Deciding whether or not to supplement, and with what, is a complicated decision. When I analyze my own diet, I can see that, despite being a very intentionally healthy eater, I am at or below 60% of the RDA for some essential nutrients, including calcium, magnesium, manganese, and vitamin D. Am I still getting enough for me? Or is there something missing? Outside of the known vitamins and minerals, are there other things I should be taking? Fish oil? Flax seed oil? Ginko biloba?
Obviously, most of us aren't walking around with the blatant symptoms of nutrient deficiency. When's the last time you met someone with scurvy or rickets? We are blessed beyond belief to live in a place and in a time where and when food is widely available. Unfortunately, due to poor stewardship of the earth in the form of irresponsible and unsustainable farming practices, as well as a highly processed diet, many people may be taking in enough calories but not getting the nutrients they need. Could this have anything to do with our high levels of obesity, type II diabetes, and other chronic illnesses? I think it's a distinct possibility. It is possible to be deficient without having outright signs of deficiency. But I don't feel that slapping everyone on a multivitamin is the answer, either. I think that smart, targeted supplementation of nutrients that are specific to the needs of each individual is important. Multivitamin and mineral supplements, while appealing, can lead to a number of problems. One is that certain vitamins and minerals block the uptake of others, meaning that if you take them at the same time, you won't be able to absorb one or both of them. Also, I have found that many formulations include nutrients that are untested but include outrageous health claims. I have spent a lot of time in the past few weeks perusing vitamin and mineral supplements in major stores and health food stores, and the packaging, ingredient lists, health claims, and options are enough to make your head spin. How to make a good choice? I would say it's important to answer the following questions: 1. What nutrients do I need? 2. What is the best way to obtain these nutrients? a. Diet alone? If so, which foods are richest in said nutrients? b. Supplements? If so, which supplements are the "best"? The best way to determine what you need is to do a diet analysis. You can have this done by a professional, or you can do it yourself using a tool such as Fit Day (at fitday.com). It is free to set up an account. You enter everything you eat for a day or more, than look at an overview of your diet. Along with caloric breakdown, you also get to see a nice summary of where you are at with vitamins and minerals. I recommend looking at any nutrients for which you fall below 80% of the RDA. (Remember that vitamin D will be low because your body can synthesize this from sunlight. In reality, though, for those of us in Northern climes, you aren't synthesizing enough unless it's summer.) You also need to bear in mind that the Fit Day database does NOT take into account the vitamin/mineral loss due to storage, processing, and/or cooking. It also does not necessarily account for the relatively mineral-deficient crops that are being raised if you buy produce from large agribusiness-style companies. Now decide if you want to supplement with diet or with pills. If you want to stick to whole foods, you can do an online search for foods rich in the particular nutrient you are low in. Figure out how much of that food you need to add to your diet to meet your basic requirements. It might require adding a few extra servings of vegetables or nuts and seeds to your diet, or an occasional slab of liver (from a grass-fed animal raised without antibiotics or hormones). Or you might decide you want to go the supplement route. This gets a little more complicated. Many supplement brands make claims about the superiority of their products. The truth is that supplement makers are not required to prove the efficacy of their products, due to an act (NSHEA)passed in 1994. It is also up to the FDA to prove that a given supplement has adverse effects (this happened with the popular weight loss drug ephedra) in order to pull it off the market. There is very little regulation on the manufacturing or sales of supplements in America, so it's hard to know what you're getting, how much of it will actually get into your blood stream, and whether or not it will even make a difference. Contamination with lead, among other things, has also been reported. I have no answers here, but it does seem that the USP (stands for United States Pharmacopeia) mark on a supplement is probably your best insurance that you are, more or less, getting what you pay for. Without lead. Which is a good thing. I will report back as I find supplements that seem to be safe, and available to the body once they've been consumed. I'll start with magnesium in the near future, as that's one I just happened to do a lot of research into. Until then...
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The holidays can be challenging when you start looking at them through the lens of grain-free, gluten-free, non-sugary choices. Of course, there is always room for an indulgence or two, but it's also nice to have some tasty alternatives to veggie platters and cheese plates. These are some of my favorites:
Kale Chips: 1 bunch kale (6-8 stalks) 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar 2 Tbsp olive oil Sea salt Wash and pat dry the kale. Tear the leaves into bite size pieces, leaving the center stem and put in a bowl. Stir in the vinegar, oil, and salt until the leaves are coated. Spread on a cookie sheet in a single layer - I use parchment, but a greased pan works as well. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until leaves look crisp and slightly browned. Let cool and serve. Tamari Roasted Almonds 1 pound raw almonds 3 Tbsp tamari 1 Tbsp olive oil Put nuts on a cookie sheet. Stir with tamari and olive oil. Sprinkle with cajun seasoning. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Let cool and serve. Cheese Chips Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Grate 2 cups of cheddar cheese. Sprinkle thinly over parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and slightly brown. Remove from oven and let cool. Break into bite-sized pieces and serve. Turns out milk production is no longer limited to lactating women. No, this isn't some weird idea for losing weight or burning calories via hormone manipulation (although I bet you somewhere someone has tried it...) I'm talking about making milks from almonds and coconut at home. For people who don't digest milk well, or vegans, or people who want to avoid the milk industry for other reasons, finding good milk substitutes can be tricky. No, it's not hard to find milk substitutes, but notice I said good.
Soy milk was the sweetheart of the milk substitute world for the past 15 years or so. Touted as heart healthy, good for menopausal women, excellent source of protein, etc., etc., soy seemed like a great alternative. I know I used it back in my nearly-vegetarian, working-out-8-hours-a-week-but-still-unfit years. It seemed like a perfect solution. Sure, I didn't love the taste, but I could sneak it into a latte or a bowl of cereal here and there and, well, tolerate it. As it turns out (thank you researchers) processed soy is not necessarily the superfood that it has been presented as. Besides being a potential hormone disrupter, it is also implicated in the development of several types of cancer. Add to that the fact that 90% of soy grown in the US is genetically-modified and Round-Up saturated, and I'll pass on the soy milk. Thanks. (Non-GMO, organically-grown soy that has been naturally fermented to create tofu or tempeh seems to be pretty safe.) Almond milk is an interesting alternative in the sense that almonds seem to be a good food source, with lots of vitamins and minerals, protein, non-inflammatory fats, and they're pretty tasty. I thought almond milk seemed like a good option until I read the ingredients: almond milk (filtered water, almonds), evaporated cane juice, calcium carbonate, sea salt, potassium citrate, carrageenan, sunflower lecithin, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D2, d-alpha-tocopherol (natural vitamin E). Not terrible, but I'm not crazy about the carrageenan and the sunflower lecithin as a daily part of my diet. Coconut milk is similar if it comes in a carton, such as the Silk brand. Thickeners are added, and it's supplemented with a few vitamins. Again, nothing that's going to kill you, but things I would rather not consume daily. When I'm cooking with coconut milk, I used the canned milk. It needs to be shaken or stirred, but it works great. And no weird additives. The Vitamix my in-laws gave me for Christmas came with recipes for coconut, almond, soy, and cashew milk. I thought that was a great idea, and was inspired to try them after talking with a friend last week who made her own almond milk. She said it was really easy, and she liked that she could control the ingredients. She used the method described below, and then I will describe making coconut milk. Almond Milk 1 cup almonds, soaked for 3-4 hours 3 cups water splash of vanilla and/or honey if desired Put everything in a food processor and process for about 2 minutes. Pour through a cheesecloth to strain out fiber. Coconut milk 1 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut 2 cups water Put everything in food processor or blender and process for 2 minutes. Pour through a cheesecloth to strain out fiber. Both of these can be stored in the fridge for 4-5 days. Try different flavors (chocolate?), sweetened versus unsweetened. Use for smoothies. Coconut milk is nice in coffee or tea, if you like the taste of coconut. It's quick, easy, and you know exactly what is in it. Recipe:
1 quart milk 1/2 cup yogurt (saved from a previous batch or store-bought...make sure it contains live cultures!) Heat milk to 180 degrees on the stove (use a candy thermometer to watch temperature). Remove from heat and let cool to 120 degrees. Stir in yogurt. Pour into the jar. Place into a cooler filled halfway with warm water. Let stand at least 8 hours. Voila - you have made yogurt! Chill for 8 hours, then enjoy. I pour the milk into a large pot, turn the burner on, and place a thermometer in the pot. I have a digital thermometer with a probe that beeps when it reaches a target temperature (Acu Rite brand, ~ $11), so I program it to beep at 180 degrees, and forget about it until I hear the beep. I do stir it occasionally as it heats. Then I place the container with the milk in it on the counter and re-set the thermometer to beep at 120 degrees. Once it cools to 120 degrees, stir in 1/2 cup of yogurt. Pour into glass jars, cover, and place into cooler. This yogurt comes out thick and creamy. It is great on it's own, though I like it mixed with some chopped nuts and a sprinkle of cinnamon. For a treat, drizzle a little maple syrup on top. It's also good with berries on top. In the summer, I made this from raw milk that I was able to get the local farmer's market, and that was delicious, as well. Happy Fermenting! On Sunday, we received a very welcome gift of a ham, locally grown and smoked, from some good friends. Yesterday I baked it and we enjoyed a nice meal of baked sweet potatoes, salad, and ham last night. I saved the ham bone, and still have a good amount of meat left, so tonight we will have ham and bean soup.
To try to minimize the antinutrients in the white beans, I have soaked and boiled the beans extensively. Dry beans can be soaked overnight and cooked in about 2 hours. Smaller beans, like white beans, can actually be cooked without soaking if needed. I am using Great Northern White beans in this recipe, but would imagine this recipe would work with just about any bean you might have hanging around in your pantry. I found this recipe on cooks.com. I will make kale chips and a salad to eat alongside this soup. I am making the soup in the crock pot because I have a busy afternoon ahead of me, but you could make this on the stove top, as well. Allow about 2 hours for simmering if you use the stove top method. Ingredients: 1 ham bone 1 pound (or 2 cups) of dry beans, soaked and cooked 8 cups water 1 clove garlic 1 Tbsp lemon juice 1 Tbsp honey 1 bay leaf 1 large onion, chopped 1 tsp salt black pepper to taste Put all ingredients into a crock pot. Set to low and allow to cook for at least 6 hours, removing bone halfway through cooking time. If you have extra ham, chop some up and add it in after removing the bone. Throw the following ingredients into the crock pot:
Stew meat (1 1/2 pounds is usually enough for 6 of us, including 2 growing boys) - grass fed, local when possible. Beef, bison, venison can all work in this recipe. Ken has suggested squirrel as an option, but I haven't tried it yet. 1 yellow onion, chopped into small bits. 2-4 cloves garlic 1 cup crushed tomatoes 1/2 cup water 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp black pepper 2 bay leaves *Optional: 1/4 cup red wine *Optional: 1 marrow bone - just toss it in and make sure it's covered with all the juices. (more on the magic of bone broths later) Put the cover on and turn to warm or low, depending on your crock pot. Go away. After about 6 hours, you can remove the bone if you added one, and then throw in some: Chopped carrots Green beans (I use frozen organic in winter) Any other veggies you like in beef stew. Let cook for another 4-6 hours. Sometimes I throw some potatoes into the stew, but more often I make mashed on the stove for the boys. Whipped cauliflower would go very well with this, too. I usually make this a one-bowl dinner - no plates, less dishes. Red lentils are called "mercimek" in Turkish. Turkish is phonetic, so it's easy to read. The c says "j", so the word above would be pronounced mer-ji-mek. Mercimek soup is found everywhere in Turkey. It is served for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It can be found in fine restaurants, kebab joints, or fast food style restaurants. And it is yummy. It quickly became a favorite for all four of us. It was one of the first recipes that I learned how to make, thanks to my wonderful neighbors who were willing to teach me.
I love mercimek soup for its simplicity. It only has a few ingredients and can be ready to eat in under 30 minutes. It makes for a great vegetarian meal, which we generally have 2-3 nights a week. Served with bread or pizza and a salad, it is a satisfying meal. And like all soups, it is fantastic on a chilly night. Lentils were probably first cultivated in the Near East, between 9,000 and 13,500 years ago. On a primal or paleo eating plan, legumes are typically avoided, or at least minimized. This is because legumes contain factors called antinutrients, which can actually bind to the good nutrients in the food and keep it from being absorbed by the animal eating it. Trypsin inhibitors and phytates are two antinutrients found in lentils. (Proper soaking and cooking legumes does decrease their antinutrient content.) They are also higher in carbs than other protein sources, so for those eating low carbohydrate, lentils can be problematic. I have found it beneficial to keep lentils as an occasional part of my diet, but not a mainstay. Some of the good things found in lentils are folate, vitamin B1, and minerals such as magnesium. Mercimek soup is a fantastic place to use up or hide all sorts of leftover veggies. Once you get the basics down, you can adapt it in many ways. And, of course, there are dozens of different "correct" methods of preparation, depending on who you're talking to. Some recipes involve making a roux or using thickeners. My favorite is simpler than that, but it's always fun to get online and find/try different methods. If you're into that sort of thing. The boys beg for this soup. In Turkey, we had it at least once a week, often more than that. I find it more difficult to find red lentils here, and find I don't think to make it as often now that we're in the States. I have found them at a Middle Eastern store in Manchester, NH, and once in a while, they show up at major supermarkets. Ingredients: 2 Tbsp butter 1/2 onion, chopped 1-2 carrots, peeled and chopped 1 Tbsp tomato paste 1 cup red lentils 3 cups water or broth 1 tsp salt Optional: zucchini and/or potato, about 1 cup, chopped. Add 1/2 cup water for each addition cup of vegetable. 1. Soak lentils overnight if desired. (I usually skip this step.) 2. Heat the butter over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and tomato paste. Gently saute for about 5 minutes. 3. Add the water or broth, lentils, and salt. Bring to a gentle simmer. Cover and let cook for 20-30 minutes. 4. Blend with a hand blender or in a food processor. Serve with a squeeze of fresh lemon on top, and a sprinkle of crushed red pepper if you like spice. Tabata is the last name of a Japanese researcher (Izumi Tabata) who, along with his colleagues, discovered that athletes could make incredible gains in aerobic capacity and endurance by exercising just 4 minutes at a time. I know, it sounds too good to be true. It sounds like the introduction to an infomercial. But the research is compelling. This is a link to a Wikipedia article - well-cited Wikipedia article - and you can follow the links to the original papers if you are a skeptic, or a nerd, or both. The idea of high-intensity interval workouts is based on the same principles. All- out effort, punctuated with a recovery period, and repeat for a short period of time, results in a more effective workout than a long, body-pounding, moderate effort workout. More results in less time.
Here is the abstract from the original paper (feel free to skip): "This study consists of two training experiments using a mechanically braked cycle ergometer. First, the effect of 6 wk of moderate-intensity endurance training (intensity: 70% of maximal oxygen uptake (˙VO2max), 60 min·d-1, 5 d·wk-1) on the anaerobic capacity (the maximal accumulated oxygen deficit) and ˙VO2max was evaluated. After the training, the anaerobic capacity did not increase significantly(P > 0.10), while ˙VO2max increased from 53 ± 5 ml·kg-1·min-1 to 58 ± 3 ml·kg-1·min-1 (P < 0.01) (mean± SD). Second, to quantify the effect of high-intensity intermittent training on energy release, seven subjects performed an intermittent training exercise 5 d·wk-1 for 6 wk. The exhaustive intermittent training consisted of seven to eight sets of 20-s exercise at an intensity of about 170% of ˙VO2max with a 10-s rest between each bout. After the training period, ˙VO2max increased by 7 ml·kg-1·min-1, while the anaerobic capacity increased by 28%. In conclusion, this study showed that moderate-intensity aerobic training that improves the maximal aerobic power does not change anaerobic capacity and that adequate high-intensity intermittent training may improve both anaerobic and aerobic energy supplying systems significantly, probably through imposing intensive stimuli on both systems." I have been in a workout rut lately. I am tired of my home workouts. I like home workouts because, let's face it, the drive to and from the gym is longer than my workouts. That makes no sense. I do go to the gym on occasion, but this morning I needed a quick workout that would allow me to get on with my day. I was sitting on my butt, listening to the cold wind blowing outside, but feeling beckoned by the January sunshine. I decided to give it a go - a 4-minute workout. Eight repeats of 20 seconds of all-out sprinting, with 10 seconds of recovery in between. Thanks, Dr. Tabata. So I donned my outdoor-friendly clothes and headed out. I walked 5 minutes to the top of my street, then headed onto a relatively flat, very quiet street in the next neighborhood over. I knew I would look silly, if anyone happened to be gazing out their window, but oh well. The older I get, I guess the less I care. I did my 4 minutes of sprinting - approximately - and it was a kick-butt workout. I felt sick afterwards, but sick in a good way. Two big problems: One, the drawstring had fallen out of my running pants and I didn't take the time to put it back in. Loose pants + sprinting = pants falling down. So I had to hold onto my pants. I'll avoid this scenario next time. Two, I didn't have a watch. A second hand would have been really helpful, and much better than counting "one Mississippi...two Mississippi..." in my head. Duh. After sprinting, I had my 5 minute walk home. I did about 100 feet of walking lunges (again, looks silly, but highly effective) and came in to the warm house, did 90 seconds of planking, 2 minutes of hip flexor stretches, and I'm done. I feel great. Twenty minutes a few times a week can do wonders. This style of workout can be done on a bike, with a jump rope, or burpees, or any other exercise that you can put everything you've got into for 20 seconds. Indoors, outdoors, equipment, no equipment, at home, at the gym - it is infinitely adaptable. And effective. Try it out for yourself. After I had my second son, a good friend brought us a chicken pot pie as a meal to heat up and eat in the midst of those crazy, sleepless first few weeks of infancy. It was amazing - a flaky crust, filled with creamy sauce, chunks of chicken meat, corn and carrots. It wasn't a meal I had much growing up, except for the occasional single-serving Swanson's chicken pie from the freezer. (That was a rare event...frozen meals only made an appearance on our dinner table about once a year, and usually in some extraordinary, special circumstance. Thanks for that, Mom.) Anyway, after having my friend's pie and seeing how much we all enjoyed it, I got the recipe from her and it became part of our repertoire of dinners.
A good pie crust is truly a work of art and a labor of love. I had learned to make them with Crisco, because that was the recipe that my mom's mom used, and therefore the recipe my own mom used. In Turkey there was no Crisco, so I learned how to make a butter crust. But making a crust in my tiny kitchen was difficult, so I transitioned to topping the chicken filling with biscuits. The family seemed to enjoy this just as much as the crust, but it was so much easier. As we transitioned as a family to eating gluten free this fall, I was happy to find a wonderful gluten free biscuit recipe. This recipe is a compromise in that it is entirely gluten-free, and it is cooked on the stove top while the biscuits bake in the oven. We dish it up in bowls and float a biscuit on top. To stay low carb and grain-free, I eat the filling over a nice big pile of steamed broccoli and/or cauliflower and skip the biscuit altogether. I have left out the corns and peas, and stick to carrots and green beans, but you can add any veggies you like. Ingredients: Filling: 4 Tbsp butter 4 Tbsp potato starch 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1/2 tsp onion powder 1/2 tsp black pepper 2 cups milk 2 cups water or broth 3-4 cups cooked chicken, cut into chunks 1 cup of carrots, sliced very thin 1 cup of frozen green beans 1. Melt the butter in a large sauce pan. Add the potato starch and combine with a whisk. Heat over medium heat until thickened. Allow to bubble for about one minute. 2. Add salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper. Stir well. Allow to bubble gently for one minute. 3. Add milk, one cup at a time. Stir frequently. When thickened, add water or broth one cup at a time. As it comes to a simmer, it should create a creamy, thick broth. 4. Add chicken and vegetables. Gently simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Keep hot until ready to serve. Biscuits: 1 cup brown rice flour (or GF flour of your choice) 1/2 cup potato starch 1/2 cup tapioca starch 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 3/4 tsp baking soda 1 tsp xantham gum 1/2 stick butter, chilled 1/2 cup milk 1/2 cup water 2 tsp vinegar 1 egg 1. Mix dry ingredients together. 2. Using a grater, grate the butter. Add to dry ingredients and combine. 3. Add wet ingredients. Mix until just combined. 4. Drop by large spoonfuls onto a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until slightly browned. The development of this recipe has been a slow evolution over the years. I used to make a tomato-based casserole like this, but started playing around with a creamy sauce in the last few years. This is the meal that my oldest always requests when I offer to cook a birthday dinner of his choice. I now make it gluten-free, using brown rice tortillas (I have only used the brand Food For Life so far) and potato starch as a thickening agent, rather than wheat flour. I don't consider this a truly primal meal, as it is higher in carbs and grains due to the tortillas, and involves quite a bit of dairy, but it is grain- and gluten-free. To make it more primal, eat the filling but skip the tortillas. You can even bake a bit tortilla free, or layer with thinly sliced zucchini instead of tortillas.
The sauce preparation is the hardest part, but it's really quite simple. You can assemble this casserole in advance and freeze to cook later, or put it in the fridge on a busy day and cook it in the evening. This is also a meal that tastes fine reheated, great for packing in a thermos for school lunches. In a sauce pan, over medium heat (don't rush this or the butter will brown and you'll have to start over...trust me), melt: 4 Tbsp butter Then stir into the butter: 1 Tbsp cumin 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp onion powder 1 tsp paprika (cayenne if you like spicy) 1 tsp salt dash of black pepper (I NEVER measure black pepper - it always makes me sneeze, and who wants a sneezing cook?) 3 Tbsp potato starch Mix it all together, keep it on medium heat, and heat until it bubbles. It should look like a paste at this point - not too dry, not too runny. If it's dry, add a few tsp of butter. If it's runny, add a tsp of starch. Let it bubble for about a minute, keeping an eye on the heat. Remember that butter does burn, so you want to keep the temperature on the lower side. Next add to the sauce pan, 1 cup at a time (this means stir in 1 cup and let heat for a minute or so before adding another cup): 2 cups milk (I always use whole) or cream 2 cups broth (If you don't have broth, use water. See broth tips at the end of the recipe.) Optional: 1/2 a block of cream cheese, stirred in after all the liquid has heated up. I don't always do this, but it adds some richness. Stir slowly until the entire mixture comes to a low boil. Sometimes I do turn up the heat a bit on this step - if you do that, don't leave the stove. Stir every minute or so to make sure it's not sticking to the bottom and burning. The sauce will be a light brown shade due to the spices. Don't be alarmed. Once the sauce is thickened, turn off the heat and set aside. That is the most annoying part of preparing this meal, and it's over now. Gather the following items: 1 package of tortillas (I used to use flour tortillas...they work great in this recipe...but use brown rice tortillas if you want to stay gluten free) 2 cups of shredded cheddar 3-4 cups of shredded cooked chicken* 1 rectangular baking pan Pour about 1/2 cup of the sauce into the bottom of the pan and smear around. Lay down a layer of tortillas. I like to tear them into smaller pieces and layer them like that, but you can leave them whole, as well. Drizzle another 1/2 cup of sauce on top. Now sprinkle about 1 cup of shredded chicken on the sauce, 1/2 cup shredded cheese on the chicken, and lay down another layer or tortillas. Repeat - sauce, chicken, cheese, tortillas - 2 more times. The top layer should be just tortillas. Pour ALL of the remaining sauce over the top. Sprinkle any remaining cheese. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes, until bubbly and slightly brown on top. Serve with salad or steamed veggies. Great with guacamole, sour cream, salsa, and fresh cilantro, as well. *Cooked chicken and chicken broth: We never have leftovers anymore, which means if I roast a chicken for dinner one night, I don't have meat left to make a meal like this on another night. I have several ways of pre-emptively dealing with this: 1. Roast 2 chickens instead of 1 (I am just recently figuring this out) or buy 2 rotisserie chickens at the grocery store (ours offers hormone-free, naturally raised chickens most nights, at the same price as buying a raw chicken). Eat one for dinner with veggies and roasted potatoes. Let the other one cool. After dinner, take the meat off the carcass and store in the refigerator. Toss the carcass into a big pot of water. Snapping the bones with a nutcracker (not the Christmasy man-ish kind, of course, but the tong-like type...riotous mental image of nutcracker man with chicken bone in mouth...) will help to release more marrow into the broth, which is wonderful for you. Add a whole onion (don't peel it - the pigments in the peel add color to your broth), a whole carrot, a celery stalk, a few teaspoons of salt, and 2 bayleaves. Cover and let simmer (it should be just barely bubbling) all night long. This can be done in a crock pot overnight if it makes you nervous to leave your stove on. In the morning, turn the heat off, strain the broth, and store until you need it. 2. If you are making this meal "last minute", use a package of breast meat and a package of legs. Put them into a pot of water with a tsp of salt, bring to a low boil, and cook until the meat looks white through the middle. Pull the meat out and let cool on a plate. Save the water to use as the broth. When the meat is cool, pull the leg meat off the bones and chop the breast meat into bite-sized pieces. Set aside to use in the recipe. |
AuthorI'm Emily. I currently work in online education management, but I also have a Masters degree in Nutritional Sciences (my true passion). In addition, I am a mom, cook, avid reader, novice gardener, and enjoy all kinds of outdoor activities. On my blog, you will find articles on food, fitness, weight management, and eating issues. ALL recipes on my blog are gluten-free. Many are low-carbohydrate. Most are grain free. Enjoy! Categories
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