I just saw something really exciting on Facebook posted by Food, Inc. It's a new documentary being narrated by Katie Couric called Fed Up. It's an expose on the truth about sugar and America's obesity problem. It's opening May 9th and from the help of several big names, including former President Bill Clinton, they're going to build the argument that "the obesity crisis was brought on by greedy junk food companies, permissive federal legislation and subsidies, and a government that tells us the systemic weight gain is all our fault." Ahhh! I can't wait. I really hope this is an eye opener for many people, especially parents. Kids have no idea what they're being given and the havoc it can wreak on their bodies. When doctors and scientists can find similarities between sugar and cocaine in the brain, I mean, come on! Dare I say it's like ignorant child abuse. Well, it's time to get educated. May 9th. Be there!
In other news, I'm currently in the middle of my sugar detox. Today is Day 10. Yup. Right smack in the middle. I still want sweet things. But in truth, I know how short lived my satisfaction would be, so instead, I make things like delicious kale chips. Then I'm satiated and don't feel like a big sack of poo afterwards! Enjoy these kale chips. They are a great snack item for anyone needing something quick, or can even be served as a side item with a meal. And they don't make you feel like a big sack of poo...which is important. ;)
Kale Chips
Prep Time: 3 minutes
Cook Time: 10-12 minutes
Total Time: ~15 minutes
Special Tools:
Foil lined baking tray
Ingredients:
4 cups of chopped kale (I like Trader Joe's Organic Tuscan Kale)
2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp of ghee, melted
sprinkle of salt, garlic, and paprika (or your favorite seasonings)
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Spread the kale out onto the foil.
3. Pour the oil and ghee onto the leaves and massage the oil and ghee over each leaf. *Don't skip this, it really makes a difference.
4. Sprinkle some salt, garlic, and paprika over the leaves.
5. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the leaves are almost all crispy.
6. Pour into a bowl or eat them right off the tray (that's what I did).
In my days of not caring what I ate, one of my favorite things to order when I was with a group of people was chicken nachos from Miller's Ale House. We would order one for the table and share it easily among 6-8 people. If I went with a small group, say 4 or less, I wouldn't order it because I knew it was too much food. Then I would be bummed out because I didn't have it. Ah, if only I knew then what I know now about my horrible food choices. Isn't that what everyone says?
With my discovery of Trader Joe's Roasted Plantain Chips, however, now I can have this awesome snack whenever I want (in moderation, of course!), and customize it to include all my favorite toppings. This is also a perfect snack ideas for gatherings. I served it up as an appetizer last weekend to hold our friends over until dinner a couple hours later. This recipe has two cooking stages: the chicken in the crockpot and then a few minutes under the broiler. However, if you bought a precooked rotisserie chicken and shred the chicken yourself, that would omit the first 6-7 hours. I think the crockpot is better though, because I was able to give my chicken a Southwest flavor, which is what the Ale House chicken tastes like to me.
Layered Chicken Nachos
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 6 hours + 5 minutes
Total Time: 6 hours + 20 minutes
Serves: 6
Special Tools:
Slow cooker
Baking trays
Parchment paper
Medium saute pan
Ingredients:
3 chicken breasts
1 can organic no salt added diced tomatoes
1 tbsp of chili powder
1 tbsp of paprika
1 tbsp of cumin
1 tsp of kosher salt
1 tsp of garlic powder
1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper
1 and 1/2 cups of chicken broth or water
1 tbsp ghee
1/2 large yellow onion, diced
1/2 large green pepper, diced
6 cups of plantain chips (about one and a half bags)
1 and 1/2 cup of shredded goat milk gouda cheese
1/2 can of sliced black olives
1 ripe avocado, sliced
Trader Joe's Double Roasted Salsa
1 handful of chopped cilantro
Instructions:
1. Place the first 9 ingredients into a slow cooker and let it cook on low for about 6 hours.
2. Remove the lid and shred the chicken with two forks. If the liquid absorbs immediately into the chicken, add a little more. You want the chicken moist, but not swimming in liquid. Otherwise the chips will get soggy. Turn the slow cooker to your keep warm setting, if there is one.
3. Place your sauté pan over medium high heat for a minute and then add the ghee and allow it to melt.
4. Add your chopped onion and bell pepper and sauté until they are soft, about 6-8 minutes.
5. Turn your oven to a Low Broil.
6. Lay a piece of parchment paper down on a baking tray.
7. Spread 2 cups of chips (about 1/2 of a bag) onto the parchment paper.
8. Spread about 1/3 of the shredded chicken and tomatoes over the top.
9. Then add about 1/3 of the onion and peppers on top.
10. Sprinkle that with 1/2 cup of cheese.
11. Broil for about 4-5 minutes, or until the edges of the plantain chips begin to brown and the cheese is melted. *Watch carefully and do NOT leave the kitchen as broiling is the easiest and quickest way to burn your food!
12. Remove from the oven and onto a large plate or tray.
13. Top with black olives, avocado, salsa, and cilantro.
14. Repeat steps 6-13 two more times to use up all the ingredients.
Like clockwork, day four of my sugar detox and the headache and moodiness have arrived. Its around lunchtime, so I should definitely stop and eat something. I feel the angry sugar withdraw monster trying to rear its ugly head. Someone told me yesterday that it's my body reacting to the "healing crisis" my body goes through by expelling toxins into different systems of my body. I guess that makes me feel a little bit better about it, but days like today really just sssuuuuuuucccckkk! Knowing it's my fault makes me even more frustrated. Why does sugar have to taste SO GOOD?! Enough complaining, suck it up, right? I'll be all the better for it down the road.
Moving on to these delicious little gems. Cooking dinner in the kitchen is something I really enjoy doing, but I find myself snacking while I cook, which is probably a poor decision on my part. The Roasted Plantain Chips from Trader Joe's are my weakness. They are part of what sparked my decision to detox again...those and the large bag of Brookside's Dark Chocolate Acai with Blueberry I crushed up in Chicago last month. It was heinous ..and glorious. Anyway, I have made all kinds of chips, plantain, sweet potato, kale, etc. and these are probably the easiest to make. They aren't all completely crispy, which I happen to like. The combination of the fat, salt, little bit of garlic and paprika...delish! Plus it gives me a reason to reuse the normally discarded leaves that fall off these baby cabbages anyway, and satisfy my need to snack without leaving me feeling guilty.
Note: If you are making brussels sprouts but aren't ready to use the leaves for making chips right away, you can store them in a resealable plastic bag for several days.
Brussels Sprout Chips
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 7-9 minutes
Total Time: about 12-14 minutes
Special Tools:
Foil lined baking sheet
Ingredients:
2 cups of brussels sprouts leaves
1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp of melted ghee
1/2 tsp of kosher salt
1/4 tsp of paprika
1/4 tsp of garlic powder
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375.
2. Lay your b. sprout leaves out on the foil lined baking sheet. Note: Discard any that are yellow or wilted.
3. Pour the oil and ghee all around. Rub each leaf to coat well.
4. Mix your seasonings in a small bowl and then sprinkle them over the leaves.
5. Bake in the oven for 7-9 minutes or until most of the leaves are brown and crispy.
6. Pour into a bowl and enjoy while cooking (or whenever you feel like snacking!)
