NFC Championship Carrot Dogs Packers vs Falcons

NFC Championship Game

Carrot Dogs

Packers @ Falcons

Pregame

NFC Championship game!!! Who would've thought we would be when we were 4-6?  I hope the Packers are focused on this game and not looking ahead to thinking about the Super Bowl.  It seems fans and the media keep bringing up the Packers in the Super Bowl and this game hasn't even been played yet!  It makes me a little nervous.

Well, this game should be nothing less than a high scoring affair.  Neither defense is that great although Atlanta's defense is considerably worse being near the bottom of the league in all categories especially in scoring and absolutely last in red zone defense.  Atlanta's advantage will be on offense as their's is the #1 in the league.  Their only real weak points are that their offensive line is average, don't have a star tight end, and Julio Jones might be a limited with a turf toe.

The Packers offense(which is ranked only slightly lower than the Falcons in the last 8 weeks) is going to have match the Falcons score for score if they are going to win this one.  Field goals aren't going to cut it if they are scoring TD's.  All the Packers slightly injured receivers are expected to play:  Jordy Nelson, Davante Adams, and Geronimo Allison.  

The Pack's defense is going to be the key to winning this game.  Although they aren't great, they have stepped up and have made big plays when they have needed to helping them to win these last eight games.  Matt Ryan is not very mobile so they'll need to get to Matt Ryan to make him uncomfortable in the pocket and force him into making some mistakes.  

Recipe

Carrot Dogs

by Debra Byczek

Ingredients:

4 large carrots, peeled, trim to the size of the hot dog buns

Marinade:

1/4 cup Bragg's Liquid Aminos (or soy sauce)

1/4 cup water

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1/2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

dash liquid smoke

1 clove garlic, minced

1/3 teaspoon dried ginger

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon onion powder

cooking spray

whole wheat hot dog buns

toppings (mustard, onions, relish, chili, etc...)

1.  Boil the carrots for about 6-8 minutes, or until fork tender, but not mushy.  Remove the carrots from the boiling water and run them under cold water to stop the cooking process.

2.  While the carrots are cooking, whisk together all of the marinade ingredients and place in a large Ziploc baggy.  Once the carrots are cool place them in the marinade and shake gently until the carrots are coated.  Store in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours.

3.  The next day, spray a medium skillet with cooking spray.  Turn the heat to medium and place the carrots and about 1/2 cup of the marinade into the skillet.  Heat the carrots for about 8-10 minutes, until warm.

4.  Place the carrots in the bun and add your favorite toppings.

I adapted this recipe from the Clean Eating Veggie Girl website.  I added some leftover red lentil chili to mine and it tasted great!  I was skeptical of a carrot "hot dog" at first, but I was pleasantly surprised by how good they were.  They even got a thumbs up from our 11 year old son.

I served them with homemade potato chips that I made in the microwave. Recipe courtesy of FatManRants.  They were crispy and delicious and made without any oil.  I just sliced the potatoes very thin with the mandolin, added some spices, and put them on parchment paper in the microwave for about 4 minutes.

Our dessert was peanut butter rice krispy treats made with brown rice syrup. The recipe can be found on Mrs. Plant in Texas.

Great meal to enjoy while watching the Packers!!!

Marinade ingredients

Boiling the carrots 

Potatoes before going in the microwave

Crispy and delicious

Yum!

Game Recap

It was a great 8 game run but the magic simply ran out.  This one was pretty much over after Atlanta scored a TD on it's first possession and then the Packers missed a FG.  There was still a little hope left after the Packer defense held the Falcons to a FG only to have it dashed away as Aaron Ripkowski fumbled near the goal line.  This gave Atlanta the chance to go up by 3 scores and they advantage going ahead 17-0 early in the second qtr.  

The Packers never really got anything going so the rest of the game was just a formality finally ending 44-21.   The Packers already went limping into this one with a bunch of players hurt and another 6 went out in this one starting on the first play of the game with Kentrell Brice.

It was a great run but it appeared they ran out of gas after essentially 8 playoff games in a row.  It was exciting and it made the season a respectable one after losing 4 in a row and being 4-6.  At least for us living in Dallas/Ft. Worth it was great that they beat Dallas in thrilling fashion so we don't have to deal with Cowboy fans all off season.  

Until next season,

Be healthy

&

Go Pack Go!!

The Byczeks

Divisional Playoffs BBQ Bean Dip Packers @ Cowboys

Divisional Playoff

BBQ Bean Dip

Packers @ Cowboys

 

Pregame

Big game today for the Packers here in big D!  Both Packers and Cowboys fans are confident they will win.  Should be a really good tough fought game. Quentin Rollins and Jordy will play for the Packers but otherwise they are pretty healthy for this time of the year.

Not much more to say about this one.  Talking time is over, just time to play the game!!  

GO PACK GO!!

Recipe

BBQ Bean Dip

By Debra Byczek

Ingredients:

3 garlic cloves, keep the skins on.  

2 (15 oz) cans Northern beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup tomato paste

2 tablespoons vegan Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon hot sauce

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon pure maple syrup

1 teaspoon liquid smoke

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon water

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and place the garlic cloves in foil.  Roast the garlic for about 10 minutes.  Drain and rinse the beans and place them in the food processor.  Process until the beans are broken up.  Add the remaining ingredients and process for a minute or so.  Scrape down the sides again and process for several minutes until creamy smooth.

When you are ready to serve drizzle the bean dip with barbecue sauce and sprinkle with green onions.  This tastes great with veggies.

Recipe adapted from thevegan8 Instagram page.

3 cloves of garlic wrapped in foil

Ingredients

Enjoy!

Game Recap

PACKERS WIN!!!!!

Whew!! What an exciting game! Down to the wire! 

The Cowboys scored first but the Pack was able to hold them to a field goal just like the Giants last week.  Then the Pack scored a TD and was in control for most of the game until the 4th qtr up by 15.  But then the Cowboys rallied back with 2 TD's and a 2 point conversion to tie the game up at 28.  Then the Packers kick a 56 yd FG to be matched by a Cowboy FG to tie it up at 31 with :30 seconds left.  Jared Cook had an awesome catch at the 35 to give them a chance for a game winning field goal.  The Cowboys called a timeout as Mason Crosby kicked a 51 yarder that didn't count.  That set up another try that Mason Crosby knuckleballed and didn't look like it was going in and it even took the refs a second to call it good.  Whew!! My heart is still beating fast.

A trip to Atlanta is next up where the Packers lost earlier in the year in a nailbiter that ended 34-33.  Should be a good final game for the Georgia Dome, hopefully with a Packer victory!!

GO PACK GO!!

Wildcard Playoff Thai Kale & Carrot Salad Giants @ Packers

Wildcard Playoff

Thai Kale & Carrot Salad

Giants @ Packers

Pregame

We made it!  The Packers ran the table and got a home playoff game in the process.  In the middle of the season, this day seemed very unlikely.  The Packers will only be without Quentin Rollins and Jayrone Elliott.

This game should be a tight one.  Eli Manning has won twice in Lambeau during the playoffs and eventually leading to two Super Bowls.  Right now the Packers offense is hot for the last 7 weeks but the Giants have an equally hot defense. Probably the key to the game will be whether the fairly poor Giants offense or equally inept Packers defense are going to step up and win the game.  The weather will be in the teen's but it shouldn't be much of a factor as both teams are used to playing in cold weather.  

Go Pack Go!!

Recipe

Thai Kale & Carrot Salad

by Debra Byczek

Salad:

1 bunch of Kale, torn and tossed with 1 tsp lime juice

1/2 head of purple cabbage, sliced thin or chopped

1/2 bag shredded carrots

Dressing:

1/2 cup dry roasted unsalted peanuts

2 T. low-sodium soy sauce

1/4 cup coconut sugar

4 cloves garlic

1/4 tsp red chili flakes

(Blend all of the ingredients in a high speed blender until smooth)

Maple Curry Nuts:

1 cup unsalted nuts (I used cashews, peanuts, and pecans)

1 T. maple syrup

1 t. curry powder

(Toss the nuts with the maple syrup and curry powder.  Baked on a parchment lined baking sheet at 350 degrees for 6-10 minutes)

This is a delicious crunchy salad that my friend Mrs. Plant taught me how to make at a cooking class.  

Tip:  Don't toss the salad with the dressing or nuts until ready to serve.  It will get too soft if you add the dressing ahead of time.

Check out Mrs. Plant's website for lots of great, healthy recipes.

www.mrsplantintexas.com

Dressing Ingredients

Enjoy!

Game Recap

Packers WIN!!!  They beat the Giants 38-13!  This game was not won till after halfway in the 4th qtr.  The Packers had an extremely slow start but the defense miraculously only allowed 6 points when the Giants were dominating.  Then the Pack scores a td halfway through the 2nd qtr and topped it off with a hail mary to Randall Cobb going into halftime.

Then the Packers had another slow start to the 2nd half and gave the Giants a chance to take over the game but they just couldn't do it.  Then the Pack took over the game towards the end of the 3rd qtr and never let up.  

I said in the pregame the difference maker would be either the Giants offense or the Packers defense and the Packer's D bent but never totally broke.  Clay Matthews didn't make a play all day until the 4th qtr when he hit Eli Manning, dislodging the ball, then running 10 yards downfield and recovering the ball. The Packers were still playing hard with seconds left and Demarius Randall returned an interception for 70 yards.

Now it's onto Dallas for next week's game.  The Packers lost to the Cowboys earlier in the year but then the Cowboys lost 2 of their 3 games to the Giants while the Packers have beat the Giants twice.  

Here's a prediction.

So the Cowboys can't beat the Giants.

The Packers can beat the Giants.

The Packers lost to the Cowboys at home.

The next logical progression in the pattern seems to be:

THE PACKERS BEAT THE COWBOYS AT HOME!

It will be an interesting week here in the Dallas/Ft Worth area of having to put up with all the Cowboys' fans ribbing but hopefully it will be worth it next Sunday.

GO PACK GO!!

Game 16 Buffalo Tofu Packers @ Lions

Game 16

Buffalo Tofu

Packers @ Lions

 

Pregame

It's finally here!  The last game of the year holds the Packers and the Lions playoff futures.  Whoever wins this game will win the Division and will play the Giants at home.  The loser will be the last seed in the playoffs and travel to Seattle.  If the Pack can just win and hit the playoffs as the hottest team in the league, anything is possible 

The Packers are relatively healthy going into the last game.  Only Randall Cobb will be held out with his bad ankle.  The Lions will be without their main running back but their best corner, Darius Slay, will be available.

Recipe

Buffalo Tofu with Rice, Greens, & Beans

By Debra Byczek

Ingredients:

14 ounce package firm organic tofu (drained and pressed)

1 cup Frank's Red Hot Sauce

1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke

2 bunches kale, sliced with stems removed

Two 15 ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

4 cups cooked brown rice

Vegan Ranch dressing (see recipe below)

Directions: 

Drain and press the tofu to remove as much liquid as possible.  Marinate the tofu in the Frank's Red Hot Sauce and liquid smoke for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Slice the kale into small pieces and steam in a small amount of water.  When the kale is soft, drain the water and add the pinto beans.  Warm the beans and kale over low heat until warmed.  

Cook the brown rice according to the package.

Slice the tofu into strips and bake in the oven on the parchment lined pan for 20 minutes.  Turn the strips once during baking.  When cooked cut into chunks or leave in strips.

In a bowl place a portion of rice, beans and kale mixture, tofu strips or chunks, and drizzle with dressing.

Ranch Dressing (Mexican Style)

1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked in cold water for at least 2 hours

1 T. apple cider vinegar

1/4 tsp. dried dill

1/4 tsp. dried oregano

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1 clove garlic

1/4 cup water

1/4 cup oil free salsa

Drain cashews.  Place all of the ingredients into a high speed blender and blend until smooth.

Health Tip

Tofu is a minimally processed form of the soybean.  Fresh tofu is usually packaged in 1 lb containers with water to keep it moist.  For most recipes, tofu should be pressed to remove the excess water.  The easiest way to do this is with a Tofu Press.  When buying tofu, ALWAYS buy organic.  One reason soy gets a bad name is from it's GMO(genetically modified organism) version that's in a lot of processed foods or fed to livestock.  

Tofu can be used as a meat replacement in many dishes or like scrambled eggs in a tofu scramble.  It is very high in protein but also in fat.  One half cup serving is 94 calories, 10 grams of protein and 5 grams of fat.  It also gives 40% of your iron and calcium requirement for day.  When you're asked "Where do you get your calcium?"  Now you can say tofu.

Another way soy gets a bad name is from it's estrogen content.   Organic non-GMO soy contains good phytoestrogens.  These plant phytoestrogens actually replace the human estrogens in our body.  This is a good thing.  Reduced estrogen in males and females significantly reduces cancer risks.  Eastern Asia eats the most soy and also has one of the lowest cancer rates.

Game Recap

Packers WIN!!! 31-24 is the final.  It was a very close game until they scored with about 3 minutes to go.  Then the Lions made it a little interesting with a hail mary TD with 13 seconds to go.

Once again the Packers don't turn the ball over and get a late interception to seal the game.  Clay Matthews had a ball thrown right at him and perhaps they could have taken the game over a lot earlier.

Aaron Rodgers had 4 touchdowns passes to Ripkowski, Allison, and 2 to Adams. He finishes with the season with the most TD's of any quarterback. His prediction of "Run the Table" came true.  He doesn't always seem like a team guy but he has been this team's undisputed leader in the 2nd half of the season.

Next week they get the Giants at home on Sunday afternoon at 3:40 Central time.  Game temperature is showing to be in the single digits.  Brrr!!


Happy New Year,

The Byczeks