Real Chicken Nuggets!

OK, y'all. It's time to share this secret. Chicken Nuggets aren't real food. I know it's shocking, but it's true.

Back in seventh grade, in my home economics class (yes, they still had those back in the 80s), I learned to make real chicken nuggets. This was - brace yourself - before McDonald's had them! And the ones I learned to make had Real Chicken Meat!

Would you like to know how ridiculously simple they are to make?

I've long since lost the recipe for exact measurements of ingredients, so I usually just "wing it" and you can, too.

*Boneless, skinless, uncooked chicken meat. We tend to like the thigh meat, as it has so much flavor, but the breasts would be fine.  
*Bread Crumbs. You can use them from a can, but why? They put so much in there that isn't even bread! If you make your own bread or even have a favorite brand of bread, that will work great. Toast it up until it's quite dry then put it in the food processor or blender! Viola - bread crumbs.
*Spices. You can add whatever strikes your fancy. You can go relatively plain with a bit of sea salt and parsley. You can add a teaspoon or two of mixed italian seasonings and parmesan cheese. You can add curry and turmeric. It really is up to you what you want your nuggets to taste like.
*Egg or Butter. You need a coating agent!

Now, it depends on how much chicken you are making on how much of each of the others you will need. 
Let's say you have two large breasts. Er, that you have two large chicken breasts... 
--Cut them into about one inch cubes 
--dip them into about a stick of melted butter or into a couple of lightly agitated eggs. 
--remove from butter/egg
--roll in about 1-2 cups of bread crumbs mixed with spices

Put in a single layer on a cookie sheet and cook at 400 F for about 15 minutes. That is it! 

You will very likely NOT need any kind of dipping sauce, as the nuggets will actually have flavor! If you think you need it, try this fabulous, homemade ranch dressing.

I have often thought about making a bunch of these ahead of time and freezing them. Unfortunately, they never last long enough. If you manage to do it, write and tell me about it!

Cooking is not about following specific recipes all the time. It is often about "winging it" and finding out what works for you and your family. Trying new things, new flavors, new methods, new ideas. You can do it! Trust me, if I can do it, you can too!

Sneaking in some Liver

Today, I did a total Mom thing. I got sneaky.
 
See, I have been doing a lot of reading and have discovered something amazing: did you know that liver is good for you? I didn't grow up eating liver. My parents both detested it. Liverwurst on crackers, we did, but not liver per se. The only way most people knew to cook it back then was until it was gray and grainy and maybe with some onions thrown in for good measure.  It doesn't have to be that way!

I have an acquaintance in my home town. Some of you might know him if you watch the Food Network. His name is Hans Rueffert. He came in second for the first season of "The Next Food Network Star." He said that liver doesn't have to be gray and grainy! He said it can even be pink inside and then it won't be grainy. Really! He inspired me to find out about it. 

Reading Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions taught me that liver provides copper, zinc, iron and vitamins A and D in abundance as well as being a fabulous source of antioxidants. Sally says to get very fresh, organic liver and soak it in lemon juice for several hours to draw out possible impurities. I have heard elsewhere to soak it in milk (I assume, of course, that raw milk would be best) to accomplish the same thing. So, I decided to try some liver... 

OK, the huge calves liver I saw at the store was quite daunting, so I decided to start small with chicken livers. Then, I saw a wonderful package of turkey offal (pretty much: neck, liver, heart, and gizzard, I think) for 70 cents.  There was the liver we could start with. I know organic would have been tremendously better, but I am on a severely restricted budget right now, so I had to go with what I could get.

Somehow, I didn't think my 11 y/o son would just jump for joy at the thought of turkey liver, seeing how he had never had liver and had grown up hearing everyone around say that it was yucky, so I got "Mom Sneaky." I chopped the liver into teeny, tiny pieces. Hamburgers were on tap for this evening's meal, so I casually mixed in the minuscule pieces... quickly before he got home from playing. I usually mix the hamburger and spices with my hands. I tossed in the pieces after soaking them a while in milk and straining them. Guess what? It looked awful! They were not hiding well. They looked like little brown leeches in the burgers and even stuck to my hands like the little suckers. Thinking quickly, I made the patties and got them on the outdoor grill before he got home. The sun had just set, so he couldn't easily see the meat on the grill. We usually take our burgers medium, but I let them go a bit longer to cook through.

He raved about the wonderful burgers. He had half a pound's worth of meat! He put cheese on his and ate it on a bun. I sauteed some mushrooms in butter and poured it over mine, sans bun. The burgers were insanely divine! After we were done eating, I told him that he had eaten liver in his burger. At first his eyes got really big, then he just said that they were pretty good burgers in spite of the liver. I have to wonder though: was it in spite of the liver or because of the liver?

I guess we'll have to try some different liver applications in the future to find out for sure.

Leave a comment and tell me about your liver recipes or funny experiences!




I'm linking this post to Kelly the Kitchen Kop's "Real Food Wednesday." Head on over to her blog and check out some of the fabulous links to real food recipes and stories. Definitely worth a look!

This post isn't about food. It's about a very special life.

This week marks yet another anniversary of Roe v Wade, the Supreme Court decision that made abortion legal.  Please, do not deluge me with hate mail if you do not agree with my position.  I am the mother of a child not deemed worthy of life by many.  I felt the need to share this today.  Please read my story.

My daughter was considered "disposable" by most of the medical community.  She had a fairly rare chromosomal disorder called Trisomy 18.  Although "so-called termination" was never considered, we opted for an amnio to find out what we were dealing with.  When the results came back with a problem where 85% of pregnancies end in stillbirth or miscarriage and 90% of those 700 or so born alive each year will not live to their first birthday, the perinatologist "recommended a D&C."  When I commented that my baby was still alive, he said, "If you know she is going to die anyway, does it really matter when?"  I was horrified.  YES.  It does matter.

 

Our baby girl survived and defied so many dire predictions!  She lived with us almost seven months before going home to Jesus' comforting arms!  We had 206 days to cuddle and snuggle.  We had over six months to build memories of her with our (then) four year old son.  Seven people accepted Christ's invitation for a personal relationship at her Celebration of Life Service.  That this tiny life had a purpose!  She was here for a reason!  Was she perfect physically?  No.  Had she lived, would she have been mentally agile?  No.  Could she love and understand love?  I believe she did.

 

What is the measure by which we deem life "worth" keeping?  Where is the scale we use to measure a life's worthiness?  Is it really up to us to make those calls?  We chose to let God be God and determine the number of her days and we have been so blessed by the doing.

During this week where we pause and reflect on the sanctity of life, I wanted to add my two cents.  Life is sacred.  Period.  Our little girl has forever changed my life.  I will never be the same person I was before.  I am a bit older, perhaps a bit wiser.  While I had deeply held convictions before Audrey Grace came to stay for a while, they are now a part of my very being.  Every life has a purpose.  Every life has a reason for being.  God doesn't make mistakes.  And through it all, I can say that God is Good, all the time.

Thank you for listening.

Smoothie for Health!

OK. I do not get sick often. I really don't. I haven't been sick, more than occasionally having sniffles or sneezes due to allergies, for the most part since fall of 2009 (It's true that I do get migraines due to incoming storms, but I don't count that as being "sick.").

I've been trying to avoid it for a couple of days, but it got me. I'm sickish. Headache, sinus pressure, ear pain, post nasal drip, achiness, exhaustion, sore throat, swollen glands... I think it was passed along from my son who got it from one of his friends in the neighborhood. We homeschool, so it must have come from one of the traditionally schooled kids...  :P

Today, I haven't felt like making food. I have been drinking broth, boullion, hot tea and eating nothing but crackers. I know the broth and hot tea can help when you are sick, but I felt I needed a bit more, so I went into the kitchen to experiment. This yummy concoction is what I came away with:

(all measurements are approximate)

In a blender combine:

1 Medium Banana
1 Cup Frozen Strawberries
1/2 Cup Applesauce
1/2 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt
1 Tbsp Raw Honey
1 Raw, Pastured Egg

Pulse in blender until the big chunks are broken up and then blend until it looks good to you. It is super thick, creamy, and delicious. It has fiber from the fruits, protein from the yogurt and egg, tons of probiotics from the yogurt, antibacterial action from the raw honey and it is cold on my sore throat. While it certainly would have been better if everything had been organic and homemade, I think I did pretty good for baby-stepping my way to better health. And this smoothie is good enough to make a regular part of my real food plan!

Do you have any favorite go-to items for when you are feeling under the weather? Please share them in the comments below!



I've linked this post to some wonderful recipes at City Wife / Country Life's Tasty Tuesdays. Why don't you head over there to check it out? She has a fabulous recipe for homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dip with none of the fillers and gums you find in the stuff from the store.

Not Eating Whole Foods

For some reason, I have spent several days really been craving pizza. I mean really wanting pizza. My favorite has always been pepperoni. So, today, I cranked up the bread machine. I put in the ingredients for my favorite pizza crust dough. Unbleached flour, yeast, water, oil, a few seasonings... and I cranked up the machine. An hour later, I kneaded the dough. I let it rise almost as long as indicated (ok, so I was in a bit of a hurry). I slathered on the store bought sauce, pepperoni, and cheeses. I baked that little bit of heaven until it was bubbly. Then, we dug in and I ate a slice and a half. About 30 minutes later, I felt like I had eaten a whale.

It would seem that my body has gotten used to real, whole, natural foods. I noticed a while back (maybe a month or so) that eating at my favorite fast food restaurant left me feeling sick. Now, the not-so-healthy style of pizza I made left me feeling like there was a rock in the pit of my stomach. I am thinking that maybe my body is so happy not eating prefabricated food that it rebels when I do.

So, here's my plan: learn to make pizza dough with whole wheat flour, make the sauce from scratch (I do it with spaghetti sauce, why not just reduce it a bit more until it's thick enough for pizza?), and use veggies and real meat, not overly processed meat like pepperoni. Maybe then, I can enjoy the pizza experience without feeling poorly later.



Have you found you have intolerances after switching to real, whole, natural foods? How did you keep/change the foods you used to enjoy or did you just ditch them all and start from scratch?

Red Cabbage and Soup

I just had to take a moment to share that I'm not perfect. I know. It's a shocking statement, but let me explain...

I wasn't raised eating cabbage. It wasn't a common ingredient in my home growing up. As an adult, I know there are a lot of wonderful, positive attributes to cabbage and am learning to incorporate it into various dishes.

So, today, when my son was feeling under the weather, I started up some turkey broth, added that wonderful turkey neck meat, added in sauteed onions and garlic and mushrooms. At the last minute, I decided to add some cabbage for it's nutritive properties. Well... all I had was red cabbage. So, I cut some thin slices and added it to my soup, let it steep a bit to soften and then went to serve this wonderful, tummy warming, throat soothing soup to my precious son.

It was black. Ok, maybe not tar black, but very dark. My wonderful turkey broth was not a beautiful, rich, golden color, but rather a blackish, purple-ish, icky-looking mess. It was not very appealing or appetizing. But, even worse than the way it looked was the fact that my wonderful soup had almost no flavor. Oh well. I guess you win some and you lose some. I made my son drink the broth in spite of it's appearance. His throat did feel better afterwards...

Oh, and I picked up some green cabbage at the store for future use!


This blog post is part of Kelly the Kitchen Kop's Real Food Wednesdays. Head on over and see some of the fabulous blog posts and recipes linked to hers.

Soaking Beans

Huh? Do what to beans? Let me explain.

The Chinese have traditionally been credited with being the first to understand "sprouting" beans to release their Vitamin C, which is bound up and cannot be absorbed without this step. All over Europe and the Middle East, Beer has been made by first sprouting (or germinating) grains. We even know that in the past, grains were left standing in sheaves in the fields before being brought into storage and that often resulted in the grains sprouting. Modern farming practices avoid this at all costs.

Turns out, germination not only allows the Vitamin C to be released for our bodies to absorb, but it also actually increases the B vitamins, especially B2, B5, and B6. Carotene is increased dramatically-sometimes up to eight times the original amount contained in the beans or grains.

Here is something even more shocking: beans/legumes and grains contain what is called Phytic Acid, classified as an anti-nutrient. It binds to the good vitamins and minerals that we need (calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, zinc) and drags them out of our bodies before we can attempt to absorb them. Sprouting releases phytase which nullifies the phytic acid, allowing us to utilize the innate goodness within. Complex sugars contained in the beans/legumes are broken down and do not have a chance to cause intestinal disturbances (gas).

Now, you should know that eating large amounts of raw sprouts is not good either as they do contain irritating substances. They are deliberately made to be irritating to keep grazing animals from eating the sprouts before they mature into seed bearing plants! So, cook the sprouted beans or grains to neutralize the offending substances. 

I have attached a picture of the 1/2 package of 16 bean soup that I just sprouted. At this point, I can cook them, dry them or freeze them. I am going to dry these. Then, when I want 16 bean soup, I can pull out some of my ready stock, add some water, some beans, a bay leaf or two and whatever leftover meat I have on hand to have a hearty, very inexpensive meal.

See their funny little tails? Those are the sprouts. You do not have to let them sprout long enough to look like an actual plant! Just long enough to let their hair down, so to speak.

From the book "Nourishing Traditions," by Sally Fallon with Mary G. Enig, PhD, I quote the method I use to sprout my beans:
     "The method for sprouting all grains and seeds is the same --only the length of time needed to accomplish full germination varies with the size and nature of the seed. Simply fill a mason jar one-third full with any grain or seed. Add filtered water to the top of the jar and screw on the top with it's screen insert [I use a coffee filter]. Allow the seeds to soak overnight and pour off the water. Rinse the seeds well--you can do this without removing the top [must remove coffee filter, though]. Invert the jar and let it sit at an angle so it can drain, and to allow air to circulate. The seeds should be rinsed every few hours, or at least twice a day. In one to four days the sprouts will be ready. Rinse well, shake out excess moisture, and replace the screen insert with the solid section of the lid. Store sprouts in the refrigerator." It really is just that easy! Rinse and drain; rinse and drain until they sprout.

You can do this! Why not give it a shot and then tell me how you did?


edit 1/17/11:  I just read this note. On this page, she is trying to sell a chart, but she starts out saying basically what I have said here about soaking your beans/legumes/grains, but with a little more detail. Might be worth the minute it will take to read it:  http://simplybeingwell.com/bean-and-grain-chart/

Broth Pictures

I thought I would share some pictures with you. I took these during the broth making process today.





After straining the "rib broth"

Ready to cool before going in the freezer

After straining the turkey neck broth and picking the bones clean!



The wonderful, tender, flavorful meat from the turkey necks





Making broth is an easy thing to do and so good for you and your family. It is not really time consuming. The stove (or crock pot) does all the work for you. You just throw everything in and wait for it to finish!



* I always use a good quality sea salt.

* I sometimes simmer just bones, an acid (any kind of vinegar, citrus juice...), salt and enough water to cover the bones by a couple of inches.

* Sometimes I add herbs that compliment the stock I'm making. Sage can be added to a turkey broth. Thyme or Oregano to chicken. Onions, Garlic, Celery, Carrots, Bell Peppers can all be added to flavor your broth, if you choose. How ever you want your base to taste is completely up to you.

* Isn't that easy?

Why don't you try your had at making broth and let me know how it turns out?

By the way, this post is participating in "Real Food Wednesdays" over at Kelly the KitchenKop's Blog. You should really stop by and check out her blog, it is one I read all the time and is full of great ideas and information... then there are all the comments and links that follow each post. It is an absolute treasure trove of information!

The First Post

The first post of a new blog.

One has to wonder if anyone will ever read this first post. Should I spill my guts and tell you my life's story or should I let it unfold through the natural conversation as the blog continues? Should I tell you why I am starting the blog or just jump in feet first? Hmmm. Feet first in a food blog? No, this blog isn't about wine making!  Maybe I should just give you a little background.

Several years ago, my then five year old son had been coughing and coughing through two winters. Every military doctor we saw asked if he had been diagnosed with asthma, but no one was actually willing to say he had it, though he was put on all kind of asthma medications. Each spring as the weather warmed, we weaned him off of the medications and he stayed well until the cold weather approached. At the end of the second winter, at age five, he was officially diagnosed with asthma. In a way, I felt relieved that I finally knew what was going on. At least it had a name.

Upon further reflection and a bit of research, I decided that this child did not need to be on so many medications. There had to be a way to get him free. One of his classmate's mother and I were talking one day and I discovered that her youngest child was also diagnosed with asthma, though his symptoms had been reduced dramatically with one simple change in their diet. Excited, I asked about this change. Would you like to know what it was? They changed from store bought milk to raw, completely unprocessed milk. That was it.

I went home and researched and finally decided we needed to try it. It was March in the southeastern United States and the weather was warming up. The warming and beginning the raw milk coincided. We weaned my son off of the medications as usual and continued the farm fresh milk. My son has not had to go back to his medications. He is now 11.

That was the beginning of my journey toward raw, whole, real, back-to-nature food.

I'll share more of our story as we go along. Right now, let's talk about today. Today, I have three stocks cooking on the stove. Stock from bones is some of the best, most nutrient dense foods out there. Feet and heads of most animals are where you will find the most gelatin, which is where you will find the real nutrition. Well, I don't have any of those, but I did find a bunch of turkey necks on sale and got those in a pot with some sage, salt, and apple cider vinegar (the acid is needed to get the nutrition to come out of the bones into the broth). I have a pork rib bone stock going, started after we had some awesome bone-in ribs a couple of nights ago. I also have a huge ham bone going as well. While I have made stock many times over the years since I started my whole food journey, this is the first winter I am really getting into it. It adds flavor to rice or pasta, is an excellent base for any homemade soup, and can even be used to steam whatever it is you are steaming! Bone broths have been used by primitive people and common people for millenia, prized for it's life giving properties. It stretches your food dollars as well. Who can argue with that?

I suppose I should go now and pull that luscious meat off of the bones and strain (clarify) the stocks before freezing them. I look forward to continuing this journey with you.

Have a Blessed Day!