Pad Thai Ramen Noodles w/chicken                                                        Miles Flake

                Hi! My name is Miles Flake. My family always goes to this Chinese restaurant that serves Pad Thai noodles. The dish includes noodles and chicken with a peanut butter sauce on top. This is one of my family’s favorite dishes and we have always wanted to find an easy and fast way to prepare the dish. I found a lot of recipes on how to make it but one stuck out to me and I added some things such as the vegetables and chicken to make it more of a meal I would actually want to eat. It will feed two hungry college students and the ingredients are very easy to find in the grocery store and most of the ingredients can be found regularly in a college student’s apartment.

Taste: Awesome! Tastes like you know how to cook a great Asian meal without actually doing a lot of work. It does have a little spice to it but not anything too extreme. If you like Thai food and especially peanut butter you will love this!

Ease of preparation: Medium difficulty because of the multiple parts to the meal. You have to cook the chicken, noodles and vegetables separately and then combine all of them and add the peanut butter and other seasonings. Overall it doesn’t take too long to make. About 20 minutes to make.

Ingredients

1 package of Top Ramen, Chicken Flavor                                                           ½ can Chicken Broth

1 Tbsp. Lime juice                ½ bag frozen vegetable of your choice (can add or take away as much as                                                                                                                                                  you want)

2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce                                                                            2 Big Tbsp. Peanut Butter

Garlic Powder                                                                                    Red pepper flakes

1 large chicken breast                                                                    1 Tbsp. Butter

1 Tbsp. Vegetable oil                          Hot sauce of any type (add more or less depending on what you like)

Directions

-Season the chicken with Garlic powder, salt, pepper and lime juice.

-Cook in a non-stick pan with a Tbsp. of vegetable oil

-While the Chicken is cooking, prepare the package of Ramen according to the directions but add ¼ cup chicken broth to the water.

-When chicken is done, cut into bite sized pieces and set aside.

-Put frozen vegetables in the same pan as the chicken with 1 Tbsp. butter and 1 Tbsp. soy sauce. Cook until vegetables are tender

- Combine noodles and chicken with the vegetables into the same pan and add pepper flakes.

-Add 1 Tbsp. soy sauce and the 2 Tbsps. Peanut butter and combine until peanut butter is evenly melted and spread throughout the pan.

-If sauce seems too thick then add more chicken broth and lime juice. You can also add more Peanut Butter if you want.

Estimated Recommended Daily Allowance in one bowl

Total Fat:  30%                    Saturated Fat: 22.5%

Cholesterol: 11%                 Sodium: 56.5%

Potassium: .26%                  Carbs: 8%

Dietary Fiber: 18%               Sugar: 5.5 g

Vitamin A: 17.5%                    Vitamin C: 17.5%

Calcium: .73%                     Iron: 6%

Protein: 21 g 42%

Protein

                The two big sources of protein in this meal comes from the peanut butter and the chicken. Peanut butter is an energy and nutrient dense food that contains a lot of protein and also fiber. The protein within peanut butter helps us to build and repair muscle. It contains potassium which can counteract the effects of sodium dealing with cardiac problems. Peanut butter will also make us feel fuller longer which can help with losing weight and will help with our bowel health. Although peanut butter does have a lot of good properties, it’s important to limit the consumption of peanut butter because of the calories it has and because of the amount of protein.

                The other source of protein in the meal is the chicken. Not only does chicken provide us with a lot of protein, but it also provides a lot of health benefits that we don’t always notice. Chicken can help with weight loss and the amounts of protein found in it. Chicken also can help us reduce the risk of high blood pressure. If a person includes chicken and nuts in their everyday diet, they will have reduced risk for having high-blood pressure. Chicken also provides many essential nutrients and vitamins that can reduce our chances of getting certain types of cancer.

                The proteins in this meal also provide a good amount of dietary fiber which helps us with bowel movements and maintaining a healthy weight. It also helps lower cholesterol levels and help lower blood sugar levels.

                Although chicken and peanut butter are great sources of protein, you can make them even better if you prepare them without extra fats and oils. In this meal particularly you could reduce the oil you cook the chicken in and also find a natural peanut butter which would reduce the oil and sugar content of the food.

Vitamins and Minerals

                Many of the Vitamin A and Vitamin C minerals are coming from the vegetables used but also the lime juice used gives vitamin C and calcium needed in our diets. Vitamin C is what strengthens our immune systems and Calcium is what will help our bones be stronger and avoid injury.

A downside to the meal is that is does contain a lot of sodium. The sodium levels are high mostly from the ramen and the soy sauce. Sodium does help with muscles in preventing cramps and regulates the bodily fluids to keep them in balance. Too much sodium can raise blood pressure and create risks of cardiac failure. Sodium also causes fluid to be retained in the body which can put a strain on the Kidneys. In order to reduce the sodium in the meal you could use different noodles and substitute the soy sauce for a different sauce.

Fats and Sugars

                The fat content of the entire meal is 60% of the recommended amount per day but the majority of the fat comes from the peanut butter and oil used in the meal. Not all this fat is bad fat but the meal does contain 45% saturated fat which mainly comes from the ramen. In order to decrease the amount of saturated fat in the meal you could substitute the ramen and oil for a healthier noodle type.

                There isn’t that much sugar in the meal except in the vegetables and the peanut butter. The sugar in the vegetables is a good sugar that is necessary but the sugar in the peanut butter can be avoided by choosing a natural peanut butter that doesn’t add artificial flavor or sweeteners.
Negatives about the meal 
             The two things that makes this meal less healthy is the sodium from the ramen noodles and the fats and oils from the peanut butter. Sodium can raise blood pressure and also put too much strain on the Kidney from retaining so much water. The fat in the meal is a saturated fat which if too much is consumed is considered a major rick to get heart disease. In order to lessen the fat and sodium content you could substitute ramen for rice or not add the butter or any oil to the meal. 

What are other foods that can be eaten with this meal?
Foods you can eat with this meal include a healthy dessert with fruit and some type of dairy. You could also replace the noodles with brown rice and have a healthier meal. 

                You could eat this meal with a side of milk to counter balance the heat of the pepper flakes.You could also add cream or milk to the peanut butter to make the sauce more creamy.