Recipe of the Day-ish 9 Enchiladas

Don't be a chicken! I think the biggest reason why I know how to cook is so simple. I'm not afraid to fail. I try things and sometimes they aren't great. I have cooked often enough to be able to salvage most meals even if they aren't exactly what I envisioned.

Today, I tried something new and it turned out pretty darn good. :-) I have made enchiladas a lot of times but I always buy the canned enchilada sauce. Thanks to the lovely internet, I found this recipe: Ten Minute Enchilada Sauce and found that I had enough of the ingredients to try (also, I know that self-rising flour is just flour with baking powder and salt, so could substitute). I also did it in the microwave because I was hungry and ten minutes seemed like a lot of minutes.

I had some rice and beans and also some refried bean dip in the fridge so I mixed those together, warmed them in the microwave and wrapped them in a tortilla, covered them in the sauce and threw it in the oven for about ten minutes. Delish!

Recipe of the Day-ish 8 - Stretching Chicken

When I recommend to people that they eat chicken thighs and leg quarters (because they are juicy and delicious!) I realized that I forget to tell them *how* to eat them.

First, why should you stretch the chicken?
Meat Consumption
"Let's start here: Average Americans eat WAY too much meat, in my opinion, and I am in pretty good company in that opinion. Nearly every organization that deals with health and nutrition agrees that a serving of meat should be between two and four ounces and some groups think even less! I wrote a whole post about it :-)"

So how do we meet those recommendations most days? Taking what appear to be single serving size pieces and turning them into family servings:

Look, two thighs= two servings, right?

Yum, two delicious servings...

But wait! When you take the meat off the bone, it magically turns into enough for a family!

Bonus, you get bones and skin to make a small pot of crock pot stock!

Look! 2 cups of rice, 16 ounces of frozen vegetables, and about 1 1/2 pounds of cooked chicken (about 2 cups). Six - eight very hearty servings!

So good!

So, go forth and stretch your chicken!

Meat Consumption - Seriously Americans?

 Let's start here: Average Americans eat WAY too much meat, in my opinion, and I am in pretty good company in that opinion. Nearly every organization that deals with health and nutrition agrees that a serving of meat should be between two and four ounces and some groups think even less!

Go to most American restaurants (including ones I love!) and you will not find ANY meat options that fall within the recommended guidelines. Even the kids' menu items usually have more meat than is recommended for an adult portion! No one can possibly feel good after eating a 16 ounce steak? Right? A pound of meat in one sitting! Even the "dainty" portion of a half pound is so much. Do I do it sometimes? Yup. Do I feel sluggish and a little icky after? Yup.

American Health Association
Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans and Nuts: 2 to 3 ounces of cooked lean meat, poultry or fish; 1/2 cup cooked dry beans; or 2 tablespoons of peanut butter.

San Francisco Chronicle
Consuming around 46 grams of protein per day if you're female and 56 grams per day if you're male will meet your protein needs, whether you get your protein from meat or from plant sources. A 3-ounce portion of meat contains 21 to 24 grams of protein. Three 3-ounce meat servings per day would supply all your protein needs, but this much meat could include a large amount of saturated fat, which could increase your risk of heart disease.


To get an idea of what a serving looks Iike, check out this infographic:

 https://dailyburn.com/life/health/protein-sources-infographic/


Harvard School of Public Health
I like these even more than the government guidelines and the website is super.

https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/healthy-eating-plate/

Because I talk so much about food cost, it is easy to assume that I eat less meat to save money. The truth is that it is a happy accident that eating healthier is also cheaper. Plus, I can spend more money on beautiful vegetables if I'm spending less on gooky meat. :-) Most of the recipes I make have either beans as the protein or about 3 ounces of meat, usually chicken. Even Paige, who is definitely my biggest meat fan is satisfied with those portions.