Life of a Working College Student

As you may have noticed, I haven't been a good blogger this week, and that is due to the crazy life I live. This week and last week I have been consumed by studying (for the four tests I had this week), working everyday, memorizing every bone in the skeleton and somehow managing some time to spend with my roommate, boyfriend, and a little sleep. But this week really put into perspective the power of leftovers. Leftovers have been my main meal this week, and I'm going to teach you had to spice up those left overs.

The key to making a left over great is turning them into a different meal, so you don't feel like your eating leftovers. I'm one of those people that loves leftovers, but I know I am one of very few. Some people seem to just get bored with the same food over and over again (I say if you find a delicious meal, eat it as often as you can!).

One of my leftovers of the week was a Mexican casserole. I had some enchilada sauce, rice, beans, chicken, and cheese so I just decided to throw them all together into a casserole (and made quite a bit). The next day, out of my leftovers I made burritos! All I had to do was heat up a tortilla and place the casserole inside, and BAM! a portable meal for me to eat on my 15 minute break at work.

The next leftover was pasta with vegetables. These leftovers came courtesy of Matthew. For Valentine's Day he had made me homemade pizza (he made the sauce, dough, everything! This will be a future blog posting). I used the leftover sauce that didn't get used in the pizza as a sauce for my pasta, then just topped it with vegetables. It literally took about 10 minutes to make (basically to cook the pasta).

Leftovers are a quick and easy way to clean out your fridge and make sure you aren't wasting food. As a college student on the go, I know fast meals are necessary, and rather than turning to some fast food (if you can even call it food) check out that tupperware in your fridge and see what new meal you can create.



*Also, here is a great tool I found on Stumble Upon, you basically put in what you have available to cook with and it shoots out recipes for what you have! Click here!

Power Food of the Week: Avocados (Week 2)

With the Superbowl just one week ago, I'm sure many of you enjoyed the taste of avocados in a hearty guacamole. I'm here today to tell you all the wonderful things about avocados and some healthier ways to enjoy them.

Health benefits: Fat. That's right fat. Avocados are filled with great, essential fats for your body. They contain monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats which are the good types of fats for your body. (Opposed to the bad fats which are saturated and trans fats)  They can help lower cholesterol, and reduce your risk for heart disease. Avocados are also a great source of Omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3's help improve cellular function of brain cells, especially with communication with other brain cells. Avocados also naturally contain 6 essential vitamins including Vitamin C, E, and K, riboflavin, folate and niacin. There are many more benefits because of the many nutrients and vitamins involved in avocado, these are just a few to get your avocado cravings flowing.

How to incorporate avocados into your diet: Cut one in half, pull out the seed, and eat it straight, this is the best way to eat an avocado. Cut up a few slices and throw them into a salad, sandwich or wrap to add a unique texture. If you are having a southwestern chicken for dinner, avocado would be a great garnish. Avocados are an easily prepared additive to any meal.


Have a Happy Monday, and show some love to your heart this Valentine's Day with a little avocado!

Avocados are so cool they even have their own website, click here! And remember to buy organic whenever possible.

Baked Eggplant Parmigiana garnished with Spinach and Mushrooms

So here's a take on an old classic. I took my dad's recipe for eggplant parmigiana, made it slightly healthier and added a little flair (with the help of Matthew). I don't mean to boast, but this is one mighty scrumptious meal, Matthew couldn't stop saying how delicious it was. So if any of you ladies or gents out there are trying to impress a loved one on this Valentine's Day, I would highly recommend this meal.

What you'll need:

• 1 large eggplant ( cut to desired thickness, organic)
• 1 jar (~24 oz.) of your favorite tomato sauce (I used a vodka sauce, which really made it taste fantastic)
• 2-3 cups of bread crumbs (Italian)
• 2 eggs, whisked with a splash of milk (cage free, organic)
• Cracked red pepper (for seasoning)
• Olive oil
• 1 bag of a 4 cheese Italian blend (or if you have the money, buy Parmesan cheese and mozzarella and shred it up yourself)
• 2 cups of spinach (organic)
• 2 cups of mushrooms (sliced, organic)
• 1 clove of garlic
• Pepper
• 2 leaves of basil

Let's get cooking!

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Have the whisked egg in a small, but deep bowl. Right next to the eggs have the bread crumbs mixed with the cracked red pepper in a spacious bowl, then at the end have a large baking sheet covered with aluminum foil and a little bit of olive oil. This will create a very functional assembly line for breading the eggplant

• Taking one slice of eggplant at a time, dip first in the egg, making sure it is completely covered. Then dip the eggy eggplant into the bread crumbs and cracked red pepper making sure the whole thing is coated evenly, and place it on the baking sheet. Continue this process until all the slices are coated.

• Place the breaded eggplant slices into the oven for about 8 minutes on each side, or until they are crispy brown. My oven is sort of sucky so I had to flip them, if you have a good oven you  may be able to just leave them in there for 16 minutes all together without flipping. (Eggplant parmigiana is usually fried, I bake it as a way to eliminate the use of extra oil and unneeded fats into the meal). 
• Once browned, remove the eggplant from the oven and reduce heat of the oven to 350 degrees. Now we will begin assembling the eggplant parmiagiana. Get an 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish and cover the bottom with a thin layer of sauce. Place about four or five breaded eggplant slices on top of the sauce. Coat with cheese and about four pieces of basil, then another layer of sauce. Continue layering until you have used up all the eggplant.

• Place the layered eggplant back into the oven for about ten minutes.
• While the eggplant is in its final stages, heat up a skillet with some olive  oil to about a medium high heat. (This would also be a good time to start cooking some pasta, just boil water and throw in the pasta until desired tenderness)
• Throw in your mushrooms and garlic and saute until the mushrooms are a darkish brown, then add the spinach. Sprinkle in some pepper as desired. Saute the spinach until it is a deep green, and has shrunk considerably in size. By the time this has cooked your eggplant should be finished. 

• Remove the eggplant from the oven. If serving with pasta (I used linguini noodles) take a scoop of pasta onto a plate, then a few slices of eggplant and finally top with the spinach and mushrooms. 

 Now your meal is ready to enjoy! This meal made enough for Matthew and I to both have hearty servings, plus some left over for the next day.

Power Food of the Week: Blueberries (Week 1)

As I figure out the layout of my blog I know there are at least two posts a week that are must haves: A weekly homemade recipe, and a weekly power food. A power food is a label I use for a functional food (a food that provides health benefits beyond basic nutrition). These posts are for all those people that think healthy foods can't be appetizing. This week's power food will be blueberries.

I may be slightly bias, but blueberries are one of the most delicious fruits of the Earth. Not only are they tasty, but they offer great nutritional value!

Health benefits: Blueberries contain naturally occurring "plant chemicals", or phytochemicals which boost not only antioxidant activity, but can also help your body fight against the risks of heart disease and cancer.  Phytochemicals are not necessarily components our bodies need to function properly, but they certainly help keep us healthy. One such phytochemical found in blueberries and other dark berries are anthocyanidins. This specific phytochemicals reduces free radicals (cancer causing chemicals derived from oxygen containing compounds), maintains heart health, and regulates cell health.


How to incorporate blueberries into your diet: Blueberries are a sweet little treat to add to many dishes. I enjoy some added into my oatmeal in the morning, or even a bowl of cereal. They are also great in a salad to give it a fresh spring taste. My all time favorite place to eat blueberries is on top of ice cream. Yes, ice cream may not be the healthiest of treats, but it is my one indulgence (and the blueberries make it not such a bad indulgence).  Blueberries are really just great enough to eat all on their own! You can have that sweet snack in the middle of the afternoon without feeling the guilt of overindulging, like you would if you had a milk and cookies.

Here is one adorable book about blueberries and one of my favorite childrens books (: If possible at all for you, I would recommend finding fresh blueberries, right from the Earth itself. Berries are the best before they are picked, packed, and slowly rotting on a grocery store shelf. If you are unable to get your blueberries fresh, at the very least buy organic. With many foods covered in pesticides, the health benefits would be very much outweighed by the harmful nature of hazardous chemicals. Click here to see the dirty dozen, a list of foods you should always buy organic.




Have a wonderful Monday!




*I received most of my information from my nutrition book (Nutrition, Paul Insel) and from scientific articles. But I highly recommend you to do your own research as well. I wouldn't just Google health benefits of blueberries, because a lot of myths and fad nutritional benefits come up, but rather go to Google Scholar which searches scientific journals for the information you are looking for. Sometimes the scientific journals cost money, but most of the time you can read excerpts, or their main points for free.

Apple Coconut Curry Chicken

Last week Matthew (the boyfriend) and I went out to eat at a delicious Thai restaurant, which is what inspired me to make this meal. If there is one thing you must know about Matthew and I, it is that we love love LOVE spicy foods, and Thai food is one of our favorites.  So here we go!

Ingredients

• 3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (Cut into small slices, so they can absorb the flavor of the curry)
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 cup of coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons of red curry paste (more or less depending on how spicy you would like it)
• 1/3 cup of chicken broth
• 2 apples (or one large apple) chopped
• 1/2 of a white onion, chopped
• A sprinkle of ginger (optional)

Now that you have all the needed ingredients, let's get cooking!

• Heat up a skillet on a medium to a medium high heat, and add olive oil. Spread evenly around the pan. Once the pan is hot, throw in the chicken
• Cook the chicken for about 3 minutes on each side or until they are slightly brown (should still be raw in the middle). While the chicken is cooking, go ahead and chop up your onions and apples. (save half of one apple for garnish at the end of the meal)

 

• Once the chicken is browned remove it from the pan and set aside on a plate.
• Add the onions and curry past to the skillet and stir until combined well, then add the chicken broth until glaze-like substance begins to form

• Now add the coconut milk and combine well, continue to stir until the sauce thickens
• Once the sauce has thickened, add the chicken back into the pan, along with the apples and ginger.
• Bring the chicken and sauce to a simmer and cover. Reduce to a medium low heat and continue cooking until the chicken is cooked thoroughly.

Now you're all done! I served mine with some brown rice (Just bought some minute brown rice, took about five minutes) and homemade Thai iced tea (Iced tea with coconut milk, yum!)

 *Making dinner with you and your significant other is a great idea for a cheap date. Matthew and I cooked this together, I had some ice cream and then we watched some Dexter to top it all off!

*And thank you to Jenn for the awesome plates, check out her blog at D.I.Y. Cupcake!

How to Create Your Own Recipes

The best part about cooking is creating your own recipes. Throwing items together and realizing, "Wow that tastes amazing!" is the most rewarding feeling ever. But what if you don't know what flavors go together, much less really even know how to cook? Easy. Just cook! Start out with easy to follow recipes. Learn the basics of cooking, and soon enough you'll see patterns among recipes and find out which combinations of spices, meats, and vegetables taste well together.

How I create my recipes is through the inspiration of others. When I have an idea for a recipe, the first place I go is Google. I begin searching different aspects of the recipe and pick the best ingredients and techniques from several different recipes. Like today, I was inspired to create an Apple Coconut Curry Chicken (Looked around the house and saw I had a few apples, rice and chicken and thought what the heck lets give it a go!) I've begun my search for coconut curry recipes, how to cook apples, ect. Now I believe I've got my perfect recipe, which I will post tomorrow along with pictures and easy to follow instructions (:

For you beginner cooks, get in that kitchen and cook! Bake some chicken, steam vegetables, boil water, and get those creative juices flowing.

List of must haves!

As you can see on the right side of the screen I have made a list of must have foods and ingredients. I've found that having these essential items available always helps out when I have no idea what to make and don't feel like running to the store (especially when it's -22 degrees outside!). It's really quite simple to throw a couple of these foods together and have a fantastic quick meal all in one skillet.

A few notes on some of the items:

• Chicken: I usually buy my chicken from New Frontiers (like a whole foods or sprouts). I buy about 6-8 pieces and freeze them. This way they last longer and if I need to make a meal I just set them in the fridge to defrost or in a dish of hot water.
• Beans beans beans! Beans are always great to have, they provide a great source of protein and make everything delicious from a bean salad to a chicken casserole
• Olive oil: I suggest no other oil but extra virgin olive oil. I have recently learned that oils of supermarkets are actually rancid (except extra virgin olive oil) because they have been heated to 400 degrees and then just left to sit there on shelves, rotting away. 
• Quinoa: I'm sure many of you read this and don't even know how to say it! It is pronounced kinwa, and it is an ancient grain that is a complete protein and also super delicious. It is a great substitute for pasta or rice to give you that extra protein. 
• Spices and such: It's great to have an array of spices, they add variety to any food, but they tend to be a little pricey. I went through my step moms spice drawer and asked if I could take any of her duplicate spices to start off my collection; it was simple and free! If you have $40 to spare, Bed, Bath and Beyond, has a spice rack with spices included.

So go to your nearest health foods store and stock up on these must have items!

Food Blogging (and the occasional tip on other experiences in college)

Live to eat or eat to live, that is the question.

Before I moved out on my own, I lived to eat, but now that the grocery bill comes out of my pocket, I have changed my view of food and how I use it to nourish my body. I was inspired to create this blog from a Christmas present and a friend. My step-mother gave me a recipe book to start documenting all the random creations from my art studio (the kitchen), and I recently had a friend move to Australia who asked me for some recipes and other tips on what to bring to college. I thought, what better way to share with others my philosophy of food, and how to make great food with limited budget and supplies.

I hope to enlighten the world of college students cooking for the first time on the beauty of food. You don't have to gain that freshman 15 from living off Ramen and soda, but rather boost your overall health with delicious, fresh foods. Of course I will incorporate the occasional guilty pleasure that we all deserve after a week of overwhelming classes and mundane work. I hope this blog and these recipes are as helpful and delicious to you as they have been to me.


P.S. Bear with me as my blog will probably change a lot as I figure out how exactly I would like it to look, I hope it won't be too distracting!