Nutritious and Delicious Pasta

Hello! I'm going to share a really easy pasta recipe that tastes like a healthy twist off of spaghetti. I enjoy it because it is easy, yummy, healthy, and can be refrigerated and eaten throughout the week or shared with my roomies. 

Taste: Delicious, it tastes like it would require a lot more effort then it does. It is flavorful and a yummy combination of healthy foods. 

Ease of Preparation: This recipe takes about a half hour to make. It requires no earlier preparation besides going to the grocery store. The pasta is what takes the longest to cook, other then that the other ingredients are quick to toss in the mix! The best part is that if you make it for yourself it can last the whole week! 

Ingredients: 

3 cups of whole grain rotini

2 carrots (as shown in picture)

1 head of broccli 

1 1/2 cups of sugar snap peas

1 1/2 cups of marinara sauce

4 medium boneless & skinless chicken breasts

Directions

1. Boil water in a medium pot and add rotini, cook until soft.

While the rotini is cooking:

2. Spray frying pan lightly with vegetable oil and cook chicken until done. ( I salt and pepper mine)

3. Cut chicken into bite size pieces.

3. Chop carrots and cut sugar snap peas in half.

4. Cut broccoli into pieces about the size of your thumb.

5. Put veggies in a bowl with 1/2 cup water and steam them in the microwave for 2-3 minutes.

Once rotini is finished:

6. Drain water from pasta

7. Mix all ingredients in a big bowl

8. Warm marinara sauce in microwave or on stove, mix it in with the rest.

Bon Appetite!

Specific nutritional value: 

Serving size: about 1 1/2 cups

total fat: 5g

total carb: 40g

total protein: 26g

cholesterol: 49mg

dietary fiber: 6g

sodium: 56mg

potassium: 345mg

sugar: 5g

Vitamin A: 115%

Vitamin C: 58%

Calcium: 4%

Iron: 13%

Why are these nutrients so important?

Nutrients in Broccoli: contains a large amount if vitamin K, C, and A. Vitamin C is a very important antioxidant that helps keep chemical reactions within our bodies in check, and our body also requires vitamin C to produce collagen.
Nutrients in Sugar Snap Peas: a very good source of dietary fiber and potassium. Dietary fiber can help lower blood cholesterol and glucose levels. 
Nutrients in Chicken: chicken is a great source of lean low-fat protein. This will keep you feeling fuller longer and also give you the protein your body needs to repair itself daily. 
Nutrients in carrots: contain a great source of antioxidants. Antioxidants prohibit and sometimes even prevent disease. 
Nutrients in rotini: Whole-grain pasta is a great source of carbohydrates, which are an important macronutrient your body needs daily to keep energized. 

This recipe creates a pretty well balanced meal. As you can see it contains complex carbohydrates, protein, many vitamins and minerals, and a small amount of fat. I would suggest drinking milk on the side to incorporate dairy in your diet. I would also suggest eating your favorite fruit on the side. 

Ashlee Lawson

Creamy Avocado Pasta

Hey everyone! My dish is a super delicious creamy avocado pasta. I love this recipe because it's something my mom has always made since I was a little kid and it's a much healthier option than creamy pastas that use butter, cream, and flour. It honestly tastes like a pasta made from the creamy buttery stuff, but it's made from a fruit (or veggie, however you view an avocado) which makes it way more nutritious. Another plus is it makes the best leftovers ever. It's super easy to make and takes me about 15 minutes tops and very minimal cleanup. The recipe and nutrition of the pasta are the following:

Ingredients:

• 9 ounces (255 g) uncooked pasta 
• 1 to 2 cloves garlic, to taste
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
• 1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, to taste
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 ripe medium avocado, pitted
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon (1 to 2 mL) fine-grain sea salt, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package. For a lighter option, serve the avocado sauce with zucchini noodles.
2. While the pasta cooks, make the sauce: In a food processor, combine the garlic and basil and pulse to mince.
3. Add the lemon juice, oil, avocado flesh, and 1 tablespoon water and process until smooth. If the sauce is too thick, add a bit more oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Drain the pasta and place it back in the pot. Add the avocado sauce and stir until combined. 
5. Top with parmesan cheese, if desired.

Nutrition (without cheese)

Calories: 448.7
Total Fat: 28.1 g
-Saturated fat: 4.0 g
-Monounsaturated Fat: 18.6 g
-Polyunsaturated Fat: 3.9 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 12.2 mg
Potassium: 556.1 mg
Total Carbohydrate: 47.3 g
-Dietary fiber: 15.5 g
-Sugars: 0.6 g
Protein: 9.6 g

Vitamin A: 62.3%
Vitamin B-6: 21.2%
Vitamin C: 39.5%
Vitamin E: 6.2%

Some substitutions/additions I did in order to make this pasta even healthier is I made sure I used whole grain pasta instead of regular spaghetti noodles. I also added in some spinach to bring in an extra vegetable. This dish is very nutrient rich because of the avocado, whole grain pasta, and spinach. Avocados provide heart healthy fats, fiber, and potassium, and monounsaturated fats. Monounsaturated fats are good for you because they help reduce the bad cholesterol in your body.  Whole grain pasta is a great source of fiber which helps with the digestive system. Spinach is known as a "super food" so it's health benefits are pretty self explanatory, one of the most important benefits are it's abundance of vitamin A and C. The dish overall is low in sodium and cholesterol, can be gluten free (substitute the noodles), vegan (without cheese) and can be paired with any kind of protein and almost any vegetable can be added in. The only thing that could make this dish unhealthy is the amount of parmesan cheese that is put on top. Even then, parmesean cheese still has it's benefits. In 1/4 of a cup, it provides 10 grams of protein, but it does make the cholesterol and sodium rise a bit. I made sure to only put about 1/4 of a cup of cheese on the entire dish. I hope you guys enjoy!

Peterson, A. 

One Dish Chicken Meal

Green Beans, Potatoes, and Chicken all in one dish!

Super easy and cheap meal. I found this idea for a meal on Pintrest. I love finding easy meals and trying them and this one is a great one.

Ingredients

One can Cut Green Beans
Two small red potatoes
Five or Six chicken tenderloin strips
Salt, pepper and Vinaigrette dressing of your choice.
(I used a Greek Balsamic Vinaigrette)
1/4 cup of butter


The great part about this dish is that you don't have to use these exact amounts, you can alter it to use more or less depending on how many people you are serving! This is the amount I made and it was enough for two people.

The preparation is simple and takes less that 10 minutes.
Grease pan with butter or spray
Wash and slice the potatoes and layer on bottom of dish
Lay chicken on top of potatoes
Pour desired amount of dressing on top of chicken
Put green beans on top
slice butter and place on green beans
Salt and pepper it all
Cover with foil and place in oven at 350 for 45mins to an hour
Optional- uncover dish for last 5 minutes or so and broil to get a more crunchy top




BEFORE

AFTER

 

 

 

 

This is a healthy meal because it is made with simple ingredients.

This meal is great because you get your protein without getting too much, Americans always eat too much protein and with the addition of the green beans and potatoes, you get almost a complete meal. This dish mainly consists of protein from the chicken, carbohydrates from the potatoes, vegetables are the potatoes and green beans, and fats from the butter and dressing. Proteins are necessary for the structure and function of the tissues and organ systems in the body. Carbohydrates are the basic fuel for the body. Vegetables are full of vitamins and minerals that are essential for other body functions. Fats are also a good provider of energy for the body but its important to not get too much.

 

This meal has a lot of important stuff but still is missing some things.

Some ways we could add to the deficiency of this meal would to make a salad!

A salad with some dark leafy greens, cheese, some hard boiled egg, and maybe some nuts and dried fruit would be a great and delicious addition! Salads are great on the side or even as the main part of the meal and you can always add a ton of great things to them!

 

A way this meal can become unhealthy really fast is the butter, dressing, and salt you can add. Don't go overboard with the butter, just a couple of slices will do it.

Also we Americans have way too much sodium in our diets and I will admit I did add a lot of salt to this dish. A few ways you can cut down on the salt is by not adding too much to begin with and only salt after you have already tired the food. Canned food is a great cheap option for college students but they can also hide a lot of preservatives and extra sodium. I got a can of green beans that had no sodium added. When at the store there are usually options like this that are the same price so be on the lookout.

 

Healthy and Cheap meals are possible for college students!

 

 

 

I found a great website to look up the nutritional information about your meals

https://www.supertracker.usda.gov

 

This is ALL the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals of the recipe!!

pretty helpful and very comprehensive

 

One dish chicken meal Portions: 2   Food Groups Amount Per Portion Grains 0 ounce(s) Whole Grains 0 ounce(s) Refined Grains 0 ounce(s) Vegetables 2¼ cup(s) Dark Green 0 cup(s) Red & Orange 0 cup(s) Beans & Peas 0 cup(s) Starchy 1¼ cup(s) Other 1 cup(s) Fruits 0 cup(s) Fruit Juice 0 cup(s) Whole Fruit 0 cup(s) Dairy 0 cup(s) Milk & Yogurt 0 cup(s) Cheese 0 cup(s) Protein Foods 5 ounce(s) Seafood 0 ounce(s) Meat, Poultry & Eggs 5 ounce(s) Nuts, Seeds & Soy 0 ounce(s) Oils 0 teaspoon Limits Amount Per Portion Total Calories 596 Calories Empty Calories* 160 Calories Solid Fats 160 Calories Added Sugars 0 Calories *Calories from food components such as added sugars and solid fats that provide little nutritional value.  Empty Calories are part of Total Calories. Nutrients Amount Per Portion Protein 41 g Carbohydrate 35 g Dietary Fiber 6 g Total Sugars 3 g Added Sugars 0 g Total Fat 33 g Saturated Fat 15 g Monounsaturated Fat 10 g Polyunsaturated Fat 4 g Linoleic Acid 4 g α-Linolenic Acid 0.3 g Omega 3 - EPA 14 mg Omega 3 - DHA 70 mg Cholesterol 177 mg Minerals Amount Per Portion Calcium 78 mg Potassium 1215 mg Sodium 713 mg Copper 326 µg Iron 5 mg Magnesium 90 mg Phosphorus 381 mg Selenium 42 µg Zinc 4 mg Vitamins Amount Per Portion Vitamin A 199 µg RAE Vitamin B6 1.0 mg Vitamin B12 0.5 µg Vitamin C 20 mg Vitamin D 0 µg Vitamin E 1 mg AT Vitamin K 62 µg Folate 94 µg DFE Thiamin 0.2 mg Riboflavin 0.5 mg Niacin 11 mg Choline 138 mg www.SuperTracker.usda.gov

 

T. Stewart