Let's memorialize chickens... with a Barbie!

Good evening, friends...  it's time to talk about chickens.. and not the same ol', same ol', I drill into you about what terrible things they do to chickens before you eat them.  No, I'm still sticking with my original 'health issues' with eating certain things from an animal.

We're talking about chickens because it's one of the items I've not touched upon.
We touched upon milk and cheese, eggs and red meat, and even HORSE meat.

But - let me tell you what devastation awaits your body when you enjoy that chicken dinner.

Quite simply, chickens are the most abused animals on the planet. Chickens raised for their flesh are packed by the thousands into massive sheds. They are fed large amounts of antibiotics and drugs to keep them alive in conditions that would otherwise kill them. The antibiotics make chickens grow so large, so fast that they often become crippled under their own weight. This reckless use of antibiotics also makes drugs less effective for treating humans by speeding up the development of drug-resistant bacteria.

A USDA study found that more than 99 percent of broiler chicken carcasses sold in stores had detectable levels of E. coli, indicating fecal contamination. In other words, if you're eating chicken flesh, you're almost certainly eating poop. Consumer Reports states there are "1.1 million or more Americans sickened each year by undercooked, tainted chicken." Chicken flesh is also loaded with dangerous levels of arsenic, which can cause cancer, dementia, neurological problems, and other ailments in humans. Men's Health magazine recently ranked supermarket chicken number one in their list of the "10 Dirtiest Foods" because of the high rate of bacterial contamination.

Both the Center for Disease Control and the World Health Organization say that if the avian flu virus spreads to the United States, it could be caught simply by eating undercooked chicken flesh or eggs, eating food prepared on the same cutting board as infected meat or eggs, or even touching eggshells contaminated with the disease. Chicken flesh and eggs are packed with cholesterol—a 3-ounce piece of skinless chicken breast meat has as much cholesterol as beef, and just one egg has nearly three times as much! This cholesterol, along with a high intake of animal fats, blocks arteries and causes heart disease.

And you're still eating it.
Sigh.

So, this next dish is a summertime picnic favorite, and one that can be utilized with pork or chicken.  My choice is chicken.  Why?  Because they should be remembered on Memorial day.  The gazillions of chickens and baby chicks that die in the process of factory farming is disgusting.. and this memorial is for them.
But - what is it?

Barbeque!

I'm gonna slow cook this sucker to the peak of vegan perfection and hope that my deck stays nice, dry and warm so that I can pretend I'm at some cutsey picnic I made all for myself. :)

Let's do some numbers

Pulled BBQ Chicken                           Vegan BBQ Chicken
Calories - 300                                               115
Total Fat  - 8                                                    4
Cholesterol - 61                                               0
Sodium - 1058                                              485
Total Carbs - 32.4                                          12
Fiber - 0.3                                                        2
Protein - 23                                                      7
WW Pts - 8                                                      3


And there you have it.
I'm going to fire up the slow cooker on Saturday and let this baby simmer.  I'll probably pair it with some veggie chips and possibly a salad.
Sky's the limit.
Who else wants to memorialize chickens with me?
If not chickens, how about the people that died eating tainted chickens?
How does that rouse ya? ;)


Keep it tuned.. Saturday is the day.
(and with any luck, I'll have leftovers for Monday).


Music enjoyed while blogging:
My popopdeebop station (thank you Koop)

Current Craving:
Grilled 'cheeze'

Current motivation:
Getting ready to see my baby graduate preschool!!