Hello! My name is Jaslin Martin. I am a Miami Dade Honors College student in the Kendall Campus with a very busy schedule and an understanding of the hardship of eating healthy with little time. Because of this I decided to take an Essential of Human Nutrition class and want to help my fellow students with quick recipes and tips to eat healthier. Enjoy!
AMDR
AMDR stands for Acceptable Macronutrient Distribution Ranges. In your diet your total kcal should be divided into:
45-65% of daily kcal should be carbohydrates.
20-35% of daily kcal should be lipids (fats).
10-35% of daily kcal should be proteins.
Tips
I understand that eating healthy can seem hard but that’s why I decided to make this for my fellow college students. Here are regular things to remember while preparing or picking a meal:
• Drink water instead of sugary drinks that add to your calories.
• Fruits and Vegetables are always important, half your plate should be both categories. Try buying fresh, frozen, and canned fruits and vegetables.
• Make sure your plate is colorful!
• Whole Grains should be 50% at LEAST of your grains, which should be at least 3 ounces.
• For milk products try low-fat or fat-free milk (this goes for yogurt and cheese as well). The less fats the better.
• Make your diets as low in Trans fats, cholesterol, sodium (salt) and added sugars as possible.
• Include lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs and nuts.
• No more fried food.
• Look for nutrient-rich foods (lots of vitamins and minerals).
• Change up your foods so you get a little of everything. Variation is key.
• Eat seafood twice a week.
Below are a couple recipes that are cheap and combine the five food groups (fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy). Read over the recipes and notice how easy it is to make a couple tweaks to make a meal healthy and delicious.
Recipes
Egg Sandwich
Ingredients
2 slices of 100% Whole Wheat Bread
1 egg
1 ½ cup of cut up spinach
1 tablespoon of Chia Seeds
Instructions
1. Toast Bread
2. Cut up spinach
3. Open an egg on a small pan
4. Put spinach on top of open egg
5. When sides are not sticking to the pan, pour egg on top of toasted bread
6. Add chia seeds to egg
Nutrition:
Calories 250, Total Fat 10.5g, Cholesterol 210mg, Sodium 355mg, Potassium 630mg, Carbohydrates 30g, Dietary Fiber 10g, Protein 16g, Vitamin A 85%, Vitamin C 40%, Calcium 16%, Iron 25%
Notes:
Instead of butter bread try changing it up for some whole wheat bread. This can be done to your rice, pasta, crackers, and cereals as well to get the whole grains needed. Eggs are a source of protein and most people have eggs sandwiches. What’s the difference? Adding cup up spinach in the egg and chia seeds that are barely noticeable but give you a kick with extra nutrients you wouldn’t have gotten otherwise. If wanted you can scramble the eggs with spinach or make an omelet or the way shown above. On the side try a glass of milk and a cup of your favorite fruits. You can also notice that I put chia seeds in this sandwich. Chia seeds can be put on pretty much anything and are extremely healthy for you. Chia seeds have more Omega 3’s (2200mg) then salmon (which are not produced in the body), high in fiber (4g), more calcium (65mg) by weight then milk, extremely high in antioxidants, keeps you feeling full for hours, and is cholesterol and gluten free. These seeds help with endurance and boosts energy as well.
Quinoa Eggs
Ingredients
½ cup of Quinoa
1 egg
1 ½ cup of spinach
½ cup mushrooms
1 tablespoon of chia seeds
Instructions
1. Put ½ cup of Quinoa in a rice cooker with 1 cup of water.
2. Grab an egg and scramble it on a pan with a hint of low-fat milk.
3. When finished with egg put it aside.
4. Get a ½ cup of mushrooms, wet them with water, put them in a paper towel to try to dry them up a little and then put them on the pan.
5. After about 2 minutes add ½ cup of spinach to the pan with mushrooms until fully used all 1 ½ cup of spinach. You may add a little parmesan cheese to give it some flavor.
6. When finished, put everything on one plate and mix thoroughly, then add a tablespoon of chia seeds on top.
Nutrition
Calories 480, Total Fat 13.5g, Trans fat 0g, Cholesterol 210mg, Sodium 140mg, Potassium 1,110mg, Carbohydrates 65g, Fiber 12g, Protein 23g, Calcium 65mg, Vitamin A 85%, Vitamin C 41%, Iron 41%.
Notes
Here I added Quinoa which I didn’t know about until I started looking up nutritious foods. Quinoa is a wild grain that is high in minerals, amino acids and nutrients. It has a good source of fiber (3g) and protein (6g) and is 100% whole grain. It is easily digestible and can assist with memory as a rich source of B Vitamins that include folate. Instead of having rice or potatoes you can have quinoa. It is a good mix to add to burritos, fajitas, or eggs and a great hot cereal topping.
Banana Pancakes
Ingredients
1 Banana
1 egg
Instructions
1. Peel the bananas. Put them in a mixing bowl. Mash the bananas with a fork
2. Add the egg
3. Slowly stir the egg into the banana mixture. Stir until moistened
4. Lightly coat a griddle or skillet with cooking spray and heat on medium.
5. Using a 1/4 cup measure, pour batter onto hot griddle. Cook until bubbles begin to burst, then flip pancakes and cook until golden brown, 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter.
Nutrition
Calories 175, Fat 5.38g, Trans Fat 0g, Cholesterol 210mg, Sodium 71.18mg, Carbohydrates 28g, Potassium 506mg, Fiber 3g, Sugars 15g, Protein 7g, Vitamin A 6%, Vitamin C 50%, Calcium 4%, Iron 5%.
Notes
Instead of stirring you can also blend it to make your life easier. 1 Banan and 1 egg will make you a good sized Pancake or 2-3 small sized pancakes. Warning! It’s hard to flip! Hence the not so circular (at all) pancake on the side. These pancakes also take less time than a regular pancake. If you wish you can add some chia seeds on top or mix it in with quinoa after or even make a banana pancake sandwich. All of the above options are delicious (in my opinion) and fast to make.
Mushinach
Ingredients
A 1/2 of mushrooms
A 1 ½ cup of spinach
Instructions
1. Put coconut oil on a skillet to liquefy
2. Grab mushrooms and wash them
3. Put the mushrooms on a paper towel to dry them off without squeezing them
4. Cook the mushrooms on medium until both sides are slightly darker
5. Add spinach
6. Cook and stir until all spinach shrink
Nutrition
Calories 28g, Fat 0g, Trans Fat 0g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 67mg, Carbohydrates 4g, Fiber 2g, Sugars 1g, Protein 3g, Vitamin A 80%, Vitamin C 41%, Calcium 8%, Iron 16%.
Notes
Here is a way I like to personally cook my mushroom and spinach. You can also add radishes, kale, basil, mix spring sets and many more options. Experiment and enjoy. This is to give you options on how to eat your five cups a day of vegetables. In this cookbook you can skip ahead to see Herbed Vegetables and Lemon Spinach to see other delicious options.
Fruit Smoothie
Ingredients
1 cup plain or flavored yogurt
½ cup low fat milk
3 tablespoons nonfat dry milk
6 to 8 ice cubes
1 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
Choose 2 from list below:
6 strawberries
½ peach or banana
1/3 cup canned peaches or pears
¼ cup pineapple chunks
1 tablespoon peanut butter
1 tablespoon frozen juice concentrate
Instructions
1. Put all ingredients in blender and blend on high until smooth
Nutrition
Serving Size 1 cup, Calories 170, Total Fat 1.5g, Saturated Fat 1g, Cholesterol 5mg, Sodium 95mg, Total Carbohydrates 35g, Dietary Fiber 1g, Sugars 32g, Protein 7g, Vitamin A 2%, Vitamin C 40%, Calcium 25%, Iron 2%
Notes
Easy way to get a boost of good nutrition and a yummy way to have your fruits! Try mixing in different fruits and just see what happens.
Herbed Vegetables
Ingredients
1 can vegetables (any combination green or yellow beans, carrots, corn, mixed, etc.) (16 ounce)
1/4 cup onion (chopped)
1/2 teaspoon Italian herbs, basil or rosemary (dried, crushed)
1 tablespoon margarine or butter
Instructions
1. Drain vegetables, saving 2 Tablespoons liquid.
2. Cook onion, herbs, and garlic in the margarine/butter in a small saucepan until onion is tender.
3. Stir in the vegetables and liquid.
4. Cook and stir until heated through.
Nutrition
Serving size 1/6 of recipe, Calories 60, Total Fat 2g, Trans Fat 0g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium, 130mg, Total Carbohydrates 8g, Dietary Fiber 2g, Sugars 2g, Protein 2g, Vitamin A 180%, Vitamin C 8%, Calcium 2%, Iron 6%
Notes
When cooking you can always substitute with coconut oil which is the best kind of oil to cook with) and in my opinion is delicious). Try to get “no salt added” canned vegetables for less sodium. You can try even adding some Italian herbs like dried basil and rosemary. The reason I put in this recipe is to show you guys that there are other ways to have vegetables and to just experiment. I used to never touch vegetables until I learned this recipe. Trust me, vegetables can honestly be delicious. Just find a healthy and delicious style to cook with them and never give up until you do.
Honey Lemon Chicken
Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
4 pounds chicken (cut into 8 pieces)
1/2 cup flour (all purpose)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup lemon juice
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking pan with foil for easy clean up. Lightly oil the foil.
2. Combine flour and salt in a plastic bag. Shake chicken pieces in flour mixture, remove from bag and place on prepared pan.
3. Bake for 45 minutes.
4. Combine honey and lemon. Spoon mixture over chicken to glaze chicken pieces. Bake another 15 minutes.
Nutrition
Serving size 1/8 of recipe (240g), Calories 330, Total Fat 8g, Trans Fat 0g, Cholesterol 150mg, Sodium 160mg, Total Carbohydrates 15g, Dietary Fiber 0g, Sugars 9g, Protein 46g, Vitamin A 2%, Vitamin C 15%, Calcium 2%, Iron 15%
Notes
May use coconut oil in place of vegetable oil but make sure to liquefy it first.
Lemon Spinach
Ingredients
1 bunch spinach (1 pound, fresh)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Instructions
1. Wash the spinach. Trim off the stems.
2. Put the spinach, black pepper, and lemon juice in a pan.
3. Cook over medium heat. Let the spinach boil for about 3 minutes, until just tender.
Nutrition
Serving Size 1/4 cup or ¼ of recipe (117g),Calories 25, Total Fat 0g, Trans Fat 0g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 90mg, Total Carbohydrates 4g, Dietary Fibers 3g, Sugars 1g, Protein 3g, Vitamin A 210%, Vitamin C 60%, Calcium 10%, Iron 15%
Notes
Once again you may add other vegetables into the mix. These are great side dishes to add to your regular set of meals to add more vegetables to your everyday diet.
Easy Red Beans and Rice
Ingredients
cooking oil spray, as needed (non-stick)
1 onion (large, peeled and chopped)
1 green bell pepper (medium, washed, seeded and chopped)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 cans diced tomatoes (14.5 ounces)
1 can kidney beans (15.5 oz, drained and rinsed)
6 cups cooked brown rice
Instructions
1. Spray skillet with cooking oil spray.
2. Cook onion and pepper over medium heat for 5 minutes or until tender.
3. Add garlic powder, tomatoes, and kidney beans.
4. Bring mixture to a boil.
5. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes.
6. Serve over rice.
Nutrition
Calories 270, Total fat 2g, Saturated Fat 0, Trans Fat 0g, Cholesterol 0mg, Sodium 140mg, Total Carbohydrates 55g, Dietary Fiber 10g, Sugars 7g, Protein 10g, Vitamin A 6%, Vitamin C 30%, Calcium 6%, Iron 10%
Notes
May use "no salt added" canned, diced tomatoes for less sodium. May use fresh garlic, minced; or onion powder in place of garlic powder. Instead of just having white rice try some 100% brown rice (NOT enriched) and add some beans to it. You can even just add beans to your regular set of rice if you are not ready to make the change. Beans are a great source of protein and are vegetables so you get the best of both worlds and rice complements it.
Sources:
The Herbed Vegetables, Honey Lemon Chicken, Lemon Spinach and Easy Red Beans and Rice are from the first website below:
http://www.choosemyplate.gov/budget/downloads/2WeekMenuCookbook.pdf
The Fruit Smoothie recipe comes from the source below:
http://www.walkkansas.org/kids/p.aspx?tabid=44
The rest are sources that I found helpful for the rest of my paper and for college students:
http://www.whatscooking.fns.usda.gov/
http://www.choosemyplate.gov/supertracker-tools/daily-food-plans.html
http://nutritiondata.self.com/
http://www.cookinglight.com/
https://www.supertracker.usda.gov/
http://www.whatscooking.fns.usda.gov/
