Preparing Your Spring Break Body

Since spring break is next week for the students at the University of Florida, I decided to do an experiment hoping to get in shape before spring break. So, I tried a 3 day smoothie detox that I found on pinterest.

This 3 day detox consisted on 3 different smoothies a day for 3 days. To start out my day, I made breakfast smoothie that, in my opinion, was the best smoothie in the detox.

Breakfast Smoothie Recipe:

• 1 cup water
• 1 tbsp flaxseed
• 1 cup raspberries
• 1 banana
• 1/4 cup spinach 
• 1 tbs almond butter
• 2 tsp lemon juice

Lunch Smoothie Recipe:

• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 4 celery stalks
• 1 cucumber
• 1 cup kale
• 1/2 green apple
• 1/2 squeezed lime
• 1 tbs melted coconut oil
• 1 cup pineapple

The lunch smoothie was by far the worst tasting out of all the smoothies.

Dinner Smoothie Recipe:

• 1 1/2 cups coconut water
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1/2 cup mango
• 1 cup kale
• 1 tbs lemon juice
• 1/4 avocado
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp flaxseed

Overall, the detox did make me feel healthy and gave my body a break from the harsh junk food I had perviously eaten. 

Cracker Barrel: Healthy?

Cracker Barrel! Decent in pricing for college students, but is it healthy?

A post shared by Healthy Eating (@healthyrecipes4collegestudents) on Apr 19, 2017 at 12:44pm PDT

It doesn't seem like there's a lot of people dining here tonight. I wonder why?

A post shared by Healthy Eating (@healthyrecipes4collegestudents) on Apr 19, 2017 at 12:45pm PDT

Although it's a slow night, the customers seem to be satisfied with the price and their food. One customer had a country fried steak- not very healthy

A post shared by Healthy Eating (@healthyrecipes4collegestudents) on Apr 19, 2017 at 12:46pm PDT

Some of the workers say if you want to eat healthy, you can order some of our lighter meals

A post shared by Healthy Eating (@healthyrecipes4collegestudents) on Apr 19, 2017 at 12:47pm PDT

Lots of people who are looking to eat healthy order Cracker Barrel's delicious salad!

A post shared by Healthy Eating (@healthyrecipes4collegestudents) on Apr 19, 2017 at 12:47pm PDT

Healthy Recipes for Vegetarians

While I am not a vegetarian, I truly applaud people that are and think that is a great lifestyle. It certainly is a great way to stay healthy in college and is very inexpensive as well! Therefore, I decided to research a couple healthy recipes all you vegetarians can try!

For breakfast, I found a great recipe for Breakfast Tacos:

Ingredients 

Tacos 

• 8 ounces firm tofu
• 1 cup cooked black beans
• 1/4 red onion, diced
• 1 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 ripe avocado, sliced (or sub guacamole)
• 1/2 cup salsa for serving (hot sauce also optional)
• 1 lime sliced, for serving
• 1/4 cup pomegranate arils
• Corn tortillas (2 per person)

Tofu Seasoning 

• 3/4 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• 1 Tbsp salsa
• 1 Tbsp water

Instructions

1. Wrap tofu in a clean, absorbent towel and place something heavy on top, such as a cast iron skillet, while prepping toppings.
2. Cook black beans in a small saucepan over medium heat until bubbly, then reduce heat to simmer and set aside. If unsalted/unseasoned, add a pinch of salt, cumin, chili powder and garlic powder.
3. Add dry tofu spices + salsa to a small bowl and add enough water to make a pourable sauce. Set aside.
4. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and unwrap tofu. Use a fork to crumble.
5. Once the pan is hot, add 1-2 Tbsp oil of choice and the tofu. Stir fry for 4-5 minutes to brown. Then add seasoning and toss to coat. Continue cooking until browned and fragrant - about 5-10 minutes - stirring frequently. Set aside.
6. To serve, warm tortillas in the microwave wrapped in a damp paper towel or in a 250 degree oven (optional). Top tortillas with tofu scramble, black beans, onion, avocado, cilantro, salsa, fresh lime juice and pomegranate arils (or desired toppings).
7. Serve immediately with the best breakfast potatoes or fruit.

For dinner, this Zucchini Pasta Salad will knock your socks off.

Ingredients

• 1 large or 2 small zucchini, julienned or spiralized
• 1 green onion, thinly sliced
• handful cherry or grape tomatoes, cut in half
• few large leaves of basil, julienned
• drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
• sprinkle of hemp hearts
• pinch or two of red pepper flakes
• himalayan salt & cracked pepper to taste
• almond parmesan, for dusting

Prepare your vegetables. In a medium size bowl combine all ingredients and serve with a dusting of almond parmesan on top.

For more vegetarian recipes, visit https://www.buzzfeed.com/sallytamarkin/clean-eating-meals-for-vegetarians?utm_term=.bvBKwRQ83#.fy9VOq5m2.

Why It's Healthier and Cheaper for College Students to Cook

BuzzFeed: Healthy Eating Habits for Lazy College Students

While researching different recipes to share with all of you struggling college students, I came across an amazing article BuzzFeed wrote called "33 Healthy Eating Habits Lazy College Students Will Appreciate."This is article is beyond relevant and so on point, I would be crazy not to share it with you!

Here is the link to the article:

33 Healthy Eating Habits Lazy College Students Will Appreciate

Jenny Chang / Via BuzzFeed Me at this point in the semester - College Student (@ColIegeStudent) Yes, campus life is crazy and stressful and ridiculous, but that doesn't mean you can just eat whatever you want. Plus, this can actually be a great time to start eating healthier foods if you don't already.

 BuzzFeed's list even makes it an easy read for the super lazy college students who don't want to take the time to read the entire article. This article gives great tips on how to stay healthy even with hectic class schedules, meal plans, and late night craving.

Yummy Recipe: Fish and Rice!

For the first recipe I am going to share with you, I choose a recipe that I sort of concocted on my own!

As you can see on the left, the dish I made included fish, specifically mahi mahi, yellow rice, and a side of vegetables. I did not get the recipe for this meal from any website, or recipe board. I put it together based on previous experiences cooking, and by watching my mother cook my whole life.

To start with the protein, I baked the mahi mahi in the oven on 425 degrees for 20 minutes. The only seasoning I put on the fish was a blackened fish seasoning because I love spicy food, so I wanted to spice it up a little bit! For the rice, I bought a box of Zatarain's Yellow Rice and followed the instructions on the side. (I know yellow rice isn't the healthiest; however, small proportions are key and as you can see I ate a small proportion of rice.)

I am a huge fan of onions, squash and zucchini together, so that is why I chose that for my other side dish. Publix Supermarket also makes it really easy to cook these vegetables because you can by pre-cut onions, squash and zucchini packaged altogether. To cook these vegetables, all I did was sauté them together on the stovetop over medium heat with butter and sprinkled garlic powder and everglades seasoning over them.

So there you have it! A simple and easy home-cooked meal that even college students can make!