It’s a Good Thing

Hello!

I have to tell you I am so mixed up with this weather! Today it is near 100, so I am having a hard time deciding what to make for dinner. Starbucks has pumpkin stuff and all I see is apple and pear goodies everywhere. I love the fall foods, but it seems to me, were finally getting summer and since it’s still offically summer, I should stick to that for dinner, therefore I am making a nice BBQ dinner.

But first I have to tell you the 1st good thing! Today for the first time ever I donated blood to the American Red Cross. Since I never gave blood before this was a whole new experience for me, not to mention I’m afraid of needles, but my whole support office gave and I knew I had to. Plus I am doing a good thing for someone who may need blood. I’m proud of myself for doing it. The procedure was ok, but it took forever to take my blood. They didn’t have enough pressure on my arm, so nothing was happening. I must of been giving blood for about 20 minutes or so. But again worth it, plus I got out of work for two hours. he he

OK, the 2nd good thing! Tonight’s dinner is a good one, well aren’t they all, when food is involved? I am having a down home BBQ dinner, Jennifer Style or should I say PB&P’s style? This is so easy and so fast. All you need to do is dust off that old crockpot.

Before I went to work this morning, I threw 2 pieces of frozen boneless chicken breast, added some seasoning and 2 cups of low sodium chicken broth and out the door I went. When I came home, my house smelled yummy! Wish my family was home so I could eat, but I’ll wait, but not without a couple of bites of chicken.

I put my chicken in the crockpot at 5:30am, so by the time I’m home it’s all done. This is what the chicken looked like when I came home. If you see fat on top, skim it before shredding.

Now I need to shred the chicken. It’s so easy, just take the fork and shred away. Wondering where the BBQ part comes in? Chicken is ugly when you photograph it!

Here is where I added my BBQ sauce, I have the setting on low, so it should stay nice and warm, and all the BBQ sauce will flavor up the chicken all nice. So good! Ok one bite, mmmm Perfect! You could add the BBQ sauce in with the chicken in the morning instead of chicken broth, but I like the flavor of the chicken and if there is any fat,I can skim it off the top easier.

Here is the recipe:

Crockpot Shredded BBQ Chicken

1lbs of boneless chicken breasts

2 cups of Low Sodium Chicken Broth (next time I may only do 1 1/2 cups)

a dash of pepper, rosemary, onion powder and thyme (sorry I just sprinkle on top, I didn’t measure it, my guess 1/4tsp.)

1/2 cup of BBQ sauce (use your judgement on how much to use)

Directions:

Place chicken, chicken broth and spices in the crockpot. Set on low setting for 8 to 10 hours or on high for 4to 6 hours. About an hour before serving, shred your chicken with a fork then add your BBQ sauce.

You can make sliders, sandwiches, wraps, throw on a salad or eat on it’s own. Were eating it by it’s self, since I do not have any rolls, and I want to have some Jalapeno Cheese bread to go with it, as a side.

Calories are depending on the BBQ sauce you use. I used Jardines 7 J Ranch Louisiana Cajun Cayenne BBQ Sauce.

Serving size is 4oz of chicken and this meal serves 4

Calories: 177, Fat: 1.44, Cholesterol: 65, Sodium: 418, Potassium: 289, Carbs: 11, Fiber: 1 g., Sugar: 9, Protein: 27g.

Chicken all done, it would look better between some bread, but it is so tender and so good! Trust me you’ll love it!

Now for the sides: Doesn’t it look delish?

I put melted butter on the corn, added salt, pepper and cajun seasoning for a little extra flavor.

I put the corn, onion and sweet bell pepper right on the grill. Turn every 5 minutes or so.

Once done, about 10 minutes, I put the peppers in a ziplock bag to steam, and then I peeled the skin off and chopped it up.

I cut the corn right off the cob. learned this move from Rachel Ray.

Chop everything up, add the remaining ingredients. All done! this is good warm or cold. It would also go good on a salad or in a pita.

Grilled Corn Relish – adapted from Better Homes and Gardens

2 ears of corn

1 Sweet Bell Pepper – Grilled

1 cup of Cherry Tomatoes – diced and quartered

1/4 small onion – grilled and quartered

1 tsp of Olive Oil

1/2 tsp of lime juice

1/4 Tbsp of parlsey or cilantro

1/4 tsp of smoked or sweet paprika

dash of salt & pepper

Directions: Place corn, onion and pepper on grill, cook for about 10 minutes, turning every few minutes or so.

Cut corn off cob, chop onion and pepper. In a medium bowl, combine corn, onion, pepper, tomatoes, oil, lime juice, cilantro, paprika, salt and pepper.

Calories: 119, Fat: 2.9, sodium: 20, Potassium: 456, Carbs: 23, Fiber: 4.1, sugar: 3g, Protein: 4g

Serve and Enjoy! Hey What good thing did you do today?