🐟 TUNA SALAD SANDWICH / πŸ” INSTANT POT WHITE CHICKEN CHILI / 🫐 FRUIT YOGURT BOWL

DAILY MEAL HIGHLIGHTS
🌞 Good morning 🌞 gentle friends!
Let’s get this day started…

🎯 2022 HEALTH GOAL
🍎 WHOLE FOOD REFOCUS
πŸ§Ÿβ€β™€οΈ NO ADDED FOOD FRANKENCHEMICALS

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🐟 TUNA SALAD SANDWICH
Leftover from yesterday’s dinner I didn’t eat.

Chunk Light Tuna
Organic Mayonnaise
Whole Grain Dijon Mustard
Celery / Capers / Fresh Dill
Homemade Everything Bagel Seasoning
https://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/everything-bagel-seasoning

Kroger Whipped 2% Cottage Cheese
English Cucumber
Roma Tomato
Homemade Pickled Red Onion
https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/quick-pickled-red-onions
@foodforlifebaking Ezekiel 4:9 Flax Bread

πŸ’₯ PRODUCT NOTE: Would not buy that cottage cheese again. Great label – texture was okay (like ricotta) but not a good taste to me….

πŸ’›πŸ’›πŸ’›πŸ’›πŸ€ 4/5
🍎 CALORIES – 576

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πŸ– PREP – DRY RANCH SEASONING MIX
Most Ranch dry packets are loaded with more chemicals than actual ingredients…its kinda scary actually.

I have tried numerous recipes before and never really found one that I liked or I felt tasted like Hidden Valley Ranch. So I decided to look up the ingredients in a HVR pack and see if I could adapt one of the common recipes online or combine a couple to give me something close.

This is what I have come up with. I will say that it may be a little strong for some people but because autoimmune issues have killed my taste buds to a certain degree I tend to prefer stronger seasonings.

This is the ingredients of the HVR No MSG packet – first ingredient – Salt and then further down is Sugar which I’ve never seen in the recipes I was trying before. Most recipes add a tiny amount of salt – ΒΌtsp maybe and no sugar which is healthier but makes a big difference in taste I think. The other varieties don’t have sugar but do have MSG… just a hot mess no matter how you look at it.

This is the recipe I adapted…
https://www.thecookierookie.com/homemade-ranch-seasoning-mix-copycat-hidden-valley-ranch/

What I am trying:
Β½c Buttermilk Powder
3tbsp Dried Parsley
1tbsp Onion Powder
1tbsp Garlic Powder
1tbsp Minced Onion
Β½tbsp Dill
Β½tbsp Dried Chives
2tsp Salt
2tsp Sugar
Β½tsp Pepper
Made 18tbsp at 20 calories / ea

Most recipes call for some combination of milk, mayo, sour cream and/or yogurt to make into a dressing.

RESULTS
I experimented with several variations and it is just a 🚫 HARD PASS 🚫 all the way around.  It tastes nothing like HVR.  It will be a good general flavor dry mix but definitely not something to eat as a dressing – blech!

You try it out according to the actual recipe… Maybe it is just my tastebud issues! πŸ‘…

🍎 CALORIES – 18 cal/tbsp

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πŸŒ€INSTANT POT WHITE CHICKEN CHILI
🧊 Freezer Meal Prep 🧊 – 4 servings

Chicken Breast
Homemade Chicken Bone Broth
https://natashaskitchen.com/chicken-stock-chicken-bone-broth

Great Northern Beans (cooked from dry)
Corn / Mushrooms
@rioluna Diced Green Chilies
Cumin / Garlic Powder / Chili Powder / Sea Salt / White Pepper
@phillycreamcheese β…“ Less Fat Cream Cheese
@krogerco 0% Greek Yogurt
Avocado / Red Mini Bell Pepper
@fritos Corn Chips

[Instant Pot Version] https://ifoodreal.com/instant-pot-white-chicken-chili

[Slow Cooker Version]
https://damndelicious.net/2019/04/27/slow-cooker-white-chicken-chili

[Stovetop Version]
https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/creamy-white-chicken-chili

I am freezing it minus the dairy and toppings. I discovered I am not a fan of dairy reheated like that as it tends to change texture when frozen. When I reheat, I will add the cream cheese / yogurt, lime juice, avocado, peppers and chips.

πŸ’›πŸ’›πŸ’›πŸ’›πŸ€ 4/5
🍎 CALORIES – 506

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🫐 FRUIT YOGURT BOWL
@greekgodsyogurt Honey Yogurt
Pineapple
Kiwifruit
Blackberries
Blueberries
Raspberries

Only ate Β½ of shown…

πŸ’›πŸ’›πŸ’›πŸ’›πŸ’› 5/5
🍎 CALORIES – 187

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❄️ We got the snow!

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Many thanks to @krogerco and @misfitsmarket for providing all my gorgeous produce.

Thank you for joining me today.
Until tomorrow…
In Love β™₯ and Light πŸ’«

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πŸ₯¬ You’ll hear me mention Misfits Market all the time – they are an organic produce subscription service I have used for 3yrs now, especially during the cooler months.

Get $10 off your first order here:
https://www.misfitsmarket.com/?promo=cookwme-fn8xpr

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πŸ’‰ If you aren’t familiar with my situation, basically I live with several autoimmune issues… an “inflammatory overstimulation response” brought on by my basic blood cells thinking they are Spartan Warriors and attacking everything in sight.

More information about what is wrong as well as the resources I’m using are here:
https://fromdumpytodiva2020.wordpress.com/%f0%9f%93%9a-resources-%f0%9f%93%9a

πŸŒ€ INSTANT POT CHICKEN BONE BROTH

Many recipes call for chicken or vegetable stock but you might be surprised at the ingredients in many of the canned or boxed products – even organic certified.

Stock’s on!

I decided to cook a whole chicken in my Instant Pot and break down its use in several ways. You can roast it in the oven, cook it in a slow cooker or use a roaster. The great thing about using a pressure cooker like Instant Pot is that you can cook a whole 5lb chicken, from frozen in under 2 hours. Thawed time is only 6min per pound. Don’t forget to remove the giblet bag if there is one. I use those pieces with the bones to flavor the stock I make next.

This is a great guide to get you started.
https://natashaskitchen.com/instant-pot-whole-chicken

Photo from Natasha’s Kitchen

Once it’s cooked and cooled – strip the meat off. It should just fall apart easily…

πŸ”Ή I cook for an elderly neighbor several days a week and she likes my Indian Butter Chicken so I will use some for that.

πŸ”Ή I am going to shred it and make some chicken salad and save some for meals later in the week.

πŸ”Ή Once all the chicken was off the carcass – I put the bones back in the pot, added more water, carrots, onion, celery, garlic and fresh herbs and set it to 2hrs cook time. That’s going now.

You can also do this on the stove, in a slow Cooker or in the Instant Pot (or similar). Since you are going to strain out all of the solids (bones, herbs, veggies) you don’t need to be precise cutting them up.

Here is a great resource for that –
https://natashaskitchen.com/chicken-stock-chicken-bone-broth

Photo from Natasha’s Kitchen
Removed all the solids (ate the carrots)

But what if you want a plant based option – don’t worry – I got you covered there too…

🌿 INSTANT POT ANTI-INFLAMMATORY / IMMUNE BOOSTING HERB STOCK
πŸ’₯ TOP TIP (Optional)
Add the water to your Instant Pot and set to Saute while you are preparing everything else. This starts bringing the water to temperature before you put the lid on, shortening the time needed to come to pressure.

Season as YOU like – this is what I use…

πŸ”Ή10 cups Water
πŸ”Ή1/2 cup Soy Sauce or Liquid Aminos (*optional)
πŸ”ΉRosemary
πŸ”ΉThyme
πŸ”ΉSage
πŸ”ΉParsley
πŸ”ΉOregano
πŸ”Ή2tbsp Ground Coriander
πŸ”Ή2tbsp Ground Tumeric
πŸ”Ή1tbsp Whole Cumin Seeds
πŸ”Ή1/2tbsp Pink Himalayan Salt
πŸ”ΉBlack Peppercorns
πŸ”Ή5 Cloves Garlic
πŸ”Ή2 Knobs Ginger
πŸ”Ή2 Sml JalapeΓ±o*

OPTIONAL EXTRAS
πŸ”ΈCarrot
πŸ”ΈOnion
πŸ”ΈCelery

*If you want a spicy stock – add the chopped JalapeΓ±o, seeds and all. You could also add Red Pepper Flakes, but I don’t like them personally.

Add everything to the pot, stir and set to High Pressure 45 min + Natural Release 15 min. This gives the flavor time to develop. Open, cool to room temperature, strain and store.
I freeze in 1 cup servings and keep a bottle in the fridge.

If you find it too strong, strain – keeping all the solids, add more water and make another batch. Combine batches and see if that works better for you.

You could do this on the stove top as well – low simmer for 25-45min for a mild flavor, 45-60 for a denser flavor. Cooking longer can cause it to begin to bitter, so keep on eye on the flavor and remove from the heat when it tastes right to you. It will intensify some after cooling.

Use anywhere it calls for water or stock, for cooking grains or pasta, as a soup base or even drink like a tea. Great for when you’re sick!

Here’s a nice recipe for that:
https://omnomally.com/2015/10/04/immune-boosting-garden-herb-stock

Photo from Om Nom Ally

Let me know if you try it or have a favorite recipe to add! #recipe