My Greens Are Already Gross!

More times than not when we buy our favorite bags of salad greens they spoil quicker than we can eat them. But why?

 Usually when we put away the greens we don't think much of it. We just tighten up the bag and throw it back in the crisper. Not good! The way I keep my leafy vegetables from spoiling is by every time after I take some of the leafs out of the bag, I close on end of the bag with my hand and lightly shake up the bag to loosen the mix. It gives the leafs some air and space. If the leaves are smooshed together and wet, the leafs will start to rot and because they are in close contact with the other leafs they will rot even faster.

 Also, I never close up the bag tight before storing. When a fruit or vegetable of any sort is cut or damaged in any way it produces ethylene gas. If you have a bruised leaf in the bag it will start producing the gas and if you close the bag tight it will trap the gas in, spoiling the healthy leafs around it. So give them space and give them air! 

Tuna & Spinach Quesadilla

I never thought I would like this til I just sucked it up and tried it. So delicious and healthy, this is a great lunch for me and it's quite cheap!

2 whole wheat tortillas (we don't like bleached flour! Get your nutrients by buying whole wheat!)
1/2 a tin of tuna (tuna in water is the healthier choice to tuna in oil. Less salt!
4 tbs queso fresco (other cheeses would work just as nicely such as cheddar or mozzarella)
4 tbs salsa verde (I use Ms. Renfro's my favorite!)
1 cup of fresh spinach
1 scallion thinly sliced
salt and pepper to taste
Clarified butter or olive oil

Top one of your tortillas with the tuna, cheese, salsa, spinach and scallion evenly so it all cooks through at the same rate. If you want prior to adding the tuna you can season it with salt and pepper but I find that the salt from the cheese and the chilies in the salsa are enough flavor for me. Put your second tortilla on top.

 Heat your butter or oil through at Med heat in a skillet. Add your quesadilla and let it cook for about 1 minute then raise the heat to Med-Hi. This will allow the cheese time to melt first then you can focus on giving your quesadilla a good toasting. After about another minute or 2 use a spatula to flip your quesadilla and cook another minute or 2 on that side. Serve to a plate and cut into 4 portions.

Quick Tip: Invest in a set of tupperware. I bought some for a cheap 2 dollars at my grocery store and I love them so much. You don't have to use the whole tin of tuna once you've opened it! Save the other half for another time! Doing this will help you control your portion size and keep this a healthy fix.

PBJ&Bananas

Now I know what you are thinking; what is that beautiful thing?! Well let me tell you it is my take on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with bananas. The only difference is the toasted English muffin. "You must love English muffins!" Yes, yes I do. They have the greatest texture, and if I'm gonna give into carbs I might as well eat some interesting variations. It's a great breakfast option giving you the energy and the full stomach to sustain you til lunchtime.

So to make this it's quite simple. All you need is:

Peanut Butter

1 Banana 

about 2 tbs of Fruit Preserves (I used strawberry, yum!)

and 1 split English muffin

Now as simple as this seems there are still some ways that you can make this healthier than usual. I buy a good quality, lower sugar fruit preserve. You want to know where your fruit came from before you eat it and buying organic fruits insures that you are not eating foods with preservatives and hefty amounts of pesticides. Also buy a better quality peanut butter with lower fat and additives. 

You might be thinking how do I buy these things on my college student budget? Well it's simple. Take time to read the ingredients and labels of the products, compare prices and compare price to quantity ratio. This will ensure that your getting enough bang for your buck!

Soba Noodle Soup

We all know that soup is generally healthy. Especially if it is a vegetable soup that is low in salt. This recipe I modified from one that I found of Martha Stewert's. Not bad I must say. Soba noodles are a Japanese buckwheat noodle that are a nutritious way to vary up your carb selection. If you have trouble finding Soba noodles any wheat wheat based noodle would work fine. Make sure you pay attention to ingredient variation and quality as well. It can drastically change the nutritional value of any meal you cook.

Serves 1

1/2 tbs. sesame oil
2 button or shiitake mushrooms sliced thinly
1 scallion sliced thinly
1/2 clove garlic diced
1/4 tbs. minced fresh ginger
Course salt (preferably sea salt or kosher)
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 oz Green tea or plain Soba noodles
a small handful of fresh spinach leafs
1/2 tbs fresh lime juice
1/4 tbs soy sauce

Heat a saucepan over medium heat. Heat the oil through then add the mushrooms, scallion whites, ginger, garlic and salt to taste. Cook until mushrooms are tender; about 3- 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add chicken broth and 3/4 cups of water. Bring to a boil. You might have to add a little more later if your soup has reduced greatly. Lower the heat to a simmer and add your Soba noodles and cook about 5 minutes. Add your spinach here and cook until the spinach is just tender, about 1 minute. Turn of the heat. Stir in your lime juice and soy sauce and top your soup with the reserved scallion greens. Yum!

Grilled Buffalo Chicken Sandwich

This blew me away. So simple. So tasty. Easy to make. There are many variations of ways you can prepare buffalo chicken but most include cooking in fatty oils, battering the chicken, and using a thick, fatty blue cheese dressing. This is a great easy way to get your buffalo chicken fix without feeling too guilty afterwards and it only takes a few ingredients. The toasted English muffin adds awesome texture also to this sandwich.

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
Salt & pepper
Paprika
Olive oil

Frank's Red Hot sauce
Butter

1/2 cup Greek Yogurt
1 scallion thinly sliced
1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles

1 toasted English muffins
Extra chopped scallions
Washed, baby spinach

Heat a skillet at Med- Med-Hi heat. Drizzle with olive oil. Pound the chicken breast out till it is at an an equal width through the whole breast. Season with salt, pepper and paprika. Cook chicken in the skillet for about 5 minutes per side. Turn off the heat and let rest.

Mix the yogurt, scallions and blue cheese until thoroughly combined to make a spread for the sandwich.
Put the butter and hot sauce either in a double boiler to slowly melt and mix the two together or put them in a bowl and slowly microwave and stir until the butter and hot sauce are well combined. Turn the stove with the pan of chicken back onto low heat and pour over the butter and hot sauce mixture. Turn the chicken to warm and coat thoroughly.

Spread the blue cheese and yogurt mixture on the toasted English muffin. Place the chicken on top of the spread and continue adding the spinach and optional extra scallions. Serve.