Chicken Stir Fry

Alrighty, it's Thanksgiving this week!  I will be going home on Wednesday morning to visit family and friends and won't be back until the following Monday night, so this will be my last blog posting before Thanksgiving.  I hope you all have a wonderful time eating and enjoying family and friends!  Stay healthy!

I am trying to clean out my fridge before I leave for home, and decided to make chicken stir fry for lunch today in an effort to finish up some veggies I had in the crisper.  Super easy to make (with or without a wok).  Here's what you'll need:

Boneless, skinless chicken breast
Stir Fry Veggies (whatever you want!)  I used broccoli, pineapple, water chestnuts, and pea pods
Stir Fry Sauce (you can make your own if you like, but I just buy a jar at the grocery store)

Cook the chicken until white.  Add veggies with a little bit of water.  Place a lid on the pot to allow veggies to steam to perfection!  Add your stir fry sauce and cook until bubbling hot!  Easy as pie!  Enjoy!  And Happy Thanksgiving!

Hawaiian Pineapple (Crock Pot) Chicken and Mashed Potatoes

Today is Sunday, and in my graduate school we are required to have class one weekend a month.  It just so happened that this weekend was that weekend!  I wanted to have a nice dinner when I was done with class at 5PM, so naturally I turned to my trusty crock pot to do the work for me.  I found this simple recipe on a website for easy crock pot ideas, and it sounded wonderful.  It was!  Here's what you'll need:

2 small boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 can pineapple chunks in juice
Your favorite BBQ Sauce (I used a honey BBQ, but use whatever you like)

Wash the chicken breasts under cold water and place in the crock pot.  Cover the chicken with BBQ sauce.  Add the 1/2 can of pineapple chunks and juice.  Stir everything together until chicken is thoroughly covered.  Cook on low for 5-6 hours (or until chicken is completely cooked through).

When its all said and done I served the chicken and pineapple with a little bit of the BBQ juice over mashed potatoes.  Next time I make this I might add some cherries into the pot, I bet that would kick up the island flavor that much more!  It was a great success.  I'll definitely make it again.

Egg White, Spinach, and Salsa Omelette (Breakfast of Champions!)

One of my favorite favorite FAVORITE things to eat during the week for breakfast (because they're so simple and quick to make) is an egg white omelette.  You can buy pure egg whites in a carton (which is the way I choose to go) or you can simply separate your egg yolk from egg whites the old fashioned way.  Either way, 1/4 cup of egg white is only 25 calories!  The rest of the omelette is very simple, load it up with your favorite veggies, meats, and cheeses.  For lower calorie omelettes I'd stay heavier on the veggie side and lighter on the meat and cheese, but breakfast is the first and most important meal of the day, so its okay to have a larger calorie count in the AM.  Here's what I put in mine this morning:

1/4 cup egg whites
2 Tbls mild salsa
Sprinkling of shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup baby spinach leaves

To complete the most important meal of the day I indulge in some 40 calorie per slice whole wheat toast with sugar free strawberry preserves :) yummmm.  Starting the day off right!

Pesto Spinach (Chicken) Pizza

My favorite pizza ever to make at home!  I ordered it at a hip little cafe once and thought to myself "I could so make this at home!" and...I do!  Quite often.  I hope you enjoy it.

Here's what you'll need:
Pizza crust
Pesto sauce
Spinach
Tomato
Chicken (optional, its just as good with or without)
Cheese (whatever kind you like on your pizza or have in the house)

Spread pesto sauce over the entire pizza crust.  Then layer spinach leaves and sliced tomatoes onto the pizza.  If you're adding chicken put the chicken strips/pieces over top of the tomatoes.  Finally, cover all the toppings with your favorite shredded cheese!  Bake according to the directions of the pizza crust and enjoy!  A very yummy, low calorie, veggie pizza! 

On a side note...if you want to try this on a smaller scale (cooking lunch for one perhaps?) I've also made this pizza on pita bread and baked it in the oven for around 10 minutes, and it's amazing!  The pita gets crispy on the bottom just like a regular pizza crust, and it's the perfect size for lunch or dinner for one (no left overs, yay!)

Popcorn Dinner...fail, yet WIN!

Tuesday night...I'm in Fundamentals of Techniques and Assessment from 5:30-9pm!  On a good day I enjoy dinner around 5:30 or 6.  Needless to say dinner comes later on Tuesday and Thursday nights these days.  That being said, I don't like to eat very heavy that late at night just before bed.  I also don't have any creative energy to create a crazy healthy concoxion that late either!  Case in point...popcorn for dinner, score!  I love love love popcorn.  It never gets old for me.  I love the smell, the crunch, the texture, and the comfort.  I also LOVE that the only popcorn I eat these days (Orville Redenbacher's Tender White) has only 40 calories per serving.  Talk about a diet and waistline friendly meal!  Sometimes I'll even pre-pop it and sneak it into a movie in a plastic bag (budget friendly, remember?).  It has little to no butter and very little salt, and yet it somehow tricks you into thinking you're eating something sinful.  There's my plug for Tender White, but seriously, if you haven't tried it yet, please do!  You can buy a box of 6 bags at Walmart for less than $2.50.  It's a steal. 

Today's total calorie count...1,390...not too bad!  I spent no money on food today, and I'm not going to bed starving.  Mission accomplished.

So what is a Cherpumple? I don't know, but I want to eat it! (WARNING NOT A HEALTHY OPTION)

Okay, so admittedly I didn't create this, but I am fascinated at the idea of trying to bake it! I'm sure it doesn't fall into my healthy eating plan, and I'm even more sure it would not be budget friendly, but it looks likes a whole lot of fun and a GRAND eating adventure!  Yummy!

Beanless Turkey Chili and Corn Muffins

For lunch today I had to go warm and cozy.  It has been a rainy and chilly two days here in Missouri, and chili sounded wonderful.  I actually made this dish on Saturday night and it cooked all of Sunday while I was at work on low in my 2 serving slow cooker.  It was perfectly delicious by the time I got home.  Here's what you'll need...

1 lb lean ground turkey (I'm only one person so I use half and freeze half)
1 can diced tomatoes (another great option is the fire roasted diced tomatoes for a kick)
1.5 Tbls chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 Tbls salt (I just toss a pinch in there...keeping salt content lower)
pinch of ground pepper
1/4 tsp cinnamon
pinch of ground cloves
2 Tbls salsa (whatever kind you like or have in the house)

First start by browning the ground turkey.  I only use 1/2 lb and freeze the other 1/2 for a later date.  Add turkey, diced tomatoes, salsa, and spices to your slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours (like I said it cooked all day while I was at work, super easy to have dinner waiting for you when you get home!)  I'm only one person, and this recipe makes 2 servings so I have a left over meal for lunch one day, but you can certainly make a larger batch for a larger family and freeze any left overs for a rainy day!  I like to finish this meal with a simple corn muffin.  I don't bother trying making them from scratch.  I purchased a $0.49 muffin mix that makes 6 muffins.  Top off the warm corn muffin with a drizzle of clover honey and dinner (or lunch) is served!  Enjoy!

Cooking for the Grad Student's Soul (on a budget)

It took me awhile to figure out exactly what I wanted to "blog" about.  I've always been a fan of keeping a journal, and writing your emotions down as a way to express yourself, but historically I've stuck with the old fashioned pen and paper format.  I thought I'd give a blog a try simply to save shelf space in my apartment and the environment by saving paper!  The next question became "what should be the theme of my blog?"  All good blogs have a surrounding topic of interest right?  Yes, I am a graduate student studying Psychology, but no I don't want to write about classes and tests.  I'm writing as a way to ESCAPE the stresses of pursuing a Masters degree.  Then I though "escaping stress, okay, so what do I do that relaxes me?"  Well, I like to stay fit and healthy!  I find it a form of control, yes, but also a form of comfort.  Ensuring my body is healthy and functioning well helps my mind focus and perform in class.  So, okay, exercise...yea...I could do a fitness blog, but I'm a true believer you can change your life through food!  I'm just like any other busy woman out there.  Sometimes I don't have the TIME to get to the gym, sometimes I don't have the MOTIVATION, and sometimes I simply don't have the WILL POWER to stick with a workout routine for more than a few months.  However, I've maintained a 15-20 lb weight loss (I used to weight 155 and wear a size 6/8, I now weight 137 and wear a size 2/4) for over a year by watching my diet!  I don't like the word "diet," but that's what it is.  Your diet is simply what you eat on a daily basis.  If I can't make it to the gym one day my world does not come to an end and my size 4 jeans still fit the next day because I EAT, and I eat well.

I've decided to blog about what I eat, how much I eat, what I make, what ingredients are involved, and how I maintain a healthy diet all on a grad student's budget!  Not your average "cooking blog."  I consider myself a pretty picky eater, so rest assured there will be no recipes involving crazy foods you can only buy in South Africa.  Also, I survive on a minimal budget thanks to school, so be advised everything I make will be CHEAP, but wholesome, healthy, and good for the grad student soul!  Time for lunch...let's get started!