Nutrition

  • Food & Nutrition, Nutrition, Uncategorized

    A.M. Recipe: Cabbage Kielbasa Soup

    • 0 comments
    • by

    My undergrad bestie, Krystal, is an amazing cook and blogger at DC Brown Sugar Bakery.  She has agreed to curate a few quick, healthy and student-friendly recipes to “fit” (pun intended) the Academic Muscle audience.  Enjoy!

    It’s halfway through February 2019, which means that by now, resolutions  made a month ago unfortunately might be broken by now.  In 2018, 45% of Americans pledged to lose weight or get in shape, so there’s a good chance that half the nation’s population has made similar goals this year.

    Jogging, lifting weights, or finding zen in yoga are excellent ways to develop lean muscles. However, those results may never be visible if your diet is poor. Don’t despair! I have a tasty, nutritious and affordable meal even novice cooks can prepare. It’s cabbage kielbasa soup consisting of fresh vegetables, a little starch and protein to give you the energy needed to complete your workouts. It’s also the perfect soup for cold winter nights.

    Get your ingredients together, a calming playlist, and make this easy soup in 30-40 minutes. Then, enjoy this delicious meal, which is not only intended to fill you up but help you see the definition in your legs after all those squats.

    Cabbage Kielbasa Soup

    Ingredients

    1/2 package turkey kielbasa sliced

    soup 1

    soup 4

    2 tablespoons olive oil

    1/2 medium onion diced

    2 medium carrots chopped

    1 celery stalk chopped

    3 red potatoes chopped

    1/2 cabbage head sliced

    1 chicken bouillon cube

    salt, pepper, and dried oregano to taste

    Instructions

    First, brown the turkey kielbasa for about 5 to 7 minutes. Set aside. Add olive oil to a hot pot. Cook the onions, carrots, and celery for 5 minutes and then add the red potatoes. Sauté for about 7 more minutes. Add kielbasa and roughly 4-5 cups water and chicken bouillon cube. Bring the water to a boil and then add the cabbage and seasonings to taste. After the water returns to a boil, reduce it to a simmer. Cook until the potatoes are thoroughly done. Enjoy!

    soupsoup 3

    Thanks so much Krystal for this amazing recipe!  Hopefully, this is the first of many. If you all try this out, let us know what you think.  Also, if there are any recipes you’d like to see from Academic Muscle (how to make them healthier, cheaper, etc.) let me know!

  • Food & Nutrition, Nutrition, Saving Money

    Grocery Haul: October 2018

    Grand Total: $101.63

    Happy fall!  This month I’m really trying to be intentional about eating more, hence why my TJ’s bill keeps creeping higher and higher (FYI I don’t just shop at TJ’s–I’ll explain my strategy in a later post).  My desire to eat more isn’t just about preparing for winter hibernation.  Because of my under eating, I often wake up at 3 and 4 in the morning because my body is craving food.  Needless to say, this messes me up for the rest of the day even if I do  fall back asleep.  If I can manage to get this under control, I’m looking forward to sleeping more, and I also think it’ll be interesting to see how my body responds to getting more food on a regular basis.

    My new-ish item of interest at Trader Joe’s are these vegetable spring rolls….One box includes five pieces and they came up to $3.99.  They are filled with edamame, kale, cabbage and mushrooms.

    This is my second time buying these spring rolls, and there’s a reason–they’re pretty darn good. The first time around, I  baked them following the instructions on the box.  The second time, I used my roommate’s air fryer, which gave them a really nice crunch in only about 7 minutes.  I prefer the airfryer because it’s quicker and more fun to use; however, since I meal prep’ed with these and therefore put them in the refrigerator rather than eating them immediately after I cooked them as it’s suggested, the crunch pretty much just went away.  I know that this isn’t ideal and that the texture is less than desirable, but, even with the slight sogginess, I’m still here for it.

    My lunch this week.  In addition to spring rolls, I made stir fry with TJ pre-chopped vegetables, marinated tofu over brown rice. I also sautéed kale.

    Am I the only one that is willing to make small taste-based concessions for the peace of mind of knowing that your food is taken care of for the entire work week?  Meal prepping for me is more about saving time and money rather than eating perfect meals.  I’m willing to eat a semi-soggy spring roll or two.

    Onwards and upwards.  We’re already half-way through the semester!

  • Food & Nutrition, Saving Money

    When good decisions go bland

    More and more I find myself dissecting the nutrition facts on the back of foods before I purchase them.  I’m becoming that person; however, it’s sort of a necessity because ensuring that I get enough protein in my diet is a daily struggle.  This is on top of the fact that there’s often hidden sugars and other ingredients that manufacturers  slip into their foods unbeknownst to the customer thereby turning a seemingly healthy food into a hazard. So what do you do when you read something on the label that you don’t want to?

    Image result for chobani greek plain yogurt
    Source Image

    True story: The grocery store up the street had a 4-pack of Chobani yogurt on sale for $2.99!  Yes…..that’s not a typo.  Because there are few things that make me happier than a good sale, I ran to the dairy aisle because usually a single cup costs about $1.53 (and I also just spend time taking in the free A/C). While I surely have vegan aspirations, buying yogurt is a relatively easy and quick way that to get protein in, so when it’s on sale, I definitely try to stock up. When it came time to decide which flavors to buy, I’m not sure why I thought Chobani would be any different, but all of the fruit in the bottom varieties had anywhere between 13 and 15 grams of sugar per serving whereas the plain unflavored only had 4.  Good for my body but bad for my taste buds.

    According to a Business Insider article, there are other major yogurt brands that have almost double of what Chobani has.  La Yogurt (original, lowfat, cheescake flavor) and Brown Cow (chocolate flavor) for example both have 28 grams of sugar, which is almost like eating a Double Chocolate Brownie from Starbucks just to put things in perspective.  Essentially, most yogurts should be classified as a desert.

    I reluctantly bought two pack of plain greek yogurt knowing that it just wasn’t going to taste good.

    So now I’m stuck with all of this yogurt that I know is better for me but that I’m actually not all that excited about eating.  I find plain greek yogurt to be bitter and pretty unappetizing.  Was it worth it?  Do I really have the time, energy and interest  to try to make my yogurt appetizing?  So far, I just add any combination of cinnamon, honey and or raisins to try to sweeten things up a bit, but I honestly feel like it’s just extra work.  Why can’t yogurt be tasty and healthy?  Am I asking for too much here?

    Other instances where good choices go bland are mostly when I skip on the condiments.  BBQ sauce is another favorite of mine, but it’s loaded with sugar.   I love the idea of butter with everything, oatmeal, eggs, toast, etc, but I usually refrain because I simply know better.

    The challenge here then is to find alternatives that satisfy my tastebuds but aren’t self defeating.  So for now, I’m using raisins, honey (trying not to o.d.) and cinnamon to improve the taste.  I can also incorporate it into my smoothies, and overnight oats which is ideal for plan yogurt rather than flavored.  It’s honestly, not so bad; it just takes a little effort.

    Have you recently made a decision to go bland?  How’s it going for you?  Any life hacks to make bland taste better?