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~ Love to eat, love to cook, and trying to keep it healthy!

Inside Kel's Kitchen

Tag Archives: roasted

Cooking Thrifty and Healthy!

11 Sunday Sep 2016

Posted by Inside Kel's Kitchen in Cooking, Food

≈ 9 Comments

Tags

barbecue, butcher, Chicken broth, money saving, roasted, thrifty, Whole chicken

Going through the grocery store these days can be daunting. Food prices have really risen and sadly it seems the healthier the food, the more expensive it is! I try to find ways to keep our food costs down or at least make the most out of what I buy. That can include finding multiple uses for a product, making sure I use all that I buy, and making sure we throw away as little food as possible.

With this post I thought I would discuss one of my favorite “thrifty” products, the whole chicken. When I first started cooking I was intimidated by cutting up a whole chicken, but it is definitely cheaper than buying skinless, boneless chicken pieces. My local grocery store has recently had these whole chickens on sale for .99 cents a pound. That’s a good price here. I bought quite a few and stocked up my freezer.

What do I do with these beauties? When I was younger and we were really struggling financially, I would cut up the raw chicken and use it for a variety of recipes. You can look online for instructions on how to butcher a chicken. It’s not as difficult as you might think! 

Lately, I cook the chickens whole. I usually prep them in the same way; stuff with fruit and onions or garlic and sprinkle the outside with barbecue rub or other seasonings. One the bird is prepped, we either bake in the oven or barbecue over indirect heat. Be sure your chicken is cooked through. This is where a good meat thermometer comes in handy!

The other night I baked a chicken. We carved off as much meat from the bird as we could. We enjoyed some chicken with the mashed sweet potatoes I blogged about yesterday. After the chicken had cooled, I picked as much meat as possible off the carcass and have saved that to make another dinner where I can use what is basically chopped chicken meat, because the pieces are so small. This meat would be great for enchiladas, a pasta dish or casserole of some sort.

I wasn’t done with the chicken yet! I put the carcass in a large pot and filled the pot to the top with water. I covered the pot and put on the stove and brought it to a low boil. I let it boil for about 1-2 hours. Then I took it off to cool and then using a strainer, I poured the resulting broth into containers. Most of the broth went in the freezer for future cooking adventures. This process ensure you know exactly what went into your broth! Based on how you originally seasoned your bird, you know what ends up in the broth. You can make it completely salt-free if you wish. It is great for any recipes requiring broth, including homemade soups.

I hope this give you some ideas on how to stretch a dollar at your house!

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Mashed Sweet Potates – A Healthier Version of a Delicious Favorite

10 Saturday Sep 2016

Posted by Inside Kel's Kitchen in Cooking, Food, Vegetarian

≈ 7 Comments

Tags

healthy, mashed, roasted, side dish, Sweet potatoes, twice baked, vegetarian, yams


Growing up I was always a little suspicious of sweet potatoes (or yams, same thing). I mean how good could they be if people have to cover them with marshmallows? It’s just how my brain worked. As an adult I have discovered a love of this colorful vegetable! One of my favorite ways to make them is just by making mashed sweet potatoes. I basically use all the savory ingredients I use to make regular mashed potatoes and these really offset the wonderfully sweet flavor of these potatoes. You can do this while keeping the fat levels low too! You get beautiful color on your plate and delicious, healthy food in your belly!!!

Sweet potatoes are just as versatile as white potatoes! I have posted a few different recipes you might want to check out; twice baked sweet potatoes, pecan stuffed sweet potatoes, roasted sweet potatoes, and one of our family favorites, sweet potatoes and apples.

A Los Angeles Times article gives a run down of the health benefits of sweet potatoes vs. white potatoes:

In a 100-gram portion, the white potato has 92 calories, 21 grams of carbs, 2.3 grams of dietary fiber, 2.3 g of protein and 17% of the recommended daily value of vitamin C. The same amount of sweet potato, on the other hand, has 90 calories, 21 grams of carbs, 3 grams of fiber, 2 grams of protein, 35% of the recommended daily value of vitamin C and 380% of the daily recommended value of vitamin A. 

Sweet potatoes also have a lower glycemic index than regular potatoes. The glycemic index is a measure of how quickly blood glucose levels rise after eating. Foods with lower glycemic indexes, like sweet potatoes and brown rice, make you feel full longer.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

7 small sweet potatoes (or 2-3 large ones)

2/3 cup fat free sour cream

1/2 cup fat free milk

2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed

1 1/2 tbsp butter (optional and you can cut it if wanting to reduce the fat)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Fill a pot with water and add a teaspoon of salt. Peel and half sweet potatoes. Add to water and bring to a boil, boiling for about 20 minutes or until tender. Drain potatoes and mash. Add sour cream, milk, garlic, butter, and salt and pepper and stir until well mixed. Taste as you go and adjust salt and pepper to your liking.

Enjoy!!!

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Mustard-Roasted Turnips – A Great Seasonal Veggie!

22 Monday Feb 2016

Posted by Inside Kel's Kitchen in cooking, Food, vegan, Vegetarian

≈ 6 Comments

Tags

Cooking, Food, recipes, roasted, Side Dishes, turnips, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian

  Roasting is one of my favorite ways to prepare vegetables. Quality time spent with some high heat in the oven transforms bitter, bland or even wilted vegetables into tender, slightly sweet and caramelized versions of themselves. In the case of turnips, the peppery roots become milder, soft and even a little crisp during roasting. The mustard […]https://whateverpieces.wordpress.com/2016/02/22/mustard-roasted-turnips/

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