Redone stuffing, was around 4g of fat for the same size serving.
Totals:
Traditional : 26 (I did 8 for the stuffing so that could change things) Remade: 14g of fat.
~Skadia the ice breaking panther.
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Monday, November 16, 2015
Turkey Redone
While turkey itself isn't very fatty, it's actually one of the leanest meats out there. All things considered, I redid it anyway. Normal people for thanksgiving keep the skin on and pack it full of butter to keep it all moist and juicy. That adds nothing but fat sadly. So here is how I changed things up.
I used a mix of chicken breasts and thighs. Now their fat content is a little higher but our local store only was selling whole turkeys and the four guests I had, and all the sides it would be way too much food left over. I took the chicken and tossed it in a pan with some low sodium chicken broth. I seasoned it the same way I would have a turkey, poultry seasoning, paprika, black pepper, ect. I covered them up and put them in the oven.
Traditional thanksgiving fat content: 1g of fat for a serving the size of a deck of cards of white meat. 2g for a similar piece of dark meat. That by itself isn't bad, adding butter however can add up to 16 grams of fat for a serving!
Thanksgiving remade: Chicken thighs have 10 grams of fat in them total and that is for one thigh without skin. Already a larger portion. Where as half a breast (same portion) without the skin is only 3.5 grams of fat. No added butter but all the flavor.
So for the sake of experiment I'm going to keep a running total of fat content, of course there are many other factors in weight loss and diet plans, but for a side by side for someone who needs to be on a similar diet to Calico where fat content is what matters this might help.
Traditional: 18 grams fat Remade: 10 grams fat
Tomorrow we will tackle another one.
~Skadia, the food loving panther.
I used a mix of chicken breasts and thighs. Now their fat content is a little higher but our local store only was selling whole turkeys and the four guests I had, and all the sides it would be way too much food left over. I took the chicken and tossed it in a pan with some low sodium chicken broth. I seasoned it the same way I would have a turkey, poultry seasoning, paprika, black pepper, ect. I covered them up and put them in the oven.
Traditional thanksgiving fat content: 1g of fat for a serving the size of a deck of cards of white meat. 2g for a similar piece of dark meat. That by itself isn't bad, adding butter however can add up to 16 grams of fat for a serving!
Thanksgiving remade: Chicken thighs have 10 grams of fat in them total and that is for one thigh without skin. Already a larger portion. Where as half a breast (same portion) without the skin is only 3.5 grams of fat. No added butter but all the flavor.
So for the sake of experiment I'm going to keep a running total of fat content, of course there are many other factors in weight loss and diet plans, but for a side by side for someone who needs to be on a similar diet to Calico where fat content is what matters this might help.
Traditional: 18 grams fat Remade: 10 grams fat
Tomorrow we will tackle another one.
~Skadia, the food loving panther.
Thursday, November 12, 2015
A reworked Thanksgiving
So this time of year is filled with family and good food. Normally no one thinks twice about what they are putting on the table. Not this year for us though. With my partner, calico's many surgeries this year and her guts more or less being pulled out and put back in it has altered her diet greatly. The normal recommended fat intake is between 60 and 75 grams total per day. Calico's is about 30 a day. The difference, the normal person feels a bit heavy, maybe gains a few pounds. She however, could very well land her back in the hospital.
Her aunt thought it would be nice to host the big dinner before we make a cross country move, wonderful thought, but when I started thinking it all over, she won't be able to enjoy most of it. Gravy is fat, while the turkey isn't full of fat, the butter you put in it adds up. The stuffing inside that is absorbing the turkey juice as well as the melted butter. So before long that will all add up.
So how can she enjoy the holiday? Easy, I'm going to make some changes to most of the dishes and switch some things up so that she can enjoy it as much as everyone else. Over the next few days I will be sharing some of my numbers with you all (fat content) as well as some of the recipes for the most traditional dishes of the season.
Her aunt thought it would be nice to host the big dinner before we make a cross country move, wonderful thought, but when I started thinking it all over, she won't be able to enjoy most of it. Gravy is fat, while the turkey isn't full of fat, the butter you put in it adds up. The stuffing inside that is absorbing the turkey juice as well as the melted butter. So before long that will all add up.
So how can she enjoy the holiday? Easy, I'm going to make some changes to most of the dishes and switch some things up so that she can enjoy it as much as everyone else. Over the next few days I will be sharing some of my numbers with you all (fat content) as well as some of the recipes for the most traditional dishes of the season.
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
A twist on Tortilla Soup
I did a crazy thing a while back and found a 5 pound bag of tilapia fillet on sale for $5. There was roughly 16 in the bag, so super good deal. Only thing I forgot is that I hate fish. So I invested in a few low cost ingredients and attempted to make Tortilla soup but with fish. I of course did no measuring but ended up with a massive pot and could easily feed 4 or more people.
I parboiled some rice while I poached the fish. Maybe a cup of rice. I chopped up 2 bell peppers and tossed that in with some garlic with the fish. I let that cook down and then tossed in a can of chicken broth. I added half a packed of McCormick chicken taco seasoning. I tossed in a small can of corn, and a can of black beans and diced tomatoes. I let that boil for a bit and served it topped with fiesta blend cheese and tortilla strips.
While it didn't hide the fish as well as I would hope, it did make a lot of food, and it's pretty good.
2 tilapia fillets
minced garlic
2 bell peppers (I used one red and one yellow)
1 small can of chicken broth
1 very small can of corn
1 can of black beans
1 can of no salt added diced tomatoes
1 packet of McCormick chicken taco seasoning
I paid less than $5 for all the extras aside from the fish, so for the entire batch, I maybe coughed up maybe $6 for the entire pot of food. For the two of us I could have easily halved the recipie. I will be freezing some of this for perhaps another meal. So I think it was well worth it.
I parboiled some rice while I poached the fish. Maybe a cup of rice. I chopped up 2 bell peppers and tossed that in with some garlic with the fish. I let that cook down and then tossed in a can of chicken broth. I added half a packed of McCormick chicken taco seasoning. I tossed in a small can of corn, and a can of black beans and diced tomatoes. I let that boil for a bit and served it topped with fiesta blend cheese and tortilla strips.
While it didn't hide the fish as well as I would hope, it did make a lot of food, and it's pretty good.
2 tilapia fillets
minced garlic
2 bell peppers (I used one red and one yellow)
1 small can of chicken broth
1 very small can of corn
1 can of black beans
1 can of no salt added diced tomatoes
1 packet of McCormick chicken taco seasoning
I paid less than $5 for all the extras aside from the fish, so for the entire batch, I maybe coughed up maybe $6 for the entire pot of food. For the two of us I could have easily halved the recipie. I will be freezing some of this for perhaps another meal. So I think it was well worth it.
Saturday, October 24, 2015
Make cheap food stretch farther
So I would like to take just a quick moment and ramble on about exactly what the title says. Let's make cheap food, go farther. So here is what I did for dinner tonight. Hormel Chili you can normally catch on sale for about $1 for a can. Not bad at all. They are free of preservatives, and have a turkey one that is 99% fat free. Great for our lifestyle! So I just heated that up in the microwave, added some shredded cheese, and cooked up some rice. Mixed it all together and bam, plenty of food! I maybe paid $.75 per serving, maybe tops? I'm going to say less than that, but if you want to add some extra veggies there is for sure some wiggle room in the budget. Maybe toss in some celery, or bell peppers and you have a great balanced meal.
What are some of your favorite meal stretchers?
Thanks for reading.
~Skadia, the easy night having panther.
What are some of your favorite meal stretchers?
Thanks for reading.
~Skadia, the easy night having panther.
Tuesday, October 20, 2015
Good Cheap Staples to Have on Hand
The title more or less says it all. I'm going to go over some really good, low cost things that are great to have on hand for low budget meals. Now do keep in mind I will be listing things I personally buy that work with my partners diet. (Long story short, missing gallbladder and pancreatic problems.) You might be able to get away even cheaper in some cases. Most of these ingredients will be helpful in well rounded meals, and will be easy to incorporate into many different uses. My hope is to start showing you all the skills I have been learning about making balanced meals, at an affordable price. I have been feeding the two of us off of roughly $150-200 a month for food, and that is including meat. I won't lie, we don't get it every night, but it's there and there have been no complaints so far.
Now without further ado.
Rice - Rice goes without saying that it's cheap and very filling. Normally white rice is priced at a few cents per serving and there are so many ways to jazz it up. Even something as simple as cooking it in some kind of broth makes a world of difference. (We sometimes use left over ramen noodle flavor packets. More on that later.) I personally prefer to spend a bit more and get Calrose rice. It's a short grain rice that can be used for sticky rice, as well as dishes like risotto. Personal preference there and our normal grocery store has their own brand of it so it's still very cheap and a bag lasts the two of us for about a month. Depends on how much rice I make.
Crackers- Some people bread their chicken with bran flakes. Ewww. You can also get crackers in so many different flavors and use them not just for breading but for snacking as well. They are also pretty cheap. You can even make small peanut butter sandwiches for finger food after school for kids.
Canned pork and beans- We personally buy the cheap kind in normal tomato sauce because Calico cannot handle the pork. Those can's normally run about $1 each and I can add them to just about any kind of dish to stretch it. I've added them to tacos, made dips out of them, and toss in some hot dogs to make a meal out of them.
Hot dogs- I know, this is such a common item on the cheap list, but they can be stretched and made into many other dishes. We buy the turkey dogs. (I find them on sale 2/$3 and stock up when I can.) We can also split the pack of eight into two meals, at two dogs each it's a real good money saver. I use them a lot in place of any other protein. They don't always work, but a lot of the time they still fill us up pretty well.
Ramen noodles- I use these so much it's almost not even funny. They are cheap, lets face it. $.25 for two servings. (yes according to the package it's two per pack.) Not only do they make for hearty lunches alone or with some crackers, but you can use them in many other things. Soups, stir fries, use them in place of normal noodles. You also don't always have to use the flavor packet (noted above used sometimes with rice instead), I add my own sauces to them and have never been disappointed.
Frozen mixed veggies- Mixed here being the key word. Amazing to have on hand and normally you can find them for about $1.50 a bag. The two of us normally go through about two bags a month. They are great in soups, fried rice, stir fries, and whatever else you can really add veggies too. Now there are also other mixes, sometimes we upgrade and buy the asian mix, sometimes we just buy a bag of pre-cut bell peppers, but no matter what it is a worth while thing to have on hand. Note: also doubles as an ice pack!
Mac and Cheese - You can find some boxes as low as $.52. Where are you going wrong? Add some hot dogs, or even a diced up chicken breast (or canned fish as well!) and you have yourself a meal. Heck toss in some of those frozen veggies and bake it a bit and bam, full balanced cheap meal.
Those are just a few things I personally love to keep on hand and there are so many more things out there, canned beans are great, seasonal veggies that are fresh, on sale family packages of meat. Just watch your portions. America is good for making meat and slow carbs (like pasta and bread) heavy meals, but just balance them out a bit more and you will watch your dollar stretch a bit more.
~Skadia, the cheap food loving panther.
Now without further ado.
Rice - Rice goes without saying that it's cheap and very filling. Normally white rice is priced at a few cents per serving and there are so many ways to jazz it up. Even something as simple as cooking it in some kind of broth makes a world of difference. (We sometimes use left over ramen noodle flavor packets. More on that later.) I personally prefer to spend a bit more and get Calrose rice. It's a short grain rice that can be used for sticky rice, as well as dishes like risotto. Personal preference there and our normal grocery store has their own brand of it so it's still very cheap and a bag lasts the two of us for about a month. Depends on how much rice I make.
Crackers- Some people bread their chicken with bran flakes. Ewww. You can also get crackers in so many different flavors and use them not just for breading but for snacking as well. They are also pretty cheap. You can even make small peanut butter sandwiches for finger food after school for kids.
Canned pork and beans- We personally buy the cheap kind in normal tomato sauce because Calico cannot handle the pork. Those can's normally run about $1 each and I can add them to just about any kind of dish to stretch it. I've added them to tacos, made dips out of them, and toss in some hot dogs to make a meal out of them.
Hot dogs- I know, this is such a common item on the cheap list, but they can be stretched and made into many other dishes. We buy the turkey dogs. (I find them on sale 2/$3 and stock up when I can.) We can also split the pack of eight into two meals, at two dogs each it's a real good money saver. I use them a lot in place of any other protein. They don't always work, but a lot of the time they still fill us up pretty well.
Ramen noodles- I use these so much it's almost not even funny. They are cheap, lets face it. $.25 for two servings. (yes according to the package it's two per pack.) Not only do they make for hearty lunches alone or with some crackers, but you can use them in many other things. Soups, stir fries, use them in place of normal noodles. You also don't always have to use the flavor packet (noted above used sometimes with rice instead), I add my own sauces to them and have never been disappointed.
Frozen mixed veggies- Mixed here being the key word. Amazing to have on hand and normally you can find them for about $1.50 a bag. The two of us normally go through about two bags a month. They are great in soups, fried rice, stir fries, and whatever else you can really add veggies too. Now there are also other mixes, sometimes we upgrade and buy the asian mix, sometimes we just buy a bag of pre-cut bell peppers, but no matter what it is a worth while thing to have on hand. Note: also doubles as an ice pack!
Mac and Cheese - You can find some boxes as low as $.52. Where are you going wrong? Add some hot dogs, or even a diced up chicken breast (or canned fish as well!) and you have yourself a meal. Heck toss in some of those frozen veggies and bake it a bit and bam, full balanced cheap meal.
Those are just a few things I personally love to keep on hand and there are so many more things out there, canned beans are great, seasonal veggies that are fresh, on sale family packages of meat. Just watch your portions. America is good for making meat and slow carbs (like pasta and bread) heavy meals, but just balance them out a bit more and you will watch your dollar stretch a bit more.
~Skadia, the cheap food loving panther.
Saturday, April 4, 2015
Easter Traditions
With the holiday approaching fast. Much faster than I hoped it would have. I've decided to bore you with personal ramblings this time.
Easter was one of those holidays my family actually celebrated. No, dad didn't take it off, but we would all go to my grandma's for Easter lunch/dinner. It was always my favorite. Eggs would be dyed and some hardboiled would be made into deviled eggs. Juicy ham, potatoes and gravy. Even just talking about it brings up all the wonderful memories. Even the silly little chocolate bunnies my grandma would have every year.
It was always a fun time. Now sadly that I am grown up and moved away I don't see my family as often as I would ever like to, however some traditions die out, some continue. While Easter is tomorrow, I have yet to dye eggs (I know I'm horrible) or even get a ham. This year will be much like last year after moving out here to Colorado. Not much will happen. I'll work and maybe me and my mate will have dinner together.
I do have plans however for after everything goes on sale. That might be the best part about working at a grocery store, when all the stuff goes on clearance the day after I can scoop it right up. So while things might not happen on the 'proper day' I am off Monday and plan to at least enjoy some of the traditions I grew up on.
What are some traditions you still continue or wish you still did?
~Skadia, the bunny eared panther.
Easter was one of those holidays my family actually celebrated. No, dad didn't take it off, but we would all go to my grandma's for Easter lunch/dinner. It was always my favorite. Eggs would be dyed and some hardboiled would be made into deviled eggs. Juicy ham, potatoes and gravy. Even just talking about it brings up all the wonderful memories. Even the silly little chocolate bunnies my grandma would have every year.
It was always a fun time. Now sadly that I am grown up and moved away I don't see my family as often as I would ever like to, however some traditions die out, some continue. While Easter is tomorrow, I have yet to dye eggs (I know I'm horrible) or even get a ham. This year will be much like last year after moving out here to Colorado. Not much will happen. I'll work and maybe me and my mate will have dinner together.
I do have plans however for after everything goes on sale. That might be the best part about working at a grocery store, when all the stuff goes on clearance the day after I can scoop it right up. So while things might not happen on the 'proper day' I am off Monday and plan to at least enjoy some of the traditions I grew up on.
What are some traditions you still continue or wish you still did?
~Skadia, the bunny eared panther.
Saturday, March 28, 2015
Fan Art!
~Skadia the very loved panther
Thursday, March 26, 2015
A Birthday Surprise
So it happened a few weeks ago, I turned 25 years old and it's starting to set in that I'm not 19 and can hit on those same 19 year olds anymore without being creepy. haha Anyway considering my wife was still in the hospital while that day came and went I suppose I shouldn't be hitting on anyone now a days anyway.
So now weeks later I was talking to a co-worker and we were discussing my at that time car problem, and I said "I can't believe it, I only had it the 2 days after my birthday before the darn clutch went out, then I get it back from that problem and it goes out the same day. This is why I'm not a positive person."
Normally she would pick on me for my negativity, but hey it works for me. That day she picked on me about getting old. "Why didn't you tell me it was your birthday?"
"Because it's just a day?"
She wasn't happy with that answer so on her break she rushed back to her house and returned with a surprise. A bag full of home made goodies. Like some actual honey from the bees she keeps kinda thing. Just wow.
I personally haven't gotten into much but there was one jar I couldn't resist. Blueberry syrup. Anyone who knows me, know blueberries are my kryptonite. It was to put it simply, amazing stuff. Normally blueberry syrup is way to sweet, and doesn't actually taste like blueberries. This stuff was full of 'em and so delicious.
When they come into season I will be annoying her for the recipe and promptly share it with you all.
~Skadia the old feeling panther
(bloggers note: no I do not actually think 25 is old, it's a running joke with my family because when I was little anything higher than I could count was old. Heck, even at the age of 4, ten was old to me.)
So now weeks later I was talking to a co-worker and we were discussing my at that time car problem, and I said "I can't believe it, I only had it the 2 days after my birthday before the darn clutch went out, then I get it back from that problem and it goes out the same day. This is why I'm not a positive person."
Normally she would pick on me for my negativity, but hey it works for me. That day she picked on me about getting old. "Why didn't you tell me it was your birthday?"
"Because it's just a day?"
She wasn't happy with that answer so on her break she rushed back to her house and returned with a surprise. A bag full of home made goodies. Like some actual honey from the bees she keeps kinda thing. Just wow.
I personally haven't gotten into much but there was one jar I couldn't resist. Blueberry syrup. Anyone who knows me, know blueberries are my kryptonite. It was to put it simply, amazing stuff. Normally blueberry syrup is way to sweet, and doesn't actually taste like blueberries. This stuff was full of 'em and so delicious.
When they come into season I will be annoying her for the recipe and promptly share it with you all.
~Skadia the old feeling panther
(bloggers note: no I do not actually think 25 is old, it's a running joke with my family because when I was little anything higher than I could count was old. Heck, even at the age of 4, ten was old to me.)
Monday, March 23, 2015
Spring Party Cakes
A friend of mine has a girls night every week and this week I decided to make something special. Small cakes topped with an Irish Cream Frosting, topped with a small royal icing flower that I made yesterday.
Royal icing is a simple frosting that dries hard.
They cosist of egg whites, and sugar. That simple.
That's it for now, hopfully I can do more fun projects like this again. I really did enjoy doing this. I can't wait to get back into cake decorating again.
-Skadia the decorating panther
Sunday, March 22, 2015
Just a little frosting
Well, with my birthday being over a week past I finally decided to make myself a darn cake. Why not right? So I have taken an entire day off and done nothing but make small royal icing drop flowers for the cupcakes I will be making tomorrow. I will be for sure posting pictures so keep you're eyes open.
~Skadia, the 500 flower making panther.
~Skadia, the 500 flower making panther.
Saturday, March 7, 2015
Deviled Egg Salad Sandwich
Yes you have heard this right, deviled egg, and egg salad now are combined! Okay so maybe it's not the most original idea ever, but it sure is yummy. After Calico got home from one round of pancreatitis I had to come up with some new 'surgical soft' foods for her to eat. This one was a winner.
6 Hard boiled eggs (however you normally boil them is fine, if you haven't before, just put them in a pot, bring them to a boil, then cover and remove from heat letting them sit for 15-20 minutes.)
6 Hard boiled eggs (however you normally boil them is fine, if you haven't before, just put them in a pot, bring them to a boil, then cover and remove from heat letting them sit for 15-20 minutes.)
2 TBS Mayo (I used the low fat kind, but any will work you could also just up the mustard and pickle juice if you wished to remove it, however I am not sure how that would taste, but feel free to have fun with it.)
1 TBS Mustard (Today I had extra Dijon so I used that instead of my normal yellow mustard)
1 TBS sweet pickle
juice
Salt, pepper, and paprika to taste
Shock eggs in ice
water and peel. Cut in half and put
yolks in a bowl. Reserve whites for later.
Mix egg yolks,
mayo, mustard, pickle juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix until well
blended and creamy. Cut up whites and mix into yolk mixture.
Best served on
warm toast.
Monday, March 2, 2015
In and out of hospitals
It has not been a fun year, seems like every time my wife gets out, she has to go back in. So hopefully things will be getting back on track soon. I have a bunch of new recipes to post so you will be hearing from me soon.
~Skadia, the overworked panther
~Skadia, the overworked panther
Monday, February 2, 2015
Fast Food?
Alright so we all know by now that fast food is just plain old not good for anyone. It makes us feel sluggish and heavy. Yes there are some better choices but they still are not that great for you. Why do we continue to go there? Convenience.
We don't have to cook, or do the dishes afterwards but sometimes life just really likes to get in the way. Like personally now my wife is back in the hospital fighting a stomach flu on top of trying to still heal from her gallbladder surgery. It's too time consuming (in my head) to go home and make anything to eat.
It takes too much time. I don't like cooking for just one person. I need to get back to the hospital, just in case.
They are all really pretty sounding excuses. Not good ones mind you, but they sure do sound pretty. Now I know most of this has to do with will power, so I'm reaching out to you, my beloved readers.
How do you deal with those impulses?
What are even some of your alternatives?
Now mind you yes I can live off sandwiches, I would just rather not. Also in my defense they take to long to make. While I do love a good one, mine normally consist of three different veggies, skillfully paired condiments and just the right bread, cheese, and meat ratio. That takes a while. haha
Honestly, what are some of your favorite power foods/snacks?
~Skadia, the not so dieting panther.
We don't have to cook, or do the dishes afterwards but sometimes life just really likes to get in the way. Like personally now my wife is back in the hospital fighting a stomach flu on top of trying to still heal from her gallbladder surgery. It's too time consuming (in my head) to go home and make anything to eat.
It takes too much time. I don't like cooking for just one person. I need to get back to the hospital, just in case.
They are all really pretty sounding excuses. Not good ones mind you, but they sure do sound pretty. Now I know most of this has to do with will power, so I'm reaching out to you, my beloved readers.
How do you deal with those impulses?
What are even some of your alternatives?
Now mind you yes I can live off sandwiches, I would just rather not. Also in my defense they take to long to make. While I do love a good one, mine normally consist of three different veggies, skillfully paired condiments and just the right bread, cheese, and meat ratio. That takes a while. haha
Honestly, what are some of your favorite power foods/snacks?
~Skadia, the not so dieting panther.
Thursday, January 15, 2015
Very Veggie Soup
Over the past few days I have browsed my local grocery store and not only found some great deals, but have crafted this tasty (and cheap!) recipe. Feel free to switch out anything at all with personal taste preferences, but I found this to be simply amazing.
1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger, skin removed
1/3 cup baby carrots, coin sliced
1/3 cup celery, diced
3/4 cup leek, diced ( You could also use onions here but the leek is such an underused veggie and in season currently for me.)
1/2 bell pepper, diced (Roughly 1/2 cup)
3/4 cup frozen green beans (Another good sale)
4 cups beef broth (I personally used bouillon but any of your favorite will work.)
3 red potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 in chunks
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced
First add the oil to your pot and toss in all those rough veggies. The ones that take forever to really cook. So in goes your celery, carrots, and bell pepper. Cook those down just a bit while you chop everything else up. It might seem like a skipable step, and it is, but it really adds a lot more flavor to the final product.
After that cooks for a few moments toss in the rest of your chopped veggies and pour in your broth. Add the seasoning to taste and put a lid on this one. I found leaving it just off center works the best for keeping heat in, but letting steam out.
Let that simmer for at least an hour, you can always go longer but once that smell starts drifting through the house. Good luck on waiting. Those of you with self control, I envy you some days.
Remove the ginger chunk just before serving. It also refrigerates well so feel free to make a big batch for leftovers.
The recipe above was made for 2 people (and we had a big bowl each with enough for another one tonight), so for your family you might have to adjust it. This soup (for the entire batch) cost me only about $3.
Let me know what you think, or even what parts you changed! I'd love to hear.
~Skadia, the soup crafting panther
1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger, skin removed
1/3 cup baby carrots, coin sliced
1/3 cup celery, diced
3/4 cup leek, diced ( You could also use onions here but the leek is such an underused veggie and in season currently for me.)
1/2 bell pepper, diced (Roughly 1/2 cup)
3/4 cup frozen green beans (Another good sale)
4 cups beef broth (I personally used bouillon but any of your favorite will work.)
3 red potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 in chunks
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/2 teaspoon garlic, minced
First add the oil to your pot and toss in all those rough veggies. The ones that take forever to really cook. So in goes your celery, carrots, and bell pepper. Cook those down just a bit while you chop everything else up. It might seem like a skipable step, and it is, but it really adds a lot more flavor to the final product.
After that cooks for a few moments toss in the rest of your chopped veggies and pour in your broth. Add the seasoning to taste and put a lid on this one. I found leaving it just off center works the best for keeping heat in, but letting steam out.
Let that simmer for at least an hour, you can always go longer but once that smell starts drifting through the house. Good luck on waiting. Those of you with self control, I envy you some days.
Remove the ginger chunk just before serving. It also refrigerates well so feel free to make a big batch for leftovers.
The recipe above was made for 2 people (and we had a big bowl each with enough for another one tonight), so for your family you might have to adjust it. This soup (for the entire batch) cost me only about $3.
Let me know what you think, or even what parts you changed! I'd love to hear.
~Skadia, the soup crafting panther
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Chicken Broth: My New Best Friend
So simple, so cheap, and so versatile! I just get the generic stuff (Watch your sales it has a decent shelf life!) and have been doing so much with it. Everything from cooking in it, replacing fating liquids with it and even using a full can to pound in a door hing pin.
Okay so maybe that last one isn't as helpful but it was at the time.
Yesterday I made the most juicy and tender chicken. It marinated all day in a wonderful mixture of soy sauce (Low sodium!), chicken broth, and lemon juice with some minced garlic and a hunk of ginger. (Sorry I will be sure to measure it out next time and post the recipe) I then sliced it really thin, think sushi thin, and put it in a pan and covered it with chicken broth and let it boil.
In less than five minutes I had juicy, fully cooked, flavorful chicken. Best part of all, only fat is what the chicken naturally has.
Another wonderful thing I have tried. Who doesn't love mashed potatoes? Now, who can eat them with all that fattening butter and milk (or cream)? Well I'm not one for using that watered down skim milk. So I had to find another option. Chicken broth? Why not?!
I made the potatoes like normal just in salted boiled water. Once they were done I added 1 tablespoon of that delicious low fat fake butter. (My honest personal favorite is I can't believe it's not butter) and just enough chicken broth to make it creamy. Generally speaking I couldn't taste that much of a difference. Like no it wasn't the exact same as what my mother made, but they were a lot closer than you would think.
You could also always add some garlic or onion or even some turkey bacon to those potatoes for some extra flavor. You'll never miss those full fat potatoes again!
Until next time
~Skadia, the chicken broth obsessed panther
Okay so maybe that last one isn't as helpful but it was at the time.
Yesterday I made the most juicy and tender chicken. It marinated all day in a wonderful mixture of soy sauce (Low sodium!), chicken broth, and lemon juice with some minced garlic and a hunk of ginger. (Sorry I will be sure to measure it out next time and post the recipe) I then sliced it really thin, think sushi thin, and put it in a pan and covered it with chicken broth and let it boil.
In less than five minutes I had juicy, fully cooked, flavorful chicken. Best part of all, only fat is what the chicken naturally has.
Another wonderful thing I have tried. Who doesn't love mashed potatoes? Now, who can eat them with all that fattening butter and milk (or cream)? Well I'm not one for using that watered down skim milk. So I had to find another option. Chicken broth? Why not?!
I made the potatoes like normal just in salted boiled water. Once they were done I added 1 tablespoon of that delicious low fat fake butter. (My honest personal favorite is I can't believe it's not butter) and just enough chicken broth to make it creamy. Generally speaking I couldn't taste that much of a difference. Like no it wasn't the exact same as what my mother made, but they were a lot closer than you would think.
You could also always add some garlic or onion or even some turkey bacon to those potatoes for some extra flavor. You'll never miss those full fat potatoes again!
Until next time
~Skadia, the chicken broth obsessed panther
Saturday, January 10, 2015
A New Cat in Town
Really, it's not what you think, however it does hold some good news for some of my normal readers. More posts coming soon. Yeah sure I've said it before, this time is different. Why you ask? Let me explain some things.
Towards the end of last year my partner got very very ill and went into the ER. A few hours later she went into surgery for the worst gallbladder surgery this Doctor had ever seen in his 30+ years of practice. It was bad (we have pics for anyone who would want to see! haha strong graphic warning on those however). Anyway a own hour surgery took three and she was in recovery for about twelve days. It was really bad.
The good news in all of this is for the rest of her life she now needs to be on a brand new diet (see there lies the new cat pun). One consisting or no red meat, low gluten, and low lactose, and low fat. She will be at about 40-50 grams per day max. So not only what I cook changes but how I cook it and the ingredients I use. That's where this blog will come in. (Finally! I swore when I made it, it would have a use.)
I will not only be posting recipes and money saving cheats on here but also different ways to change your diet for a lifestyle similar to this. Or you could even if you just want to eat better.
My promise to you will not be regular posts (life it to crazy for that kind of a promise), but for sure more. I will also be so brass to promise that all of my recipes will be flavor packed and delicious. So give them a try, who knows you might not miss that steak after all.
~Skadia the panther living in an upside down world
Towards the end of last year my partner got very very ill and went into the ER. A few hours later she went into surgery for the worst gallbladder surgery this Doctor had ever seen in his 30+ years of practice. It was bad (we have pics for anyone who would want to see! haha strong graphic warning on those however). Anyway a own hour surgery took three and she was in recovery for about twelve days. It was really bad.
The good news in all of this is for the rest of her life she now needs to be on a brand new diet (see there lies the new cat pun). One consisting or no red meat, low gluten, and low lactose, and low fat. She will be at about 40-50 grams per day max. So not only what I cook changes but how I cook it and the ingredients I use. That's where this blog will come in. (Finally! I swore when I made it, it would have a use.)
I will not only be posting recipes and money saving cheats on here but also different ways to change your diet for a lifestyle similar to this. Or you could even if you just want to eat better.
My promise to you will not be regular posts (life it to crazy for that kind of a promise), but for sure more. I will also be so brass to promise that all of my recipes will be flavor packed and delicious. So give them a try, who knows you might not miss that steak after all.
~Skadia the panther living in an upside down world
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