I Did It So You Can Try It Too!

My boyfriend and I decided that due to this semester being very busy for both of us, that we would try to meal prep lunch every Sunday. So, that is what we did last weekend! We complied a list of what we would both need for the recipe and made it together. It makes mornings so much easier when you don't have to open the fridge and try to decide what you're going to make for lunch; it's already there and ready! Meal prep helps you make nutritious and healthy decisions every day, without having to put much thought into it.

To start our semester meal prep, we decided to keep it easy. I found a video on facebook of a recipe that looked delicious and very nutritious, that was Pesto Chicken with Green Beans and Tomatoes. This recipe was super easy and a great starter for more meal prep. Both my boyfriend and I loved it, and my fellow interns and classmates thought it smelled great too!

The only thing I would change about this recipe is use fresh pesto (avaliable on the Wegman's Olive Bar) instead of the jarred pesto. The fresh would have covered the chicken and vegetables a lot better. I would also recommend bringing a starch to accompany your lunch. Perhaps an apple or pretzels! That way you hit all the food groups in one sitting!

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 chicken thighs, boneless and skinless
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
1 pound green beans
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
½ cup basil pesto

PREPARATION

1. In a large pan, heat olive oil and add chicken thighs. Season with salt and pepper. When the chicken is completely cooked through, remove from pan, slice into strips, and set aside.

2. Add green beans and cook until crisp tender. Return the chicken strips to the pan, then add tomatoes and pesto. Stir until fully incorporated.

3. Serve immediately or divide into 4 food storage containers and store in the refrigerator. Can be kept refrigerated for up to 4 days.

4. Enjoy!

Recipe Adapted from BuzzFeed 

https://www.buzzfeed.com/robertbroadfoot/step-up-your-meal-prep-game

I used chicken tenders for this recipe instead of chicken thighs due to preference. We also doubled it in order for us to get 8 servings out of it too. 

Try it out and tell me what you think! 

Whats on my Plate?

Ever wonder what a nutrition major eats? Wonder if its healthy or if I practice what I preach? Well the answer is, I do eat nutritious foods most of the time but, I have no problem with treating myself. One thing nutrition majors hate to hear when they sit down for a meal is; "Why are you eating that? Aren't you supposed to be eating only nutritious and healthy foods and staying away from the bad things?". My response is always, "I consciously made the decision to put this food on my plate and if I want to treat myself every once in a while, then why not!"  Just because you are watching what you are eating, doesn't mean you can't treat yourself or make it so you can't have anything that tastes good.

This is what I ate for the day and the justification in the choices I made:

Breakfast (9 am)
For breakfast I had an 8 oz glass of chocolate milk, an apple and whole wheat toast with peanut butter. I chose the toast because it is whole grain and it is very important to fuel your body with carbs and protein at the beginning of the day. Whole grains contain some protein which can help you feel fuller longer and provide energy for the body to get going in the morning. The peanut butter contains protein as well, but also has healthy fats. These fats are monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. These types of fat can help lower cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease. I had an apple in order to get some vitamins and minerals that may be lacking from just having toast for breakfast. Apples are also high in fiber which can aid in digestion. The chocolate milk was chosen to provide 9 essential vitamins and minerals that the body cannot make and have to get from food sources, and to provide more protein in my breakfast.

Lunch (12:30 pm)
For lunch, I had the leftovers of a sandwich that I got a few days ago. However, this is an easy sandwich anyone can make and it is full of protein and nutrients. It was a hard roll with presto, which is full of healthy fats due to the olive oil and pine nuts in it, lettuce, tomato and mozzarella. The mozzarella is a great source of protein and is lower in fat than other types of cheeses. I knew I would need more than just a half a sandwich, so I paired it with carrots and honey mustard. Carrots are high in Vitamin A, K, dietary fiber, and biotin, and I added the honey mustard just to spice up my carrots a little. I had a glass of green tea with it, which has been shown to provide antioxidants to prevent illness and help boost metabolism!

Snack (2:30 pm)
 I had class all afternoon and knew that I would need something to hold me over until dinner time, so I grabbed the single serving pack of dry roasted almonds on my way out of the door. I love the way they taste and they are full of heart healthy fats and protein to keep me feeling full until dinner time.


Dinner (5:30 pm)
I was in a time crunch to get something to eat before class and going to the gym later so I decided to throw some chicken on the George Foreman Grill we have at my apartment, steamed up some broccoli, and made couscous. After the chicken was grilled and the broccoli was steamed, I threw them into a frying pan with olive oil, garlic and cheese and made a simple skillet meal with couscous as a side. Couscous is one of the 7 Mother Grains and a whole grain which are needed in a daily diet. The broccoli is full of antioxidants and vitamins, and the cheese gave me another serving of dairy and protein on my plate. Chicken is one of my favorite meats just because it is so versatile and easy to prepare. Its a really good source of protein, and a very lean meat. Milk again accompanied this meal.
 

Post Workout Snack (10:30 pm)
After a tough workout, I was feeling a little hungry and needed a pick me up to replenish carbohydrates burned during cardio and take in protein to help me build more muscle after a weight lifting circuit. My snack included a piece of bread and a tall glass of milk. The key to post workout snacks is to have it be a 2:1 Carb to Protein ratio. Your body really needs to replenish the carbohydrate stores after burning many of them off during exercise.






This is basically what the jist of my diet is daily. It is really important to make sure that meals are balanced between carbs, protein and fat, and that you are getting vegetables and fruits in your diet to get all the vitamins and minerals needed to function in our daily lives.

Knowing Your Labels

One of the biggest issues in the nutrition field  is that not many people know what all the nutrition jargon means on the packaging of the foods they buy and eat. I have read multiple articles about this, and with each article I read, I learn something new about what different things mean on these labels. Like what the different is between all natural and organic. Or antibiotic free or hormone free. Here's a few labels and their meanings I think are important to know and to help you know what you are buying

For meats, these are common labels and their meanings:
- American Grass Fed Certified-No antibiotics are used at all during the animals life time
- Animal Welfare Approved-No antibiotics are used for growth or disease prevention. Animals are only given antibiotics if they are sick. Welfare and hygiene are fully addressed
- Certified Humane- No antibiotics are used for growth or disease prevention, some welfare and hygiene practices are used
-No Antibiotics/Raised with no antibiotics- drugs are not used for any purpose, but if they do not have the USDA seal, then they cannot be fully relied on to be antibiotic free
-Organic- Animals have not been given antibiotics, and sick animals that have been treated with antibiotics, cannot be considered organic. They can be given Antibiotics before they have hatched, or on the day they were born and still be considered Organic.
-Grass-Fed- not all meat that has been grass fed has been raised without antibiotics. Look for the AGA certified label stating at that they have no been raised with antibiotics
-Natural/All-Natural- Has nothing to do with antibiotics, hormones or any other drugs that may be used at all. This label just means that no artificial ingredients have been used and was minimally processed
-No hormones- Does not have anything to do with antibiotics used for growth. Pork and Chicken cannot have any hormones added to them, so whether the package is labeled with this or not, there are no hormones used or added.
- Raised without Antibiotics for growth promotion- Antibiotics are used for disease prevention and treatment
( Info obtained from Consumerreports.org)



Here are some that show up on many different labels, across many food groups along with their definitions:
-"Free of..." or "Fat Free"- only trivial amounts in each serving
- "Good Source"- has at least 10-19% of the daily value per serving
- "Less"- contains 25% of less of a nutrient or calories than the reference food
- "Light"- 1/3 less calories and 1/2 the fat
- Light in sodium" - amount of sodium in one serving has been cut in half
- "More"- contains at least 10% more of the Daily Value per serving than the normal food. Other words used to describe this are fortified, enriched, added, extra and plus
- "Reduced"- Food has been altered to have 25% less of a nutrient or calories than the normal food

What's for dinner?

I decided to mix it up for this post and talk about and share a recipe I made for my boyfriend and I the other week. I love to cook, and that is very important when you're in school for nutrition. Especially when you have to take 3 cooking classes and labs in order to graduate! However, I discovered my love for cooking and baking long before college started. I regularly help my parents with dinner prep at home, and at least cook dinner once a week while at school for my boyfriend and I. Dining hall food gets pretty old pretty fast. When boyfriend suggested the other week that we should make dinner at his apartment before I went home for the weekend, I immediately when on Pinterest to see what tasty, easy and nutritious meal ideas I could find. He suggested something with chicken and rice because he had been making a lot of pasta lately, and had a lot of chicken in the freezer his mom bought his before he came back for the second semester. I found many, many recipes that sounded really appealing, but most looked like they would take over an hour to make. I was losing hope of finding a chicken and rice dish until I found One-pot Cheesy Chicken, Broccoli and Rice. It sounded easy and really tasty, especially with the broccoli and cheese in the recipe. We both agreed on it and headed to the store after we were both done with class. This recipe was really easy, super quick, cheesy, and we both loved it! Lots of leftovers, and it has something from every food group!

Easy One-Pot Cheesy Chicken, Broccoli and Rice

Ingredients           

• 1 lb Chicken breasts, boneless skinless                                                           
• 2 1/2 cups Broccoli florets                                                    
• 2 cloves Garlic                                                    
• 1/2 Yellow onion, medium                                                       
• 2 1/2 cups Chicken broth, low-sodium                                      
• 1 cup White rice, long grain                                 
• 1 tsp Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper                                                  
• 3 tbsp Olive oil, extra virgin                                                    
• 2 cups Reduced-Fat Shredded Cheddar cheese, sharp

Instructions

1. In a large skillet or pan, sauté onions in two tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper.
2. Once onions soften, increase the heat to medium high and add chicken to the pan.
3. Brown the chicken pieces and add the garlic. Cook for about 1 more minute.
4. Push chicken to one side of the pan and add additional tablespoon of olive oil to other side.
5. Add the uncooked rice in the olive oil and saute it for a couple of minutes.
6. Add the chicken broth to the pan and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cover the pan with a lid.
7. Cook chicken and rice mixture covered for about 12 minutes.
8. Sprinkle the broccoli evenly over the chicken and rice mixture and stir to combine.
9. Continue to cook covered another 8 minutes on low, or until broccoli and rice are both tender.
10. Remove from heat and stir in half a cup of cheese.
11. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top and cover with a lid, letting it sit for 1-2 minutes or until cheese has melted. Serve.