Diet and Cooking

Ironically, when you are dieting and prepping for a competition, you tend to spend a huge amount of time cooking! It is important to have the food you need and want, ready at all times.

The more I diet, the more I find myself standing in the kitchen cooking, chopping, slicing, measuring, weighing, and packaging.

Friday I hit the store for my usual foods I would get ready for the upcoming week. I usually buy boneless, skinless chicken breast, although it is much more expensive, when you cook 8 pounds at a time, it is easier to get it in that form.

But the breasts with skin and bones was on sale for such a good price, I had to buy it. I ended up with 20 pounds of chicken!

I baked it as usual, and then pulled it all off the bone.  I had forgotten how much better it was like this! The breasts that are already skinned and boned get so dried out when they bake.

Then I had a huge pile of bones. I hate to waste anything so I decided to make stock. First the trick is to roast the bones in a very hot oven, here they are after they have been roasted.

David then deglazed the pan with water and white wine, scraping up all the stuck on bits.

Here it is simmering away, it smelled wonderful! We let the liquid cool, then poured it over the roasted bones.  Into the refrigerator for the night. 

In the morning we went to buy chicken feet, they make the best stock, but the store had none. So necks and backs was the order of the day.  We added the chicken parts to the roasted bones and liquid, added an onion, celery, bay leaf, fresh thyme and some carrots.


It all simmered together all day long, filling the house with a wonderful chicken scent (even though I eat a lot of chicken, it still smelled great).


Now, it is strained and back in the refrigerator where it will stay the night. Tomorrow I will skim the fat off and then package it into freezer containers.

I hope there is some left after my competition! I want to make some french onion soup with cheese and bread!!!!


And a nice glass of red wine too.