Chicken Coconut Curry

Ingredients:

2 Tbs butter, or butter substitute

2 Tbs curry powder 

1 can coconut milk 

2 large chicken breasts 

3 large carrots 

2 potatoes 

2 Tbs garlic 

1 white onion

1. In a large skillet, melt butter and mix in curry powder. 

2. Chop up chicken, carrots, potatoes, and onion into small, bite-size pieces. 

3. Add chicken, carrots, potatoes, and onion to the skillet and cook on low-medium for approx. 30 minutes or until vegetables and chicken are mostly cooked through. 

4. Add coconut milk to the skillet and bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 20 minutes. 

5. Take off heat and serve over basamati rice. Enjoy! 

Personally, I love coconut curry and this is a pretty simple recipe that I made up and it tastes really great. I love Thai food and always try it wherever I travel so to be able to make great food in my own kitchen is a treat. In regard to taste, I personally would add some more curry powder or some salt to spice it up more. It turned out a little more bland at first than I hoped for. It was super easy to prepare as well, the only real work was in chopping everything up. Once it is in the skillet, as long as the heat isn’t too high, it doesn’t take a lot of attention. 

This recipe is also gluten-free, dairy-free, and sugar-free, because of health restrictions that is how I have to eat. So nutrients from those categories won’t be found in this dish. In terms of grains, when you add rice to the dish that is where the grains come in. The potatoes also contribute to the carbohydrate count. The carrots, and onion add to the vegetables. The chicken provides the protein in this dish. The vitamins and nutrients are provided by the coconut milk, chicken, carrots, potatoes, garlic, and onion. The fats in this recipe are from the coconut milk and the chicken. 

The only negative aspect of this meal is that it does not provide any dairy or fruits. You can always eat fruit with your meal in order to get that serving of fruit that you need. If you need to drink a glass of milk you can do that as well, but I cannot have milk so I wouldn’t do that. 

I consider this recipe to be healthy. Most of the ingredients are fresh and there is little fat or unnecessary nutrients found in this recipe. The main nutrients found are carbohydrates, proteins, and vitamins. Carbohydrates and proteins work to provide energy for the body. Proteins also promote growth, development, and maintenance within the body systems. Vitamins do this as well but also contribute to the regulation of body processes. 

M. Lowe 

Black Bean soup

The recipe that I chose to share is one that I wanted to try for a very long time but had never put it on my menu until this week.  I made Black Bean soup for this assignment.  The recipe came from a magazine that I received when I was pregnant with one of my children.  One of the nice things about this recipe is that it already had the nutrition facts on it.  Another thing I like about this recipe is that it doesn’t take very much time to make just time for the flavors to meld.  The prep time for this recipe is 10 minutes and cooking time is 30 minutes.

Taste: This soup was relatively good for a simple recipe. It tasted a lot like a chili especially with the amount of cumin the recipe suggests. In my house when we tryout new recipes we have a smiley face rating system, a smiley if we would make it again, a straight face if it was alright, or a sad face if the recipe isn't worth repeating.  In rating the taste I would give this a straight face.  It was alright but I think it could have been better. 

Ease of preparation: Preparing this meal was very easy.  The hardest part was cutting up the onion, if you follow the recipe.  I actually used fresh garlic instead of the bottled minced garlic as the recipe asked.  Prep time takes about 10 minutes.  Actual cooking time about another 5 - 10 minutes.  Allowing the flavors in the soup to meld takes about 20 minutes (at least).

Specific nutritional value:  (This information was on the recipe)
Nutrition facts per serving:
Calories: 233
Total fat: 0 g (0 g. saturated fat)
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 1677 mg
Total carbohydrates: 42 g
Fiber: 10 g
Sugars: 5 g
Protein: 12 g
Vitamin A: 15%
Vitamin C: 34%
Calcium: 9%
Iron: 15%

Nutrition Analysis: 

Fats and Sugars
I like that this meal has no fat and is low in sugar to start off.  That allows a little bit of "wiggle" room for the things that I can eat with my soup.  Fats and carbohydrates (sugars) are essential nutrients that our bodies need.  Fats (or lipids) are part of the cell membrane that is important in the growth and development of our tissues and organs.  Our bodies also use fat as a highly concentrated source of energy.  Fat also help to cushion our internal organs.  Without fat our bodies wouldn't be able to efficiently absorb fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K.  This doesn't mean that we should go out and have a "hay day" with french fries or other fried products.  What we need are the unsaturated fats that are good for our bodies.  Some of these can be found in olive oil, peanut oil, avocados, nuts and seeds.

Sugars, also known as carbohydrates, has it's place in our nutrition.  It provides the immediate energy that our body needs to the tissues that are in need of repair.  The problem that we normally face with sugar is that we have it in excess quantities in the foods and drinks that we consume.

Vitamins and Minerals
Vitamin A: Is key for a healthy immune system, good vision, growth, development and reproduction.
Vitamin C: Most of us know that vitamin C is vital for immune system and enhances iron absorption.  But, it is also useful for its antioxidant properties, vital for its functional role in collagen production and wound healing.        
Calcium: Crucial in growing new bone and maintaining bone strength.  Calcium is also essential for the formation of a blood clot.
Iron: Helps metabolize proteins and plays a role in the production of hemoglobin and red blood cells.

On the most part I feel that this is a fairly healthy recipe.  The one draw back to this recipe is the amount of sodium it contains.  For just one serving it has about 70% of the RDA based on a 2000 Calorie diet.  What I would do to make it healthier would be to use fresh vegetables in place of the jarred salsa which should cut down on the amount of sodium.

What Else to Eat
Since this is a soup I wouldn't consider it a complete meal.  I would add a salad to go along with the soup.  For dessert, I would have a fruit and greek yogurt parfait.

Happy and healthy eating!

Rachael T.

Chicken Salad Lettuce Wraps

One of my all-time favorite foods is a chicken salad sandwich. I could scarf down those chicken-stuffed croissants for days. However, that meal is no where near healthy. I found this alternative recipe on Pinterest and I fell in love! Super fresh and super crisp, it makes a great light meal. 

INGREDIENTS

Dressing

• 1 cup Greek yogurt (or low-fat mayo)
• 5 teaspoons honey
• 4 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon pepper

Salad

• 4 cups diced grilled chicken breasts
• ½ cup crushed almonds
• ½ cup red grapes, sliced in half
• 1 red apple, diced
• Iceberg lettuce pieces

INSTRUCTIONS

1. To make the salad dressing, combine the yogurt, honey, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Whisk together until creamy and well-mixed.
2. To prepare the salad, combine the chicken, almonds, grapes, apple and salad dressing in a bowl using a wooden spoon. Stir until the ingredients are well coated with the dressing. Let chill in the refrigerator until ready to prepare wraps.
3. To prepare wraps, put a large piece of iceberg lettuce on a plate. Spoon a generous portion of chicken salad into the wrap.

If you use pre-cooked chicken, this meal takes about 20-30 minutes of prep time. This recipe includes most food groups: fruits, vegetables, proteins, and fats. The main thing it lacks is grain, which could easily be introduced by putting the salad on a couple slices of whole-grain bread. 

Per Serving (1 large wrap):

Calories: 135

Carbs:    6g

Fat:      2.8g

Protein:  22g

Cholest:  51mg

Sodium:   57mg

Sugar:    5g

Fiber:    0.5g

When I did a nutritional analysis of this recipe, I found a few  interesting things. First, almost all of the fat and protein comes from the chicken, yogurt, and almonds. Greek yogurt contains almost no fat, but it does have lots of healthy protein. Protein is great for you because it helps repair and make new cells in your body; it helps maintain the structure of our bodies. Fats are also necessary because they provide us with energy!

Another thing I noticed is that the sugars in this recipe are natural. Natural honey, natural fruits, natural sweetness. There is no processed sugar, which makes it a lot better for us. We need natural carbohydrates in our diet to stay healthy and keep up our calorie count.

When it comes to vitamins and minerals, this recipe has got plenty. Since major minerals are often found in fruits, and trace minerals are found in poultry and nuts, this recipe is a great way to squeeze some minerals into your diet. Almonds also contain Vitamin E, which is essential to calcium disbursement and regulation of cell production. These natural ingredients make getting essential nutrients easy.

 This recipe seems to meet a lot of criteria for a healthy meal.  Low calories, low carbs, low fat, low sodium.  My biggest complaint is that, by itself, the wraps are not very filling. You would have to pair it with grains (or fiber) to feel really full after eating. However, the chicken salad wraps were still delicious and are still a quality food choice. This would make for a great meal if you wanted healthier alternatives to classic recipes.

Futral, M.