Friday, November 5, 2010

Holiday Shopping List

Not that kind of shopping list =)
Holiday Cooking

I love to cook for the Holidays.  Calories, Salt, Sugar, of course, are some of the biggest problems with all the fun get togethers going on now through January 2nd.  I can't tell you how to avoid the pitfalls of someone else's cooking other than you know the more sugary, crunchy, or creamy it is the more calories it has in it.  Same for alcoholic beverages the more syrupy and creamy they are the more calories packed into them.  So think about what you're putting in your mouth rather than blindly consuming any of it.  I'm not saying don't eat it, just think about it first.  The addage a moment across the lips an eternity on the hips applies tenfold here.  Use your head not your tastebuds.

These are your Holiday Cooking Must Haves:
-Ground Turkey or Chicken
-Whole Chicken, skinned (you can't buy them skinned you can either ask the person at the meat counter, who will look at you like you've lost your mind or just use your kitchen scissors at home to make short work of it)
-Whole Turkey, skinned (this you will have to do at  home after the turkey has defrosted)
-Black Olives
-Herbed Feta Cheese
-Baby Spinach leaves
-Black Beans
-Couscous
-Whole Flaxseed
-Ground Flaxseed
-Finely milled Wheat Germ
-Organic Cinnamon
-Organic Fresh Ginger (peeled as needed)
-Organic Thyme
-Organic Whole Rosemary
-Organic Orange Zest
-Organic Parsley
-GrapeOla
-Organic High Lignan Flaxseed Oil
-Organic Coconut Oil
-Sugar Free Hard Peppermint candies
-Organic Semi-sweet chocolate
-Old Fashioned Oats (not the quick cook variety)
-Sea Salt or Himalayan Salt
- Eggs.  I buy a very particular brand of eggs that are brown cage free hormone free omega 3 rich.  I find t hem at Bi-lo and every once and a while at Wal Mart

Why must your chicken or Turkey be skinned?  Skin and fat is where bacteria live and rapidly multiply in raw poultry.  Make sure you rinse the abdominal cavity out very well.  For those of you who don' t know, make sure you remove the packaged organ meats and gravies inside the cavity of your poulty. Also when rinsing out the abdominal cavity of your poultry, please ,please, please don't use soap.  That taste will not go away.

The other reason not to keep the skin on your poultry: to reduce your tendency to stuff flavorings (which are FULL OF SALT) under the skin.  you also won't be Stuffing the skin full of boutter either to 'make the meat more tender'.  More like make everything taste like butter which is full of fat and salt as well.

Here's how to cook your holiday bird:

Skin removed and bird rinsed thoroughly, patted dry.   Using 1/2 cup grapeola dip a basting brush in grapeola and generously brush over your bird. In a small bowl mix 1/4 cup of the following Rosemary, Sea Salt and parsley, rub into your bird inside and out.  If you have a large bird then use what you need accordingly.  Put your bird in its pan.  Add 1 inch of water in bottom of pan.  cover pan tighly with foil even if it has a lid and cook accordingly.

OH NO! NO STUFFING!  No, no stuffing in the bird, one of the top three causes of food poisoning during the holidays is stuffing cooked inside poulty.  the bird might be done but the juice dripping into the stuffing inside the bird is full of bacteria from the raw meat will make you sick if it isn't cooked or if it's left to sit for a while before serving.

Your alternatives: You can go ahead and ignore me and have your precious in the bird stuffing (which is full of salt and other nasty preservatives AND bacteria) or you can have wild rice pilaf or fancy couscous (recipes later as I dont' have them directly in front of me) or even a homemade stuffing cooked in a seperate pan from the bird.

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I was asked recently why I had such a huge long shopping list.  Technically, for me, it isn't huge long anymore.  For people just starting out it is.

I suggest buying a few of the items at a time not all at once to keep from busting your bank account

Grapeola
Ground Flaxseed
Eggs (cage free, hormone free)
SoBe Life Water
Herbed Feta Cheese
Baby Spinach
Couscous

That's our must have list.  Everything else is bonus/icing on the cake/whatever.

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