apple wood smoked boneless chicken breast

I used the smoker for the second time this past weekend.  I had a big pack of boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the freezer and decided to smoke it.

I scoured the Internet for a rub or marinade to use.  I didn't want a repeat of the skirt steak I made a few weeks ago; it was good, but too smoky without a rub or marinade to diffuse it. I found one on the Food Network website.  it called for a whole chicken, but I really only wanted the recipe for the rub anyway. This particular recipe calls for 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper AND 1 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes.  That's just too much heat for me these days, and I knew Bob likely wouldn't like it either.  So, I reduced the red pepper flakes to just a sprinkle.

The chicken came out really good.  There was some spicy heat, but it wasn't scorching hot.  About halfway during smoking I realized I should have put some water in the pan in the smoker.  The outside of the chicken seemed dry, so I added some water to the pan.   It still looked dry when the smoking was done, but it actually wasn't dry when eating it. As implied in the recipe name, I used apple wood for the smoker.

It looks pretty good, but I can't really see the smoke ring much.

Here's the recipe for the rub.  If you want the full recipe, chicken and all, here it is:  Apple Wood Smoked Chicken.

Spicy Chicken Rub

1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (I used just a sprinkle)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons brown sugar

Mix the ingredients in a bowl and use as a rub for chicken, or any other meat you like.  Let the rubbed meat sit in the fridge for at least an hour and then cook it.

small victories

Today's small victory:  I prepared lunch for my husband and didn't eat any of the potato chips.  Not even one.  Was I tempted?  Definitely.  But then I thought about all the progress I'm making these last few weeks and that stopped me. Plus, I knew that having just one would likely start a craving for carbs--something I've been limiting lately.  The carbs I'm limiting are crackers, chips and bread. I've noticed that since I've starting do that again, I'm not craving them anymore.

gardening

Look what I'm growing!  Cherry tomatoes!

I don't have a green thumb.  That's not something I inherited from my mom, who loved gardening and could grow anything.  I've never been able to keep anything alive, except for hostas; hostas live outside and require no maintenance. When I got my first house, I tried to have house plants, but the cats ruined that.  They either chewed the leaves or they knocked the pots out of the window sills, because that's their territory, not the plant's.  And cats are assholes. I don't bother with house plants anymore.

Now that I have this house and a much bigger yard, I'm making more of an effort to learn how to garden.  Although, I admit, it's not something that's exciting or relaxing for me.  It's more of a way to say, "Hey, I grew that all by myself!"  Or more accurately, "Hey, I didn't kill all the pre-existing plants and look, they're growing again this year!"

This is our second Spring in the house and I've decided to grow cherry tomatoes from seeds.  I bought one tomato plant last year, which I kept alive and actually got a couple tomatoes off of.  But I didn't get much, so I decided I'd try seeds this year and then transplant them into the garden (yet to be dug) or into containers (I have no idea how they will do in containers, or if it's even advisable to do that). I also started daisies and purple coneflowers (they look like purple daisies).  I wanted something perennial that would look natural; our house was built it 1735 and I want it to look like the flowers have been there all along.

Even though I'm using a seed starter kit that's pretty much fool-proof, I'm still absolutely amazed that the seeds sprouted and are growing.  I started this kit on March 10 and look how big they are! (Sorry for the awful picture quality.)

Now I just need to decide where to put them.  Dig a new garden or use containers?  I have a large side yard, but it faces the street and it pretty much my front yard, too, so I'm not sure if it would look weird to have a garden there.  I'm thinking I'll plant it somewhere near the barn, since it's behind the house.  I've never started a garden from scratch, so this should be interesting...

small victories

I've decided to start posting when I have a small victory. Whether it's avoiding sweets, or carbs, exercising when I didn't feel like it, or not pushing a coworker out the window, I'm going to post it.

Today's small victory: We're having a bake sale at work today, which benefits the American Cancer Society through the Relay For Life. Goodies came out at 8 am, 10 am, and 2 pm. It was going strong when I got in this morning. I took a look and drooled over everything, but I didn't buy anything for myself (but I donated money!). That's actually a huge victory for me, as I have a hard time avoiding bake sales.

exercise update

Just thought I'd give an update on my progress with the personal trainer. I haven't had my weigh-in or body fat measurement this week; that happens Friday, and I'll be sure to post!

Mark has been increasing my weights gradually. I didn't actually notice it last week, but I sure noticed last night! When I started the kettle bell swings he has me using a 10 lb. bell, and last night I was using a 25 lb. bell. And for the medicine ball slams (you can see them here) I started at 8 lbs. and am up to 20 lbs. I was tired last night, but I felt good. And I'm finally starting to feel it in my abs.

My home routine is the same for now, but that will be changing next week. Mark is going to add kettle bell exercises and small free-weights, so I'll need to go buy those this weekend. I'm anxious to see what the new routine will look like, because I find it tough to do now. I can do it, but when it comes to the squat jumps I feel like I'm ready to die when I get to about 13..and I have to do 15--three times! That's probably because all the exercises at home involve my quads (lunges, body squats and squat jumps).

I'm doing better with my pushups. I can't do a full one yet, but I am going down a little lower and I can do 10 to 12 at a time.

I'm also practicing the plank. A couple weeks ago, I started out holding the position for only 15 seconds (I have a very weak core) and I'm now up to 38 seconds. Mark was happy with that improvement, but wants me up to 45 seconds by Friday. I can do it!

today's breakfast

When I went to New Hampshire for Easter, I stopped at a store on the way and picked up some fresh maple breakfast sausage and fresh Polish kielbasa.  I'm not sure whether to call it a convenience store, since there's a gas station there, too, or whether it's a county store.  Anyway, they make a lot of foods from scratch, like pies and pastries, and they also have deli-type foods, like sandwiches and salads.  Pizza, chicken and burgers, too. When I stopped this time, I discovered they sell meat and freshly made sausages and kielbasa. Of course, I had to buy some.

I made the maple breakfast sausage today. Look how big these links are!!  I couldn't eat all this.  I had the egg, two bites of sausage and about half the toast.  The sausage was good and reminded me of the sausage at my favorite diner back home.  That said, I'm not really a sausage person anymore since surgery.  It just seems too greasy for me.  I actually prefer the vegetarian sausages these days, or turkey or chicken sausage. This was good for a rare treat, though, and it actually wasn't greasy at all.

adventures in smoking

No, I haven't started smoking cigarettes!  Gross.  We got a smoker a couple weeks ago and I used it for the first time this past weekend.

We got the Brinkmann vertical smoker, which was on clearance at Home Depot for less than half the price.  (I later found out Brinkmann is in bankruptcy, which would explain the rock-bottom price.) I wasn't even thinking about buying one, but I know several people who smoke meat and they really enjoy it.  I figure maybe it will be a new hobby. Plus, I have dreams of delicious fall-off-the-bone ribs and juicy mesquite chicken.

Saturday I decided to cure it.  Smokers have to be cured before they can be used.  It's to protect the smoker from rust and to burn off the smells from manufacturing.  First of all, their instruction booklet (Yes, it's paper!  I didn't have to download it.) leaves a lot to be desired.  I think whoever wrote the steps needs to learn how to put them in order correctly.  Obviously, that made the process confusing, since I've never cooked with charcoal before. I eventually got it going, but it never reached the correct temp for curing (250 for two hours and 400 for one hour).  I think it was because it was cold outside. Also, I had to coat the whole inside with vegetable oil first, which as a bit messy.

I used it Sunday and this is what I made.  It's skirt steak (one of my half-price meat purchases).  I didn't use any marinade.  Just salt and pepper.  I smoked it for about two hours, maybe a little more, and the doneness was perfect (I like mine medium rare). I used charcoal and about five chunks of mesquite wood.

Fresh out of the smoker. It was so hard to wait 15 minutes to cut into it.  Gotta let the meat rest! That's always the hardest part, since I'm a steak lover.

You can't see it very well, but it has a nice smoke ring.

How did it taste?  It was...smoky.  I definitely will use a marinade next time, as all I really tasted was the smoke.  It wasn't bad, but just too smoky for me. It was very tender and juicy.  I used it on top of a salad the next day, and Bob took some to work for lunch.

Overall, I like the idea of smoking meat.  Pretty much hands off except for making sure it stays at the correct temperature. I'm all for things that are "set it and forget it."

I think next time I will try chicken.  Any suggestions for wood type and/or marinades?



today's lunch

Today's lunch is a salad topped with onions, Colby jack cheese, grilled chicken breast, and bacon vinaigrette.


I'm not much of a salad person anymore.  Mainly because I've eaten SOOOO much of it during my dieting days and the two weeks leading up to my weight loss surgery.  But, for some reason, a salad topped with smoke skirt steak sounded really good last night.  I stopped at the store on my way home from seeing the personal trainer.  I was so excited to eat it, but a couple bites in I just wanted to throw it away.  Or just eat the toppings and not the lettuce. I ate it anyway, but it didn't really hit the spot.  Every once in awhile I crave salad, and about two bites in I decide I don't want it anymore.  It never tastes as good as it looks.  Also, I'm not very creative when it comes to salads, so they usually look like this. It's not horrible looking, but it also doesn't look very enticing. I wasn't looking forward to lunch, but I ate it anyway.

homemade herbs de provence and seasoned salt

I have a big love for seasoned salt, especially Borsari.  It makes grilling meat so simple:  just shake it on and then grill.  It gives the meat a ton of flavor and people will think you used some Jedi mind trick to concoct a complicated spice rub.

I went to Whole Foods this weekend to get some more Borsari salt, but I just about fell over when I saw the price:  $8.99!!  I checked the Borsari website before I left the house.  Their price is $4.99, plus about $6.00 in shipping (I put two in the cart).  Last time I bought it at Whole Foods I remember it being $6.99, so I was pretty shocked yesterday to see $8.99.  Needless to say, I came home salt-less and sad. Instead, I bought some sea salt at the discount store and decided to make my own salt.

I found a recipe for Herbs de Provence seasoned salt, which calls for lavender (yes, I actually have that!), Herbs de Provence, and salt.  Of course I didn't have Herbs de Provence, so I found Emeril's  recipe online and made my own.  It didn't call for lavender, but I added it anyway since most Herbs recipes call for it. I then just added two tablespoons of the herb mix to 1/2 cup sea salt.  Viola! Seasoned salt.

Herbs de Provence (my version)

2 TB dried savory
2 TB dried rosemary
2 TB dried thyme
2 TB dried oregano
2 TB dried basil
2 TB dried marjoram
2 TB dried fennel seed
2 TB dried lavender

Put it all in a bowl and mix.

Herbs de Provence Seasoned Salt

2 TB Herbs de Provence
1/2 cup sea salt

Mix together in a small bowl.  Store in an airtight container away from moisture. Sprinkle on meats before grilling.

making progress...slowly

Things are getting harder in the exercise department. Diet department, too.

I've been seeing the trainer, Mark, for about three weeks now.  I'm not feeling the pain nearly as much as I did that first week.  And what a painful week that was! I had to use the handicap toilet stall so I could use the railing to lower myself down. For the most part, I don't have any soreness the next day. That's good for me, but it also means Mark will work me harder. That's actually a good thing, but it doesn't feel like it in the moment.

Last Monday I did mostly arm work, like sumo squats with a kettle bell; reverse lunges with a kettle bell, which alternated from side to side; and kettle bell swings, to name a few.  And push-ups, of course; that will never go away.  Surprisingly, my aren't weren't sore the next day.

Last night was a combo of arms and legs.  Or quads, I should say.  More sumo squats with a 20 lb kettle bell; an exercise where I hold a weight in each hand, squat down and touch the floor, and then come back up and press up over my head; squats where I slam down a 12 lb medicine ball when I go into the squat; and a few other things.  He had me start using the barbell, which didn't have any additional weight on it...yet.  I know that's coming soon.  Mark then showed me the plank position, which is much harder than it looks. My base time is 15 seconds.  Not great, but it's a start.  It was a very tough workout and I was so tired when I finished last night! I'm a bit sore today, but not as bad as that first week.

My "home work" for the next week or so consists of:

• Jogging in place, jumping jacks and mountain climbers, alternated three times for a total of 8 minutes
• Total of 50 walking lunges
• 3 sets of 20 body squats
• 3 sets of 15 squat jumps
• 4 sets of how ever many push-ups I can do:  I still can't do a full push-up, but I'm getting there.  I can do about 7 to 8 per set now.
• Plank, as long as I can hold it

Mark measured my weight and body fat last night for the first time:  226.4 lbs and 38.4%.  Not terrible, but I have some work to do.

I have to say, I'm definitely not in the mood to do it today, but I will do it anyway.  I want results and I eventually want this extra skin removed.  It's mainly my abdomen that's an issue.  When I was doing the squats where I had to touch the floor with the weights, my stomach was definitely in the way and prevented me from going down farther. It was annoying.

I'm enjoying the whole experience overall.  I feel like I'm getting stronger, I have a desire to be more active, and Mark is a great trainer.  He's patient, but firm.  He's not like the trainers you see on The Biggest Loser.  Although some trainers are like that and it works for some people, that's not something I would want. He makes me work, but doesn't yell at me; he's encouraging.  He's also a fountain of information. Since I have guidelines to follow at my surgeon's office, Mark doesn't try to swing me to his side of the nutrition spectrum.  He gives me tips and tells me to use what I can, but also work with the surgeon's office.  I listen to what he has to say and try and incorporate what I can, like sticking to hard cheeses (much less processing) and limiting salt.

Well, I guess I should go do my exercise routine now...

(But I'd rather be doing this!)