chicken | Say Yes to Salad

13 July, 201225 November, 2014

Spicy Coconut Chicken Drumsticks [Recipe]

In an effort to improve my cooking skills, I have decided to learn how to cook meat better. Drumsticks were on sale at Westerly (organic and free-range – score!) so I picked them up.

Spicy Coconut Chicken Drumsticks

Ingredients

5 chicken drumsticks
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon rice vinegar

Method

Pat the drumsticks dry with a paper towel.
Heat the coconut oil over high heat, add the chicken.
Sprinkle the spices and vinegar over the chicken. Turn each drumstick over a few times to distribute the flavorings.
Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, for 4-5 minutes.
Flip drumsticks and cook, covered, for another 4-5 minutes, or until cooked through.

So good! And the house smelled incredible. Bobby approved.

Do you like white meat or dark meat better?

I love dark meat. I always have.

7 November, 20102 December, 2014

Ate Fried Chicken, Ditched the Scale, Quit the Gym

Last night we went out to eat with our friends. We were heading up towards K-town (Korea-town = lots of Korean restaurants all along west 32nd street) when someone said, “Hey, let’s go to Live Bait.” Bobby kind of pulled me aside and said, “Hon, I don’t think you will want anything there.” And I said, “I really do eat anything now, you know!” So we went.

I got fried chicken.

Source.

I got fried chicken with 2 veggie sides – collard greens and green beans.

The green beans picture is my own from a while ago… here’s that recipe (it’s an Indian dish but it looks like the beans I had last night). The collards picture is mine too – my recipe for collard greens here.

I cannot remember the last time I had fried chicken. Probably 5 years ago?

Source.

There is another personal update that I wanted to share:

I am ditching my scale until January 1st.

The scale has not been going up (or down – and I don’t want it to do either of those actions) lately aside from the 2-3 pound range that comes from eating too much salt or being bloated, but I have decided that I cannot base my day’s happiness on a stupid little number anymore. Maybe I won’t ever weigh myself again, but for now I’m giving myself a timeline of two months. When January 1st comes around I will decide if I even need or want it anymore.

I also quit the gym.

Just not for me. I should have known better. I just need daily walks and occasional (gentle) yoga. Oddly enough, when I am *not* working out I find it much easier to maintain my weight.

***

How was your weekend? Anything exciting or life-change happening for you?

P.S. Congrats to Heather, CD, and Summer (aka the HEABlet)! A beautiful family 🙂

19 December, 200919 December, 2009

Baking and Making Gingerbread Houses

This week has been a little bit crazy; I’m glad to be sitting at home relaxing (finally).

On Sunday I spent the day with my aunt (well, aunt-to-be-after-I’m-married) baking. Auntie Jo and Uncle Morris picked me up in Flushing and took me to this great bagel shop where we had breakfast:

bagel whole wheat ham swiss

A whole wheat bagel with ham, swiss, and mustard. It was so good. I didn’t quite finish it but I did bring the leftovers home and had them later. Auntie Jo suggested it and she got the same!

I hate to do this to you, but I haven’t finished decorating the houses so I’m going to save the gingerbread post for tomorrow or later this week. But I do have a teaser:

gingerbread man

I made cookies too! Bobby and I saw gingerbread men in Central Park the other day (for $4.50; what a ripoff) so I made this guy for him. I also made a bunch of other cute little shapes, most of which have been eaten this week by me. I always make dessert for Bobby and then end up eating it myself.

Other things we’ve had this week are… Fried Rice (Bobby makes this; he’s much better than me at it):

fried rice healthy

And a salad (though salads have not been very satisfying to me lately… I always end up eating something else if I have one):

This one had organic rotisserie chicken, tomatoes, lettuce, parmesan, and I think I used teriyaki sauce for dressing because I don’t have any dressing. We ordered everything from a delivery service called Fresh Direct, which is awesome. Kate and Simon recommended it.

I am missing my sweet cats right now.

They are in New Jersey with my parents because Bobby and I are going to Miami this week to spend Christmas with his family. He leaves tomorrow and I’m joining them on Wednesday. I haven’t gotten to see his family for a while so I’m excited!

What are your holiday plans?

16 December, 200922 August, 2016

Recipe: Roasted Butternut Squash with Broccoli and Raisins

Back when I first arrived in New Jersey (for new readers – I moved to New York city from California in November of 2009, but on the way I stayed in NJ with my parents for a few days) I hit up Whole Foods for some awesome prepared foods, like this butternut squash with baby spinach recipe:

Then the other day Sue sent me a link to the recipe on Wegmans’ site and I knew I had to try it. I didn’t really have many of the ingredients – I only had butternut squash, actually – but what I made was great. The original recipe had butternut squash, baby spinach, red onions, and dried cranberries (craisins). My recipe was…

Roasted Butternut Squash with Broccoli and Raisins

Ingredients (serves 3-4 as a side)

1 butternut squash, chopped in 1-inch cubes (probably 2-3 pounds) (optionally peeled – I never peel squash though)
1.5 cups of broccoli
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt & pepper, to taste
a few shakes of garlic powder (to replace the onions I didn’t have)
handful of raisins ~ 1/4 cup (optionally chopped up – I chopped mine in small pieces)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400F.
Chop the squash and broccoli. Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Spread them out on a baking tray and roast in the oven for 50 minutes.
While the veggies are roasting, chop up the raisins and soak them in water. Drain them.
Take the veggies out of the oven and mix in the raisins.
Serve hot or room temperature. I put PARMESAN on mine.

Along with this I had a nice salad with organic rotisserie chicken on top. Delicious!

02 butternut squash broccoli

What’s your favorite squash recipe? I love ROASTING squash as well as steaming kabocha.

I love the addition of broccoli to this salad. It has so many health benefits (click through to see 42 science-backed ones!) not to mention it is delicious.

14 December, 200914 December, 2009

Review: The Long Room & Christmas In New York

I’m blogging two nights in a row… what am I, unemployed again? (I’m not; still loving the new job and keeping busy.)

First, I must say – I loved all of your comments on yesterday’s post (about chilling out re: exercise). Guess what – no exercise today either (does 4 blocks of walking count?). But it’s all good. I don’t need much to be happy.

This weekend was jam-packed with fun. On Saturday night my best friend from high school (she lives in NJ) came up to visit me and Bobby. She brought her boyfriend as well. Bobby and I took them to walk down 5th Avenue, which is gorgeous this time of year. We stopped at the Rockefeller center to see the tree…

Oddly enough, I have a really similar picture of the two of us in the same pose (with a Christmas tree behind us) in Princeton from 2005 (I think). We love Christmas.

After we saw the beautiful Christmas tree at Rockefeller, we got stuck in people-traffic because everyone was watching this light show (the snowflakes light up and dance to holiday music).

Eventually we made it to 44th and 6th Ave to go to Virgil’s Barbecue… but actually Christine doesn’t like BBQ (whoops!). Luckily there was a nice restaurant next door called The Long Room, which is so new that it doesn’t even have a website yet (!). It’s a nice Irish pub/bar and it’s reasonably inexpensive (for New York).

The menu looked great. I ordered the “Cast Iron Roasted Chicken” – with cauliflower mash and haricots verts (18.95). Bobby, Christine, and Devin all ordered beers (Guinness – it’s an Irish restaurant) and I got a diet coke.

My meal was amazing. The “cauliflower mash” is mashed potatoes with some cauliflower mushed in; the green beans (haricots verts) were wonderfully seasoned and oiled; and the chicken was amazingly tender. I finished just about all of it (Bobby stole a few bites). Bobby (and Christine) ordered the Fish and Chips ($14.95 I think)…

Really good. He poured vinegar all over the “chips” (fries) so I didn’t like them, but the fish was great. Devin got a Buffalo chicken pizza (13.95 maybe?) and I think his was probably the best dish (no picture).

07 christine devon

I would definitely go back here. I want that pizza! We had a really awesome time. Christine and I get along; Bobby and Devin get along – they are another perfect double date couple.

Can’t wait to see them again – probably for New Year’s, if not earlier.

Do you like to go on double dates? Bobby and I have been doing lots of couples outings recently (like Josie’s West with Kate and Simon) and I am absolutely loving it.