And the winner is....

Well, the Share the Health! Popchips giveaway has come to a close, and I've drawn a winner! Drum roll, please...

elle.dub, please step forward!!! You are the proud winner of a case of Popchips, in your choice of flavors!

Please email me at meredith53@gmail.com to claim your prize! Include your name and address, and your holiday shipment of Popchips will be on it's way shortly!

Thanks to all who entered. I hope to bring you another giveaway in the very near future! Stay tuned!!!

Healthy and Fresh

I finally got my act together and planned a menu for the upcoming week. It was a necessary evil, as I just found out we'll be having my in-laws in house for Christmas Eve, as well as Christmas Day, so I had to have a plan! While I was at it, I planned out the rest of the week as well. Be sure to click over to the Current Menu tab to check it out. With all the holiday plans and get-togethers, it's been hard to find time to eat a meal at home. I'm looking forward to a whole week's worth of them!

I really wanted something healthy, and full of fresh ingredients for tonight's dinner, but I had some chicken breasts in the fridge that I needed to use, so I built my meal around that. I opened Tender by Nigel Slater, knowing I'd find exactly what I was looking for, and in fact, I did.

This simple recipe of warm chicken, served over a bed of swiss chard, green beans and tomatoes is as fresh as fresh can be! I didn't open a single jar, or bottle, aside from the olive oil...everything came from the produce department! My first order of business was to get a few pots of water boiling on the stove, and then I set to prepping my ingredients. I purchased rainbow chard, because it's just so pretty, and I separated the leaves from the stems, chopping both in anticipation of cooking. I also trimmed the green beans while the water was beginning to boil.

I finely minced a small shallot, and mixed that with some lemon juice, chopped mint, a pinch of salt and olive oil in a container with a top. I shook it all together until it was emulsified, and set it aside to dress the salad.

As the water in my two pots began to boil, I heated my grill pan and seasoned my chicken breasts. A little salt, a little pepper, and a little chopped rosemary goes a long way! I cooked the chicken quickly, until both sides were golden with wonderful-looking grill marks, but I left it a bit undercooked. Instead, I placed the meat on a plate, and covered it with a bowl to keep the heat in, allowing it to continue cooking as it rested. 

While the chicken rested, I cooked the green beans in one pot, and the chard stems in the other, for about 3 minutes. With 30 seconds left, I added the chard leaves to the pot while I drained the green beans. The beans and the chard (stems and leaves) got tossed in a bowl with the tomatoes, and the dressing I made earlier. At this point, I sliced the chicken breasts into about 4 slices each, and placed them atop the salads, with a bit more dressing. It made for a beautiful plate of healthy, fresh food. Sometimes, it's wonderful to sit down to a summery meal on a cold winter's day, and while I used more wintery vegetables, the resulting dish was bright, light and made me wish for spring!

Now that dinner is done, I can tuck into Chapter 3 of The Professional Chef, and write about that a bit later tonight. 

I also want to remind everyone that there's still time to win a case of Popchips! I've only got one entry so far, and you can't win if you don't enter! Be sure to scroll down to the prior post, entitled Share the Health! and comment in order have a chance at winning! The contest ends on Wednesday night, so be sure to comment ASAP!!

Share the Health! Popchips Holiday Giveaway

Think of a chip…that hasn’t been fried. Okay, got it? Now, think of a chip…that hasn’t been baked either. Can you think of any?

Enter…Popchips! A healthier, more delicious alternative to chips, and snacking as a whole! The process starts with potatoes, just plain potatoes, which are then added to a little heat and pressure…this makes each potato slice, well, “Pop!” There is no fake anything, this product is all-natural, and tasty to boot!

Popchips have no trans fat, no saturated fat, fewer calories and more chips per serving than other products on the market. And, believe it or not, they are even improving the product as we speak! By August 2012, Popchips will have an average of 30% less sodium than they have now (280mg). I love a company that is constantly improving upon a good thing, to make it even better for their consumers! These chips are even kosher and vegan-friendly!

That’s why I think this is a perfect time of year to talk to you about them! Now is the time of year when we go to parties, and host parties, and snack on all sorts of delicious treats made by friends and co-workers…but, to what end? We only realize after the holidays are over that there are a few extra pounds we now have to shed at the gym. But, what if there was a snack that you could bring to a party, that was delicious, and fun…but also, guilt-free?! No one has to KNOW they are guilt-free, because they don’t taste it, but you’ll feel better about snacking at a party with these on the table. Choose between Original, BBQ, Sour Cream & Onion, Cheddar, Sea Salt & Vinegar, Salt & Pepper, Parmesan & Garlic, Jalapeno and Chili Lime. Yum!

Thankfully, I’ve made a few friends over at Popchips and they’ve offered to host a giveaway to one of my lucky readers, for a case of Popchips, in the flavor of their choice! All you have to do is comment on this post, telling us where you’ll be bringing Popchips this holiday season. Once I’ve chosen a winner (at random), I will post that here, and also send an email to the winner to get their full name and shipping address. (Unfortunately, this contest is limited to residents of the United States. Apologies to all of my international readers…I’ll organize something for you guys as soon as possible!)

There can only be one winner of this giveaway, but I am working hard to bring more and more contests to the site, and I’m really excited to get them going. So, leave your comment, and let us all know how you’ll use your case of Popchips this holiday season! One lucky reader will be enjoying them clear through to the new year! And the rest of you, you can all get them at your local grocery store chains. For specific locations, check here.

Pick up your Popchips, and … SHARE THE HEALTH!!!