Tuesday, July 28, 2015

I discovered that I like Chicken Sausage

So, the week of July 4th, I don't know what happened but we ended up eating a lot of hot dogs and hamburgers. Maybe it just seemed that way. I spent the afternoon of the 4th at my aunt's house and had yet another hamburger. Later that night, I wasn't feeling all that great.  No, it wasn’t food poisoning or anything. My family did a great job on the burgers. It was my own internal system going into shock. You can't get more American than hot dogs and hamburgers for the 4th, but I had just over done it for whatever reason. Maybe it was the break from school, the errand running, and the renovation project in the bathroom that made it easier to grab a burger or hot dog rather than take the time to actually think about what I was eating.

For the last sixth months, my overall diet had changed. I had been eating pretty well and healthy up until that week. Returning to class on the 6th, I still felt bad. All the crap I had eaten the previous week was still with me.

The following weekend, we went to the grocery store and I was going to get more hot dogs for one of my "lazy day" of dinners. I looked at the hot dogs and just felt sick. Then I looked higher on the shelf and saw something that peaked my interest. I found Al Fresco Chicken Sausage (think Chicken Bratwurst). The label said all natural, no artificial ingredients, 70% less fat, and gluten free. Hmm...

Usually anything labeled less fat is dry and gross. Yet, my curiosity was peaked. I had a classmate that would have chicken sausage for lunch and it always smelled really good. I didn’t know the brand she got, but it was worth a try, again. Previously, I had tried the Aidell's brand, but didn't like them. There were three flavors of the Al Fresco to try from: Tomato Basil, Sweet Apple w/ Maple, and Italian Herb. I figured the Tomato Basil was the safe bet and grabbed a pack.
 
There are more products and flavors. Go to their website for more information.

I’m never going back to regular hot dogs again. The Chicken Sausage is delicious. Whenever I’ve made them, I grilled them, except for once when I pan cooked it. Grilling is definitely the way to go. They were juicy and flavorful. I was actually surprised. On our next trip, I picked up another pack as well as the Sweet Apple & Maple. I haven’t tried it yet, but I have faith that it will be tasty like the Tomato Basil.

The bonus is that I can actually understand the ingredients:
Calories: 140       Calories from fat: 60
SKINLESS CHICKEN MEAT, WATER, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS OF SEA SALT, SUGAR, TOMATOES, SUNDRIED TOMATOES WITH SALT, BASIL, TOMATO POWDER, DEHYDRATED ONION, DEHYDRATED GARLIC, PAPRIKA, NATURAL FLAVORS, IN A NATURAL PORK CASING.

Compared to the Hickory Smoked Beef from BallPark:
Calories: 170      Calories from fat: 130(!)
BEEF, WATER, CORN SYRUP, CONTAINS 2% OR LESS: SALT, DRIED VINEGAR*, SUGAR, CULTURED CELERY JUICE POWDER*, SODIUM PHOSPHATE, SEASONING (FLAVOR, MIXED TRIGLYCERIDES, MALTODEXTRIN), CULTURED DEXTROSE, NATURAL SMOKE FLAVOR, YEAST EXTRACT, PARSLEY, PAPRIKA EXTRACT.

*TO PRESERVE QUALITY

And the Al Fresco chicken sausage doesn’t contain corn syrup like the BallPark brand does. Can someone please tell me why hot dogs have corn syrup, or even sugar for that matter? Both in the same product? That makes no sense. I'm glad I found something better.

Now, all that is left is to switch out my son’s regular hot dogs. I get him the Angus naturals, which isn’t chemical laden, but chicken is still a better protein than the beef hot dogs. Let’s just hope he doesn’t catch on right away. This is the kid that called me out for switching brands of milk, based on taste alone. My fellow Curmudgeon on the other hand? I'm not even going to try.....

 Don't forget, service size is one link, so don't go overboard. With anything, moderation is key.



*Note* I did not receive anything from Al Fresco for this post. I bought their product with my own money and just wanted to give you a healthier alternative for hot dogs and bratwursts. It would have been nice to get some free samples, but this blog isn't that popular. :)

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