Shopping and cooking for only two can be a challenge. Most food items are prepackaged for families. Blah, stay away from them anyway. B and I cook a lot, so this means that we have left overs, sometimes for days. And in the end, we waste a lot of food. So we have stuck with certain recipes that help us control lefts over and save money.
Chicken is the normal compromise when it comes to us buying meat. One evening B brought home a whole chicken...not chicken legs or wings, a whole chicken with insides and everything. I was very excited to see what he was going to do with it. At first, not much...he made me clean it out. It wasn't bad at all, actually it was kinda fun. Like being in anatomy class all over again! Weird I know, but you got to have fun when your cooking, or it just becomes a chore!
After I cleaned the bird inside and out (so important to clean poultry and clean the kitchen once you are done prepping) B dressed it with a poultry rub including onion spices, peppers, sage, salt, brown sugar, paprika, and garlic. Before placing in the oven, he filled a can with low sodium chicken broth, about 1/2 way full, and placed it in the chicken. Yup, inserted it right in the bottom. The broth helps keeps the bird nice and moist. We baked it for an hour and a half on 350 degrees. IMPORTANT: Poultry is a carrier of the mean bacteria called salmonella. Cleaning and cooking to a proper temperature is extremely important.
We always let it cook to 180 degrees. With your meat thermometer in hand, place in a meaty section, away from the bone to get the best temp. Now you are thinking a whole bird will defiantly feed more then two people?! Yes you are correct. But you don't have to have the same meal the next day. Our sides consisted of mashed potatoes and steamed green beans. But, you can do a lot with a whole chicken. For the next day make green salad with chicken, chicken sandwiches, and our favorite chicken alfredo. Remember, you can keep things healthy by controlling portions sizes, using fresh vegetables for sides and not adding a lot of fat to you entree i.e. butter, cheese, sour cream, dressings. Have fun in the kitchen with your significant other! Don't be afraid to take chances, get creative and in the end find good nutrition in your food.
Recently, I had a friend tell me that bullet points are always best when it comes to giving advice. So, from now on I will have a section entitled "Bullet points for Amos." This section will sum it all up!
- Have fun in the kitchen
- Cook something different at least once a week
- Make sure both Newly Weds are involved. Nice quality time!
- Compromise! The point is to enjoy your food and remember to feed your body the nutrients it needs
- Half of your plate should be non-starchy vegetables
- Forth of your plate should be a starch
- Forth of your plate a lean meat
It was a good week for cooking in the Huggins Household. Please, continue to read and learn as the compromises of NewlyWed Nutrition, Mission:Healthy Husband, continue. Now go buy that whole chicken and tell me what meal you made out of it!!
Always Smiling,
Cindy Jade RD,LD
Registered Dietitian
Be Full Be Happy Be Healthy
I would love to see some of your recipes that you and B prepare! The chicken alfredo sounds yummy!!!
ReplyDeleteGood points! Me & Josh will have to try to the whole chicken thing! It will make other meals so much easier to prepare for with having all the leftover meat!
ReplyDelete