The Foodie Wagon

 

For a while now, I've been working on eating more at home, eating more real food, eating more traditional foods, and trying to (*trying*) cut out sugars.  Well, this summer and with the beginning of the work year in August paired with working a part time job, I've slacked and fallen back on my healthy journey.  After gaining a few pounds in the past month and a half paired with an increase in headaches and caffeine dependence, I'm trying desperately to get back on the food wagon.

With so many opinions out there about diet and what to eat (and what NOT to eat), sometimes I feel like I'm barely treading water in an ocean of conflicting information.

Right now, I'm working on the caffeine addiction because I think it is the most concerning.  Oh, this week the headaches, sweats, and fatigue have been horrible!  However, today I feel better and my sleeping, heart rate, anxiety, and overall "up-tight-ness" seem so much better.  Still a little fatigued, but I'm sure I'll get used to that.

The next step, not as easy.  I'd love to try going a little more primal/paleo for a while to see how it effects me, but let's get practical.  I have a LOT of grains in the house that need to be eaten.  Oatmeal, pasta, rice...as someone who is a closet prepper I have things stashed away that should really be eaten in the house.  So what is a girl to do who is thinking about going grain-free?  

Here's what I'm thinking...moderation.  A lot of real food websites I visit employ the 80-20 rule.  80% of the time I'm going to try super hard to have the healthiest organic, non-GMO, real food, paleo, primal, grain-free whatever I'm trying.  The other 20% is up for grabs.  That boils down to 1 out of 5 meal planning days can be off a little.  I'm not exactly saying that 20% will be McDonald's fries, Coca-cola and cheetos, but if I plan a meal with pasta that I have in my house I should just let it be.  Or, if my boyfriend wants to take me out for ice cream, I'm not going to throw a hissy fit.  I'm going to enjoy it.

How do you reconcile eating off your plan at times?  What do you do when you fall off the foodie wagon?

{Recipe} Homemade Chicken Stock

Mom's Turkey Soup

I grew up eating homemade stock only in the winter and during Thanksgiving/Christmas season.  Every year, my Mom would make a turkey and create the most lovely turkey stock which was turned into turkey soup.  For her, this included the "innards", bones, meat still on the carcass, celery, carrots, salt, pepper, and LOVE.

The smell of the turkey stock cooking would permeate the house while cooking for at least a whole day.

She would then strain the broth, then pick the turkey from the bones (not a funtastic task at all!).  The Broth and meat was then portioned together and frozen for use throughout the winter.  YUM.

I have longed to do the same at my own home, and I have tried to do this for over a year without getting that perfect stocky flavor using chicken.

Mistakes I made:
*using onion (end result was onion soup)
*using carrots (bitter tasting)
*using too many spices (not good tasting)
*not cooking it long enough (not a good chickeny stocky flavor)

This week my house finally smelled similar to my Mom's house the day after Thanksgiving when the turkey stock was cooking all day.  Hooray!

Here's what I did...

First, I cooked a small whole chicken in the crockpot.  I seasoned it with garlic salt, pepper, and paprika.

Then, I picked the chicken.  You know, taking the meat off the bones after it is finished cooking.  I really dislike this part...but it is worth it!  Since I want to make soup from this, I left a good amount of meat on the bones to cook with the stock (mainly the dark meat, which is awesome for soup!).

Next, I put all the trimmings back into the crockpot.  This included everything...bones, meat, skin.  I filled the crockpot with cold, filtered water and let it sit for 30 minutes before starting it up on low.

I didn't add any veggies or any extras this time.  I figured I could season it later if it was a little bland.  And, oh am I so glad I didn't season it!  It smells amazing, and I finally achieved that sort of golden color with stock!  Yay!

Then, I cooked the heck out of it!

 I let the first batch cook for at least 12 hours on low in the crockpot.  I actually cooked two whole chickens this time and put all the trimmings together in the crockpot.  I got 3 batches of stock out of this which yielded about 3 gallons.

When it has the color taste you are looking for, strain the trimmings from the stock using a mesh strainer.  I put the stock in gallon sized canning jars.  Let it sit on the counter to cool before putting in the fridge.

2nd batch of broth, a little lighter than the first but still pretty!

After it has cooled in the fridge for a while, the fat will harden and rise to the top.  Skim this part off before storing or using.  Although, I might keep the fat separately this time and use it in other cooking...we'll see...

And the trimmings?  Well, my least favorite part is picking the trimmings.  My Mom always had 3 bowls for sorting:  one with the trimmings, one to keep, one to pitch.  This can be super tedious, but so worth it in the end!

Portion, freeze, and soup's on!