WHAT’S FOR DINNER?

Chicken Pot Pie With Crawling Hands

INGREDIENTS

CRAWLING HANDS

1 large egg yolk

Wilton Red Icing Color

1 package frozen puff pastry

You will need:

Wilton hand-shaped cookie cutter

CHICKEN POTPIE

3 tbsp. butter

3 tbsp. all-purpose flour

3 c. chicken broth

2 package frozen mixed vegetables

3 c. shredded roasted or rotisserie chicken

1 tbsp. garlic (salt & pepper to taste)

DIRECTIONS

1. To make Crawling Hands: Heat oven to 400°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk egg yolk and 2 drops red icing color in a small cup until blended; set aside.
2. Roll out one sheet of puff pastry dough on a lightly floured surface. Using cutter, cut out 6 hands. Place on prepared baking sheet. Using a small paintbrush, paint egg yolk mixture onto tips of fingers to resemble fingernails.
3. Bake pastry 15 minutes or until golden. Remove to wire rack to cool. Repeat with remaining sheet of puff pastry dough.
4. To make Chicken Potpie: Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour; cook, whisking, until bubbling. Gradually whisk in chicken broth. Stir over medium-high heat until mixture comes to a rapid boil and thickens. Stir in remaining ingredients. Return to a simmer; cook for 4 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Pour mixture into serving bowls and garnish with Crawling Hands.

One can define the feeling of being overwhelmed as being exhausted, buts its much more than exhaustion. Feeling overwhelmed is being completely submerged by your thoughts and emotions about all of life’s current problems. That could be bills, Covid, politics, death of a loved one, lack of sleep, relationship issues, work, lack of accomplishments etc….even worse, all of them at the same time. Almost to the point of not putting forth any effort in life anymore or just completely shutting down.

Try getting a handle on things by telling yourself:

“You’re not alone.”

“It’s ok to take a break.”

“You have a right to feel like I do, but let’s shake it off.”

“Focus on one thing at a time.”

Easier said than done, but its a start if you’re not at least doing that bit of counseling on yourself. If you don’t have the answers to help yourself, than seek the help of a professional. Nothing to be or feel embarrassed about. Its more people that need help than people that actually go get some help. Just think about it, you didn’t raise yourself by yourself🤔

The flu season is among us, along with the common cold🤔 (Do people still get a cold)? Oh, and let’s not forget about the new heavyweight champ Covid19😠. The best thing you can do and follow is what the CDC, grandma, momma, teachers have been preaching for decades….Wash your hands!!! Besides the mask, everything else is basic.

According to the CDC (grandma and momma) do the following:

Avoid close contact:
Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too.
Stay home when you are sick.
If possible, stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick. This will help prevent spreading your illness to others.

Cover your mouth and nose:
Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick. Flu and other serious respiratory illnesses, like respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), whooping cough, and COVID-19, are spread by cough, sneezing, or unclean hands.

Clean your hands:
Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth:
Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.

Practice other good health habits:
Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces at home, work or school, especially when someone is ill. Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food.

Tried this one out several times before and it was pretty good. I’ve had it with and without protein powder. I only use water for my smoothies, but feel free to use milk, soy milk, yogurt etc. You can have 1 serving for breakfast and freeze the 2nd serving and its like having ice cream😊.

Ingredients

for 2 servings

• 1 ½ cups water, or yogurt or milk of choice
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
• 1 cup strawberry, frozen
• 1 cup blueberry, frozen
• ½ cup raspberry, frozen
• ½ cup blackberry, frozen

Oh boy, it’s that time of the year again….the cold season holidays. The time of year for really overeating and less movement if you don’t like cold weather. 2020 will be a even bigger challenge due to Covid of course. No work holiday parties either, but the large portions of food will be present at home more likely than not….sad occasion, but necessary. Nevertheless, keep the portions in a safe range and walk around the house afterwards. Getting seconds? Then that means double the time of your after dinner walk….but, second time around, leave the carbs and fill up on meat and veggies.

Need some smoothies ideas, check out MyFitnessPal because they have a ton to choose from.

Pumpkin Spice Protein Smoothie

Ingredients

5 1/3 ounces (150g) 0% plain Greek yogurt
1/2 cup (122g) canned pumpkin
1/2 large frozen banana
1 teaspoon pumpkin spice blend
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 scoop protein powder
1/2 cup (240ml) ice cubes
Directions

Place all the ingredients in the blender, in order. Secure the lid and insert the tamper, if you have one, and blend, starting on a low speed and quickly shifting to high. Blend until smooth.

Serve immediately.

Serves: 1 | Serving Size: 1 glass

Nutrition (per serving): Calories: 331; Total Fat: 2g; Saturated Fat: 1g; Monounsaturated Fat: 0g; Cholesterol: 19mg; Sodium: 99mg; Carbohydrate: 47g; Dietary Fiber: 7g; Sugar: 33g; Protein: 33g

One of the biggest signs is constantly feeling of tired or fatigued. Too much sugar will raise your blood glucose levels up really fast. When the sugar high is coming down, its going to drop really fast and that’s a bad feeling. That includes psychological fatigue too. If you are one of those folks that always want something sweet on a daily basis, its a good sign that you are already consuming too much of it. Even worse, due to the current events of Covid-19 and now the flu season, too much sugar can actually weaken your immune system. It causes your body’s natural ability to fight off colds, viruses, and even chronic disease weaker than it would be if you avoided foods with added sugars.

Water weight is when your body retains fluid that normally would go to the kidneys. So, instead of urinating it out, that extra fluid collects in your tissues and ummmmmmm…..swell. The most common causes of water weight is too much salt or carbs in your diet. In order to lose water weight try to avoid really salty foods or just cut salt out period. Cut the carbs also by limiting how much bread or high calorie processed foods aka junk food…..and it might seem a little crazy, but drink more water. Just like your stomach, if your body is starving for water, it will hold on to it.

You need protein for your body to function normally. Every cell in your body contains protein for various reasons: Structural support, transporting of minerals, lipids, vitamins, and oxygen to and from in the body. Most importantly, it strengthens our immune system……and of course its a source of energy and muscle building.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has suggested the following recommendations:

Men / Teenage Boys: 3 daily servings of a total of 7 ounces of protein.

Active Women / Teenage Girls: 2 daily servings of protein for a total of 6 ounces.

Children older than 6 years old: 2 daily servings of protein for a total of 6 ounces.

Your optimal daily protein intake depends on your weight, goal, and level of physical activity. Check out the link below to calculate your protein intake.

https://examine.com/nutrition/protein-intake-calculator/

Pumpkin seeds are a great source of protein and unsaturated fats. This includes omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. They also contain a pretty decent amount of nutrients: iron, calcium, B2, folate, and beta-carotene. Pumpkin seeds are perfect as a weightloss snack because of the fiber. Remember, fiber takes longer to digest, meaning you will feel full longer than usual.

A 28g serving (about six seeds) contains approximately:

128 kcal
7g protein
1.7g fibre
13g fat
190mg magnesium
260mg potassium
20mg choline
2.35mcg vitamin K
2.52mg zinc
2.84mg iron

BENEFITS

Promotes a healthy bladder.

Good source of antioxidants.

Good for the heart.

Better Sleep (good source of magnesium).

Regulate blood pressure.

Manage blood sugar levels.

You can drink water, coffee, or tea, but juices or any sugary drink will just ruin your weight loss goals. Oh, and when i said tea in the first sentence, I’m not talking about a can of Arizona iced tea. Hey, let’s use that as an example. A bottle of Arizona iced tea is

If you notice, that can is 3 servings and who doesn’t drink the whole can, so that’s 300 calories. You could drink 300 calories or eat 300 calories which are the meals below. Think about it for a minute and choose wisely.

Walking at any pace is good for the heart, body, and soul. What if you’re looking to lose a few pounds though….let’s say that your daily scheduled walk is perfect for staying in shape, fighting off chronic diseases, and makes it possible to maintain your current weight. Too lose a few pounds, start doing brisk walks. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), walking at a pace of at least 2.5 mph is considered brisk walking, and falls under the category of moderate-intensity exercise. It might be a little hard to know you’re walking at 2.5 mph if you’re not on a treadmill, so use a 1 to 10 scale to guage your effort. 1 meaning slow walk, 5 moderate, and 10 being your maximum effort. Set a goal of at least 2 1/2 hours a week of brisk walking to start seeing the weight come off.

Do you have liver on your menu to eat? My mom occasionally eats it….by herself…cause I just can’t do it. Some like it, some love it. What’s surprising is its actually packed full of nutrients. Liver is high in vitamin A, folic acid, iron, and zinc. It is the most nutrient dense organ meat, and it is a powerful source of vitamin A. It’s also a great source of high-quality protein. Liver is lower in calories and fat compared to other meats with only 25% of calories comes from fat. Now, its not for everyone and the following folks should avoid eating it:

Pregnant Women: High intakes of preformed vitamin A have been linked to birth defects.

People with Gout: Liver is high in purines, which form uric acid in the body. 

If ya gotta have it, dark chocolate is a better choice than milk chocolate. That doesn’t mean eating it every day is necessarily good….it is still high in calories and saturated fat….if you did, no more than an ounce a day at the most.

Why is it better? It’s actually rich in iron, magnesium, zinc, and antioxidants from the cacoa. Yes, its a cacao and cocoa. Cacao is roasted at low temperatures and cold-pressed to get most of the fat out. Cocoa comes from the same tree, but refers to highly processed cacao. Milk chocolate has cocoa butter, sugar, milk, and a very small amount of cacao. So, dark chocolate has a much larger amount of cacao (about 70%) and less sugar.

Stress is something else….causes a ton of problems mentally and physically. One thing for sure is that you can’t control stress if you don’t know what’s causing it…….or maybe you are in a situation where you do know, but just can’t change your current stressful situation. Let’s be real, most of us are so used to being stressed that we don’t realize it until it’s too late. Too late are those unexpected migraines you’ve been having or just can’t seem to fall asleep with all of those racing thoughts in your head. I think the list below is something to read daily, regardless if you are stressing or not. Read it in the morning and before you go to bed.

SALMON: Nothing like some salmon for dinner. Roughly 3 to 4 ounces of salmon is about 200 calories, low in saturated fat, and a good source of protein. Vitamin wise, it is one of the best sources of vitamin B12, potassium, iron, and vitamin D.

To sear the salmon, place a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, and drizzle in about 2-3 tablespoons of the oil; once the oil is very hot, add in the salmon fillets, and allow them sear on that first side for about 4-5 minutes, or until a deep, golden-brown; then, flip over and allow them to cook and sear on the other side for about 4-5 more minutes. Afterwards, top with some salsa and eat up. If you have the time and skills to make your own salsa then cool, if not, my store bought favorite salsa is Garden Fresh Gourmet (https://gardenfreshgourmet.com/). The peach pineapple salsa goes great with salmon.

Ever wanted to go Vegan or some kind of version of a vegan diet? Maybe you just wanna cut back on eating meat. You always here that its expensive to go vegan, but that’s not necessarily true.

Some of the most budget friendly vegan foods consists of legumes, grains, fruits, and vegetables (that are in season). Things like nuts and seeds can be a little pricey, but buying them in bulk will help save a few bucks. Check out the grocery list below to get started.

There are quite a few fruits and vegetables that are better off sitting on the countertop. Tomatoes, sweet potatoes, oranges, lemons, and limes should not be refrigerated.

Tomatoes: They can lose their flavor and texture when you put them in the fridge. It also makes them mushy and flavorless.

Sweet Potatoes: Put them in a cool, dark place, but not the frig. Too cold and it changes the texture and flavor of the potatoes. They are better off in a paper bag.

Oranges, Lemons, and Limes: Pretty much all citrus fruits can stay on the counter. Just keep a eye on them. You don’t want one moldy piece of fruit touching the other ones🤢

It’s getting cold…..well, suppose to get cold (It’s Michigan), Flu season, I guess Covid19 season now, and common cold issues. So let’s check out some teas and their benefits. Teas have a variety of health benefits: antioxidants, less caffeine than coffee, may help with weight loss, and may even keep your smile bright 😁. Check out the info below and switch up from your usual green tea.

GARLIC BUTTER CHICKEN WITH PARMESAN CAULIFLOWER RICE

Found this recipe on eatwell101 website. Now, I must say I’m not a fan of cauliflower anything. Probably because its such a hassle and headache making it, pulling out the food processor, and…..well, I don’t like it….now, you can find cauliflower rice, pizza crust, and more pre-made at the grocery store….THANK GOD!!!! I can honestly say I like it and thats with using several different brands. As a matter of fact, Oprah has a cauliflower pizza crust that was good, like damn good….anyway, thats another story.

Check out the link to the recipe cause its pretty good and you won’t even miss the rice, replacing it with cauliflower rice.

https://www.eatwell101.com/garlic-butter-chicken-with-parmesan-cauliflower-rice

Yep, breakfast….you’ve heard it a million times coming up that its the most important meal of the day. If you really think about it, no matter what shift you work or profession, we all have breakfast. It has nothing to do with the time of the morning. Breakfast means “a break from fasting”, so it really doesn’t matter what time of the day. You just need to eat when you get up because?……you’ve been fasting for hours….you need fuel to get your body moving….so eat up and get the day, afternoon, or night started off right.

There are many variables in trying to lose weight i.e. medical condition, medication, poor sleep habits, poor eating etc. Even with the aforementioned problems, the most effective way to lose weight is by consuming fewer calories than you expend (creating a calorie deficit). If you go too low, your body goes into starvation mode and slows down your metabolism. If this happens, your body will start to store fat because it doesn’t know when the next meal is coming. Almost like a bear going into hibernation and storing enough fat to make it through the winter. Play it safe by finding a reasonable eating / exercise plan that allows you to lose one-half to two pounds per week. For the most part, you need a minimum of 1,200 calories daily to stay healthy.

Inspiration is defined as the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something, especially to do something creative. 2020 has been a rough year to us all in some kind of way. Life can be just plain brutal at times, but its crucial to find that one thing, person, or place to bring out the best in you. There is nothing like being creative, accomplishing some goals, and feeling good about yourself. Then you become an inspiration to others. Inspiration creates new possibilities and transforms the way we perceive our own capabilities. We all set limits on what we can do, even though we are capable of doing so much more. So set the bar a little higher and see what you can do for yourself and others. You may learn something about yourself too.

Chia seeds come from the desert plant Salvia hispanica, a member of the mint family. They are a good source of omega-3 fatty acid and fiber. They also contain protein and minerals including iron, calcium, magnesium, and zinc. You can eat them raw or prepared. Some people like to sprinkle chia seeds on cereal, rice, yogurt or vegetables. 

Just about 2 tablespoons contains 139 calories, 4 grams of protein, 9 grams fat, 12 grams carbohydrates and 11 grams of fiber, plus vitamins and minerals.

Quinoa is often used as a substitute for rice. It is loaded with protein, fiber and various vitamins and minerals. Below is a link to a few recipes to try it out

https://toriavey.com/toris-kitchen/quinoa-black-bean-burrito-bowls/

If you have a taste for something sweet, then strawberries are a pretty good choice. They have a ton of antioxidants and don’t rapidly boost a your blood sugar levels. Making them the perfect choice for diabetics. Strawberries are also rich in vitamin C, potassium, folic acid, and fiber. They are all essential nutrients that support the body’s daily functioning.

NUTRITIONAL VALUE

• Calories: 53 kcal
• Protein: 1.11 g
• Carbohydrates: 12.75 g
• Dietary fiber: 3.30 g
• Calcium: 27 mg
• Iron: 0.68 mg
• Magnesium: 22 mg
• Phosphorus: 40 mg
• Potassium: 254 mg
• Vitamin C: 97.60 mg
• Folate: 40 micrograms (mcg)
• Vitamin A: 28 international units (IU)

Did you know that chili peppers can be beneficial to your health? They contain a compound called capsaicin that gives your mouth that burning sensation after eating them. That causes your body to dump it’s supply of substance P. Which is a neurotransmitter that sends pain signals to the brain. 

Another benefit is weightloss by increasing your metabolism which helps burn calories faster. Spices such as cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, and peppers, can also raise your metabolic resting rate and slow down your appetite. So spice things up a beat.

If something provides a person, animal, or plant with nourishment, it provides them with the food that is necessary for life, growth, and good health.

Its an important part of leading a healthy lifestyle. When you can add physical activity to the equation, its 10 times better. Nothing like being able to reach your goals of losing or maintaining a healthy weight. So go ahead and reduce your risk of chronic diseases and feel good about yourself.