Finals Food

With the end of the semester approaching and all the stress with finishing projects and turning in final assignments, a lot of students turn to fast food and late night sugar as a quick way to get energy. I too have been guilty of this in the past, and my gut definitely suffered the repercussions. What many students may not realize is all that late snacking can actually have an adverse affect by feeling more tired the next morning due to your body working all night long to digest what you ate. Instead of diving into your cookie jar and chip bags, try eating dried fruits and almonds, within moderation.

My favorite dried fruits are strawberries, bananas and apples. Yeah I know, it’s not the same as chocolate or starbursts and Hot Cheetos, but you’ll definitely feel a difference with your energy level the following morning. And if your sugar tooth is still not satisfied, what I recommend is 1 tablespoon of honey. Yes, honey still contains sugar, but it is a whole food and does not contain all these other artificial ingredients that candy bars contain. And if it’s one of those nights where you think you’re going to be up until 4 a.m. and seriously need the caffeine, instead of coffee I recommend green tea. While coffee does wake you up, it can also make you on edge and even more anxious; which is probably the last thing you need before your final exam. Green tea has a much more smoother effect in helping to keep you awake. Another benefit of green tea is that it speeds up your metabolism. Being under a lot of stress can also lower your immune system; drinking green which is filled with antioxidants can help boost your immune system and help to prevent you from getting sick during this important time of the semester.  

I know some of these tips can be hard to follow for those long, excruciating nights of endless typing, studying flash cards and trying to keep your eyes from burning out after staring at a computer screen for so long- but it will be well worth it in the end by helping to keep you energized in a healthier way.

Fiery Tuna Salad

So for this blog I’m going to share one of my favorite tuna salad recipes. This isn’t your typical deli style tuna salad. What you’ll need is about half a cup of corn, one clove of garlic, olive oil, one tablespoon of mayo and Sriracha. If you don’t like spicy foods, this may not be the dish for you because this recipe is sure to clear your sinuses.

The first thing you’re going to do is heat up a frying pan and add about two tablespoons of olive oil. Then you’re going to add the half a cup of corn to your heated pan. I like to season my corn with onion powder and garlic powder. Once the corn has been cooking for about 2 minutes, you’re going to mince the garlic clove and add it to your pan. Your kitchen will be filled with amazing aromas at this point. Once the corn and the garlic have caramelized, you’re going to pour it into bowl to let it cool down while you prepare the tuna. Next, you’re going to open two bags of  2.5oz tuna bags and put the tuna in a mixing bowl. Now comes the Sriracha. I usually just eyeball the amount I use. I squeeze and mix and squeeze and mix the Sriracha until all the tuna turns a light colored red. Next you’re going to add 1 tablespoon of mayo. The mayo adds a tad of creaminess to the tuna salad. And last but not least, you mix in your garlic flavored fire roasted corn to your concoction. I sometimes like to add toasted sesame seeds to give it a little crunch. I know this isn’t your typical tuna salad, but this unique dish is definitely worth a try!

Sour Cream Avocado Chicken

So this past week I stuck to my BBC meals once again. This time around it was spicy tuna potato cakes with veggies, chicken marsala with quinoa and chicken alfredo with brown rice and broccoli pilaf. I think the chicken alfredo was most definitely my favorite. After sticking to these meals, I have lost a total of five pounds. Due to having to take some time off from work, I received a smaller check and unfortunately wasn’t able to order meals for this coming month.  But I am very happy with the results and I believe it was definitely worth the investment. So this coming week I’m going to use what I learned from BBC which is cooking smaller portions, making gluten free recipes, and above all, making it interesting. One dish that I’ll be making for Monday and Tuesday is sour cream avocado chicken with Brussels sprout coleslaw. For this I will be using the raw frozen chicken tenders from HEB. You can get a big bag of these for $9.00. For this recipe you’re going to grill two chicken tenders with olive oil and Tone’s coconut lime seasoning. The coconut lime seasoning is absolutely delicious with its sweet zesty flavor. It also pairs well with the way the avocado is prepared which I’ll explain next. So for the avocado spread you’ll need two avocados, three garlic cloves, two tablespoons of sour cream and one lemon. Once you’ve pitted your avocados, you’re going to toss them into a food processor, or any type of blender will work just fine, along with the sour cream, three garlic cloves and the lemon’s juice. You can also add a pinch of salt to enhance the flavor. Once it’s blended to a smooth creamy consistency, you’re going to spread it on top of your cooked chicken tenders. For the Brussels sprout coleslaw, what you’ll need is about five Brussels sprouts, depending on much you want to make, raisons, chopped almonds, Dijon mustard, white wine vinegar and salt. Once you’ve chopped up your Brussels sprouts, you’re going to mix them with about half a cup of raisons, two table spoons of white wine vinegar, half a cup of chopped almonds, and I’ve always just eye-balled the Dijon mustard until it seems like a good amount. As long as the coleslaw is covered with the Dijon mustard once you’ve mixed all the ingredients, you should be good. Just a pinch of salt and viola! Your meal is ready to be devoured. This is a delicious wholefood recipe that’s rich in flavor, yet guilt-free. I will be sharing more recipes from this coming week on my next blog so stay tuned.  

Food For Thought

So this past week I stuck to my Beauty and Beast cuisine meals and I can honestly say I feel a difference. I’m not going to lie, when I first saw the size of the portions, I was like really? This is all I’m getting? But to my pleasant surprise, these meals are actually the perfect portion and hit my hungry spot. I had mentioned in my last blog post that ordering from a meal prep service can be pricey over time, but using it as a guidance tool for eating healthy can be beneficial to someone who is new to clean eating. While I’m not quite sure if I’ll order another months worth of meals, just this week alone has taught me the importance of portion control. Majority of fast food chains serve these ginormous portions that could feed a feast of five for just one person and it’s become the norm here in America. And if you’re anything like me, I practically lick my plate at the end of every meal; no matter how full I am. So it’s a definite hats off from me to BBC for making an effort to teach the RGV how to eat healthier. On another note, I think I’m in love with juicing. When I first got my juicer, I hardly used it. But now I try to use it at least every other day. The benefits for me have most definitely been an increase in the amount of energy I have throughout the day. Juicing detoxifies your system and helps with the appearance of your skin as well. I try to juice fruits and veggies that are enriched with vitamin C such as apples, bell peppers, cantaloupe, strawberries and more. I’ve also felt a change in my mood; which I’m sure is tied to the fact that it decreases my fatigue. If you haven’t tried juicing, I highly recommend it! The benefits you get from extracting fruits and veggies are wonderful. I will continue with updates on my second week with Beauty and Beast Cuisine.

Who Says Delivery Is Only For Pizza

So I’m trying something new this week. I decided to order from meal prepping service, Beauty and Beast Cuisine. All their meals are gluten free and diabetic friendly. Their portions are pretty small compared to what you would get at a Mexican food restaurant in the Valley, but are designed to fill you up and keep you healthy at the same time. My orders for this week include, Raspberry Chipotle Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potato, Reynosa Chicken Tacos and Red Pepper Hummus Turkey Bowl. And they look as tasty as they sound. They also deliver them right to your door every Sunday evening so that’s also a plus. Though this is very convenient for someone who is constantly on the go and wants to eat healthy, they are a little bit pricey. It is 175 dollars for 5 meals a week for a month. It is 300 dollars for 10 meals a week for a month. I did the 175 dollar option. Some would say that this is a pretty penny for meals you can prepare yourself, but I am doing this option as sort of a guidance tool to get me on the right track of learning how to eat the correct portions for my body type. I think ordering from their business could be an eye-opening experience for those who are new to eating food for its nutritional value.  Since I only ordered the dinners, I’ll still be prepping meals for lunch as well as juicing.  Today I actually juiced watermelon and lime, and oh man I think I found my new summer refresher. It was delicious. I juiced three cups of diced watermelon and squeezed 3 limes into an 8oz glass. It was a burst of tart and sweet. It’s the perfect refresher for those who live in South Texas heat.

So I am very excited to try out these Beauty and Beast Cuisine menu items this coming week. I’ll post a review on my next blog. 

Low Calorie Chicken Salad

If you like chicken salad but not all the calories that come a long with it, you’re going to like this recipe. This is actually a recipe I stole from my boss during a party we had at work. The first thing you want to do is dice up 3 pieces of cooked chicken breasts. You’re not going to want to season them as it might interfere with the flavors of the other ingredients.

The next thing you’re going to want to add is 16 tbsp of cool whip. The cool whip is a creamy alternative to using mayonnaise, which is high in grams of fat. At this point you’re going to want to make sure the chicken is smothered in the cool whip and you’re going to mix it all together.  Next you’re going to add 1 cup of diced grapes and 1 cup of diced celery. Just mix it all together and voila! Your chicken salad is ready. All that’s left to do is chill it in the freezer for a couple of hours and you’re good to go. This is a good recipe for all types of occasions such as baby showers, wedding showers and work parties while trying to lay low on the calories.