Roasted herb chicken, garlic mashed potatoes, roasted carrots, steamed broccoli and gravy made from scratch!

Yes, that does sound like a crazy big dinner (and it was!) but, even more, it was delicious! I, personally, made each item from scratch, with love and the result was perfect! So, if you’re looking for a fabulous family dinner that definitely requires some coordination, give this one a go!

The chicken

Making my roast chicken began three days ago. I had purchased a whole chicken from my local grocery store about a month ago but, I wasn’t quite ready to take on such a big meal prep item so, in the freezer, it went. Three days ago, I removed the chicken from the freezer and gave it a full day to thaw in the refrigerator.

Once the “thaw day” had ended, I began to create my brine. Now, I have never made brining liquid before and I did some research before ultimately creating my own.

I began with 3 to 4 quarts of water in my large 6-quart pot. I then started adding every seasoning that I had that I knew would add incredible flavor to the chicken. I chose salt, black peppercorns, fresh whole basil leaves, bay leaves, whole garlic cloves, rosemary, thyme, and parsley. I let all of this boil for about 20 minutes to make sure that the salt is dissolved and the water is properly infused by all of these flavors.

The next step is to allow the brining liquid to cool, otherwise, it will begin cooking the chicken and you don’t want that to happen yet. Once the brining liquid is cool, place the whole chicken in a large stockpot and pour the brining liquid over it. If it isn’t enough to cover the chicken completely, add more water until the chicken is covered. Wrap and cover the stockpot and place it into the refrigerator for 8 to 24 hours.

Finally, after the bringing process is done, remove the whole chicken from the stockpot and rinse it in cold water then pat it dry. Place it on the rack inside of your roasting pan. Stuff 5 garlic cloves into the cavity, followed by half of the red onion and about four more garlic cloves. Soften a stick of butter in the microwave and rub all sides of the chicken be sure to get into the creases and even the inside cavity.

Then, liberally season all sides of the chicken with salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme and any other seasoning you may want. Add onion and carrots to the roasting pan if you wish, cover and roast in a preheated 350 degrees Fahrenheit oven for about two hours. Finish it off uncovered, under the broiler for about 15 minutes. Remove the roasting pan, and cover the chicken in aluminum foil for about 20 minutes to rest. 

The mashed potatoes

My mashed potatoes are made with skin on. I know that not everyone likes their mashed potatoes this way but my family does. It retains nutritional value while adding texture. This time I used sour cream in place of cream cheese or milk and I also repurposed the whole garlic cloves that had been in the roasting pan with the chicken and carrots. I also added parsley, salt, and pepper and a stick of butter.

The carrots were added to the roasting pan surrounding the chicken as it cooked for those two hours. They were seasoned with salt and pepper initially but they also absorbed some of the flavors from the chicken drippings.

The broccoli was not seasoned at all. They were simply cleaned, cut, and steamed.

The gravy was made using the pan drippings from the chicken, water, and cornstarch. Aside from possibly adding a pinch of salt, I would not change anything about this gravy!

In the end, the chicken was beautifully flavorful and moist! The mashed potatoes were creamy with an added tangy flavor from the sour cream, the carrots and broccoli we’re tender and offered their own levels of flavor to the dish and the gravy was beautiful and brought the entire dish together! I think this may become a household favorite!

Now that we have all watched the ball drop and welcomed the new year, many of us have also made resolutions. Some of us may want to get fit, lose weight, reflect more or simply just spend more time with the ones we love. Whatever your resolution for the new year, I hope you keep it! The following is some information about the juicing craze, the benefits, the dangers, and more!

What is juicing?

Juicing is a great way to boost your fruit and vegetable intake! This is particularly true for those that do not enjoy eating fruits and vegetables.

Juicing typically requires the use of a juicer. A juicer is a special small appliance that extracts the natural juices from the fruit or vegetable inserted. However, you can choose to use a blender if you are using mostly whole foods as long as you remove any seeds or stems. For example, you can blend up Apple slices (even with the skin on) as long as the seeds and stems are removed prior. In this case, you may need to add water to reach the desired consistency.

Are there benefits of juicing?

The benefits of juicing are slim. In fact, aside from increasing your fruit and vegetable intake, there is no scientific evidence that a juicing diet improves one’s health, aids in weight loss or served as a “cleanse” for the body.

Some people believe that fruit juices and vegetable juices are more easily absorbed by the body compared to whole foods. However, the truth is that much of the fiber, as well as other beneficial nutrients, are lost when the whole food is not consumed.

Others even believe that juicing can help cleanse their bodies of harmful toxins. There is no scientific evidence at this time to prove that juice cleanses work. In fact, it is the job of your liver and your kidneys to cleanse toxins and waste from the body regardless of whether you are on a juicing diet or not.

Some people also believed that juicing is a great way to reduce their risk of cancer, improve digestion, and boost the immune system. Again, there is no scientific evidence to support these claims.

What are the dangers of juicing?

1. The first downside to juicing really isn’t a “danger” but more of a point of consideration. Juicing is not likely to boost your fiber intake. Why? While most fruits and vegetables contain a great deal of fiber, the majority of it is found on the outer layer or “skin”. Juicing requires the use of a juicer which removes only the natural juices from the fruit or vegetable and leaves everything else behind. However, as previously mentioned, you can use a blender to make juice as long as the seeds and stems are removed. In this case, you are able to use nearly the entire food including the skin and therefore contain most (if not all) of the fiber content!
2. The calories can add up quickly! This is mainly true if you are juicing multiple pieces of fruit for a single drink. Fruits are typically higher in sugar content as well as calories compared to vegetables and they can really add up. It is recommended that you use more vegetables for a juiced drink and juice an apple or other fruit simply to add flavor to the vegetable juice.
3. People that commit to a strict juicing diet have said to lose muscle mass, and feel weaker. Some even report gaining weight due to the calories and sugar in the abundance of fruit. They may also gain weight from “falling off the wagon” due to never feeling full or satisfied.

The bottom line is that juicing is likely going to do more harm than good. If your goal is to eat healthier and maybe even lose weight then I would suggest blending whole fruits and vegetables rather than simply extracting the juice.

However, it is important to note that you should not make any dietary changes without talking to your doctor first!