Still Enjoying the Challenge

I’m sorry I missed getting a column in the paper last week, but I was away visiting our youngest daughter in Illinois. She’s also a cross fit enthusiast, and friends with a nutritionist. Therefore, she’s very strong on portion sizes, and having the right varieties of food on the plate. She isn’t doing the Whole Life Challenge, but might as well be. I didn’t worry about straying from the nutrition side of things. There was a lot of freezing rain while I was there, so for exercise, I hiked up and down the staircase and around the living room for at least 10 minutes each day. The stretching was done in my room.

My daughter, Dawn, is also friends with Aimee Shugarman, who does cross fit at the same gym. Aimee bakes fabulous desserts and blogs about them, along with sharing the recipes. I was able to have a piece of her Cream Puff Cake. Apparently, after Aimee has baked a dessert, she takes a photo of one piece to go with the blog and recipe, then donates the rest of the dessert to friends. My Dawn snagged this cake. It was totally worth losing a nutrition point that day. Dawn hadn’t realized how big of a following Aimee has until she saw people here reposting “Shugary Sweets” on their Facebook pages.

Dawn introduced me to a meal called Harvest Chicken. It was fabulous, but I neglected to get her recipe. There are several variations online. I plan to use the following one in the very near future. I don’t expect Dennis to consume much of it, but certainly he can eat the chicken, onions and bacon. I’ll sub in broccoli for the brussels sprouts since I don’t think I’ll find fresh ones here. And I’ll use a couple small regular potatoes for him.

Harvest Chicken

1 Tbl olive oil

1# boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2” cubes

1 tsp kosher salt, divided

1/2 tsp black pepper

4 slices thick cut bacon, chopped

3 C brussels sprouts

1 medium sweet potato, peeled, cut into 1/2” cubes

1 medium onion, chopped

2 granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, cut into 3/4” cubes

4 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp)

2 tsp chopped fresh thyme

1 tsp cinnamon

1 C reduced sodium chicken broth, divided

Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat until hot and shimmering. Add the chicken, 1/2 tsp salt, and the pepper. Cook until lightly browned and cooked through, about five minutes. Transfer to paper towel-lined plate. Reduce heat to medium low and cook the bacon until crisp and brown, and the fat has reduced, about eight minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Discard all but about 1 1/2 Tbl bacon fat. Increase heat to medium high. Add the sprouts, sweet potato, onion, and remaining salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, and the onions start looking translucent, about 10 minutes. Stir in apples, garlic, thyme, and cinnamon. Cook 30 seconds, then pour in 1/2 C broth. Bring to a boil and cook until evaporated, about two minutes. Add the rest of the broth and the chicken. Cook until heated through, about two minutes. Stir in bacon and serve warm.

I had a hankering for crispy fried chicken, but most of the breading for that are “not compliant” with the Whole Life Challenge. I searched for recipes that would be. There are lots of paleo, keto and air fried chicken recipes. I settled for this one and am really glad I did. The skin was very crispy, as promised, and the flavor was excellent. I’ll definitely make this one again, quite possibly for wings. I’ll just have to adjust the baking time a bit.

No Mess Crispy

Chicken Thighs

4# bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

2 Tbl baking powder (NOT baking soda)

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp onion powder

Heat oven to 250°. Line a rimmed sheet with foil. Use a rack to fit and spray with no-stick spray. Pat thighs dry with paper towels. Mix all the dry ingredients in a large baggie. Add the thighs and shake to coat. Place the thighs skin side up on the rack. Bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes. Turn the heat up to 425°, move the sheet up one space in the oven, and bake another 30 minutes, or until cooked through.

I paired this with a baked Delicata squash that I grew in my garden last summer. I also zapped a package of my own broccoli from my freezer. Dennis had hash browns I’d made last fall with the potatoes I stabbed while digging then. Those never keep, so needed to be cooked and used right away. I’d boiled them, peeled, and then grated them. I froze them in bags, using my vacuum sealer. All I had to do was melt some butter in a pan, plop in the frozen potatoes, cover the pan, and let cook over very low heat while the chicken and squash baked. I flipped them over once, adding a little more butter.

I can’t wait for this snow to go away. I want to be growing things in my garden again. I want green grass to mow and flowers to bloom. I’m sure everyone is sick of the white and especially the cold. I guess we’ll all just wait, huh?