Train With Nellie

Trussing A Chicken

Do you truss your chicken?  That's 'truss' NOT 'trust'!  OK, enough being funny (or maybe that wasn't funny anyway....)

One of my favorite things to do is to get lost in a cookbook.  As such, my close friends and family know that a great Christmas, Birthday or any occasion gift for me is a cookbook.  Lucky me, I received a few for Christmas and as I flipped through one over the weekend, I learned about trussing a chicken.

I found an extremely simple recipe, calling for nothing other than a chicken, salt and pepper.  It crossed my mind to not bother trussing as I thought, 'how much of a difference can it really make?"  Well- a LOT!!!

I'm normally a chicken-breast-meat-only (no dark meat or skin) type of person but this bird was so amazingly moist, decadent and tasty that it was a no-holds-barred type of a meal!

-Heat your oven to 450.

-Rinse and dry the bird thoroughly.

-Salt and pepper the cavity.

-Tuck the wings in and use a 3' piece of kitchen twine to truss the bird  (really- all you do is place the string under the bird's back, draw it together in the front at the bottom of the breast and then draw the drumsticks together and tie tightly), then sprinkle with a generous amount of kosher salt.

-Bake for an hour.

That's it.  No basting, no checking to see if it's done... let it sit outside the oven afterward and get ready to enjoy a bird so tasty you'll want to eat it with your hands and no utensils!   (Do keep in mind that the internal temp should reach 160 F from a food-safety standpoint...)

Sometimes the simplest things are the tastiest!

Football Fare for Superbowl Sunday

With Superbowl Sunday a mere 2 weeks away, perhaps you've already begun to wonder how you're going to be the host(ess) with the most(ess) and entertain all your friends for the big day, WITHOUT sabotaging all your weight loss efforts that you've made so far this January!

No need to worry, there are other ways to go about this besides serving jumbo bags of nacho chips, dip and beer, beer, beer!    Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to convince all the die-hard fans that they should watch the game while enjoying a nice fresh platter of celery sticks (although I must confess, I don't think there's anything wrong with that, per se! :).   However, if you'd like to at least offer some healthy options in addition to (or instead of) the usual fare, give the following, easy-to-make offerings, a try!

-Crudite platter- yes, you've been there & done that, but it's likely one of the easiest things to prep and serve.  Offer a variety of veg (my faves include blanched broccoli & cauliflower florets, baby carrots and sliced bell pepper) along with healthy 'dips', such as homemade guacamole (sans the sour creme), baba ganoush or chopped-tomato salsa.

-Fruit plate- freshly washed red & green grapes, sliced apples (toss them in lemon to prevent the browning/oxidation that occurs otherwise and give them a sprinkle of cinnamon) & whole strawberries are easy to serve and won't be as messy when eaten with your fingers as some other fruits may be.

-Raw nuts- mix together walnuts, almonds & some brazil nuts (gotta have that Selenium!) and offer as a great source of healthy fat and protein

-Charcuterie Platter- choose sliced turkey and roast beef from your local food shop (check to the label to be sure that they are nitrate and nitrite-free, and that they don't have any additives)

-If you feel like you've gotta have that 'crunch' but you really don't want to default to potato chips, try slicing & baking eggplant.  It sounds funny, I know, but if you slice it thin and broil it while continuously turning it, it dries out and crisps up nicely and acts as a great substitute for a cracker!

-Offer a wide variety of beverages including flat water, sparkling water, 'spa water' (make this ahead of time by simply slicing lemon, lime, cucumber & kiwi and adding a few pieces of each to a pitcher of filtered water) and chilled green tea.   Even those who are partaking of the alcoholic drinks will thank you later for at least keeping them from getting quite as dehydrated as they otherwise would've!

Again- I'm not here to tell you to expect that your frat buddies from college or your colleagues from work would be thrilled to come to your home and find nothing but steamed kale on the menu for game-day, but if you've at least got some healthy alternatives that actually taste good, you won't feel like you're missing out on anything!

Don't Let The Weather Stop You

Have you found a mode of exercise that you love, but feel that you can't enjoy it year round, perhaps due to shorter winter days, or cold temperatures?

Keep your love of your activity in mind and get creative!    

-If you love running but don't want to run alone in the dark hours for safety, perhaps you might join a gym just for a few months in order to use the treadmill until it's light out early again in the spring!

-Do you LOVE skiing but can't get out to the snow enough?   Throw in a few cross training sessions at the gym, even if you don't LOVE the gym, and hop on the Nordic Track or have a personal trainer design a custom ski conditioning workout you can do so that when you do hit the slopes, you're that much stronger!

-Perhaps you're an open water swimmer but don't fancy hopping into the sea during the colder months;   get into that pool and keep the image of getting into the ocean as soon as the weather breaks with you during each and every workout!

Keep it interesting and balanced and you'll be far less likely to give up your workout regime!

Staying Fit on Vacation

Did you finally decide to hop on your scale, or into your favorite jeans, after returning from your Christmas Holiday, only to find that you've gained some unwanted pounds?

It doesn't have to be that way- and you don't need to deprive yourself from enjoying all a vacation has to offer!

How do you do it?

EXERCISE!   

Here are a few suggestions:

-So many hotels offer fitness rooms these days, and if you can get up before you start your day's adventures and get in even a 30 - 45 minute session on your cardio equipment of choice, you'll help offset extra calories you might consume during the day.

-Perhaps you're going to a beach locale- get in an early morning walk, jog or run along the beach!

-Explore the town you're visiting on foot, rather than taking cabs or other transportations services.

-If you have an activity you go regularly at home, like yoga or Master's Swimming, check ahead and see if you can find availability in the place you're going to travel to.

You may find that you not only don't gain weight, but perhaps you may come home even a bit lighter!

Happy travels!

Fast (and Healthy) Eating on the Fly, Literally!

En route to our holiday destination of Playa del Carmen, Mexico, my husband and were in quite a rush to board our connecting flight from Houston to Cancun, after having had a bit of delay at take-off in Seattle.   

We had about three minutes to run from one plane, across the airport, to the next, and attempt to grab some form of food on the way!

Perfect, I thought; here's another chance to practice what I preach and prove that one can, even in a mad rush, find something healthy while traveling!

(Please do keep in mind that I'm not suggesting one go to fast, take-away food places as a normal activity, just that when you are in a rush, on a business trip, for example, you don't HAVE to let it all go out the window and opt for fried, processed junk!)

I ran through the food court and picked up two grilled chicken salads, two apples and two bottles of water for myself & my husband.  We ditched the cream-based Caesar dressing that came on the side, as well as the cheese packet and instead, picked up a packet of roasted almonds from Starbucks.   Granted, the 'salad' was nothing more than shredded Romaine lettuce, but that, along with the protein (grilled chicken), the healthy fat (almonds) and some complex carbs (apple) was a balanced way to tide us over for the next leg of our journey!

It totally worked and did the job to keep us satiated until we reached our final destination and were able to order a proper meal.

Give it a try- even if you're in a rush at the airport, for example, you can still find SOMETHING better than candy bars and french fries!