Finally a post

I've finally decided what this blog is going to be about. It's nothing unique, but it's something people seem to ask me about daily. I try to plan out healthy meals for my family... something that with fulfill my craving for great food, somehow feed a picky toddler, and keep me on track to try to lose that last 10 pounds (I'd say it's baby-weight... but he's almost 3... so I'm not sure that's legal).

So I'll try to post both recipes & pictures of meals that I make, along with my endless ranting about how I'm trying to get it all done every day. Being a mom that works from home is both rewarding, lucky, and challenging too. So here's my new sounding board for it all!

Ok, so dinner tonight...

I've combined 2 recipes. One is from Ask Aida on Food Network, and the other is from my friend Pam, a fellow foodie, who apparently has mastered the rub for a rotisserie style chicken.

I'm going to combine it with a recipe I recieved from a fellow blogger who I'm a big fan of... http://weight-watchers-points-recipes.blogspot.com/ Gina posted a recipe for a lime cilantro rice that sounds much like the one done at Chipolte that I happen to have the ingredients for. So there it is. I might throw in some steamed broccoli too.

The chicken is as follows... and it's much easier than you'd expect.

Roast Chicken - Rotisserie Style

4 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 med onions, quartered
1 whole chicken (4 pounds)
4 heads garlic, top 1-inch cut off
1 medium lemon, halved
1 medium onion, quartered
1 can low-sodium chicken broth or white wine

In a small bowl, mix together salt, paprika, onion powder, thyme, white pepper, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder.

Remove and discard giblets from chicken. Rinse chicken cavity, and pat dry with paper towel. Rub each chicken inside and out with spice mixture (this makes enough spice mix for almost 2 chickens so no need to use it all).

Place chicken in a resealable bag or double wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight, or at least 4 to 6 hours, (much better if overnight although I’ve done it where I didn’t let sit at all and it’s still great).

Place 1 garlic head and 1 lemon half in the chicken cavity. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Arrange remaining garlic, lemon, and onion on the bottom of a 3 to 4-quart baking dish to create a bed/rack for the chicken. Place chicken on top, add broth to baking dish, and cover tightly with foil. Roast until chicken reaches 135 to 140 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, about 1 hour.

Remove foil, brush chicken with pan juices, and increase oven temperature to 450 degrees F. Roast, basting occasionally, until temperature of chicken on inner thigh is 165 degrees F, skin is golden brown, and juices run clear, about 30 to 40 minutes more. Let rest 10 minutes before carving.

Meanwhile, pour pan juices into a small saucepan and simmer over medium heat until thickened, about 7 to 10 minutes (I add a little flour). Taste and adjust seasoning, as desired. Carve chicken and serve each portion with 1 head of garlic and pan sauce.


Somehow I plan on throwing this in the oven once work finishes, and then we are headed upstairs for a playdate. I think I'll have to make the rice ahead of time. The spices I mixed this morning and the chicken is defrosting.

So there you have it! My first post, first meal. I will try to post pics whenever possible as well!

Signing off for now!
~M