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 13 Healthier Pizza(II) Seahawks @ Packers

Game 13

Seahawks @ Packers

Healthier Pizza Part II

Pregame

The dreaded Seahawks come into Lambeau today.  The Packers are 1-3 against them recently with 2 of those losses among the worst in franchise history:  The Fail Mary and the NFC Championship Game overtime loss in 2014.  This weather will be almost identical to last week except the majority of the snow should fall before game time.  

On paper Seattle is definitely the better team but the Packers are at home, won 2 in a row, played in the snow last week, and have to win to make the playoffs. If they can't win this game, they probably aren't a playoff team.  

Seattle's defense is still one of the best even though they will be without one of their best defensive players, safety Earl Thomas.  Christine Michael, the running back picked up from Seattle, may give the Packers a little inside info to help them and he may be amped up to show off against his former team.  The Pack will be without Nick Perry with a broken hand but TJ Lang wil be back to help protect QB12 against the Seattle defensive front.

Recipe

Healthier Pizza Part II

This week we are making pizza even healthier.  Last week we had a whole wheat crust, organic pizza sauce, fresh veggies, and Daiya vegan cheese.  This time we replace the pizza sauce and Daiya cheese.

Sauce

This sauce is not terrible but it does contain oil and added sugar.  Instead, whip up your own sauce without these ingredients in just a few minutes.

Pizza Sauce

1 15oz can Organic Low Salt Tomato Sauce(no added sugar or oil)

1 tbl Oregano

1 tbl Basil

1 tbl Garlic Powder

1 tbl Chopped Onion

or 

2 tsp Onion Powder

Note:  I like heavy sauce, so I use this amount on 2 pizzas.  If you like less sauce, this will make 4 pizzas.  Adjust the spices to your taste.

Cheese Topping

The Daiya cheese is a much better choice than cow's milk cheese but it is still a heavily processed food.  You can simply replace the Daiya with nutrional yeast and finely ground cashews.

Nutritional yeast tastes kind of cheesy.  It's high in protein and one the few foods that has vitamin B-12 in it.  Sprinkle as little or as much as you like once you have added your veggies.

Ground cashews make up the second part of the topping.  Take raw, organic(if possible) cashews and grind them in food processor or high speed blender into a powder.  Use the pulse function several times otherwise you make cashew butter.  Raw cashews are preferred because most cashews you find are roasted in oil and have salt added.  Sprinkle on top just like with the nutritional yeast.

Here is my pizza today with some of my favorite veggies: lactino(dinosaur) kale from the garden massaged in lemon juice, green peppers, red onion, and baby bella mushrooms. I also like to finish off mine with a bunch of red pepper flakes to give it a little bit of heat.  Enjoy!

Game Recap

Packers win 38-10!!

Great effort by the Packers!  The Packers started off with a touchdown but then allowed a FG to Seattle.  The Pack's next series resulted in a missed 51 yd FG but then held Seattle to a 3 and out and never relinquished control after that.

Big plays by the offense and defense won the day.  The D forced 6 turnovers, 5 INT's and a fumble, along with 3 sacks and many hard hits on former Badger Russell Wilson.  Aaron Rodgers played great with a QB rating of 150.8 even though he was hobbled most of game and was smartly pulled early in the 4th qtr when the game was out of reach for Seattle.  Jared Cook left the game with a chest injury which I wouldn't be surprised to find out it's a broken rib.

The Packers really needed this to solidify their playoff chances but will need the teams in front of them to start losing some games.  The last 3 games are against the division with next week being at Chicago and then home against the Vikings and Lions.  

Be well,

David