A Friendly Nudge

...because we all could use a little encouragement!

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I want to thank you for helping me change how we think about aging. I am grateful for your support and your encouragement.  I truly believe that real food, movement, and recovery can change what aging looks and feels like.

Regardless of where you are in your health and fitness journey, be patient with yourself during the holidays. I don’t beat myself up when I have that second piece of pie, I just know that it’s not something I’m going to do all the time.  

I’m thinking I may rope my kids into some exercise snacks over the holidays and will definitely be getting out for a walk just to make sure I get a little movement in.

But speaking of Thanksgiving, let’s tackle something that always challenged me.

Cooking Challenge…Thanksgiving Gravy 

I was frequently tasked with making gravy for the dressing but it was always an adventure and sometimes a disappointing one.

This year I decided to change that.

This approach we’re using today will work with chicken stock but it will also work if you make homemade stock.

We’re using a ratio of:

¼ cup of butter (or 2 oz if you’re weighing it)

¼ cup of flour (30 grams or 1.06 oz by weight)

4 cups of chicken broth

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium/ medium-low heat and then slowly add the flour and stir with a whisk.

Cook over medium/ medium-low heat while stirring constantly and the roux will become a golden blonde color and this helps your gravy not taste like raw flour.  

Add your broth or stock gradually and turn heat up to bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium/ medium low and simmer while stirring until you’ve reduced the gravy to about 3 cups.  

I wait to add salt and pepper until after the gravy has reduced so I don’t oversalt it.

I will approach my gravy making with a lot more confidence this year. 

And in keeping with the spirit of playing with your food, feel free to add your own culinary flourishes to this one.  Onions, celery, carrots and fresh herbs can add their personality and then get strained out of the finished product.