Learning to STICK WITH IT

So, we think the hubs pulled a muscle in his back while we were working out on Sunday.  While he's been stretching and resting his back, I've been pushing myself at the gym - BY MYSELF.  What would the "old me" have done?  Well she would have rested right along with him, and probably suggested getting take out so she could rest even more.  I've noticed that I'm more excited to get to the gym and get my workout in.  However, I'm not feeling the energized after effects of a workout, but I'm sure in time that will come.  The cravings are still present, but I just try to push past them.  I know that in the end, I'm going to be so proud of myself and I just need to stick with it for the long haul.

I thought I would share a recipe with you, since I don't have much to blog about today.  Yesterday, I made a skinless whole chicken in the crock pot, and it turned out really good.  One side note I would make:  If you are going to take the skin off the chicken, put it breast side down in the crock pot.  While the chicken was extremely flavorful, the breast meat was a bit dry.  My Thanksgiving turkey usually consisted of slathering on a stick of butter under the skin (for juicy-ness and crispy-ness, of course!) and tons of salt and pepper for flavor.  So I had to take a different approach with this chicken...

First, I cut up 4 stalks of celery and I cut one large onion into rings.  I bought baby carrots from the store (to feed our bunny friends in the yard), but you can buy whole carrots and cut them up as well.  On the bottom of the crock pot, I put half of the celery, onions, and baby carrots.  Then I sprinkled some minced garlic (also store bought, but feel free to mince your own) on top of the vegetables.

Next, I skinned most of the whole chicken.  I didn't skin the wings, because we don't usually eat those anyway.  Skinning a chicken is a slippery, tedious process, so be prepared with a good knife.  Then, I placed the chicken in the crock pot.  PLEASE NOTE:  For a juicier breast meat, I would suggest putting the chicken breast side down.  I might also suggest tying the chicken in several areas for easier removal later.

Then, I stuffed the cavity of the chicken with celery, carrots, onions, minced garlic, and some Smart Balance butter substitute.  I put the remaining vegetables around the chicken, and I even placed some onion rings around the legs for more flavor.  I added some additional Smart Balance butter on the top of the chicken and near the leg and wing.  I then sprinkled the top with pepper and Mrs. Dash chicken seasoning (NO SALT!).  I added about half a cup of water in the bottom, but the chicken produces plenty of liquid so this probably wasn't necessary.  And this is what it looked like:

So, I set the crock pot to LOW and was set to let it cook for between 8 to 10 hours.  I really enjoy crock pot meals, because it's a worry-free dinner when you get home.

After 4 hours of cooking, this is what it looks like:

You can see that the butter has already melted in to the meat, and the vegetables are starting to cook down.  You can also see that the chicken has created a ton of juices, and at this point the crock pot is half full.  If you look closely, you can see that the chicken is already pulling away from the breast bone.

At this point, I added 2 large red skin potatoes cut into chunks.  I made sure that they were surrounding the chicken, and keeping the drumsticks from sticking to the side of the crock pot.  Another reason why tying the chicken may be good for next time.  The crock pot remains on LOW and will cook until I get home from my work-out.

Returning home, I can smell the chicken in the garage and it smells fantastic!  After 10 hours of cooking, this is what it looks like:

Another side note I would make:  Even though there was a lot of juices in the crock pot, the potatoes must have soaked it all up.  If adding potatoes, I would add a cup of water to ensure there are plenty of juices for further cooking.  Looks are very deceiving at this point.  The chicken looks like it would be easy to remove and remain in it's beautiful state, so I can transfer it for easier slicing.  BEWARE:  This chicken is fall-of-the bone tender - yum!  I went to remove the chicken, and my tongs removed only the breast meat while everything else remained in place.  So I went to work removing and pulling the chicken from the crock pot.

This was the end result:

Enough food for a great family dinner - or in our case LEFTOVERS!!  I also heated up a can of NO-SALT added French Style green beans, and this was a great worry-free dinner.  With the few minor revisions listed above, I will make this meal again.  There are also tons of other Mrs. Dash flavorings at the grocery store, so I may experiment with those as well.  I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did!

Until next time, I leave you with a quote from an unknown author: "Instead of giving myself reasons why I can't, I give myself reasons why I can."