Posted on 05/10/2017 4:39:59 PM PDT by Jamestown1630
Sometimes we use Peapod, a grocery delivery service, so that we have a weekend now and then where we don’t have to do anything but stay home, read books, putter around the house. It’s very convenient, and when you factor-in the value of time - and in my area, the frustration of traffic - it isn’t very expensive. I wouldn’t do it every week – I like going into the store and looking around; but it’s very useful and efficient for our occasional use.
We discovered recently that Peapod is offering ‘meal kits’; and since some of you have had good experiences with services like Blue Apron, we decided to try one of these. We chose a Chicken Tortilla Soup that uses the Southwest Fiesta seasoning blend from ‘The Zen of Slow Cooking’, a very interesting little company which has recently won an award from the Specialty Food Association, in the 'new product' category.
This turned out very, very well! In fact, it’s the first thing other than plain bone broth that I’ve made in the slow-cooker that I was really happy with ;-) The ingredients came carefully packed and ready to go, with simple, clear instructions; and this was a great introduction to a company that I hadn’t heard of before.
The Zen of Slow Cooking website has many recipes for using the different seasoning blends that they offer – I’m anxious to try the Indian Dal blend - and it appears that recipes come with each blend that you buy; but you can certainly make use of these recipes with your own seasoning blends:
http://www.blog.thezenofslowcooking.com/recipes/
The Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe on their blog isn’t exactly the same as the kit we received, but almost the same. The only changes to the kit that I would make would be to add some salt; and it probably needed a little more broth, to be more like soup than stew. I'm anxious to try this from scratch, using their blend.
We found something in the grocery store recently that might be a boon for other low-carb eaters: Cheese Crisps that can be used as croutons in a low-carb salad. These are offered by Fresh Gourmet, and the Asiago flavor is my favorite. You can make these yourself, but with all the from-scratch cooking that low-carbers have to do, these are very convenient. (I have to confess to sometimes eating them like potato chips, as a snack ;-)
If you want to try making them from scratch, you can do them in a frying pan; but using parchment or Silpat and baking them in the oven is probably easiest. Here’s a recipe from ‘Low Carb Yum’:
https://lowcarbyum.com/easy-parmesan-crisps/
Recently a friend told me about ‘Bundt Pan Chicken’, which I’d never heard of but which seemed an interesting variation on ‘Beer Can Chicken’. This recipe from Food.Com suggests putting the bundt pan in a larger pan to catch the drippings; but some recipes suggest covering the ‘hole’ in the bundt tube with foil; I think that would be a better way to get all of that chicken juice to fall down and flavor your veggies; but you might want to use the 'under-pan' anyway, in case of leaks:
http://www.food.com/recipe/chicken-dinner-in-a-bundt-pan-186341
-JT
That is one gross looking chicken. Soft chicken skin is the worst. I could never be a zombie & eat raw people.
I’ve been interested in that ‘Bullet’.
I do pretty good until lunch on two eggs and a sausage patty, but I’m a most-time low-carber.
I do like a smoothie now and then. I make it with a frozen banana, a handful of frozen strawberries, and apple juice to cover. A regular blender works for that.
There are schools of thought that suggest that you shouldn’t eat anything but fruit, first thing in the morning; and others suggest that you shouldn’t mix fruit with dairy. I’ve sometimes followed this, but haven’t seen any different results than from eating a couple of eggs and a little meat in the morning. I do keep my smoothies to just fruit or fruit/veg, when I have them.
I usually just follow what my body wants at any given moment. (I’ve noticed as I’ve gotten older that I want more fresh things, less salt, and not so much meat.)
I will look into the Bullet!
I know how you feel. I was in 2nd grade and after eating stuffing became violently, violently ill.
Didn’t eat it again for decades until I was having Thanksgiving at a friend’s house. His mom shoveled some stuffing on to my plate.
It was my first Thanksgiving away from my family. I had to show my gratitude so I ate it. I LOVED IT!!! and have been enjoying it ever since!
I’d say go for the pretzel crust. Take a gamble. LOL!
Half-pale????
Presentation is a key element.
Match that bottom half with James Carvilles head and it’s a clear case of a space alien invasion. Undead chicken.
The difference is really *loading* calories into the smoothie so that your body realizes it’s got enough to work with to not send up the hunger pangs for 5 hours. A 180cal smoothie doesn’t sate the protein, fat and carb hungers like a honking 800cal does, doesn’t provide the fuel to get you from 9a-2p, when you’re likely to need it most, unless you’re an afternoon lumberjack :)
LOL!
(I’ve never understood how he and his wife could live together; unless they’re both just taking it for all they can get :-)
I think that what we THINK and believe affects us much more than what may seem objectively “real”. We create a lot of what seems to be our reality by our attitudes, beliefs, etc.
Maybe I’ll try the Pizza Crust - but I still think it would be better with a graham crust ;-)
I understand the point, and calories are probably important for healthy, hard-working manual laborers. But I don’t need to ‘load’ myself that much in the morning, and I don’t think that most people do. Everyone is different, and some folks’ stomachs just aren’t ready for that much different *stuff* in the morning.
For most of us, eating just enough to feel satisfied, and then doing same again when you need it, is probably adequate.
(Everyone’s body is a little different. A lot of people with endocrine issues might not do well on all those carbs in the morning, and would do better on pure protein.)
“Smoothies don’t cause your body to want to lay down and digest the typical breakfast, you just zip along with your day as planned. “
Hmmm I’ll have to rethink the whole smoothie thing. I do feel tired and dragging if I eat too heavy a meal, especially in the morning.
I’m curious why you said you’d tell people from the south about the smoothies. I am in Tennessee, but was expecting a southern component- biscuits and gravy or something, lol!
800 calories seems a lot for a woman - is that a man’s portion? Or are you leaping buildings in a single bound all morning and afternoon? ;)
We tried this last year and it has become a favorite with Rory’s soy marinated grilled steak( recipe at food network). I cut back the sugar to 1/4 cup.
2 beef recipes here from Rory:
http://www.finecooking.com/recipe/soy-marinated-grilled-beef-tenderloin
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/house-fire-steak-and-sugar-grilled-asparagus-recipe#reviewsTop
One of DC’s great mysteries...Mary Matlin looking at James Car-vile and thinking, “I want to have this mans babies”. Gollums daddy.
I came a cross this site while searching for Asian/Island recipes. There are so many good recipes. The photography is outstanding.
600 of the 800 calories comes from greek yogurt (11oz) and two raw eggs, for about 55g protein. You can use more frozen fruit/juice if you want it around 500cal. These high-nutrient smoothies get me through breakfast and lunch after cafe au lait, leaving 5-600cals for dinner and snacks.
Oh OK, then it’s not as much as it sounds. If it takes the place of breakfast and lunch
I was envisioning “A pretzel truck crossed the center divide, killing my parents, and ever since then I’ve had a hatred of pretzels”.
I’d eat the whole sack! Am back on low carb so digging up the old tried and true recipes.
Similar to the Parmesan Crisps, you can make them with cheddar or mozz, etc. Try different cheeses. Make the crisps larger and use as a chalupa or taco shell or quickly remove from microwave and mold them in a bowl and fill them with a salad, etc.
Low Carb Cheese-Its
Cut one Kraft/store bought sandwich slice of cheese into 16 little squares. Put on a sheet of parchment. Nuke on high for 1 minute. Check for doneness. Remove those that are done (don’t let them burn) and nuke the remaining a few more seconds. Much better than the boxed Cheez-It crackers.
The HEB store brand American cheese slices work but your brand may not. Calories 60 and carbs 2 total and 14 cents total. Roll up the parchment paper and store in the freezer to use again and again.
FLAX SEED MEAL PANCAKES - 1 serving
3 T flax seed meal
2 eggs
1/4 t splenda or sugar free da vinci syrup
dash of cinnamon
Cook in skillet. Calories 203. Carbs 5. Dietary Fiber 4.
Top with sugar free pancake syrup.
Tip - Roast those frozen cauliflower/broccoli/carrot mix bags in the oven until they get little browned/burnt spots to bring out the sweetness. Serve with hollandaise sauce. Steaming them is too bland and soggy.
Unless a family member particularly goes for the wings, cut them off before roasting. Store in a freezer bag and keep adding to the bag. Eventually you’ll have enough for hot wings for pennies. Here, a bag of wings is expensive considering they’re mostly bone.
You beat me to it.
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