Sweet and Sour Green Beans

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When I was growing up my Mom made these beans a lot for our “special occasion” meals. I would look forward to these when we had special guests coming over and usually around holidays. My parents have always tried to cook healthy. Since one of the four ingredients was bacon (and bacon grease) it was a big treat when we had these green beans! This flavor packed side has certainly stolen the dinner show many times!

Food H & P:
3 cans of cut green beans in 14.5 ounce cans
6 slices of bacon
¼ cup of white distilled vinegar
¼ cup of sugar

Food Rx:
Cook bacon and save the grease. Drain the green beans and rinse with cool water. Mix equal parts bacon grease, vinegar, and sugar. I have found that usually 6 pieces of bacon produces about ¼ cup of grease. I usually measure the grease first then mix together equal parts of the vinegar and sugar. Pour mixture over the beans and refrigerate until ready to bake. The longer they marinate the more flavor they have. Before baking top with the crumbled cooked bacon. Bake at 350 degrees 15-20 mins or until heated through.

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Nursing Tip:
I have found that some emergency room personal can have a gruff exterior; however, like these sweet and sour green beans it turns out they are surprisingly sweet and tangy! The general comforts of having your pillow fluffed, room temperature just right, and soothing background music is the last thing that the staff is considering, as at any given moment an ambulance is pulling in or another patient is clinging to life. Sometimes that can be easily overlook by a stable patient, but word of advice be nice to your nursing staff as they determine your needle size and sign your work excuse!

Jug Chicken

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I do not know about you, but I certainly have hit the New Year’s cooking slump. It was hard for me to recover after the holidays this year! This chicken dish has gotten me through in a pinch many times. This chicken is a four ingredient wonder that also packs a flavor punch. The tangy lemon, savory Worcestershire, and always faithful butter meld together to produce an unbeatable weeknight dinner. If you are like me and just need a little push to getting your cooking groove back give this one a try!

Food H & P:
4 chicken breasts (frozen is just fine)
½ stick of butter
½ cup of Worcestershire sauce
¼ cup of lemon juice

Food Rx:
Combine all ingredients in a crockpot and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 7-8 hours.

Optional Gravy:
For a dinner option, when the chicken is ready, I enjoy making a gravy with the remaining cooking liquid to pour over the chicken. It is as simple as melting 1 Tablespoon of flour and 1 Tablespoon of butter in a skillet on the stove then adding 1- 1 ½ cups of the cooking liquid while constantly whisking. The gravy will thicken in 1-2 minutes. I serve the chicken over rice and top with gravy!

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I love doubling this recipe to ensure leftovers. This chicken has turned into the base for my chicken salad and is wonderful over a lunchtime green salad. I always pour some of the cooking liquid over the remaining chicken to prevent drying out.

Nursing Tip:
This cold and flu season seems to have nearly exhausted our hospital resources. Simply sitting in a waiting room can be detrimental to the immunocompromised. The “bug” is absolutely everywhere! You do not even have to be in healthcare to be swimming in the sea of flu germs. I have even had friends and family that unknowingly continue to go about life, work, church, and grocery shopping only to find out a few days later that influenza was the cause of their discomfort. My advice for the day is as always good hand washing, disinfect counters and work spaces, and maybe partake in “click list” grocery shopping!

Twice Baked Potatoes

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I absolutely love this side! These potatoes are elegant and so quick! To me they are like a nice pair of blue jeans, they can be dressed up or dressed down! Twice baked potatoes are the perfect side for a steak dinner or a casual baked chicken meal. I enjoy having these ready way beforehand then saving the second cooking for meal time. I promise you cannot go wrong with these!

Food H & P: (serves 2)
2 russet potatoes
½ cup of cottage cheese
½ cup of sour cream
½ cup of cheddar cheese
1 Tbsp of butter
1 Tbsp of yellow mustard
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 tsp dried parsley

Food Rx:
Clean potatoes under running water with scrub brush and poke holes all around with fork. Place potatoes in microwave and cook in 2 minute intervals, assessing doneness, until cooked and very fork tender. It usually takes me about 8 minutes. Remove potatoes from microwave with hot pad and cut off a section of skin from the top to form an opening. Using a spoon, scoop out the cooked potato being careful not to go through the remaining skin. Add all of the ingredients to the potato filling, reserving 2 Tbsp of cheddar. Mix together and place back into the potato skin. Place reserved cheese on top of the potato. When ready to eat bake potatoes in a 350 degrees oven for 15 minutes or until heated through.

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Nursing tip: Speaking of twice baked, we have patients that have made more than one trip to the ER during a 12-hour shift. The reasons vary but usually it is not due to a decline in status but more likely in hopes of having a different provider who is more likely to prescribe the patient’s preferred pain medication. We also see some with unrealistic expectations on recovery time. Based on the tone of the paramedic, listed complaint, and age the staff can sometimes even guess who is coming in on an ambulance with impressive accuracy!