Now don’t let me fool you, I haven’t cooked a thing since katie has joined the clan (it’s been lots of peanut butter, bananas, and granola for me) BUT I have a ton of recipes that haven’t made it to the blog yet, so I figured I would dip into my “recipes not posted” file until I get back into the kitchen.
This is a recipe that was inspired by one of my favorite blogs, “The Nourishing Gourmet“. Kimberly has a ton of nourishing recipes that never fail to leave my mouth watering. I love her food point of view and am often inspired by many of her culinary creations. This recipe for Lemon Garlic Drumsticks is just one of the many recipes I’ve been wanting to try.
When it comes to chicken, I usually stick to the breast meat and the occasional boneless, skinless thigh so I was excited to try something a little different. The first thing you’ll notice when buying chicken drumsticks is the price. The drumsticks are cheap, cheap, cheap, so they are great for anyone cooking on budget (I bought a package of organic drumsticks for about five bucks).
My next decision was about the skin. The original recipe leaves the skin on the drumsticks, but since I am always looking for a way to cut out any unnecessary fats, I decided to take the skin off (besides, dark meat contains plenty of fat as it is). I was however curious to see if removing the skin would make a big difference in flavor so I ended up leaving the skin on two of the drumsticks just to do a little side by side testing. I didn’t have any intention of eating the skin, but I was curious to see if the meat would dry out when cooked without the skin.
The results? The chicken with out the skin was just as moist and juicy as the chicken with the skin, so I would suggest removing the skin first (especially if you want to cut back on saturated fats).
I served this with the Mint and Dill Romaine Salad I posted a few weeks ago. It made the perfect light and refreshing meal (great for a hot summer night:).
It will be interesting to see how having a baby influences my cooking. What seemed super fast and easy to me pre-baby now seems a little more involved. Is it possible to make food even faster and easier? I don’t know! What I do know is that preperation and organization seem like they are going to play huge factors in balancing a baby and a healthy lifestyle. It’s just too easy to make “bad” choices when I feel like I don’t have time, so this will be something that I will be putting a lot of attention on.
I have been trying to get this post up for three days but with a baby that seems to be on my boob breast feeding every hour of the day, I haven’t had time to do much else! Have any of you Moms out there breast fed your babies? If so, PLEASE tell me that it gets easier. Other than the benefit of great big boobies, I am beginning to think that the breast feeding is harder than the actual labor.
Ingredients
- 8 drumsticks about two pounds
- 2 tsp dry mustard
- 4 large garlic cloves crushed
- 1 tsp salt
- Plenty of freshly ground pepper
- Zest of one large organic lemon about 1 tablespoon
- Juice of about half of the lemon
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Remove the skin from the drumstick before rinsing each one under some cold water. Pat drumsticks dry with a paper towel.
- In a large bowl combine dry mustard, crushed garlic, salt, pepper, lemon juice, lemon zest and olive oil and mix well. Place drumsticks into the marinade and coat well (you can do this in a Ziploc bag to make things easier). Cover and pop in the fridge for at least two hours and no longer than twelve hours.
- When ready to cook, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place drumsticks in a small casserole dish and bake for about 45 to 55 minutes, or until done (temp should hit 165). The juices should run clear when pierced with a knife. Enjoy!
- Serves 4.
Stacey says
I have 3 kiddos and yes, BFing does get easier!! Eventually, she’ll be able to go longer between feedings, especially once she starts solids–then it seems like a breeze! I LOVE your site for healthy recipe ideas and I can’t lie–I’m really excited that you have a baby now so that you’ll have more “faster and easier” recipes!! Fast, easy and healthy is my goal at EVERY meal!
Debbie Brooks says
I have 3 healthy and very grown up ‘babies’, and it is difficult in the beginning, especially as you need to remember just what your body has gone through inthe last 9-10 months!
I was able to feed alll my babies until they were at least 1 year old and the health benefits both to you and baby make it all worth while! Oh and don’t forget to express some milk so that others can help with the feed too, this helps Dad’s to be part of the feeding too!!
LOVE YOUR SITE AND VIDEOS x
Kate says
Breastfeeding can take many weeks to feel “right.” Please don’t try to do too much else–it is a FT job in the early days! Once Katie gets bigger (bigger mouth, bigger stomach capacity) she will not want to nurse so often. If she is around 3 or 6 weeks old it’s growth spurt time (with extra nursing time) or there are developmental (brain) leaps at weeks 5 and 9 that may also warrant some extra snuggle time.
Do you read Ask Moxie? You should. http://www.askmoxie.org
In her sidebar there is a whole series on breastfeeding.
Every day you breastfeed your daughter is a gift to both of you!
PS Do you have anyone in your community (friends, family, church, etc.) that can help feed you? A meal or two a week, with leftovers, on a rotating basis could offer great relief. Take some of the stress off and allow you more time for the nitty gritty of mothering!
Karen says
Hang in there, breastfeeding is hard work and a 24 hour/day job at first, but it does slow down and get MUCH easier after a while! Planning out meals in advance so I know what to buy at the grocery store and prepping as many ingredients as possible ahead of time is really the key for me to keep my family eating healthy when we’re all so busy. Good luck, I love your site!
Karen D. says
I breastfed 3 babes. After the first 6 weeks it does get a lot easier.
Amy F says
Just think…no making a bottle in the middle of the night. I always thought BF’ing was much easier than bottle. It’s always there and always ready!
Dani says
Stacey – Thanks for the insight. it’s always good to hear from someone who has been there!
Debbie – Expressing!! I’ve been doing that since day one;).
Kate – Great tips… thank you. I am definitely going to check out Moxie!
Karen – I agree… healthy eating is going to be all about the pre-preppin’!
Karen D. – Six weeks?! Okay… I just have four to go;).
Amy F. – Good point! I guess I just need to focus on the positive:).
Ann Waugh says
Yes, for new moms who relax and enjoy the experience knowing that they are doing the very best for their babies, YES! It can be hard at first because it’s so new and is often looked upon as an “alternative” feeding approach. It is not an alternative; bottle feeding is an alternative when breast feeding is simply impossible for some unexpected or difficult situation. Breast milk and breast feeding is the way we are wired–both for the mother and for the child. Did you notice that you had cramps for the first few days after the birth? Were you told what that was? Your body will be healthier for it. And slimmer too I might add!
Sometimes it is painful because your nipples get sore. If this happened to you, you know now to prepare your nipples better before the birth…next time. They will toughen up and it will be very easy. Were you already told this? I might not have anything here for you that you haven’t already heard. I hope you are connected with other breast-feeding mothers and helpers. This can make all the difference.
You are beautiful. Your baby is beautiful. Breastfeeding is beautiful.
And yes, there is a little inconvenience that goes along with it. If you normally have small breasts your milk will be supplied the same as if you had larger breasts. Therefore, you will probably leak. I hope you have good nursing bras and pads.
But hey–your babies dinner is always ready and at the right temperature and perfectly sterilized and formulated for your little one. Now there’s some convenience that bottle feeding mothers don’t have!
Beautiful, beautiful!
This rambling note is lovingly sent to you by a 63 year old woman who breast-fed 3 great kids. Each one received no less than one year of breast feeding, one of them 18 months. I tell you, that was the easiest part of the whole child-rearing process–don’t miss it!!
Best wishes for great mothering,
AW
Jade says
Yes, please hang in there. you don’t want to have doubts or regrets in the future! You are so right about the bad choices when you think you don’t have time – my son is 18 and I guess we had meals eat out too many that he preferred eat out, and we all know what choices out there for teens!
ET says
From a man’s point of view: 10 years ago my wife gave birth to our first son and while she (we?) had trouble in the beginning she got some help from a lactation specialist.
She nursed for 18 months! It is the most natural and beautiful act in the world.
And, yes, I was a bit jealous.
Sherry says
Came out exceptional Dani/ had it with quinoa stir fry..
Thank u
Dani says
Yum! Quinoa stir fry sounds great!!