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
