Ham (or Chicken, or Beef) Stock

The meal is over, you've carved the excess meat off the bone and packaged it away and now you're about to take the remains to the trash.

STOP!

You're holding a flavorful treasure in your hands. If you don't have time that night wrap the bones up for the next day. It takes a while to cook but there's practically zero prep time and it's very low maintenance. 

What am I talking about? Stock of course! Oh you don't think you'd ever use it? Do you make mashed potatoes? Rice? Casseroles? Soups? Sauces? Packaged seasoned noodles? If you answered "yes" to any of these then you WILL use your stock. 

If you didn't answer "yes" to any of them I guess you eat a lot of fried eggs and sandwiches. In which case it's time to branch out and try new things. 

The "recipe":

Bones

Water

1. Put the bones into a pot

2. Add water until the bones are barely covered

3. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat a simmer for 2 hours. 

4. Remove from heat, Remove bones. Let cool to room temperature and store until needed. 

Wasn't that hard? 

If you'd like to add salt, pepper, herbs, feel free to do so. Unless I have a specific meal in mind I like to keep my stock neutral so that it can work in any dish. 

Storing options: This can be frozen or put in the refrigerator. My method of storing is to put them in an ice cube tray- let it freeze- then package the cubes in a gallon size freezer bag.

My ice cube trays hold 1 ounce per cube so when adding to recipes it takes just a moment of math to drop the right amount of cubes in.

At first you might forget it's there, even I'm guilty of pouring in water instead of the stock, but soon it will be second nature.

You might think it a small saving when you could purchase a can for $0.50 cents, but this gives you complete control and you know exactly what is in your stock and how fresh it is. Plus it's literally as simple as boiling water. Try it out. I promise your everyday dishes will have a little something extra in flavor and you'll be more satisfied as a result.

(more than) CHICKEN NUGGETS

My son LOVES chicken nuggets. He's had them from all the major fast food chains and thinks they're all equally delicious. And I hate to admit it but I mostly agree with him: they are pretty good taste wise, but health wise I cringe and try to keep these outings to once or twice a month. He's a picky eater and because he eats these so well I wanted to incorporate them into our diet more often, but without all the fat and calories and maybe even with a little bit extra goodness snuck in. 

With this recipe you’re cutting out: 125 calories, 14 grams of fat, 301 mg of sodium, as well as adding fiber and a little more protein to your diet. Pair it with a salad or baked sweet potato fries and you have a meal that's as delicious as it is healthy. 

I'll admit: the texture is a little different and there's no breading, but I've yet to meet a child that cared about either. So when you have a little extra time this week try it out for yourself or on your little ones and let me know how it goes. 

(more than) CHICKEN NUGGETS

Difficulty: easy-medium

Serves: 6

Prep: 20-50 min, Cook: 20 min

½ c Quinoa (dried)

1 c Water

4 Egg whites

¼ c Black beans (cooked or from can)

¼ c Corn (fresh or from can)

4 Chicken thighs (boneless, skinless)

2 tsp Black pepper

2 tsp Onion powder

2 tsp Garlic powder

2 tsp Rosemary (dried)

2 tsp Mustard powder

1 pinch Salt

1    1.  Bring water to boil in a small saucepan. Once boiling stir in quinoa, lower temperature cover and let simmer for 15 min.

2   2. While the quinoa is simmering add the rest of the ingredients into your food processor and blend until the chicken resembles a paste.

3     3. Check the quinoa at 15 min, the water should be completely soaked up into the grain (like when you cook rice). Take out of the pan and let rest in a small mixing bowl for 5 min to cool down, add the chicken mixture and stir until combined.

You now have two options: continue on to step 4, or let the chicken and quinoa mixture set in the fridge for 30 min to firm up for easier shaping (if you make this ahead of time simply put it in the fridge until you’re ready to cook dinner). Letting the mixture cool down helps later when trying to shape your nuggets, if you don’t care that they aren’t the iconic nugget shape feel free to start cooking as soon as you’re done mixing.

       

      4.Heat a large non-stick fry pan on the stove with a small amount of oil. If your mix has been in the fridge dip your hands in cold water or flour and shape into walnut size balls, then flatten to ¼ of an inch thick and place in hot pan.

If your mix hasn’t set in the fridge take a generous spoonful (about 2 tablespoons) and place in hot frying pan, use the back of your spoon to pat the nugget into the general shape and so it’s ¼ of an inch thick.

       

      5. These nuggets need just 1-2 min per side. Once their browned flip them over to the second side when it’s nicely colored take them out and place on a paper towel. When cooking chicken always check to make sure that the product is being fully cooked.

You should get 30 chicken nuggets, 5 per serving.

So why should you go through this trouble? It all comes down to nutrition.

This recipe                                            National Brand (frozen)

5 pieces per serving                               5 pieces per serving

Calories: 145                                         Calories: 270

Total Fat: 3 g                                         Total Fat: 17 g

Saturated Fat: .5 g                                 Saturated Fat: 4 g

Cholesterol: 38 mg                                 Cholesterol: 40 mg

Sodium: 169 mg                                     Sodium: 470 mg

Potassium: 185 mg                                  Potassium: --

Carbs: 15 g                                            Carbs: 15 g

Fiber: 2.4 g                                             Fiber: --

Sugar: 1.5 g                                            Sugar: --

Protein: 15.4 g                                          Protein: 14 g


This recipe is also a good source* of niacin, phosphorus, riboflavin, b-6, and iron.


*has at least 10% of your daily nutritional value.