Tumeric Brain Boost

Jumpstart finals week with this superfood, mindblowing smoothie to tweak those brain cells to function at an optimum!

 

Packed with nutrients and sunshine, this libation features turmeric, omega-3-fatty acids, vitamins, flax, and walnuts not only beneficial to the rest of your body, but, in particular, beneficial to protecting your brain from from memory loss in your old age!

Turmeric is a tiny peppery, bright orange spice root from India that bursts with flavor and color when you grate the root--it will also stain anything it comes in contact with a beautiful yellow-orange hue...even metal! Curcumin is the actual compound, i.e. active ingredient, in turmeric responsible for both flavor and the color of this spice, and is touted for its powerful anti-inflammatory and strong antioxidant effects. 

Most of the major ailments in Western society stem from conditions directly related to inflammation, i.e. heart disease, Alzheimer's, diabetes, cancer, and other disease processes--several studies suggest curcumin counters these effects! 

If you can't find the actual root easily, a small container of the dried version will do!

(Disclaimer: If you are pregnant or breast-feeding; or, have other medical conditions requiring  prescription medications or over-the-counter treatments, please consult first with your physician before consuming turmeric regularly or at all!)

Turmeric Brain Boost
(Adapted recipe from Cooking Light's feature on Alzheimer's and 15 Brain Boosters article)

Equipment:
Nutri-Bullet or Magic Bullet
Grater

Ingredients:
3/4 cup 2% Greek Yoghurt
1 tsp honey
1 cup ice cubes
3/4 cup chopped, peeled mango, frozen
1/2 cup fresh orange slices
1/4 cup toasted (or plain) walnuts
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1 Tbls ground flax seed 
2 tsp of grated turmeric (or 1/2 tsp of dried turmeric)
Dash of kosher salt
Dash of cayenne
Dash of cardamom or nutmeg

Instructions:
1. Wash your hands.
2. Prep each ingredient.
3. Combine the first 11 ingredients into the blender until smooth.

4. Top it off with a splash of nutmeg or cardamom.
5. Share a glass or store it in your fridge for later.

Tips:

• No Money:
• buy smoothie ingredients in bulk when they are in season and cheap.
• cut them up and freeze for future use
• see 'Saving Mangoes' and 'Freezing Bananas'  and 'Saving Pineapples' posts
• No Waste:
• smoothies are great for leftovers and near-rotten fruit--know the difference, however.
• No Equipment:
• not everyone has a blender...so, ask for one over Christmas...it will serve you well.
• ask for a grater or a zester
• No Skills:
• buy from the salad bar where multiple fruits are pre-chopped / -sliced
• learn basic chopping skills
• No Health:
• packed with heart-healthy omega-3-fatty acids, i.e. healthy fats in flax, walnuts
• packed with calcium in rich, creamy Greek yoghurt
• packed with Vitamin C and other vitamins in mango and citrus
• packed with turmeric containing curcumin to possibly enhance cognitive function
• packed with flavor

Nutrition Info:
Servings: 2 (1 1/4 cup)
Calories 245 / Fat 13.1g / Protein 11g / Carb 25g / Sodium 91mg / Fiber 4g / Sugars 19g (honey extra) / Calcium 109mg

Fajita Burrito Bowl

One of the biggest challenges in college is not just having limited cooking skills and cooking equipment, but having the time to plan and prepare delicious food day in and day out without resorting to "convenience" and "fast food dining! This post, a fantastic idea from the popular Tasty website, is a one stop solution to all of the above--one sheet pan, roasting, assembly, your done--with at least two, maybe three, meals for leftovers.

Fajita Burrito Bowl

Equipment:
Large Baking Sheet with rim
Aluminum Foil (you will have virtually no clean up either)
PAM Spray

Ingredients:
2 large chicken breasts
Taco Seasoning
1/4 cup Salsa or Taco Sauce per chicken breast
2-3 Bell Peppers--red, green, orange or yellow, sliced in vertical strips
Yellow Onions or Red Onions, sliced 
1 (15 oz) whole kernel corn
1 (15 oz) black beans, drained and washed
Cherry Tomatoes

White or Brown Rice, pre-made or Minute White or Brown Rice

Instructions:
1. Wash hands.
2. Preheat oven 400F degrees.
3. Line baking sheet with foil and spray with PAM.
4. Place chicken breasts in center of sheet pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

5. Sprinkle with taco seasoning and cover breasts with 1/4 cup of taco sauce or salsa.
6. Surround chicken breasts with tomatoes, peppers, onions.
7. Sprinkle vegetables with salt and pepper and olive oil.
8. Roast at 400F degrees for 20-25 minutes until chicken is tender.

9. Start assembly: Rice--veggies--corn--beans--tomatoes (roasted or fresh)--peppers--cheese--green onions--cilantro--condiments--lime

 10. Set aside leftovers ready to go!!!

 

Breakfast Frittata

Living on a 'very-tight' budget and trying to stay healthy and eat right is challenging indeed! But...possible with the right recipes and ingredients! 

I am just returning from an incredible conference on cooking for health (Healthy Kitchens Healthy Lives) which also addressed practical solutions for many surviving on government dollars and food supplements--I would argue that many college students fall into this quadrant and thought I could share some ideas!! Recipes demonstrated during this conference were meant to be easy, affordable, nutritious, and most importantly, delicious--with the goal of encouraging everyone to cook more not only for savings, but also for nutrition, health and community! 

Over the next few weeks I plan to feature many of these tasty options as well as some of the organizations who developed these recipes purposefully to address a much bigger issue in America: hunger! 

• First up? Frittatas
• Why? Versatile. 
• Base recipe + ingredients to your liking. 
• Mix and match. 
• Make ahead. Freeze and reheat.
• Convenient
• Health? Protein + Veggies. Low-fat.
• Cost? < $ 5-7
• Skill? Easy
• Feeds? 4-6 servings

Anytime Frittata
(Adapted from Healthy Kitchens Healthy Lives)

Equipment:
Iron Cast Skillet (or oven-proof skillet and handle up to 400F degrees)
Regular Skillet (for sautéing), or do everything in the cast-iron skillet

Ingredients:
6 eggs
2 egg white
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Black pepper 
2 Tbls parsley, fresh (or 1 tsp dried parsley)
2 Tbls water

4 Tbls Olive oil
1/2 cup onions, diced
2 Tbls Shallots, minced
2 cups mushrooms, sliced and sautéed
1 cup zucchini, 1/8" sliced and sautéed
1 cup Great Northern Beans (or cannellini beans), drained and rinsed
1/2 cup artichoke hearts, chopped (optional)

Parmesan cheese, shredded

Instructions:
1. Wash your hands.
2. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. 
3. Beat the eggs, egg whites, salt, pepper, and water until egg whites just incorporated. 

4. Heat olive oil in skillet to saute shallots and onions until translucent. 

5. Add zucchini rounds and saute until golden. 
(If using mushrooms I would saute mushrooms separately to remove the excessive water content first before adding to onion mixture.) 

6. Add drained beans and chopped artichoke hearts (if using these).

7. Add the egg mixture to skillet and stir in the cheese, then let cook over LOW-MED heat for one minute.

8. Bake entire skillet in pre-heated oven x 10-12 minutes until center sets.

9. Allow to cool in skillet and slide a knife around the edges.
10. Use a plate to flip the entire frittata out of the skillet. If it does not separate easily, simply remove individual slices from the skillet.

Add a salsa verde or tomato salsa or hot sauce or ketchup!
Set the rest aside for breakfast or after school snack.