Healthy Choice~Baked Chicken Legs with Garlic and Butter Pasta

Last month, we decided to buy a few meat bundles.  We thought it would be a good idea, save some money.  And, overall it was a good idea.  Only problem is, we ended up with more chicken than we wanted.  And even that wasn't a big problem, if you like chicken every night.  We do not.  I could only find so many recipes to make that we all enjoy.  After a while, chicken got old.

I now have 2 pork loins, 20 lbs. of ground beef, 3 lbs. of pork steak, 5 packages of hot dogs, 2 packages of turkey sausage, 2 very large pizza's, 12 steak and cheese burritos, and 10 lbs of pre-made turkey burgers seasoned with tomato and basil in my freezer.  The chicken is at the very bottom.  If I don't see chicken again, my feelings won't be hurt!

With that said, we all know that chicken is very healthy.  And tasty, with the right seasonings.   Take this baked chicken leg, for instance.  It's a homemade version of shake and bake chicken legs.  It was very good, too.  Hubby loved it and ate two legs. 

It's very simple to make homemade shake and bake.  I save all my left over bread, mainly the ends.  No one likes the ends and no one eats them.  So instead of tossing them, I put them in a freezer bag and pop them in the freezer.  When I have time, I take the bread and in my trusty little Bullet, make bread crumbs.  Cheaper than buying.  Sometimes I leave them plain, sometimes I season them up, depending on what I am making.  I keep my bread crumbs in a bag in the freezer.

This was a easy dinner for me to make, and it was healthy.  That is the key, healthy. And, everyone liked it.

Bread Crumbs
3-5 slices of old bread
Seasoning of choice (garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, basil, salt, pepper, just whatever you want)

In a blender or Bullet, place bread and make crumbs.  Put crumbs in a bowl and season.  Place on a cookie sheet, spread out and place in a 300 degree oven.  Cook for 5 minutes or until light golden brown and toasted.  Keep in a freezer bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. If keeping plain, just make the crumbs, put in a freezer bag and freeze.

Baked Chicken Legs
1 package of chicken legs (or thighs, or quarters)
Bread crumbs

Wash chicken and pat dry with paper towels.  Place about 1-1 1/2 cups of crumbs in a clean freezer bag (depending on how many pieces of chicken you have).  Take chicken and coat with the bread crumbs.  Spray a 9x13 baking pan with cooking spray.  Place chicken in pan, cover with foil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Remove foil and finish cooking, about another 30-40 minutes (if using legs).

Garlic and Butter Pasta
1 lb. angle hair pasta
1-2 fresh tomatoes, or 1 large can of diced tomatoes, drained and rinsed.
1/2 sweet onion, diced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
2-4 teaspoons basil

In a large pot, boil water, add pasta, 1/2 onion and 1 teaspoon garlic. and  cook according to package directions.  Dice tomatoes and set aside.  When pasta is cooked, drain and place in a large bowl.  Add the tomato, garlic, butter, olive oil and basil.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Mix and chill in fridge for 30 minutes.

Very light.  Very tasty.  Very healthy.  Enjoy!!!




Gershelda

Heart Healthy Foods

A new month means a new health article.

Continuing on my year of heart healthy ideas, one thing I have to confess...I've fallen off the wagon.  In foods that are heart healthy, that is.  It's hard to break old habits.  It's harder when you have some really picky eaters.  For example, Jacob will not eat okra, squash, cooked mushrooms, and most any 'unnormal' veggie, like asparagus and cauliflower.  James will not eat fish or seafood of any kind, and most veggies.  When he and I first began to date, the most in veggies he would eat was corn, green beans and peas and carrots, not pea and then carrots, but they had to be mixed.  I've gotten him to eat broccoli, cauliflower and he still refuses to eat turnip or mustard greens.   He introduced me to black beans and I must admit, I was a bit nervous at first, but I LOVE them now.  They have become a staple in our pantry.

We buy groceries once a month.  Confession: I hate buying groceries.  We tried doing the making a menu and buying one time a week, but I found we were spending more money doing that because there were nights we just didn't want baked chicken and preferred pizza instead. And, did I mention, I hate buying groceries?   I don't do menu's and as it may work for some, for us, it just wasn't feasible.   It did help with the "what's for dinner" question, but when I said what was for dinner, I got some really bad looks. I've also stopped asking, "What do you want for dinner tonight" because I have yet to find a recipe for "I don't know" and "I don't care". 

So, tomorrow morning, I will get up bright and early, have a pot of coffee, and go buy some food.  Wanting to get back on track, I have been researching heart healthy foods.  This is the tricky part.  Picky eaters.  Most fruits, James and Jacob will eat.  It's (again) the veggies.  Personally, there aren't too many veggies I won't eat.  I don't care for blueberries, eggplant or artichokes (to name a few).  I won't refuse to eat those foods if I'm at some one's home for dinner, but I just don't care for them.  As for meats, I get tired of chicken, pork and beef and would love some fish.  I save those moments for when James and I go out for dinner.  I eat all the fish I can hold (and then some).

Here are some heart healthy foods that we all need to eat.  
1. Salmon
2. Flax seed
3. Oatmeal
4. Black or Kidney Beans
5. Almonds
6. Walnuts
7. Red Wine
8. Tuna
9. Popcorn
10. Brown rice
11. Soy milk
12. Blueberries
13. Carrots
14. Spinach
15. Broccoli
16. Sweet potato
17. Red bell peppers
18. Asparagus
19. Oranges
20. Tomatoes
21. Bananas
22. Cantaloupe
23. Papaya
24. Dark chocolate
25. Tea
26. Yogurt (Live active cultures are best)
27. Lentils
28. Raisins
29. 100% whole wheat bread, tortillas, cereals, pastas, etc
30. Apples
(Source:  www.webmd.com, healthfinder.gov, eatingwell.com)

We all need to eat healthier.  And most of these will go on my grocery list for tomorrow.   Some ideas, bake, broil, grill your meats...whether it is chicken, fish, pork or beef.  If you have a slow cooker, USE IT!  I love mine and I use it year round.  Steam your veggies.  Leave the skins on potatoes, apples and most any other veggies or fruits you can eat the skins.  That is where all the vitamins are and they are healthy.  Just wash them good and enjoy. :)  Do not fry your foods and if you do, use olive or canola oils and very little of them.  We all needs oils/fats in our diets.  That is what keeps our skin from drying out and becoming flaky and yucky.  Go easy on the sugar.  Sugar raises your triglycerides, which increases your cholesterol.  Not a good thing. Also, go easy on the salt.  Most canned foods have more than enough salt to cover what our bodies need.  Learn to use herbs and spices to replace the salt.  Garlic, onion powder (not salt), rosemary, thyme, basil, ginger, paprika, to name a few can add a wonderful flavor to foods and you won't miss the salt.  Lemon, lime, orange juice and zest can add a whole new element to foods.

Whether you have heart disease or not, we can all learn to eat a little healthier.  Make it fun.  Food can be fun and healthy.  Try it, you might find you enjoy it.  And, don't be afraid to try new foods.  You may find you actually like it.