MEAL TWO- EASY CHICKEN STOCK and LEFT OVER VEGGIE SOUP

I never have made my own chicken stock before this year. It looked too hard and why bother when it comes in a can already??? Well, when I started this diet and realized how much sodium was in canned stock, I was appalled. Then, when I lost my job, I was looking for ways to save money and use up all my food. So, when I saw how inexpensive roaster chicken was AND I could get several meals out of it…well, I make my chicken stock from scratch whenever I can.

So here’s chicken (or any other meat) stock in a few simple steps:

1. Place your carcass, or bits of chicken on the bone, into a large pan that has a lid. Pick off any leftover meat and set aside for another yummy dish.

2. Cover with water until the water comes about an inch above the bones.

3. Add an onion (cut in half), a carrot or two (roughly chopped) and a bit of fresh parsley.

4. Cover the pan with the lid, bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer.

5. Leave for a few hours (I usually do it for 3 hours – 2 hours as a minimum). It’s ready when the water has turned a creamy color and any bones you fish out are clean (or meat is falling off the bones leaving them spotless)

6. Using a colander or large sieve pour off the stock into a large bowl.

7. Take your time picking over the pile of bones and gristle, retrieving any remaining scraps of meat you can find (but careful to avoid the really tiny bones and pieces of gristle that you will previously never have known existed – this is a perfect way to learn chicken anatomy). These bits of chicken can be eaten or saved to go into the soup.

Use right away in the leftover veggie soup or freeze for later use.

Leftover Veggie Soup

This is a great recipe for using up leftover veggies from last night’s meal or when you have veggies that are beginning to expire. Because, man I hate to throw out veggies that are going bad – it is like money going down the drain! So, I found this recipe on About.com by Elaine Lemm and made a few changes for Paleo lovers.

• 1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped into bite-sized chunks
• 2 celery stalks, washed and chopped into bite-sized chunks
• 4 tbsp coconut oil
• 3 cups vegetables, peeled and chopped into bite-sized chunks**
• 20 fl oz vegetable, chicken or beef stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp five spice powder
• ½ tsp ground cumin (optional)
• ¼ tsp cayenne (optional)
• Iodized sea salt and black pepper

Preparation:
• In a large stock pot or soup pan heat the vegetable oil, add the onion and gently cook until the onions begin to soften. Add the celery carrot and celery and cook for another 5 minutes taking care not to burn the garlic.
• Add the chopped vegetables and stir, add the stock and bay leaf (and spices if using) and cook until all the vegetables are soft and cooked through (approx 20 minutes).
• Blend the soup in the pan using a stick blender or pour into a food processor and blend.
• Cook the soup for a further 5 minutes to reduce slightly, season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

**Great vegetables for soup include - parsnips, celeriac, leeks, sweet potato, or any other winter roots, broccoli, cauliflower. Make sure they are all cleaned, peeled and cut into similar size chunks. Leafy greens great in soup include, spinach, watercress, cabbage, collard greens. And, don't forget fresh herbs for even more flavor.

Three meals out of one chicken!

On a budget? Watch this week for three meals you can make out of one roaster chicken.

Meal One - Easy Herbed Garlic and Leek Chicken
• 1 whole roaster chicken
• 12 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced
• 1 TBSP Olive Oil
• 1-2 leeks, sliced
• 4 sprigs of rosemary
• 4 sprigs of thyme
• Coarse Sea Salt
• Fresh Cracked Pepper
• 2 cans of chicken broth or white wine

Wash the whole chicken and pat dry with a paper towel. Ensure that you have removed the gizzard packet from the chicken. Peel and slice the cloves of garlic. Place ½ of the garlic cloves under the skin of the chicken. Place the whole chicken in a crock pot. Rub the outside of the chicken with Olive Oil. Sprinkle the rest of the garlic on top of the chicken. Salt & Pepper the top of the chicken as desired. I am very generous with the pepper. Slice your leeks and sprinkle on top of the chicken. Pour the cans of chicken broth or white wine around the sides of the chicken, being careful not to pour on top. Then add the rosemary & thyme on top of the chicken. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4-5 hours.

Pair with roasted brussel sprouts, beets, carrots, and parsnips for a wonderful meal.

Watch this week for the other two recipes you can make from leftovers of this chicken.

Paleo on a Budget

You cannot turn on the TV without seeing the gloom and doom forecasts of the bad economy. Why, even this morning, saw that gas prices will rise to level highs by the end of the summer to $5.00 a gallon. That’s CRAZY! Already, I can see the effects of this in the supermarkets. Heads of lettuce - $3.00; ONE head of cauliflower - $4.00; 3 natural chicken breasts - $8.50.

In December, my job was a casualty of the bad economy. My husband and I decided to try to make it on one income. But, to do that, we had to slash our budget. And, the grocery bill was part of that. To add fuel to the fire, my husband’s employer recently went with a different health insurance to try to save money as well. The plan is one of those new health savings plans out there that has a HIGH deductible. So, it is going to cost us a pretty penny each time we go to the doctor.

Like many Americans out there, we are faced with a challenge. How do we eat healthy in order to stay healthy on a very limited budget? My husband and I are in agreement, we want to continue this Paleo lifestyle as best we can. So, what to do?
Here are some tips I found on various sources of the Internet and some of my own ways to save money:

1. COUPON IT! Search high and low for coupons on the stuff you buy. Look for coupons in your Sunday paper (although many of those are for highly processed foods – but occasionally you come across good ones), the Internet, and sometimes the companies themselves. You can find “Dollar off “store coupons – this week our local grocery store was offering $10.00 of a $50.00 purchase. Coupons coupled with sales can bring GREAT SAVINGS. Yesterday, I got $65.00 worth of groceries for $35.00.

2. Don’t be afraid of regular grocery stores like H-E-B or WalMart even. Look for SALE ITEMS at your local groceries. Often butchers will put meat & produce on sale when it is close to the sell by date/expiration dates. I have been shocked at our local grocery stores. I have seen all natural, grass fed, no hormone meats on sale. It would not hurt to ask your grocery stores butcher or produce manager to give you a call when he is about to put stuff on sale. GREAT SAVINGS here, when you can get it.

3. BUY IN BULK! Whether you are buying at a grocery store and plucking all those great deals or buying through a warehouse club, buying in bulk can save on certain items. COSTCO is probably one of the friendlier warehouse clubs to a healthy lifestyle. You can buy natural meats, nuts, fruits and veggies, and nut butters at COSTCO. Consider splitting a membership with a friend. Or consider buying online some of the products you need and splitting it with several friends, like a co-op.

4. MAKE YOUR OWN. It pains me to pay $11.99 for about 2.5 cups of Almond Flour, or $2 per Larabar. That is OUTRAGEOUS. I am making my own these days. It is a little more work, but much cheaper. Purchase items like a food dehydrator, nut grinders, etc. Look for recipes or ways to make your own.

5. BUY LOCAL. Join your local CSA, Farm CO-OPS, or go to the local farmers market. When you do this, buying in season is cheaper. Be flexible, look for what is available for inexpensive prices and build your menu around that.

6. BE YOUR OWN HUNTER or GATHERER – grow your own or hunt your own! My husband is an avid hunter. Each season we have a freezer full of meat he has hunted himself. Boy, has that saved us a great deal of money on meat – and it is good for you too! Plant your own garden and herbs. Various regions will have Pick-U-Own fields or orchards. Take advantage – not only is it a fun outing for the family, but you can stretch your budget by picking your own. If you are a canner, you can save even more money this way AND have fresh, healthy products all year long.

7. SHOP OUTSIDE OF THE BOX. Look for fresh produce & Paleo products at stores like the local Mexican or Oriental groceries. Shop at places like Trader Joe’s. Sometimes these products are less expensive, even the produce than your local Walmart. This summer, I am going to attend a produce auction. I have never heard of it. But, my sister-in-law says, that if you are willing to buy in bulk, you can get items for cheap, especially if you are canning.

8. Finally, PLAN. I find that when I plan out my meals, I have less waste. I am maximizing the items that I purchase and cook by using it all or reinventing the leftovers. If I plan, I will have all items on hand.

Let us know if you have any other tips. Post it here, so that we can all learn together.

The Paleo Diet Cookbook

I am anxiously awaiting the mail today, because I ordered this last week – The Paleo Diet Cookbook. It should arrive today. I love cookbooks!

So, when I started this diet last year, I rushed to my nearest Barnes & Noble to see if I could get all the cookbooks on Paleo. Alas, I was disappointed. But, 2011 looks to be promising for those who love to cook and eating Paleo. This one just came out in December 2010…and the Everyday Paleo is coming out in May (HINT TO ROB – MY BIRTHDAY IS COMING UP IN MAY).

Ok…so I realize this particular cookbook has been out a few months. So, if you have it already – GREAT! Let me know how you like it. If you don’t here are a few reasons why I bought it…

1. It is by the doctor who originated the Paleo Diet – Dr. Loren Cordain. This is a follow-up to his original book, with over 150 recipes. Plus, it has updated information based on his continuing research.

2. This is a “hands on, how to” book on how to prepare and cook Paleo. Other cookbooks out there follow a Paleo approach – using debatable non-paleo ingredients like honey, salt, etc. However, this is strict Paleo, not something that has been modified to come close. Dr. Cordain, and his collaborators wanted recipes that are solely for the Paleo lifestyle.

3. I mean no disrespect to bloggers out there (as I am one), but sometimes the recipes out on the blogs are hard to follow, use approximate measures, and are not always tested. I am not saying to stop searching the blogs (especially this one) but I am advocating for a wonderful resource at your finger tips.

CFWH desires to assist you in your quest for a healthy and fit lifestyle. We want to pass along any great finds we see to help encourage and support your efforts at maintaining such a lifestyle. Get yours today and let us know what you think.

Hurry up Mr. Postman…

Asparagus

Ah, you know spring is in the air when the grass greens up, the trees are blooming, and the asparagus is in season. I love this spring vegetable! The asparagus is a spring vegetable, a flowering perennial, whose cousins are the onion and garlic. It’s stout stems and feathery foliage rise up out of the ground, announcing that winter is soon over and spring is about to arrive.

Often, the asparagus has been used for medicinal purposes, but it is also highly nutrient dense. Asparagus is low in calories and is very low in sodium. It is a good source of vitamin B, calcium, magnesium and zinc, and a very good source of dietary fiber protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin K, thiamin, riboflavin, folic acid, iron, potassium, as well as chromium, a trace mineral that enhances the ability of insulin to transport glucose from the bloodstream into cells.

Mostly you see asparagus in stir fries, roasted or grilled as side dishes. But, it can also make a nice main course, in a light soup. Try this for lunch or dinner entrée, paired with a nice salad.

ASPARAGUS SOUP

• 1 lb asparagus, trimmed


• 2 med leeks or 4 large shallots


• 1 Tbsp olive oil


• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced


• 2 cups of water or chicken stock


• 2 TBSP fresh dill weed or 2 tsp of dried dill


• Pinch nutmeg

Slice off the tips of the asparagus and reserve them. Cut the remaining stalks into 1” pieces. Slice the leeks in half lengthwise and wash under cold water to remove any sand. Slice into ¼ “ pieces. Sautee the leeks or shallots in the oil over medium heat until soft. Add the garlic and sliced asparagus stalks. Cook, stirring, another minute or two. Add the water or stock and dill. Simmer 10-12 minutes. Remove from heat, allow to cool 5-10 minutes. Puree half the volume at a time. Return to pan, add the reserved asparagus tips and simmer 3-5 minutes or until tips are just barely tender. Add nutmeg. If soup is too thick, thin with additional water or stock

Big things come in small packages – THE RADISH

Growing up in the Midwest, whenever you encountered a relish tray, one of the staples on the tray was the colorful, but small radish. My family loved them! But, honestly, we just ate them raw, with a bunch of salt. They are good that way, but it wasn’t until I started the paleo lifestyle that I looked for different ways to cook the vegetables that I loved. For those of you who are not familiar with the radish, it is an edible root vegetable. It is more commonly seasonal from April – June and then from October – January in North America. The root itself has a pungent, peppery flavor, which often pairs nicely as an addition to salads. There are many varieties of radishes other than the common red/white or just white version. They come in red, pink, white, gray-black or yellow colors depending upon the variety planted. These tiny nutritional powerhouses are loaded with potassium, vitamin C and fiber. They are high in water content, which make for a light dish, but are not the easiest vegetable to freeze. So, it is best to eat them fresh. Here are two easy, but different radish recipes for you to try as a side dish. Try them and let us know how you like them!

Roasted Radishes Prep: 10 min Bake: 30 minutes

• 2 ¼ lb of radishes, trimmed and quartered (get a variety of colors for a prettier presentation)


• 3 TBSP Olive Oil


• 1 TBSP fresh oregano or 1 TSP of dried oregano


• ¼ teaspoon of sea salt


• 1/8 tsp of fresh ground pepper

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Transfer to a greased 15” x 10” x 1” baking pan. Bake, uncovered at 425 degrees for 30 minutes or until crisp-tender, stirring once.

Serves 5

Bok Choy & Radishes Prep: 10 min Bake: 30 minutes

• 1 head of bok choy


• 3 TBSP of Coconut oil


• 12 radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced


• 1 shallot, sliced


• 1 tsp of lemon pepper seasoning


• ¾ tsp of sea salt

Cut off and discard root end of bok choy, leaving stalks with leaves. Cut green leaves from stalks. Cut leaves into 1 inch slices; set aside. Cut white stalks into 1 inch pieces. In a large skillet, cook bok choy stalks in coconut oil for 3-5 minutes or until crisp tender. Add the radishes, shallot, lemon pepper, salt and reserved leaves; cook and stir for 3 minutes or until heated through.

Serves 8 as a side dish.

Both recipes are adapted for Paleo from Taste of Home recipes.