Best Roasted Chicken I've Ever Tasted

On a recent trip to Pier1 I found a roasting pan on clearance for just $25. I had only cooked a full bird once before. When I was 16 my mom had me cook our family's Thanksgiving dinner. It was a lot of fun but whole poultry just seemed a bit too daunting with out my mom in the kitchen to answer my questions.   I thought it was time to give it a try on my own, get some good use out of my new  roasting pan, and hopefully find another healthy meal to enjoy on a regular basis.

I did a quick search online and discovered Eating Well's Simple Roast Chicken Recipe. It didn't have too many ingredients, simple cooking instructions, and even had calorie information. I followed the recipe exactly instead of my usual glance and do whatever I want type of cooking. I'm glad I did. Even though  I was hesitant about using tarragon in the stuffing (I don't like the smell of it) everything turned out delicious! 

Nothing is so satisfying as a perfectly golden brown meat.

I served the roasted chicken, minus the onion herb stuffing, with roasted vegetables and a box of Stove Top Chicken Stuffing. I cooked on the rack above the chicken for the last 30 minutes. Just drizzle with olive oil and throw some extra tarragon and thyme with some carrots, pearl onions and mushroom caps.

Perfect side dish: oven roasted vegetables with thyme.

Want to try it for yourself? Visit Eating Well's Simple Roast Chicken Recipe.

Garlic Mushroom Couscous Recipe

Continuing on with our healthier traditions in 2012 I'm experimenting with new recipes and products.  This is the second time I cooked couscous, the first being a winter salad for our annual Christmas party.  The salad didn't make much of an impression on my guests but I had left over dry couscous and wanted something healthier then mashed potatoes (my personal weakness) so I tried a savory couscous last night. It turned out very nice with sauteed chicken breast, white wine gravy and roasted fancy carrots.

Garlic Mushroom Couscous
Makes about 2 cups.

INGREDIENTS
1 Tbl. butter or olive oil
1 Tbl. minced garlic
2 medium shallots
1/4 cup chives
1/2 to 1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup chicken broth, reduced sodium
1 cup couscous

Healthier Traditions in 2012

New Year's has never been a big deal to me so it didn't seem that important of a date to change my life over by making shallow resolutions. My birthday, especially big ones, are great days to make goals for myself. However, now that I'm married and we have combined goals it makes more sense to set goals at the beginning of the year. This is the first year we've decided to set goals. Last year, our first year of marriage, was spent celebrating, redecorating, and generally getting used to each other's schedules.  Now its time to get our married life organized.

Our first goal is to live a healthier lifestyle with more activity and more home cooked meals.  We're starting breakfast with some great products I've discovered recently.  Both my husband and I don't really eat breakfast during the week, something I've learned isn't that healthy as you should be eating more than 200 calories for breakfast.  My husband's solution was LeanPockets but I've convinced him to have fruit smoothie and english muffin. 

We discovered Orrowheat's Double Fiber English Muffins  while visiting my in-laws.  They are filling, give us the extra fiber, and taste a bit sweet because of the wheat just at 120 calories per muffin. A spray or two of I Can't Believe It's Not Butter! Spray give it a perfect hint of butter with just 1 calorie per spray.

Cuisinart Compact Blender

A post-Christmas shopping trip to Bed Bath & Beyond led me to the Cuisinart SmartPower Compact Blender with 4 16oz travel cups and lids, chopper, and blender bowl.  At $70, it's more expensive then other compact blenders on the market (like $20 ones at Target) but it has larger travel cups, more of them, and a trusted brand name.  If you get it at Bed Bath & Beyond you can use a 20% off coupon and there is a $20 mail-in rebate making it about $40!

The blender is perfectly matched with Jamba Juice Smoothie Kits I found at Ralphs.  For a 16oz smoothie at 120 calories, add 1 smoothie kit bag of frozen fruit and a cup of juice or milk in a travel cup and blend.  It's that simple!   If I can't finish the smoothie that morning, I save the travel cup in the fridge then add more frozen fruit to thicken it up the next morning.  I also got a few Yoplait Smoothie mixes but I haven't tried them yet.  Next thing I'm going to look for are smoothie boosts like Jamba Juice has in their shops to add protein to the morning smoothie mix.

All together that makes about 245 calories for a healthy breakfast of fruit and fiber!

In-Law's Thanksgiving Left Overs Spinach Salad

I'm really particular about left overs.  There are only a few things I like left over, some of them are Thanksgiving goodies like mashed potatoes, stuffing and pearled onions. But once they are gone I'm usually left with lots of turkey and you can only have sandwiches so many times.

Thankfully my mother-in-law shared a new salad that is perfect for Thanksgiving left overs. It looks and tastes vibrant and fresh, completely opposite of usual beige left overs! 

INGREDIENTS

Spinach
Turkey or Chicken meat, cubed or flaked
Cranberry sauce (Trader Joe's Cranberry Orange Relish is delicious!)
White Stilton cheese with Cranberries
Pepitas (Pumpkin Seeds) or Candied Pecans
Balsamic Vinaigrette

What's your favorite way to have Thanksgiving left overs?

BBQ Kabobs: Chicken, Beef and Veggies

Our family loves hosting weekend barbecues with friends and family but after awhile everyone gets sick of the same old burgers, hot dogs or chicken.  A couple of years ago my mother and I decided to try something different and make shish kabobs. We found some marinade recipes online and gave them a try.  Like always, after trying the recipe for the first time I started making all kinds of changes to heighten the flavor.  Now we're going to share the perfected marinade recipe with you to enjoy at your summer BBQs!

Meat and Marinade
2 pounds cubed chicken, beef or both!
2 cups vegetable oil
1 cup soy sauce
2/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup teriyaki sauce

March 2011 Craft Day: Parfaits

Every month or so we host a Craft Day for our friends to get together to talk and craft. At the last Craft Day I served simple yet delicious parfaits. They are great for parties because they are simple to prepare, don't make much of a mess, and look great when you're trying to show off to guests.

Parfaits look best in multiple layers of fruit, yogurt, fruit and sprinkled with granola served in glass bowls, like Pier1's mini trifle bowls.

Parfaits

INGREDIENTS

Plain or Vanilla low-fat Yogurt
Low-fat Granola
Basket of Strawberries
Basket of Blueberries
Basket of Blackberries

INSTRUCTIONS

Wash all berries.
Cut off strawberry tops.
Cut strawberries into smaller than bite size pieces.
I turn them upside down, with their stem side down, cut in half long ways, then cut 3-5 slices on each side.
Mix all berries together.
Serve berries, granola, and yogurt in individual bows.
Provide bowls for guests to construct their own parfaits.