Tag Archives: chicken

Kick-Off College Football With Healthier Man-Approved Tailgate Recipes

Finally! The weather is just starting to cool off, my favorite alma mater T-shirt is hanging front and center, and college football kicks off tomorrow. It’s almost more excitement than I can bear. I know I’m not alone, and I know I’m not the only one preparing a first game feast for my friends.

Whether you tailgate at home or from your couch, you can consume A LOT of calories in the four hours it takes to win a football game. I, for one, don’t want to be bloated when the big score comes in at the end, so I make a healthier spread. It’s far from rabbit food, but it’s also not the calorie bomb that most of my fellow fans are dishing up.

If I can promise you bold-flavored, sticky-fingered buffalo chicken, wicked dips, and killer desserts, can you promise to try at least one lighter tailgate party this season? I’m pretty sure everyone scores in that deal!

BBQ Pork Sliders

No one needs a half-pound pile of pulled pork, but a tiny slider or two can really fill you up. Our little pork sliders are smothered in a homemade barbecue sauce and a little coleslaw for a cool crunch.

Lighter Buffalo Chicken Dip

We guarantee everything about this recipe is the same as any you’ve tried before, except we’ve cut more than 200 calories out of it! A few simple swaps make this appetizer just as creamy, spicy, and in demand as its gut-busting counterpart. (more…)

Posted on August 31, 2023 by Natalie K

The Best Summer Taco Dinner: BBQ Chicken Tacos with Avocado Coleslaw and Raspberry Serrano Sangria

Recently, on a time-crunched work day, inspiration struck when a craving for tacos found a lone breast of BBQ-rubbed chicken in the freezer. I wasn’t quite sure how to make the barbecue spice meld with a classic taco, but I was hungry enough to make it work. I let the chicken thaw during the day and by the time I came home from work I had a plan.

The usual tomatoes, black beans, and peppers were not going to make this bird fly; I had to use the traditional barbecue as my muse. That’s when I decided a coleslaw topping would bring these little tacos together perfectly.

So there I was, on a random Tuesday night, throwing together a simple dinner (less than 30 minutes) that was not only super healthy, but about to be pretty darn good. It was so good my family has requested it weekly all summer, and each time I oblige I’m able to fine tune the recipe to the point that I’m ready to share it with all of you. (more…)

Posted on August 8, 2023 by Natalie K

The Secret of the Thai Chicken Noodle Bowl: Eating Well is Easier than You Think

By Dawn Jackson Blatner, RD, CSSD, the lead food and nutrition expert for Retrofit.

People always ask me how to start eating better and I say just start right where you are. Don’t wait another minute, start making choices that are improved over yesterday or even this morning. Making healthy choices doesn’t take more time than unhealthy ones, and eating well can be palate-pleasing to even the pickiest of taste-buds. I’m going to share one of my favorite recipes as an example…

The recipe below is 15 minutes start to finish – so it’s perfect for even your busiest days. I used pre-cut, rinsed, fresh veggies to get the nutrition in without the time, swapped out regular pasta for whole grain pasta, and used high-flavor, low-calorie foods (in this case lime, garlic and onion) to pump up the taste without adding fat.

Simple changes can add up to a great plate, enjoy!

Thai Chicken Noodle Bowl

Ingredients

  • 2 ounces uncooked whole grain fettuccini
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 lime juiced (more…)
Posted on May 24, 2023 by GuestBlogger

A Convincing Argument For Fake Chicken

There are many reasons to be a vegetarian. Some do it purely for health, others maintain a meat-free diet because they feel that it protects animals from suffering. Regardless of the reasons, most vegetarians catch a lot of flak for their choices. A recent look into the world of poultry production and the options in a plant-based diet, may have even the most cynical among us ordering up faux chicken for our next meal.

New York Times, Op-Ed columnist Mark Bittman recently took an objective look into the world of fake meat, and poultry production in the U.S. He first looked at the facts about the chicken industry. The stats are a little unsettling. The U.S. raises and kills almost eight billion chickens a year. The growth is so rapid among industry chickens that the Veterinary Record has said that most of the chickens have bone disease and are in chronic pain. For a reflection, the University of Arkansas did a study and reported that if humans grew as fast as industry chickens, they would weigh nearly 350 pounds by age 2.

In addition to the animals being roughly manipulated, Bittman was clear to point out the other effects of raising meat in this manner. Not all are impacted by what some would call cruelty to animals, but the other factors effect many humans. When chickens are raised so quickly, producers are having difficulty dealing with the waste. Manure, waste water, and post-slaughter residue are all in excess and aren’t being disposed of efficiently at all facilities.

(more…)

Posted on March 13, 2024 by Lacy

USDA Adds Nutrition Labels to Raw Meat

March marks the start of nutrition labels for raw meat and poultry. The new USDA rule states that nutrition information must be made available for most ground meat and ground poultry and for popular cuts of the two.

Previously, the USDA only required nutrition labels on meat that had added ingredients like stuffing or a marinade sauce. Now, all ground meat and poultry must carry a label. Along with ground meat 40 popular cuts will also be required to post a label either on the product or on a nearby chart. Some of those cuts include beef porterhouse steaks, chicken breasts, and pork chops.

The labels will provide the calorie and fat content of the meat. If the product shows a percentage of lean meat, it must also include the percentage of fat.

The labels do not have to include amount of trans fat though. This is not a requirement as the USDA estimated that nearly 80 percent of all nutrition labels list trans fat voluntarily.

There is an exception to the new labeling rule. Small meat grinding businesses are exempt. As long as the business provides lean and fat content information and makes no other nutrition claims on the package, they do not have to provide the other content in a label.
(more…)

Posted on March 2, 2024 by Lacy

A Lighter Buffalo Chicken Dip Recipe

We’re just two days out from Super Bowl Sunday and the anticipation is building! There’s not much to do between now and kick-off except plan Super Bowl recipes and watch Super Bowl commercials. A staple of any proper football tailgate (whether at an actual tailgate or on your sofa) is buffalo chicken. The popular buffalo flavor has many iterations, and this morning, the web wants to know all about buffalo chicken dip.

Yesterday, Mike Valenti published his buffalo chicken dip recipe on CBS Detroit. It looks tasty, no one wonder people are scrambling to find it. However, it also doesn’t look very good for you at all. His original recipe includes regular cream cheese, ranch dressing, an entire rotisserie chicken, and regular cheddar cheese. We estimate a serving of his has at least 487 calories per 3.2-ounce serving. So, we did what we do best, we gave his dip a makeover!

We trimmed a lot of calories, fat, and saturated fat off of his recipe. You’ll get the exact same results, just as much flavor, and feel way better about eating it. With the adjustments we’ve made, the recipe now has about 206 calories per 3.2 oz. serving (this does not include the chips).

DIR’s Buffalo Chicken Dip

Ingredients

  • 2 8-oz. packages of reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
  • 16 oz. 0% fat plain Greek yogurt
  • 1 ranch dip seasoning packet
  • 3/4 cup Frank’s Red Hot Sauce
  • 24 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast shredded and skin removed (bake, grill, or stew in the slow cooker with some of the hot sauce)
  • 1/2 cup shredded low-fat cheddar cheese (more…)
Posted on February 3, 2024 by Natalie K

Freshly Grilled Chicken? Try Factory Charred

grilled chicken sandwichGrilled chicken is a food that’s often recommended as part of weight-loss plans, because it’s low in fat and high in protein, which helps promote satiety. However, that seemingly innocent chicken breast you ordered at Subway or Burger King is not really the healthy item it masquerades as, despite the grill marks on the meat.

That’s because few fast food restaurants are willing to actually grill. Instead, these chicken breasts are cooked with an industrial process and branded with char marks to make it appear as if the meat might have once touched a grill. The only major fast food chains we know of to actually grill its chicken are Chick-fil-A and Chipotle, while McDonald’s, Subway, Wendy’s, Burger King and Taco Bell all opt for fake char marks.

(more…)

Posted on January 27, 2024 by Health Buzz

Government Bails Out Chicken Factory Farmers

Chicken in a cageThe demand for chicken in the US is down, and we can only speculate as to why. Many argue that tough economic conditions have caused Americans to decrease their meat consumption and opt for lower-cost foods. Chicken inventories are 13.1 percent higher than they were a year ago, according to a Wall Street Journal article.

In response to the gap between product and demand, the U.S. government is making a special purchase of 40 million dollars worth of chicken products, which will be distributed to school lunch programs and soup kitchens.

“Thanks to prevailing price trends, the government is getting a bargain on high-quality food to help meet the nutritional needs of the clients of these programs, while the industry is getting some relief from excessive inventories,” said National Chicken Council President Mike Brown. USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack also praised the deal, saying “it will also provide support to the broiler industry and the many small independent poultry growers that depend on the industry for their livelihood.”

(more…)

Posted on August 19, 2023 by Margaret

Paula Deen Endorses 100 Percent Natural Chickens

Paula Deen is a Food Network star known for her delicious southern cooking and her famous restaurant in Savannah, Georgia, Lady and Sons. Lately, Paula has been getting some press coverage for a new food endeavor. Deen has partnered with Springer Mountain Farms to endorse their 100 percent all natural chicken. Their chickens will not only be endorsed by Paula Deen, they will also have her face on the packaging.

Paula Deen released a statement saying:  “Chicken is a very logical line of food for us to have. I’m particularly impressed with the way Springer Mountain Farms raises and feeds its chickens, producing an especially tender and delicious product. I’m proud to put my name on these items and encourage everyone to give them a try.”

For meat and poultry to be labeled all natural, the Food Safety and Inspection Service requires there be no artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners or preservatives. These Springer Mountain Farms chickens have never received steroids, hormones, antibiotics or animal bi-products in their lifetime, eating a diet consisting mainly of corn and soybeans.

(more…)

Posted on August 4, 2023 by Descygna

RECALL: Starbucks and Pilgrim’s Pride Chicken and Other Meats Contaminated with Listeria

Starbucks and Pilgram's Pride LogosTwo large distributors of packaged chicken products have recalled massive quantities of meat due to listeria contamination. Pilgrim’s Pride recalled 18,312 pounds of chicken nuggets and chicken fillets and Flying Foods has recalled nearly 7,000 pounds of ready-to-eat turkey, chicken, pork and beef products. No cases of sickness have been reported.

The Pilgrim’s Pride product being recalled is the “Pilgrim’s Pride Fully Cooked Chicken Breast Breaded Nugget Shaped Patties with Rib meat,” sold in Dollar General stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. Each two-pound bag is marked with the code “P-7091A.” The problem was found during routine testing. Consumers with questions about this recall are encouraged to call a company’s representative at (800) 321-1470, according to the USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS).

(more…)

Posted on July 27, 2023 by Health Buzz

Summer Produce: What’s Up with Herbs?

With farmer’s markets across the country in full swing, you might be wondering how in the world you’re going to navigate the overflowing stands of fruits, vegetables and fresh herbs.

With more leafy greens than you can count and basil plants that seem to be bursting at the seams, how does a produce novice manage to take home fruits and veggies that will make it to your table and into your meals and snacks?

This week, we’re taking you through some of the herbs – popular and obscure – that you might encounter at your farmer’s market. Because fresh herbs sold at outdoor or indoor local markets are typically fresh and free of preservatives, you’ll need to use them pretty quickly.

(more…)

Posted on July 27, 2023 by Maris