It’s time to get back on track. Shoveling the driveway twice today and sampling Amy’s baked goods from school basically canceled each other out. All kidding aside, I definitely need to increase my fiber and protein intake so I’m having a yogurt cereal and fruit bowl topped with chia seeds.
Half cup each of Greek yogurt and Ezekiel cereal topped with chia seeds, about a quarter cup of granola all mixed with strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries.
This has been on repeat in our home. A stockpot simmering with citrus, spices, and herbs. Humidifies the air and provides a cinnamon and clove scented aroma that is so much better than the smell of wet dog.
Today’s ingredients
1 sliced lemon
1 sliced orange
1 sliced mandarin orange
2 cinnamon sticks
1 sliced knob of ginger
2 sliced turmeric pieces
1/2 cup or more of cranberries
A not so precise shake or two of dried cloves and dried rosemary. If I had to guess maybe a teaspoon of each? Either of these could be substituted with whole cloves and/or fresh rosemary sprigs. Use what you have!
Cover with water and bring to a simmer. As it evaporates I will just keep adding water throughout the day.
One large carrot peeled and diced. One stalk of celery diced. One quarter to one third of a white onion cut into strips. 3 baked bone in skin on chicken breasts.
Earlier in the evening I baked the chicken. I sprayed the glass baking dish with avocado oil spray. I added the chicken and sprayed the top of each chicken breast before I sprinkled approximately 1 1/2 tsp of Fresco Spice Blends Penney’s Little Italy over the tops. Baked uncovered at 375 for 35 minutes
Back to the stock. Add water to cover about 8 cups. A splash of Reisling leftover from our son’s wedding weekend ❤️ probably 1/4 cup or less. If you are doing dry January skip the wine. Cover and cook on low for 10 hours overnight or whenever you have 10 hours to spare. Wake up to chicken broth and the beginning of a nice chicken soup.
I’m going to take the skin off and debone the chicken later today and dump it all (minus the bones and skin) in a stock pot on the stove to simmer and smell nice until dinner! I will also add in more carrots that are peeled and diced, diced celery, and some minced garlic and maybe ginger briefly sautéed in a little olive oil or butter.
Add more water throughout the day when you think it needs more.
Add the noodles at in the last 10 minutes of cooking when you’ve brought the soup to a boil. Follow the package directions for the noodles that you choose. That’s dinner!
This skillet is a riff on what I found when I looked up recipes that use kale and ground beef. Sometimes you just have to use what’s in your fridge. So I used a quarter of a yellow onion rather than the shallot that the original listed.
Bon appetit!
I tried a new recipe from thenovicechefblog.com. Based on the available items I had to tweak it a little but I think it turned out well!
Let me know in the comments if you want me to share the recipe.
Geez, it’s been a minute since I’ve posted anything! Supposedly life had slowed down over the past year and a half but I don’t buy it. I’m still rushing around trying to put dinner on the table.
Pre heat your oven to 425. Cut up 3 Russet potatoes into small pieces and mix with olive oil and whatever spice you like best. I really like the Fresco Spice Blends. I used 1 tablespoon of their Everyday Seasoning. Mix well and spread evenly on a rimmed cookie sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
While the potatoes are cooking you can cut up carrots and broccoli. I was lucky in that I already had diced carrots in the fridge. Set aside.
Above are photos of my time saver, frozen pre cut chicken that I simply thaw and combine with olive oil and my favorite spice blend. This week I’m loving Fresco Spice Blends Mexicali Salsa.
Either bake the chicken in a pan at 375 for about 25 minutes or saute (fry that is) in a pan over medium heat until the chicken is cooked through.
While the chicken is cooking steam the vegetables in the microwave for about 3 minutes.
Remove the chicken from the pan and put in a bowl to serve later. Pour about 1/4 cup of chicken stock into the pan while it is still on low to medium heat. Use a utensil that works best for the type of pan you used. My pan is non stick so I used a wooden spatula. Scrape the browned chicken bits and mix with the chicken stock. Let the liquid cook for a minute or two and then add the steamed carrots and broccoli and mix well. I added one teaspoon of Fresco spice blends California Fresh seasoning and continued to cook until the carrots were as tender as I liked.
Ta da! A complete meal in about half an hour. It definitely helps to have frozen pre cut chicken on hand, as well as vegetables that were already cut ( at least the carrots were), and using boxed chicken broth.
It’s chilly outside this morning so time for coffee with foam. Yum!
A mix of Trader Joe’s Autumn Maple Coffee with Starbucks French Roast, topped with 1% milk foam made in the Nespresso and topped with a sprinkle of Maple Sugar from Ben’s Sugar Shack. The perfect Saturday morning coffee for a cold November morning.
Homes In Progress 