Calories on Campus: Beyond the all-or-nothing diet

You know what time it is… Cooking for one! This week I am giving you a recipe that is very simple and very low in calories. I’ll be giving you the recipe for chicken caesar lettuce wraps. Below is a picture of this delicious dinner:

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 Chicken breast
• Lettuce Head
• Tomatoes
• Croutons (optional)
• Parmesan Cheese
• Caesar dressing
• Olive oil
• Salt and Pepper

Again, this recipe is extremely simple to make (perfect for a college student). Here’s what you have to do:

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper, cut into bite size pieces, then marinate in caesar dressing for 30 minutes.

2. Pour about 2 teaspoons of olive oil in a skillet pan, cook chicken until fully cooked

3. Rip the lettuce head into pieces

4. Place cooked chicken in lettuce head pieces

5. Dress with cheese, tomatoes, and croutons

6. Add more caesar dressing if needed

7. Serve

I really enjoy this recipe because it’s not just another boring caesar salad, it switches it up a little bit. This recipe also does not take a lot of time to prepare which is always a plus for college students who are in a rush and don’t have much time. It also doesn’t require a ridiculous amount of ingredients which is also very beneficial for students who are cooking on a budget.

This will be my final post of the semester so I hope you’ve learned some valuable lessons while reading this semester! I appreciate everyone who took the time to listen to be ramble about diets, workouts and overall just not being too obsessed with your weight. And as always…

Happy Eating,

Anne

I’m back again to give you another recipe to add to your cookbook! Now, I am not the biggest fan of salads because quite honestly they don’t fill me up, but I am a huge fan of this one. I found many recipes online for a caprese dinner salad, and made some changes of my own. Here’s an image of the one i’ll be giving you the recipe for, the only exception is add chicken:

Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 Chicken breast
• Spinach
• Tomatoes
• Mozzarella
• Basil
• Balsamic vinegar
• Olive oil

This recipe is extremely easy to make, which is why it’s one of my favorites. Here’s what you’ll need to do:

1. Defrost chicken breast, then marinate in balsamic vinegar for about an hour

2. Cook chicken for 30 minutes (or until fully cooked)

3. Put spinach on plate (I think spinach tastes the best, but you can really use whatever you’d like)

4. Cut tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil into bite size pieces, and place on spinach

5. Cut chicken into bite size pieces and place on salad

6. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and olive oil

7. Serve

Easy enough! You can really make this salad with or without chicken, however, I like to add the chicken because it helps fill me up more, and I believe it just makes the salad better. The trick with this recipe is to not drown the salad in the balsamic vinegar and olive oil, because then it defeats the purpose of it being healthy. You really don’t need that much dressing because all the other ingredients have a lot of flavor. Again, this is a low calories meal with easy steps and not too many ingredients which is why it is perfect for a college student on a budget.

Happy Eating,

Anne

Brussels sprouts are one of the most hated vegetables known to man. However, today I am going to (hopefully) change your mind. I am convinced that people hate brussels sprouts so much because they just don’t know how to cook them the right way. Today, I am here to give you a quick and easy recipe for how to make this veggie taste amazing. Here’s what you’ll need:

• Brussels Sprouts
• Kosher Salt
• Pepper
• Olive Oil

Here’s what you’ve got to do:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

2. Cut brussels sprouts in half (as many as you like)

3. Put in bowl, and mix with about 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil

4. Season with salt and pepper to taste

5. Toss so all brussels sprouts are covered

6. Place in pan and cook for about 30 minutes

7. Serve with desired meal

This extremely simple recipe will make anyone like this vegetable. After cooking in the oven they get pretty crispy and burnt, and eventually you forget you’re even eating something healthy. I really enjoy this recipe because it really is so simple, it does not consume a lot of time, and it doesn’t require a great deal of ingredients. You can serve this side with pretty much anything you’d like, I usually serve it with a chicken breast, or a piece of salmon. But it can really be paired with anything.

So, if you’re brave enough to try this hated vegetable, I promise you, you will not be disappointed. You, and your taste buds will definitely be thanking me.

Happy Eating,

Anne

I won’t lie to you, late night snacking is one of my all time favorite things. Cuddled in bed, watching netflix, and just snacking… sign me up. However, this can be a very dangerous game. If you’re sitting there with a bag of skittles, it’s very easy to get carried away and eat the entire bag, (oh wait, or is that just me??) I know that when I am laying in bed, I am always craving chocolate. And like I’ve said before, I can’t just cut chocolate out of my diet, it’s just not possible. So, I’ve found a healthy solution to these late night cravings.

The solution is simple, dark chocolate covered bananas. This snack is almost too easy, it just doesn’t even seem real. All you have to do is buy some bananas, cut them into slices, and freeze them for about 30 minutes. Next, you melt a bar of dark chocolate, and dip the bananas in the melted chocolate, and stick them back in the freezer for another 5 minutes. So easy!

This snack really is so helpful to those cravings because you get so much chocolate in each bite, and you really don’t need to eat an entire handful because the dark chocolate is so rich. These are also one of my favorite snacks because you can put them in a container and keep them in the freezer, so anytime you just NEED some chocolate in your life, you can pop one in your mouth and it does the trick.

Cheap, Easy, and Healthy… Can’t get any better than that.

Happy Eating,

Anne

I’m back again with “cooking for one” to share more of the easy, cheap, and healthy recipes I have discovered during my college years. The one I am going to share with you is one of my favorites because it really is so simple. Today’s recipe is Fajita Chicken. Here’s what you need:

• One Chicken Breast
• 1 Bell Pepper, cut into strips
• 1 Small Onion, cut into strips
• Salt and Pepper
• Olive Oil
• Fajita Seasoning
• Foil

Here’s the steps you’ll need to take:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2. Place chicken breast on piece of foil

3. Season chicken with salt and pepper

4. Place strips of bell pepper and onion on top of chicken breast

5. Sprinkle fajita seasoning over top

6. Drizzle with olive oil

7. Wrap the foil around chicken, cook for 25-30 minutes

Total Calories: 299

Again, this is a recipe I make often because most of the ingredients are already laying around my house, or can be used in another recipe. I really try to find recipes that have simple ingredients because that saves a lot at the grocery store. I originally found this recipe on a website designed for family cooking and the ingredients were just complex, and the cost of it was just out of my budget. So, I decided to modify that recipe so that I could cook this simple dinner any night of the week. I also cut out some ingredients that were high in calories. This is a recipe that is healthy but much more exciting than just a simple chicken breast and side. My favorite side to serve with this dinner is just a simple side salad or rice, but you can really serve with whatever you prefer.

Happy Eating,

Anne

Cook cheap, healthy, and easy dinners can be difficult in college, especially if you’re just trying to cook for yourself. When you try to find recipes online, they are usually crafted to feed 3-4 people. I decided to do all the hard work for you, and find a recipe that you can easily make for just yourself, is cheap, and still healthy. I found this meal on Skinny Taste, however, I modified it to feed only one. This dinner that fits the college trifecta is pesto chicken. Here’s what you’ll need:

• 1 chicken breast
• Canned Basil Pesto
• Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
• Tomato
• Salt and Pepper

This recipe is nice because you only need a few ingredients, and they are things that you most likely have somewhere hidden in your kitchen. To make matters even better, this dinner could not be easier to make. Here’s the steps you’ll need to take:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. Place chicken on pan, and spread one spoonful of basil pesto on top

3. Cook for about 15 minutes or until chicken is almost completely cooked

4. Take chicken out, top with two slices of tomato, and mozzarella cheese

5. Cook for additional 5 minutes

6. Serve with desired vegetable

I really love this dinner so much because it is very simple, and doesn’t take very long to make. Another up side to this recipe is that the ingredients are pretty common and can be used in other meals so they will not go to waste. The cost of this dinner is easily under $20 and is only 236 calories. Cheap, easy, and healthy… Music to a college students ears.

Happy Eating,

Anne