Chicken Marinara

Hello everyone! My name is Whitney Bonnema and I made this dish because I am big pasta lover.
My mom and I decided to go shopping and find the cheapest ingredients to substitute as a healthier version of the pasta we love, Chicken Marinara. This meal is quick and delicious.

Ingredients: 
- Angel Hair Pasta
- 1 Fresh Garden diced tomato 
- Precooked 1/2 Chopped grilled chicken breast
- Italian Seasoning

I love this dish because anything can be substituted and the amounts do not have to be exact. Because chicken can be expensive, it does not need to be added and it will still turn out delicious!

This meal took me a total of 15 minutes to make. 
This process is quite simple!

Directions:
1. Boil angel hair pasta until desired softness
2. Rinse noodles, Strain water, Place to cool
3. While noodles cool- chop tomatoes and heat chicken
4. Chop chicken into desired slice size
5. Place noodles on plate followed by chicken and tomatoes
6. Sprinkle desired amount of Italian seasoning (or my personal favorite, Balsamic Vinegar)

Nutrition facts:

Angel Haired pasta-
calories: 200
calories from fat: 10
total fat: 1g
saturated fat: 0
trans fat: 0
cholesterol: 0
sodium: 0mg
total carb: 42g
dietary fiber: 2g
protein: 7g
sugar: 2g
-Contain a lot of carbohydrates, which provide energy for your body.

Tomato
calorie: 27
water: 141g
total fat: 0 
cholesterol: 0
-Tomatoes are an excellent source of vitamin C.

Grilled Chicken
calories: 150
calories from fat: 35
total fat: 4g
cholesterol: 60mg
sodium: 630mg
carb: 3g
protein: 25g
-Contains a lot of protein, which is a building block to many functions in the body


The food group that is missing from this recipe are dairy and fruits. These can be provided with a fruit cup and some milk or grapes and cheese sprinkled on noodles. 

One Pot Tomato Basil Pasta

Hey everyone! I would like to share a recipe that I found online on myfridgefood.com quite some time back. It’s a great recipe because it is quick, easy, fairly cheap, and feeds about four people. Not to mention it doesn’t leave multiple pots and pans for cleaning!

Taste:  

Delicious! The dish had the perfect level of spice. And although it did not have any meat component, it did not seem to need it. Nor did it need any additional seasoning such as salt or pepper, though a little parmesan

Ease of preparation: 

Simple! You just throw all ingredients into the pot and put it on the stove with a lid until thoroughly cooked. Takes 20-30 minutes.
 

Specific nutritional value: 

This meal is low in fat (the only fat comes from olive oil), very low in cholesterol, and is high in carbs, fiber, vitamins and potassium.

Estimated Recommended Daily Allowance in One Plate: 

Total Fat: 12%
Saturated Fat: 5%
Cholesterol: 0%
Sodium: 16.25%
Potassium: 8.25%
Carbs: 10.75%
Dietary Fiber: 13.5%
Sugar: 7.75 grams
Protein: 3 grams
Vitamin A: 19.25%
Vitamin C: 23.25%
Vitamin D: 0%            
Vitamin E: 6%
Vitamin B-6: 2.5%
Calcium: 4%
Iron: 11%
Magnesium: 8.75%
Thiamin 15%
Riboflavin: 5%
Niacin: 7.5%
Folic Acid: 12.5% 

Fats and Sugars: 

This meal contains 0% cholesterol, and only 12% of the recommended daily allowance of fat in a single plate, with only about 5% of the recommended daily allowance of saturated fat, according to the nutrition labels on the necessary food items, as well as nutrition facts online for vegetables and spices. This recipe also contains less than eight grams of sugar, so you don’t have to worry about managing sugar for the rest of the day to stay at the recommended allowance.

Vitamins and Minerals: 

As mentioned earlier, this meal is a great source of carbs, fiber and vitamins. Fiber helps to reduces risk of obesity and cardiovascular disease, helps to keep blood glucose levels low, and in keeping the digestive tract and bowels working optimally. The type of fiber found in the tomatoes is insoluble, which helps to prevent constipation. Among the vitamins, there is a good amount of Vitamin C, which acts as an anti-oxidant and boosting the immune system. This meal also contains a good amount of Vitamin A, which is vital for growth and development of the body, as well as for good vision and maintaining a strong immune system.

This meal contains a good amount of sodium; at 16.25% of the RDA, you should keep an eye on sodium levels during the rest of the day, but it is not incredibly high and can easily be managed to stay under the allowance. Sodium can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke. Most Americans consume many times the recommended allowance for sodium in a day though, so many may have trouble keeping this at a proper level.

What Else to Eat: 

This meal contains carbs, vegetables, and spices, which give the meal a variety of vitamins. For a good mix of food groups, pair with some meat for protein, such as chicken. Adding parmesan to the meal can add some dairy, and for desert, you could have enjoy fruit in cream or yogurt in order to cover all food groups.

Posted by Andrew Hinton

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.