Wednesday, January 7, 2015

2015 Already!

Wow this past year has been like a whirlwind.  It seems like I am always running or headed somewhere.  I wanted to go ahead and get a post out there and hopefully not neglect the blog this year.  We had a crazy beginning to the new year that included a delay causing a 7am on Sunday basket pick up.  A huge thank you goes out to all of those that participate.  With the new year comes plans for healthy eating and Bountiful Baskets is by far my favorite way to do that.  To bring a little excitement we are running a contest for the Willowbrook Plaza location.






I hope to see a lot of new faces over the next couple of weeks.  Our next contribution bay is Monday January 12th with pick up January 17th.

~Jennifer

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Shells That Shall Not Be Named

I am typically pretty busy and neglect the blog but just had to share the recipe that made my husband ask me to invent more new things.  Last night was a typical Monday, except I did not make a trip to the store over the weekend and was lacking ingredients.  I thawed out a couple of chicken breasts and figured it would be another bland dinner of something along the lines of chicken nuggets.  I asked for advice and had several people mention chicken tacos but even those would require a trip to the store for lousy tortillas.  I am hooked on the tortillas from Bountiful Baskets because they are as close to authentic as you can get in this town.  I am really spoiled and upset that I have allowed myself to run out of tortillas.  So as I searched the cabinet for ingredients, I came across a can of rotel and half a box of jumbo shells.  At that point I had an idea.  I wasn't sure it would work or even taste decent but if it was a total flop, I would just order pizza.  Well needless to say it didn't flop and instead I liked it, it was a hit with the husband, one kid loved the filling, and the other one saw the shells and said I don't like pasta but ate one jumbo stuffed shell anyway.  Throughout the evening I was informed that I would have to add that to the dinner rotation.  We don't really have a rotation but it was obvious this was a keeper.

The ingredients were very simple and it was an easy dish though a little time consuming as all stuffed shells are.

The first thing I did was salt and cook the chicken breasts.  I didn't get a photo because, well, it was just cooking chicken.  Once the chicken breasts were cooked, I tossed them into the stand mixer to shred the chicken and mix it together.  This could easily be made with leftover chicken or a rotisserie chicken to save time and make it easier.

mixer with chicken and seasonings
At this point, go ahead and start a pot of salted water and cook the shells according to the package direction.  While the shells are cooking go ahead and mix up the chicken for the filling and cook the bacon.  When the bacon is cooked remove from pan and set aside.  Save the pan and bacon fat for making the sauce.

Once the chicken was mostly shredded I added the seasonings garlic powder, onion powder, and cumin.

Once the chicken is well shredded and the seasonings mixed in, I added the can of rotel and some fresh cilantro.  The cilantro makes this dish.

After the shells have cooked, drain them and let them cool for a couple of minutes before stuffing.  While the shells cool enough to handle, butter a 13x9 pan, and preheat the oven to 375.  Then go ahead and fill those shells with the yummy chicken filling.

Once the shells are stuffed set them aside and make the rue with the bacon fat and if needed a little butter to get to 1/4 of a cup of fat and the flour and salt.  Once you have a nice golden rue, add the milk.  Now the base for the sauce should be nice and bubbly add the cheese and stir until it is melted.  Pour the cheesy sauce/gravy over the shells.  Cover the pan with foil and bake for 15 minutes.  Then uncover the pan, add the crumbled bacon on top, and put back in the oven for 10 more minutes until bubbly and golden.  Let it stand for 5 minutes before serving.


  
Finished shells

Unfortunately the family didn't wait to let me get a final picture but I was able to get one of a half empty pan.  I will add more and hopefully better pictures the next time I make this and maybe someone can help me come up with an appropriate name.


Ingredients

1lb cooked chicken, shredded
Jumbo shells, about 24
4 slices of bacon
2tsp garlic powder
1tsp onion powder
1/2tsp cumin
1 can of rotel
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
salt to taste
1/4cup reserved bacon fat/butter
1/4cup flour
1/2tsp salt
2cups milk
2 cups shredded cheese, I used sharp cheddar

Directions

Preheat oven to 375
Start a pot of salted water and cook the shells according to the package direction
While the shells are cooking go ahead and mix up the chicken for the filling and cook the bacon. When the bacon is cooked remove from pan and set aside.  Save the pan and bacon fat for making the sauce.
Mix the shredded chicken, garlic powder, onion powder, and cumin
Once the chicken is well shredded and the seasonings mixed in, added the can of rotel and the fresh cilantro.
After the shells have cooked, drain them and let them cool for a couple of minutes before stuffing.  While the shells cool enough to handle, butter a 13x9 pan
 Stuff the shells with the chicken filling mixture and set pan aside
Make the rue with the bacon fat and if needed a little butter to get to 1/4cup of fat, the flour, and salt.
Once you have a nice golden rue, add the milk.
Now the base for the sauce should be nice and bubbly add the cheese and stir until it is melted.
Pour the cheesy sauce/gravy over the shells.  Cover the pan with foil and bake for 15 minutes.
Then uncover the pan, add the crumbled bacon on top, and put back in the oven for 10 more minutes until bubbly and golden.


      Let it stand for 5 minutes before serving.

I think the only thing that might make this even better would be to replace the rotel with fresh tomatoes and green chilies. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did

~Jennifer

Sunday, March 2, 2014

Bountiful Baskets pick up from 3-1-2014

Yesterday was basket day and I must say this has to be one of my favorites so far.  This time our site reached its maximum participation by 1pm on Tuesday with 96 total baskets, so we had the most people participating ever.  There were a few issues at the site but for the most part everyone pulled together and made the experience as wonderful as always.  The big issue was our poor driver George was delayed in his drive and almost an hour late.  Typically we are notified when he will be late and let participants know about the adjusted time.  Unfortunately, this was one of those rare times we had no advanced warning that he would be late.  This of course means everyone was left standing around left waiting but everyone seemed to be very understanding and come together.  As we waited the kids played in an open field with each other and I think many people had the opportunity to connect with new people.

Once the truck arrived at Almost 4pm (instead of 3:15) those who had arrived to volunteer rushed into action and even with three pallets of food to unload and inventory we managed to get George back on the road to his next stop in an astounding 15 minutes instead of 30.  That wouldn't have happened without everyone that was willing to jump in and get it moving.  Of course we only have so many volunteer because too many and it becomes crowded and more chaotic.  We usually cap the volunteers around 12 though I think we had a few extra this time around and I am truly grateful to have had them.  As soon as we were done unloading, they set right to work getting the produce distributed as quickly as possible and of course we had let those in line know what was going on.

Now on to the basket itself.  I was so impressed to see what the bounty was for this week that I could barely contain my excitement as the baskets were loaded full of jicama, cabbage, English cucumbers, broccoli, asparagus, heirloom grape tomatoes, grapefruits, bananas, mandarin oranges, and a carton of strawberries.  Then there were the add on.  There was organic honey wheat bread, a lunch box pack, organic coconut oil, cherry pecan granola, 8lb cases of strawberries, 20lb bags of baking potatoes, 25lb cases of roma tomatoes, assorted baguette pack, a California blend pack, and a wrap pack.  There was definitely plenty offered and Bountiful Baskets out did themselves this time for sure.  Now on to a few photos and hopefully I will see you all there again in 2 weeks.

Lunch Box Pack $13

Conventional Basket $15

Big Baking Potatoes $6.75



Wrap pack $12.75
Strawberry Case $14
Wow what great deals we were able to get and I know these will definitely help my family eat better this week.  The next Contribution opens March 10th at noon.  Feel free to join our Facebook Event as a reminder.

~Jennifer

Hinesville Wholesome Eating Facebook Poster Contest

Did you get the amazing basket this week?  How about some of those add ons?  Would you like to show off a little creativity and possibly get an add on for free on March 15th?  It is time for our spring contest and we could use some new posters.  Instead of me trying to make several with just the few photos I get, my challenge for you is to join in the fun.  Take a picture of your goodies and design a poster.

  
Something like this

Or this

All photos submitted to the Facebook Page will be placed into a folder on Monday March 3rd at noon EST.  The one with the most likes by Monday March 10th at 11am will receive a free add on ($10 or less) at the March 15th pickup*.  Sounds easy enough, right?  These posters will be public and shared with others.  Also no exaggerations on prices please.  In other words don't use a picture of a basket and all of your add ons with the caption all of this for $21.50.

*Pick up of add on only valid at the Willowbrook Plaza location in Hinesville, Georgia.

~Jennifer

Thursday, February 13, 2014

My Zaycon Experience

A couple of days ago I picked up 40lbs of chicken from the Zaycon Chicken Event that came to Hinesville.  The price was to good to pass up at $1.89lb before tax for fresh all natural hormone free boneless skinless chicken breasts.  It comes in 40lb increments, meaning it is a lot of fresh chicken.  The process was pretty painless.  You register here and place an order for an event in your area (next up is bacon and sausage).  On the pick up day I went to the Liberty movie theater off of Ogelthorpe Hwy and parked in the small section behind Krystal's.  The pick up said between 1 and 1:15 and I arrived at 12:55.  I parked in that area because many others were sitting in their cars, so I figured that was where I needed to go.

The truck didn't arrive until about 1:10 but traffic happens and that wasn't that far off.  The white box truck pulled into the main section of the parking lot and everyone started their cars and proceeded to line them up in a line leading to the truck.  The delivery driver armed with a tablet would walk up to the vehicle, get the name, and then check off the person from his list and get the order out.  I didn't even have to get out of my car.  He very nicely loaded my box into the back and we were on our way.  My total time from my house and back was less than 45 minutes and 15 to 20 minutes of that was the drive.

When I arrived home, I opened the back of the car to get my box and this is what I found.  1 box placed on top of a plastic garbage bag just in case their was any leaking.


I carried the 40lb box into the house and took a look.


It was all sealed in a thick blue plastic bag.  Once I cut it open, I could see the huge breasts and several smaller bags in the box.  I set out to package them with my food sealer so they could be frozen.  Each breast weighed about a pound or more, so I decided to do individual breasts in the vacuum pack to hopefully make it easier later on.  Unfortunately as I set to work, aside from the bag full of juice and the fact I hate handling raw meat, I found they still required quite a bit of trimming for fat, some skin, and even a little cartilage and bones.  It ended up being a lot of work and all of that juice was very cold and even a little on the slushy side.  I didn't take a picture of the stuff I trimmed off but I was left with 3lbs of liquid and leftover yuck.  I weighed just the waste without the juice because that was to be expected and it was 2lbs.  So overall my cost was 38lbs of chicken for 77.87 after taxes for a total of  about $2.05lb after tax.  That is still a really good price for chicken.

I ended up with 30 individually vacuum packed breasts and 4 1lb vacuum packed bags of chunks of chicken after they were trimmed.   I am not skilled at trimming meat and had quite a few pieces that were good cuts of meat tossed in a bowl that was chunked and measured out for those 4 bags and some of the breasts are a bit misshapen or have rough cuts to them.  

vacuum packed frozen
vacuumed sitting on spiral notebook for size
I have only gotten to use one of these breasts so far and it was enough for this entire dish. Which made enough for 2 adults, 2 kids, and I had a bowl for my lunch today.  Overall it is financially a good deal but the chicken event  definitely isn't for everyone.

Pros:
  • Great Price
  • Bulk Buying
  • Natural Hormone Free Chicken
  • Large Breasts
  • Simple Ordering
  • Simple Pick up
  • Juicy - I didn't save the juice in the box but the one I thawed out for dinner had plenty of juice in the package as well.
  • Flavorful
Cons:
  •  Limited Pick Up Window
  • Time Consuming To Package
  • Had A Lot of Waste To Trim
  • Used An Entire Roll Of Food Saver Bags
  • Handling Lots Of Raw Meat And By Products
So the question is would I order again?  I'm honestly not sure.  I think it will depend on how we feel about the flavor as we eat it.  Even with the food saver bags it is cheaper than I can get for pumped full of hormone meat here and far cheaper than the natural hormone free but it is time consuming.  It took my entire afternoon to process it and I really don't like handling raw meat.  If there had been no additional trimming needed, it would be a definite yes.  Lets face it, sometimes convenience wins out and if you have young children to care for or are very busy this may not be possible to deal with.  Fortunately, I have enough chicken for many meals and there is no rush to decide if I will participate in the next one.  I will let you know if I plan to jump in again.  I will say the delivery was so easy, I am considering the drive to Pooler to try the bacon and sausage event that is next month.

~Jennifer

Monday, February 10, 2014

Contribution Day

Today is one of my favorite days.  It is basket contribution day with Bountiful Baskets.  Hinesville Willowbrook Plaza location in Georgia is an A week, so today is the day to contribute for Saturday's pick up.  I can't wait to find out what will actually be in the basket and there are some wonderful add ons to pick as well.  This weeks add on choices are:

 Rainbow Carrots - 25 lb. Product of Arizona-$16.00 ea

Pineapple - Approx 21 Lb. - $14.50 ea

Blackberry - 12 - 6 oz clamshells - $14.25

Asian Pack - This is a fun pack full of Asian-themed items! We're hoping for: won ton wrappers, Napa cabbage, bok choy, basil, cilantro, yellow onion, green onion, garlic, ginger, snow peas, celery, lemongrass, lemons, turmeric, chile de arbol - $12.50

Assorted Tortilla Pack - 2 dz 6 in. Flour, 1 dz 12 in. Flour, 2 dz 6 in. corn, 1 dz 8 in. whole wheat, 1 dz 8 in. flour. - $12.00

Organic Raw FILTERED Apple Cider Vinegar Half Gallon Jug - $11.00

5 Loaves - 1 Garlic Rosemary Baguette, 2 Savory 9 Grain, and 2 English Muffin Bread - $10.00

Cherry Pecan Granola - 28 oz. - Ingredients: Rolled oats, honey, coconut oil, cherries, pecans, pumpkin seeds, flax and more - $10.00

Sourdough Bread - 5 - 20 oz. loaves - $10.00

Hard White Wheat - 25 lb bag from Washington/Idaho - $15.00

ORGANIC Multigrain Bread with Omega-3 - 5 loaves - Contains Wheat and manufactured in a facility with nuts - $12.00


How could you go wrong with choices like that for those prices?  I know I am going to snag some of those blackberries and properly a couple of other things as well.  Make sure you put in your contribution here and we will see you Saturday.

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Bountiful Basket for January 18th, 2014

So Saturday the 18th was our first Bountiful Basket pick up of 2014 and wow was it awesome.  First we had almost double the basket we had previously had.  This means there were a lot of people who had never been to the Willowbrook Plaza site and many that had never done Bountiful Baskets before.  Second the basket was absolutely amazing.  Before the addition of case ends, the $15 conventional basket had 8 braeburn apples, 4 artichokes, 2 avocados, 5 bananas, 1lb of brussel sprouts, 1 celery, 5 kiwis, 1 head of romaine, 7 oranges, 7 potatoes, 1 acorn squash, and 1 container of grape tomatoes.  The case ends of course vary from basket to basket as we distribute the odds and ends that are left.  All of the produce is distributed into the baskets.  After all the participants are the ones that paid for all of that wonderful bounty. 

Conventional basket minus 4 artichokes

Then if that wasn't enough of a great way to start of this years contributions, then you have the add ons.  They had:


A Veggie Lovers Pack - Italian Theme - $8.50 ea

A Juice Pack - $8.50 ea
   
A case of Minneola Tangelo - Approx. 38 lb- $22.50 ea

A case of Roma Tomatoes - Approx 25 Lb - $13.75 ea

The Assorted Tortilla Pack - 2 dz 6 in. Flour, 1 dz 12 in. Flour, 2 dz 6 in. corn, 1 dz 8 in. whole wheat, 1 dz 8 in. flour- $12.00 ea

ORGANIC Coconut Oil without scent (more processed) - 1/2 gallon expeller pressed in a glass jar- $18.50 ea
   
The Bountiful Baskets Granola - 28 oz.- $10.00

4 loaves  of English Muffin Bread - This is a loaf bread that is just like English Muffins in texture!- $10.00
   
Sourdough Bread - 5 - 20 oz. loaves- $10.00

ORGANIC 100% Honey Whole Wheat Bread - 5 pack- $12.00 



1/2 Gallon of Organic Raw Filtered Apple Cider Vinegar- $11.00

Conventional basket, 1 juicing pack, 1 Italian Pack, 1 case of Roma Tomatoes

I was left in awe as we unloaded 2 very full pallets from the truck.  The shear volume of food at a great price was astounding.  I am so glad to be part of helping families save money and eat healthy.  The next contribution date is January 27th with pick up on February 1st.  This is going to be a great year.




~Jennifer