Sesame Beef Stir-Fry

Hey everyone! I wanted to share this Sesame Beef Stir-Fry recipe because it is so simple to prepare. If you grate the carrot and Napa cabbage a day or two before you make the meal, it is very simple to throw together. This meal is also fairly cheap for the variety that it provides, and it's very delicious.

Taste: Even though this dish is limited on spices and sauces, it has a very bold and delicious flavor. I love sesame oil, and this recipe has the perfect balance, not overpowering, but definitely not bland.  

Ease of Preparation: This recipe takes a little time, but if you shred the carrot and cabbage a few days before, you really just have to add everything to a frying pan! The thing that takes the most time in this recipe is cooking the rice, and you can always put the rice on in advanced, or even used left over cooked rice. This recipe is very versatile!

Specific Nutritional Value: This recipe is very high in nutrients, and low in carbohydrates and sugar, but it is also high in fat. The variety of vitamins and nutrients that you receive from this recipe are outstanding. I was able to figure out the daily nutritional value of one serving, it is as follows: 

Calories: 519    Calories from Fat: 232

Total Fat: 40%

Saturated Fat: 33%

Cholesterol: 26%

Carbohydrates: 14.5%

Protein: 28.38%

Dietary Fiber: 16.5%

Sodium: 26%

Iron: 22%

Calcium: 6.5%

Vitamin A: 73%

Vitamin C: 60%

Potassium: 617 mg

Fats and Sugars

The really neat thing about this recipe is that most of the fat comes from the beef alone. When I made this I used ground beef that was 85% lean and 15% fat. I live in a small town (Dugway, Utah), and they often do not have the best selection of meats. I have made this recipe before using ground turkey, and that will make the fat content (especially the bad cholesterol) drop substantially, also reducing the risks of heart disease! 

None of the nutritional labels stated that there was any sugar! This is a very good recipe if you have too much sugar in your diet. 

Vitamins and Minerals 

This recipe contains a decent amount of Iron. We have all heard of iron deficiency, mainly because it is the most common nutrient deficiency worldwide. Women also require more of this nutrient than men do, which is a bonus for me while eating this meal. Iron is very important for brain functions, and different parts of the blood. 

The carrot found in this recipe is full of vitamin A. Though I understand that many vitamins and nutrients can be cooked out of a food, after the carrots are added, they only cook for a couple of minutes. Vitamin A is very important for our eyes, and it  helps us to maintain good vision. This vitamin also aids in things such as Growth, development, infection fighting and reproduction.

The cabbage in this recipe is a very good source of folate, copper, and maganese. Though this recipe is diverse in its minerals and vitamins, with little surprise, it is a bit high on the amount of sodium it contains. In my recipe I used regular soy sauce, but there is also the option of using lite soy sauce, which i'm sure would be just as good, but my grocer did not have any of the lite soy sauce. Using the lite soy sauce would decrease the chances of developing hypertension. 

Overall I really enjoy this recipe. Though I could have used the ground turkey as a substitute along with the lite soy sauce, it is a very nutritious meal. The whole grain rice in this recipe is perfect, not only because it adds body to the recipe, but it provides you with much needed whole grains! If you are in a big hurry you can always use frozen broccoli and left over cooked rice, it really makes the recipe useful during the work/school week.

This recipe does not include any fruit or dairy. I really enjoy having a bowl of cereal in the mornings paired with a fruit smoothie. I just throw whatever fruit I have (including frozen mixed fruit) into the blender along with some ice and water; it turns out great every time. You could also snack on dried fruit throughout the day to get your fruit, just watch out for extra sugar.

Here is the Recipe: 

Servings: 2

Prep Time: 40 minutes

Sesame Beef Stir-Fry

1/2 cup uncooked brown rice

1/2 lb. lean ground beef 

1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil

2 cloves garlic (i use the refrigerated bottle of minced garlic to make it easy)

1 carrot, shredded

1 cup broccoli

1 cup napa cabbge, shredded

1 Tbsp soy sauce (or lite soy)

Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

Directions

1) Prepare brown rice according to its package directions. 

*I own a rice cooker that includes a vegetable steamer. I always start the rice and broccoli very first,  that way I can just throw them in later. I very finely chop my broccoli when its finished cooking, but you can leave it whole if you prefer. 

2) While the rice is cooking in a medium skillet (or wok), brown the ground beef over medium heat until no longer pink. Remove the beef from the skillet, drain and set aside. 

3) Heat sesame oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, stir for 1-2 minutes. Add the cabbage and shredded carrot; stir for 2 minutes. Add rice, broccoli and soy sauce; stir 1-2 more minutes. 

4) Return the ground beef to the skillet with the rice and vegetable mixture and season with red pepper flakes, to taste. Stir until ingredients are well combined and heated through, another 1-2 minutes. 

5) Divide the recipe into 2 portions, and enjoy! 

Fisher, A.

Summer Vegetable Tian

I am not a big fan of vegetables so, the fact I love this Summer Vegetable Tian recipe speaks volumes.   Not only is this dish full of different vegetables that nourish your body but is also a cheap meal costing around $8 for the whole casserole.  I originally found this recipe on Pinterest but it originates from www.budgetbytes.com.

Taste: I love the taste of this casserole!  My favorite part is the tomatoes, zucchini, and the garlic. The mixture of all the vegetables makes this meal fresh and delicious!

Ease of Preparation: This recipe is pretty easy to make but it does require a lot of slicing.  Also I did experience some problems trying to get the potatoes to cook all they way through.  You can alter the recipe and slightly boil the potatoes before you cut them or cook the casserole for longer.

Ingredients:

1 yellow zucchini
1 green zucchini
1 roma tomato
1 yellow onion
1 russell potato
3 cloves of garlic
1 bag of shredded mozzarella cheese

Preparation of Recipe:  The hardest part of the meal is chopping up all of the vegetables.  I took around 15 to 20 minutes to slice and chop all the vegetables.  I sliced the tomato, potatoes, yellow and green zucchini first.  Then I chopped up the onion and garlic finely and sautéd them for a few minutes placing the mixture at the bottom of my 11 x 7 baking pan.  The last steps is layering the vegetables, season as desired, top with mozzarella cheese, and popping it in the oven for another 30 minutes!

Specific Nutritional Value: This meal is low in calories and high in nutrients, which makes it a nice light dinner!

Estimate Nutritional Value Per Serving:

Calories 172
Fat (g) 8.5
Saturated (g) 4.9
Cholesterol (mg) 29.5
Sodium (mg) 255.6
Potassium (mg) 262.9
Carbs (g) 12.5
Fiber (g) 3
Protein (g) 12.1
Sugar (g) 4
Vitamin A (%) 17.9
Vitamin C (%) 72
Calcium (%) 23.2
Iron (%) 5.8

Nutrients:

The RDA recommends around 64 g of fat in a 2,000 color diet so a 8.5 g in a dinner dish is perfect! The fattest part of this meal is the mozzarella cheese.  The sodium in this meal is also rather low also.  Warning though, I found that my potatoes need extra salt for taste which increased the sodium for my serving,.  With all the vegetables in this meal is comes to about 13 % of your daily value of sugar which is rather low. This meal is low carb making it great if you've eaten most of your daily carbs.  Also the Vitamin C in this meal makes up almost 3/4 of your daily intake!  Not to mention all the different colors of the vegetables, that give us a rich supply of photochemical.

What Nutrients This Meal Lacks:

Unfortunately, summer vegetable tian lacks in iron.  Thats why its good to pair it with a protein or make it on a day you've already consumed enough iron.  Fiber is lacking from this meal as well.  You might want to consume your fiber with a whole wheat bread or have a fiber rich breakfast that consists of oatmeal. Also vitamin A is lacking from this meal which can be consumed through from carrots, cooked sweet potatoes, dark leafy greens, and tuna fish.

What else to eat: Summer Vegetable Tian is very light with a main focus on vegetables and dairy, so I recommend pairing this meal with a side that is a bit heavier such as an whole grain bread and/or chicken apple sausage.  This way you can reach your daily intake of dairy, vegetables, proteins, and grains.

Enjoy, Julia Dillman

Feisty Chicken Fajitas

Hi everyone! This is Alyssa Mull and I am happy to show you this recipe that my mom made for me all the time growing up. I love this recipe because it has chicken (which is my absolute favorite food), but also because it is very healthy and delicious if you like a little spice. The ingredients are all at a reasonable price for a typical college student, takes around 20 - 30 minutes to make total, and it feeds up to 8 people!

Taste: Umm incredible! Very simple but a very satisfying meal. You will love to have this for lunch or dinner.

Ease of preparation: Fantastic! Just heat up 1 tbsp. of olive oil in a pan with medium heat, add chicken, and sprinkle ¾ of fajita seasoning (takes up to 6 to 10 minutes). In a second pan heat up remaining olive oil on medium heat, add peppers and onion, stir in remaining fajita seasoning, and cook until vegetables are soft (8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally). While those are cooking just heat up your tortillas in tin foil and throw them in the oven. Fill your fajitas and it’s eatin’ time! 

Specific nutritional value: This meal contains protein and vegetables; the calories are reasonable and overall it is healthy to eat!

Estimated Recommended Daily Allowance for one Fajita

Calories: 352

Total fat: 19%

Saturated fat: 13%

Polyunsaturated fat: 2.309g

Monounsaturated fat: 6.21g

Cholesterol: 13%

Sodium: 20%

Potassium: 520mg

Carbohydrates: 14%

Dietary Fiber: 22%

Sugar: 4.82g

Protein: 19.67g

Vitamin A: 9%

Vitamin C: 54%

Calcium: 11%

Iron: 17%

Folic Acid: 0%

Ingredients: serve 6-8 people

•     3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
•     1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, sliced into strips
•     2 bell peppers, sliced
•     1 onion, thinly slices 
•     8 small whole wheat tortillas
•     Fajita seasoning (or if you want to make it from scratch you can)
•     For seasoning you will need:
•         1 tablespoon chili powder
•         1 teaspoon cumin
•         1 teaspoon paprika
•         1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
•         1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
•         1 teaspoon salt
•         1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Why are these nutrients important?

Protein: Based upon how much chicken slices you put into your fajita will depend upon how much protein you get, but chicken is very high in protein and very low in fat. The body uses proteins for energy, it is also used as an enzyme, which starts reactions within the body, including metabolism, and gene growth & repair. Proteins are also used by the body to carry signals from one part of the body to another and to form structures, including muscles. Protein should account for 10-35% of your daily calorie intake.

Fats and Carbs: This meal is low in fat, which means the saturated fats, Polyunsaturated fats, and Monounsaturated fats are all very low as well. Fat provides energy and is a carrier of important nutrients such as vitamins A, D, E, and K and carotenoids. But fat can impact the health of our hearts and arteries in a positive or negative way, depending on the types of fat we eat. It is recommended that people get between 20 and 35 percent of calories from total fat, with most fats coming from sources of "good" fat. Fajitas are also a good source for carbs, they do not contain too much or too little, they are just the right amount to have in a good meal. Carbohydrates are the body's main source of energy.  They are easily digested and broken down into glucose, which the body uses to perform its numerous functions. Carbohydrates should account for 45% - 65% of the calories in your diet, which is roughly 225g– 325 g of carbohydrates for someone on a 2000-calories diet.

Vitamins and Minerals: This recipe is a great source for vitamin C, especially in the green peppers. It is a water-soluble vitamin and cannot be stored in the body. Most plants and animals can produce their own vitamin C, but humans cannot. Because of that reason, humans must eat ample amounts of vitamin C every day. Vitamin C is needed for proper growth, development, and to heal wounds. It is used to make the collagen tissue for healthy teeth, gums, blood vessels and bones. Men should consume 90 mg per day of vitamin C while women need 75 mg per day. This vitamin will keep your teeth and bones strong and your blood working properly. Chicken provides about 3.5 milligrams of iron in a 1.5 serving. Iron helps build red blood cells, which help deliver oxygen throughout the body. Fajitas offer potassium as well. Potassium is necessary for the function of the muscles, nerves and heart.

The negative aspects of this recipe are that it does contain a good amount of saturated fat and sodium. Saturated fat is not healthy for people because it raises the level of cholesterol in our blood. Having high bad cholesterol is also not good for people because it can dramatically increase the risk of a heart attack or heart disease.  High sodium in foods is not healthy either. It is recommended that people are to have less than 2400 milligrams per day. Sodium attracts water and a high-sodium diet draws water into the bloodstream, which increases the volume of blood and over time can increase your blood pressure. High blood pressure forces the heart to work harder and can damage blood vessels and organs- increasing the risk of heart disease, kidney disease, and stroke.

Fruits and dairy are not necessarily included in this recipe; however, they can be! Just add a little bowl of fruit to the side and a glass of milk and you're golden. The rest of this recipe contains the other main food groups: vegetables, grains, and protein foods. 

I decided to switch regular flour tortillas with whole wheat tortillas because it is much lower in calories. You can also add some salsa or other flavoring to make it taste less dry, but keep in mind that’s always more calories.

I consider this a healthy recipe because one serving is very filling and low in calories. Most of the nutrients it contains are good for you. It is also a great source of protein and veggies. I recommend eating this for lunch or an early dinner.

Mull, A