Shredding Chicking

This really isn't a nutritional tip, so I am not going to number it. However, this is a kitchen tip I wish I knew about a long time ago.

It takes forever to shred cooked chicken. I don't have any fancy shredding equipment. Usually, I would just take two forks and have at it. Well, one day, my husband came home from work and pointed to my stand mixer. What in the world did that have to do with chicken?

If you have a counter top stand mixer, put one piece of chicken at a time in the mixing bowl. Attach the flat beater (not the dough hook or the whisk attachment). Simply turn on the mixer to the stir or #2 level. Run until it is the desired consistency. What used to take me about 15 minutes to do is now done in seconds. Hope that saves you some time too.

Tip #17

Make your own salad dressing.

If you read the labels to a lot of bottled salad dressing, you will see they are laden with preservatives and chemicals. Try making your own. There are a lot of recipes on line. One thing you need to watch out for is sugar.  I like a basic balsamic vinaigrette.

1 c. extra virgin olive oil
3 T. balsamic vinegar
1 t. dijon mustard
dash of salt

Tip #16

Popcorn

Popcorn is a healthy snack right? Well, not the microwaved kind. Look at the list of ingredients and all the preservatives and extra additives on the list.

Invest in an air popper. They are not that expensive. You are then in control of the amount of butter, salt, or other things added to your popcorn. It wastes a lot fewer kernels as well. We like a little butter and salt, but also some Parmesan cheese.

Tip #15

Rice

Swap out white rice for brown rice. Just about any variety comes in brown. You will get much more nutritional benefit than just starch. The additional whole grain and fiber will help to keep you feeling full longer.