I am glad you all enjoyed my first post enough to come back and read some more! This week I want to talk about finding healthy, lean protein in the cafeteria (and in a small kitchen as well!) One of my favorite types of meat is grilled chicken breast. It's super versatile, lean, low in calories and high in protein. Whenever this is served in the cafeteria, let me tell you it is a treat! What I want to encourage you to do is to think outside of the box! Many times in my cafeteria the grilled chicken is advertised as a grilled chicken sandwich (on a white bun). You may see that on the menu and pass it over maybe because a sandwich doesn't sound good or because you like to eat whole grain bread (kudos to you!) instead of white bread like I do. What you should do instead of passing over that wonderful piece of grilled chicken is ask for it without the bun and think of all the things you can do with it :)
So let's start at the salad bar. The easiest way to eat the chicken is to eat it all by itself (but how boring is that?). If you aren't feeling creative just pick out your favorite salad dressing and dip away! I like honey mustard or BBQ sauce the best but sometimes you can find surprise sauces if you look around. I have seen hot sauce, sriracha, curry, soy sauce, grainy mustard and the list of ways to dress up your chicken goes on and on. If you want to take another step up add the chicken to salad greens. Once you take this step (this isn't so hard right?) there are a million combinations. I love to add feta cheese, dried cranberries, almonds and raspberry vinaigrette. Another great one is an Asian inspired salad with mandarin oranges, green pepper, carrots, peas, and chow mein noodles. Try this simply dressed with olive oil and maybe a little soy sauce (remember we found that earlier?)
You didn't think you could find all of that in a cafeteria did you? This is one of my best tips to give you, are you ready? Look around the cafeteria before you get any food! This way you know all of the options. I used to go straight to the hot food line and by the time I get to the salad bar and see something I want I already have way too much food! Now I walk through the salad bar first to see what kind of options are there before I even check out the food line. Remember that okay? :) Now back to the chicken.
We are still at the salad bar, are you with me? Another common salad bar staple are prepared pasta salads. These make a great side dish but they also can be more filling if you add chicken to them. A lot of times in my cafeteria they are lightly dressed and loaded with veggies. The combination of carbohydrates, vegetables and the added protein from the chicken is awesome! Make sure you stay away from mayo based salads though because these have a ton of added fat. One more thing from the salad bar, if your cafeteria has it, is hummus. If you like it this is a great dip for grilled chicken as well! You could even make your own greek salad with hummus, cucumbers, tomatoes and some feta cheese- delicious!
So I've got a couple more ideas once we move on from the salad bar. If you actually did want that grilled chicken sandwich but refuse to eat white bread then head over to the breakfast station and pick out a whole grain or multi grain bread and make your own sandwich! Add some grainy mustard, lettuce and tomato and that is a perfect lunch or dinner. If the soup looks good that day you could add cut up the chicken and add it in there also. I love to doctor up the soups in my cafeteria with added veggies from the salad bar or the hot line or grilled chicken like in this example. Try adding it to vegetarian minestrone. Yum!
Now look at all the things you can do by thinking outside of the box just in the cafeteria. If you have your own kitchen you can of course try all of these ideas but you have the luxury of grocery shopping! Try cooking up a bunch of chicken on the grill (or indoor griddle, George Forman grill, baked in the oven, etc) and using it in salads, on sandwiches, in pasta for dinner, in tacos, on pizza or thrown into soups and stews. The possibilities are endless!
I hope this helps you all think outside of the box with cafeteria options and add one of the best lean proteins into more of your lunches and dinners! One last thing, I wanted to show you the nutrition facts for the famous chicken I am talking about so you know just how fabulous it is. Here are the facts for 3 oz (that's about the size of a deck of cards or your fist) of a boneless skinless breast.
Thanks for stopping by everyone!
-Emily
Thanks to www.livestrong.com for the nutrition facts!
