Evidently Fall has arrived.

just last week it was like africa around here... shorts, tank top.. trying to soak up the last bit of sunshine that central ny will see for the next several months.. several long months, in fact.  don't get me wrong.. i love fall.  the smell and sound of crunching leaves.. the harvesty pumpkin and spiced everything.. candles, breads and muffins.. coffee.. simmering water.. cider.  i love fall.  i like turtlenecks and football with cozy blankets and hot cups of tea.  most of all.. i love soup.  i have a special knack for soup.. i can turn anything into a soup, and for the most part, it's really delicious.  for the most part.  today, i felt the need for some chicken soup to get my chilled bones warm again..  i'm really good at chicken soup.  it's simple, packed full of veggies and best of all, 21 day fix approved!

Enjoy!

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

(21 Day Fix approved!)

1 whole roaster chicken (or breasts if you don’t like dark meat)

water

1 large onion

3 garlic cloves

4 stalks of celery, leaves included

4 carrots

black pepper

low sodium chicken broth (i use chicken base/bouillon, but less than recommended so it lowers the sodium content)

½ cup corn

1 cup peas, fresh or frozen

1 cup wild rice (or brown)

parsley

romano or parmesan cheese

Rinse chicken (remove neck and giblet pack from the cavity.. or just use pieces or boneless breasts but the breast).  Place in a large stockpot and cover with water (if using base or bouillon add some now.  1 teaspoon or cube per cup, but I use 1 teaspoon per 2 cups to reduce the sodium content) or broth (about 6-8 cups).  Add black pepper to taste.. I happen to use a lot.  Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.

Chop onion, celery, carrots and mince garlic.  Add to pot.  Simmer for about 35 minutes (25 minutes for boneless skinless chicken breasts) or until the chicken starts pulling away from the bones.  Remove chicken and set aside to cool.   

Add the rice and bring back up to a boil, then reduce to a simmer (it doesn’t look like much rice, but remember it doubles!).  Cook until the vegetables are tender and the rice is cooked through (wild rice will take longer than white rice)

Remove chicken from the bones and chop or shred.  Turn the soup to very low and you should see any fat rise and form a layer on the surface.  use a ladle to spoon off as much of the fat as possible.  I ladel it into a measuring cup then it’s easier to spoon off the actual fat leaving any beoth behind that you can add back to the pot.  

Add the chicken, peas and corn.  Heat through. Stir in a couple of tablespoons of fresh (or dried) chopped parsley.  Ladle into mugs or bowls and finish with a grating of fresh romano or parmesan cheese.

serves a lot :)  1 red, 1 green, 1 yellow, 1 teaspoon (from any residual fat.. i don’t add any), ½ blue.  These serving sizes are approximate.. i just guage as i”m filling my soup mug.  I usually ladle in about 1.5 cups of soup.  

Yogurt marinated roasted chicken

random picture of tandoori chicken on skewers

One of my favorite dishes is Chicken Tikka Masala.. a flavorful Indian dish with a tomato based sauce.  I'm intrigued by the sauce, but even more so the tandoori chicken.. tender chicken breasts cooked in a Tandoor oven at over 500 degrees (really, 600+ i think) very quickly and they are extremely tender.  The secret? The breasts are marinated in a spice mixture with plain yogurt. The yogurt coats the chicken, adhering the spices to the surface, the lactic acid in the yogurt tenderizes the meat and creates a delicate tang and as a bonus, keeps the meat moist while cooking... best part? Use fat free Greek yogurt and .. you guessed it.. it's a FAT FREE marinade.

Are there other fat free marinades out there?  Yea, lots.. use some vinegar or an acid like lemon juice, pineapple juice, orange juice.. etc.. (acid = tenderizer but wet meat doesn't particularly grill, bake or broil well without really patting it dry with paper towels) and some spice mixture (sugar, salt, seasonings etc.  the sugar will aid in browning, maybe too brown, so be careful... and the salt can cause the meat to be really salty if you marinate too long.. also be careful, unless you're making jerky!).  I've used this many times to marinate steaks and chicken.. sometimes even adding a bit of oil for some reason (the recipe calls for it, but causes some real flare ups on the grill!) This liquid marinade does an excellent job of flavoring meats especially the longer you leave it.. even overnight.  The problem can be texture.. I dont' love the texture of meat marinated like this.. yes, the meat is tender, but at the same time, the acid kind of "cooks" the meat so the longer you marinate it, the more rubbery it can become..  weird. Plus.. I HATE grey meat (steak) and the liquid can prevent the Maillard Reaction (that beautiful brown sear you get on meat) from occuring.. if it doesn't look good.. it probably won't taste good, in my eyes.

slightly charred.. yum

So, recently I said to myself... self, if you love tandoori chicken so much, why don't you try marinating your chicken breast in yogurt and grilling it.. yes, the grill doesn't get as hot as the tandoor oven, but if i preheat it long enough, I can get it pretty hot.. so i tried.  AMAZING!!!  I am impatient, and only allowed the chicken to marinate in my yogurt/spice mixture for about 30-40 minutes.  I used Fage Greek yogurt and our local Greek restaurant  seasoning (Symeons) and just mixed a bunch together until the yogurt was a nice orange hue.. I placed the chicken and the yogurt mixture in a large ziploc bag and just let it hang out for a while.  When they were done marinating.. or when I got hungry.. I just placed the yogurt covered chicken on a wire rack set over some foil on a baking sheet and roasted them in a preheated 425 oven for about 25-30 minutes.  If they're not beautifully golden, place them under the broiler for a few extra minutes to crisp them up.  They get all golden and slightly charred..

yogurt marinated oven roasted chicken

wonderfully crunchy, moist and tender, slightly seasoned (my fault.. longer marinade time is a must.. )

I have been playing around with seasonings.. upstate chicken bbq (poultry seasoning, apple cider vinegar, salt, pepper and yogurt), curried chicken (sweet curry powder, cumin, salt, pepper, yogurt), bbq chicken (salt, brown sugar, ground red peper, ground thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika.. or a basic bbq seasoning with yogurt), even fajitas (cumin, salt, pepper, lime juice and yogurt) my point is, this marinade is very versatile..

oven roasted

Why am i so excited about this?!  this is an easy way to make chicken that isn't bland and boring.. and it adds very little extra calories to the finished product.. great if you're using the 21 Day Fix  (1 red, 1/2 blue) or if you're taking steps to eat healthier! (um, maybe then I'd remove the skin too.  :))

On a side note.. I'm not very good at food photos yet.. I'm a work in progress, so I hope that with time, my food will look as good as it tastes!

finding my way...

welcome to my blog... my goal is to share with you my journey towards health and fitness.. my successes and failures, my recipes and disasters.  I am new at this, so i'm sure it will evolve into something that I didn't plan, but that's ok! I want to inspire you to get the best out of your life that you can.. to crave the best.. the best food, the best way to live.. the best exercise to get you in the best shape of your life.. crave greatness.. that's what i'm all about!

My Journey...

I'm a 38 year old mom of 2.. ages 2 and 1.  I was in horrible shape before I had kids, and was able to lose some weight after having them, but always desired to be better.. I hated the way I looked, would avoid talking to people because I was afraid they were judging me and generally had low self esteem.. I watched weight loss shows on TV and thought to myself, I wish I could be there.. on that show, in their shoes.  I wasn't that big.. I used to say to myself.  but I had a problem.  I wasn't losing any weight, I was staying the same or gaining a few here and there throughout the years.  I don't remember getting as big as I was.. I know that every year when I would buy back to school clothes, I'd get the next bigger size.  I didn't do anything about it, I just kept saying to myself.. I'll make better choices tomorrow.  I'll workout tomorrow.. tomorrow.. I just kept putting it off..   I wonder how many of you just keep putting it off..

Before picture taken 3/28/2014

After picture taken 8/28/14

I started following a few friends from high school on facebook who were doing some amazing things.. getting in shape and teaching others how to also.. I watched for a few months.. thinking.. tomorrow I'll start.  I couldn't get the nerve to contact them.  I was embarrassed and didn't want to admit out loud that i might need help... or that i was in this position in the first place.  I finally reached out.  That changed my life.  Within a few days of reaching out I ordered the BeachBody program The 21 Day Fix.  I received my kit in about a week and three days later started in my first 21 day challenge group.  I lost 6 pounds that first week using the portion control containers and following the 30 minute workouts.  I could barely get through a workout because I was so out of shape.. but I did it.  every.. single.. day.  I was so proud of myself and at the end of the 21 days, had lost 12 lbs and almost 13 inches.  WOW!!!  I was hooked!  It's been 5 months since I started my new lifestyle and I'm down 40 plus pounds and over 30 inches.  I went from a size 14/16 to a 2/4!!!  I can't believe it.  I actually bought a pair of dress pants in size 2!  I've also gained strength (like i can now do real pushups.. several of them in a row! :))  I couldn't and still can't believe I am where  I am.. because I had such great success.. I needed to become a beachbody coach to inspire others to take the same journey.  don't be afraid.  jump in with both feet and I'll catch you.  I may not know you, I may never know you.. but i understand you.. and if I don't, i'll try to.

So if you are in my position.. if you want to change your life.. if you want to eat the best food, work towards being better.. reach out to me, follow me, let me guide you in your own success story!

thanks for reading..  CRAVE greatness..

Lisa

Contact me anytime you need help or if you have questions!
Also, feel free to check out the BeachBody programs through my personal site!