Extending and Excessibility

Do you ever throw things together and they come out much better than expected? I seem to do that when I have no recipe in front of me, but if I try to follow recipe, I botch it up somehow! Dinner wednesday was a classic example of this! A recipe Jeff’s mom gave me for a cous cous salad was the idea that fell into my head when scouring the pantry items for dinner. I loved her recipe and ate it for weeks it seems, but couldn’t find it anywhere on wednesday night. So, I tried to throw together a similar dish with what I was seeing in my kitchen…

Ingredients:
1 cup Whole Wheat Organic Cous Cous- cooked to direction with a tsp. olive oil
1 can low sodium Garbanzo beans- rinsed
1 small zuchinni- washed and chopped

5 organic cherry tomatoes, washed and chopped
~10 baby bella mushrooms, chopped
- Sliced chicken breasts

* Chicken Breasts- I cooked three small(ish) boneless, skinless breasts (that I had pounded with a pot inside a plastic ziploc to tenderize) in a skillet with nonstick spray ( my splurge this week in groceries was nonstick spray because I never use spray, oil or butter. I usually never need it but it’s nice to have!). I seasoned with garlic salt, Pesto Rice Vinegar, and cooked approximately 7 minutes on each side until the inside temperature was at least 165 * F ( no more pink!).

Cook the cous cous and add all the veggies while cooking the chicken separately. Slice and add the cooked chicken, keeping everything well tossed while warming together. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

This dish was an example of extending your budget of protein. The cous cous and garbanzos do offer complete amino acids ( so you get a complete protein) with the combo of these ( why I like vegetarian). However, you also get complete proteins from chicken breast itself ( why I like eating meat!). Adding all of this together allows you to extend the whole meal, and your protein source with your grains & veggies. You get “more for your buck” so to speak. It is also filled with fiber from the whole grains, garbanzos, and fresh veggies. Some use of organics lessen your pesticide intake, some use of local veggies boosts your economy. To me , that is being healthier.

Breakfast Thursday:

Regular oats mixed with water, topped with frozen pineapple , some banana slices and PB2. Find out more about PB2 here. I need more than this and found that out today! It just didn’t last me long enough through food service class but maybe when we are cooking ( and sampling) in there, it would be enough.

I brought my lunch to campus since I am in class straight from 9- 12:20, 1:00- 3:30, and 4-6! After eating breakfast, I made this smoothie and didn’t know how well it would hold me over either!

This was in our grad room/ lunch room. Black table tops = cool photo. My green smoothie included: frozen spinach, locally grown Kale, frozen pineapple, frozen Papaya, frozen cherries, milk and protein powder. I brought an orange and bottle of water as well. This did last through my last class, but I was hungry and tired when I finally got home!

Our Professor and some students started a garden on campus and they had this sale of produce with excess leftover. So I brought home some of that extra:

Tiny green peppers, tomatoes, basil, a tiny potato and a couple of radishes… Not sure what I will do with them yet or if they are ripe enough ?

Veggie dinner…

I did make some pork tenderloin for Jeff but was too hungry when I came home to wait for it! I had more locally grown kale, veggies, mashed potatoes and I had some leftovers of the chicken cous cous as well.

A few chocolates for dessert thanks to the Bridal Expo handouts…

Body:
Lots of walking on campus Thursday, but no formal exercise! A long day of classes and lugging around books makes me a tired gal! Excited for a Run on friday!

Mind:
Class all day leaves me so tired! I should say, my thoughts below are what I gathered from the same lecture this week in two separate classes- Medical Nutrition Therapy and Lifecycles Nutrition by Dr. Fisher. Hopefully, these classes diverge through the semester!

Society is now becoming aware of problem with food access and excess in this country, this obesity epidemic is leading to tremendous health care issues like heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. Those health care costs are sky rocketing, no wonder we need health care reform.

“Well there is a McDonald’s on every corner” or “There is a vending machine on every floor of the school”.  We complain about the problem yet the school has the vending machine for HFCS filled Sodas on every floor because Coca Cola paid for their school’s goal posts or Scoreboards on the football field!

People should Eat Smart Move More but if the kiddos are living in government housing with no sidewalks or safe place to play, we can’t exactly expect them to be getting in exercise?!?! Schools offer to have nutrition OR physical education as part of core requirements, yet, both are necessary.  There are so many issues that may be addressed but not being put into action. What needs to happen to stop the cycle of one hand feeding another that leads to the overfeeding of America?

Soul:

Looking forward to Lunch on Friday with Andrea!! It will be so nice to catch up with her! We are going to a fairly new place that offers local, seasonal foods too!

I am in need of yoga for my spiritual fulfilling… maybe I will go to “soaking prayer yoga” today after my run?

Wedding:
Thinking about having the wedding closer to home…. still want to look at this one last place that seemed to be just perfect! I will have to schedule a visit when Jeff and I can get some time to go.