Chicks and Chips for Dinner

Well, by "chicks" I mean eggs, but that title was just so catchy sounding.

Hard-boiled Egg Tomato Salad and Sweet Potato Chips with an Avocado-Tomato Dip:

I was looking through my "Forks Over Knives" book that has a bunch of vegan recipes in it and stumbled upon the recipe for "Joey's Lifesaving Sweet Potato Chips". They really are lifesaving and extremely easy to make. All you need is, well, a sweet potato.
The recipe also recommended using a tomato-avocado dip, so I looked up a simple and few-ingredient dip. I found this recipe and altered it just a bit. I also made it into 1 serving size. You could make more and save it for later though ^___^. I might do that later...

Then, I put together a random salad that contains a hard-boiled egg that I made earlier in the day. Hard-boiled eggs are great snacks or additions to a meal, so it's a great idea to make a few of these at a time so you can have one later on in the day or week for an easy and accessible snack. ^___^
I'm still new at making hard-boiled eggs, so it was a bit undercooked and a little difficult to get the shell to come off clean. If you don't know how to make one, now you do.

Okay! Let's make this thing.

Sweet Potato Chips Ingredients:
- ¼ Sweet Potato

Salad Ingredients:
- 1 cup spinach
- ¼ big tomato
- 1 hard-boiled egg
- Black Pepper
- A tiny bit of salt
- 2 Broccoli trees (I like to call them trees.)

Avocado-Tomato Dip
- ½ Avocado
- ¼ Big Tomato
- 1 slice onion
- ½ tsp Lemon Juice (¼ of a lemon)
- Black Pepper
- Garlic

Edit: I tried the dip without adding any lemon and definitely preferred the taste.

Let's start by heating the sweet potato chips since they take a bit longer to cook. The cooking time will vary per microwave. In Joey's recipe, he recommended to cook them for 7 minutes. I started with 5 minutes to be safe and then added more time after that.

Sweet Potato Chips Directions:
1) Cut the Sweet potato into thin slices.
2) Put in a bowl and microwave for 5 minutes.
3) I took the 2 broccoli trees and added them to the sweet potato chips and microwaved them together for 2 more minutes to save time. However, if you want your chips more crispy, microwave the chips and broccoli separately.
4) Microwave additional time until desired consistency. As Joey said in his recipe, they won't be as crispy as chips, but they will be stiff enough to use in the dip.

While the sweet potato chips are cooking...


Salad Directions:
1) Wash and cut the spinach.
2) Cut the tomato into slices.
3) Cut the Hard-boiled egg into slices.
4) Arrange the 3 ingredients and sprinkle with Black Pepper and a little bit of salt.

Avocado-Tomato Dip Directions:
1) Mince the tomato and onion.
2) Put the avocado half, lemon juice (see Note), and minced tomato and onion in a bowl together.
3) Mash together.
4) Add black pepper and garlic to taste.

 1)

 2)

 3)

Note: In order to get the lemon juice, I recommend squeezing the lemon to get the juice in a separately bowl. This way, you don't have to worry about fishing out the seeds that pop out in your dip ^___^.

Garlic was a huge addition to the flavor on this dip. You can pick up a little bottle right at Daiso and it lasts a long time. Add it to steamed veggies, salads, dips, anything! Except maybe bananas. Yeah, probably not to bananas.

After a meal, I love having a little something sweet. I picked up some 72% Dark Chocolate earlier in the day and it was the perfect way to end the meal. Oh, that and tea! I sliced off some of the lemon that was left over to add some flavored flare.

AwWWwww YeaaAHhhh! I hope you guys like this recipe as much as I did. If you didn't feel full after, I recommend adding another boiled egg or another cup of spinach, both great sources of protein =^.^=.

Also, I plan on posting some snack recipes soon as requested! =^.^=

An Unlikely Combination for Breakfast

This isn't the most common combination you've seen, is it? I found the original recipe here and modified just a little bit. Like the cook on the other site said, "Don’t knock the avo/jam combo until you try it", seriously. I mean, most of you have eaten nato before (ughhh), so you at least have to give this a try XD.

Avocado and Blueberry Jam Egg Pancake:

Ingredients:
- 2 eggs
- ½ avocado
- 1 TBSP St. Daflour Blueberry Spread/Jam (or any kind of jam you want)
- Black pepper
- Green Onions (optional)
- ¼ tsp Olive or Coconut Oil

Directions:
1) Crack the eggs in a bowl and add as many green onion rings as you want. Whisk with a fork.
2) Heat the oil and spread it around the pan with a spatula.
3) When the oil is heated, pour the egg mixture in the pan. Reduce the heat to medium.
4) Let the eggs cook until the bottom is cooked. Bubbles should start forming on the top.
5) Take one side of the egg pancake and fold it on to the other side, like a taco.
6) Cook for a few seconds before flipping it over.
7) Once the other side is cooked, put it on your plate.
8) Mash the avocado half around the egg pancake half.
9) Spread tablespoon of blueberry jam around the egg pancake half, too.
10) Sprinkle with pepper.
11) Eat!

I usually eat this with either a handful of green beans, ¼ sweet potato, or an apple or banana with cinnamon and almonds. So good, man.

But aren't _____ expensive?

I get asked a lot "Doesn't ____ cost a lot?" or told "I can't afford eating healthy." Well, I'm going to try to break it down for you so you can see that it really doesn't have to cost a lot to eat healthier.

Let's use this salad that I just made for lunch:

Breakdown:
½ chicken breast = 148/2 = 74 yen
1 spinach bundle = 188/8 = 24 yen
¼ sweet potato - 138/4 = 35 yen
¼ big tomato = 76/4 = 19 yen
½ avocado = 98/2 = 49 yen

Total: 201 yen

 
I'm full and feel satisfied after eating that meal. I'm pretty sure that beats the price of an Obento or eating out. Plus, I still have a ton of food left that I didn't use to make more meals.

So here are a few tips and things to keep in mind while shopping:

Think about the future
One of the biggest things to consider, is how buying these foods is an investment for the future. You can either buy an obento that is good for one meal, or a bunch of veggies, fruits, nuts, and lean protein that will last you a few meals for a similar price.

For example, I just bought these 5 tomatoes for 380 yen (This isn't an infomercial, I swear XD):

Crickets, Kat! That's a lot to shell out for 380! Actually, reader, it's not! These are really big tomatoes. With the recipes that I make, I can use each one for 4 meals.
So, let's break this down:
380/5 = 76 yen for one tomato
76/4 meals = 19 yen for each meal with tomatoes

That's pretty cheap if you ask me.

Other foods that may seem expensive, but last for a few meals: Broccoli, Spinach, Cabbage, Lettuce, Chicken Breast, Bananas, Almonds, etc.

Buy in Bulk when there are sales
Avocados are a good example of wanting to buy in bulk. Groceries sell them for anywhere from 98-198 yen. Whenever I see them on sale for 98, I buy 5 to 6 at a time. If I can, I like the buy at least 1 that is ripe and ready to eat and then buy a few greener ones that aren't yet ripe. That way, they'll be ready when I'm done eating the ripe one and ready to eat.
So, I buy one that's ripe, keep one or two on the counter to ripen, and store the rest in the fridge.

Other foods to consider to buy in bulk when on sale: Apples, Tomatoes, Cucumber, Frozen Blueberries, Frozen Green Beans, Eggs, Sweet Potatoes, Onions, Carrots

Look around for sales and/or the cheapest place to buy foods at different groceries
I go to about 3 different grocery stores to look for the best prices. For example, Kazun (right by Seijo Station) has frozen blueberries and green beans on sale for half price on Fridays. They also usually have bananas on sale on Thursdays. Ozeki by Kaldi in Soshigaya (about a 10 minute walk from campus) usually has sweet potatoes, avocados, bananas, and apples for a better price than Ozeki. If I'm more desperate, I go to the Supermarket about 20 minutes from campus to pick up avocados and bananas that are always on sale and stock up.
Look around. Stock up. If this means more walking for you, you're welcome. XD

Remember Sale Days
Again, Kazun usually has bananas on sale on Thursdays and they always have all frozen foods for half off on Fridays (Blueberries and Green beans!). The grocery stores you go to probably have something similar.
Also, every evening, Kazun puts out a basket or two of miscellaneous foods on sale because they want to get rid of them. Sometimes, I find apples for 50 yen each or broccoli for half off.
There are also days where Kazun has chicken for 38 yen/100 grams. Holy cheap.

Store foods to keep them fresh
Since I only use some of the foods like tomatoes, onions, chicken, avocados, etc. at a time for each meal, I need to store them in containers to keep them fresh. Yes, this does mean that the vegetables and fruits will lose some nutrients. (If you didn't know, after you cut up a fruit/veggie, they start losing their nutrients.) However, it won't be a significant amount.
Daiso sells containers like these:

I am constantly using these to store the foods that I need to save. They're the best for keeping things like avocado halves, tomatoes, onions, and chicken fresh. Plus, they double up as an obento box. Get a few of these in different sizes for different foods to store.

As for cabbage, I usually reuse the wrapping it comes in or use aluminum foil to wrap it. For spinach, I usually use it up quicker and can keep it in it's original plastic bag. However, you can store it in a zip-lock type bag to last longer. Same goes for carrots.

Apples are great to store in the fridge. To me, they taste better cold anyways. They last forever in the fridge, too.
I also store my eggs in the fridge.

Bananas - Separate them from the bundle. This will increase their shelf life! ^___^ The more you know...

Sweet potatoes - After cutting off a slice, I just put it in the fridge, uncovered.

You buy it, you'll probably eat it
That means if you buy cookies, you'll probably eat the cookies. But that also means if you buy fresh food, you'll probably also want to get your money's worth and eat those fresh foods, especially since fresh foods expire.

Also, remember iherb.com! This also has to do with thinking about your future meals. The foods you buy from this site will last you and be an investment for your meals ^___^. I know it's hard to spend money at once, but this will save you in the long-run.

I hope this helps you guys with shopping a bit! =^.^= Please let me know if you have any questions. ^___^

Simple Salad Sunday

What's better than a refreshing salad with juicy chicken on a Sunday? No, not ice cream, you goonie. The answer is nothing! NOTHING.

 
Ingredients:
-¼ tsp olive oil
-½ chicken breast
-½ avocado
-½ medium tomato
-1 cup spinach
-½ cup frozen green beans
-Salt and pepper to taste
-Onion herb or Garlic seasoning (optional)

You will also need:
-Frying pan
-Pot cover big enough to over the frying pan
-Stove top
-Microwave

A

Directions:
1) Heat the olive oil in the pan and add the chicken breast on high heat. Sprinkle a little bit of salt on the chicken.
2) Flip the chicken over and reduce the heat to medium. Cover with the pot cover (like picture A).
3) While the chicken is cooking, cut the avocado and tomato and arrange on a bed of spinach on your plate. Sprinkle with pepper and seasoning of your choice (I used an Onion herb seasoning, but recommend garlic if you don't have this.)
4) Keep on checking on the chicken and flipping it over every few minutes. It will take a bit of time before the chicken is actually done cooking.
5) Heat the green beans in the oven for about 3 minutes. Sprinkle with seasoning and pepper first if you want.
6) Check on the chicken by cutting into the middle of it and checking to see if the pink color is gone. When it is, your chicken is done!
7) Sprinkle the green beans with a little bit of salt.
8) Put it all together and enjoy ^___^

OmNom OmLet

You sir! Yes, you! Do you want a satisfying and delicious breakfast? OF COURSE YOU DO.

Tip: Don't forget to read the instructions first before making any recipe ^___^. Sometimes you need to do some steps simultaneously (ex) While something is cooking, you cut up another thing.

Here are the Ingredients you'll need to make this simple OmNom OmeLet:

Ingredients:
- 2 eggs
- 2 slices of onion of a baseball sized onion
- ½ medium tomato
- ½ avocado
- Green Onions (can omit T__T)
- 2 inch slice of a sweet potato
- ¼ish tsp Olive Oil
- Black Pepper

You will also need:
-Frying Pan
-Microwave
-Stove Top

Okay, let's get started ^___^! I'll have the directions together at the bottom of this post as well.

First, microwave your sweet potato for about 4 minutes (standing up on a purple side). While that is cooking, slice the tomato, avocado, and onion. Put the olive oil and onion pieces in the frying pan and cook on high heat. Everyone likes their onions cooked more or less, so cook them to your liking.

When the sweet potato is done microwaving for 4 minutes, turn it over (still on its purple side) and continue to microwave for 3 more minutes while you're cooking your onions.
Then, when the sweet potato is done (be careful, it's hot! I would hope XD), slice it up into pieces and toss them in the pan with the onions. Reduce the heat the Medium.

Cook the two for a bit and then add the 2 eggs and sprinkle the dish with some green onions and black pepper. Scramble the ingredients together.

 When the eggs are almost all the way cooked, add the tomato and avocado.

Cook for a bit more and put it on your plate. Garnish it with some more green onions and black pepper to make it more pretty and taste even better. OmNom that OmLet! =^.^=

Recipe Breakdown:
1) Microwave your sweet potato for about 4 minutes (standing up on a purple side).
2) While the sweet potato is cooking, slice the tomato, avocado, and onion.
3) Put the olive oil and onion pieces in the frying pan and cook on high heat
4) When the sweet potato is done microwaving for 4 minutes, turn it over (still on its purple side) and continue to microwave for 3 more minutes while you're cooking your onions.
5) When the sweet potato is done, slice it up into pieces and toss them in the pan with the onions. Reduce the heat the Medium.
6) Cook the two for a bit and then add the 2 eggs and sprinkle the dish with some green onions and black pepper. Scramble the ingredients together.
7) When the eggs are almost all the way cooked, add the tomato and avocado.
8) Cook for a bit more and serve
9) Garnish it with some more green onions and black pepper (optional)


Cooking Tips:
-Use a non-stick pan (I bought mine for pretty cheap at Seijo Corty's Grocery)
-Either measure the oil out with a measuring spoon or pour it on a spoon first. This prevents accidently over-pouring oil in the pan. If you do over-pour, use a paper towel for the extra oil and spread it around pan. This will absorb extra oil, while also distributing the oil evenly.

Possible Additions/Alterations:
-Add Green, Red, and/or Yellow Peppers
-Add any vegetable really XD
-Add hot sauce
-Add mustard
-Some people might not an ingredient (most likely the taste of the tomato), so anything can really be replaced to your liking ^___^

I hope you guys like this breakfast too =^.^=.

Oh yeah. What the heck is this blog?

I guess I never really made an intro to this blog, but instead was eager and started off with a recipe right away XD. Be sure to scroll down for that!
So, I made this blog for you guys (the Seijo exchange students in Japan) since there was some interest in what my diet looks like. I'll try to take pictures and post recipes that I make, so you can make them too ^___^.
I know it's hard for many of you to eat healthier on a budget, but I want to try to make it easier for you and show you that it's actually not so difficult with an open mind and a bit of effort.
I'll also be sharing interesting articles I stumble upon, exercise and shopping tips, etc.

I'll try to continue to post recipes and such when I go back home. I hope this blog helps you guys. ^___^

It's kind of plain right now, but I'm working on it!

Let me know if you guys have any questions! Also, please let me know if you want to know more about a particular subject I post about or whatevs. IDEK. Just feel free to contact me about anything ^___^.

All you have to do is trust me

and my pink moustache.

Cheaper Online Groceries

iherb is an awesome site you can buy healthy foods for cheap. Be sure to look up coupon codes. You can get a discount for your first purchase.
You can get free shipping over $40 and $10 off your first purchase. If you don't want to order that much, why not combine orders with a friend to get free shipping? O___O

You can find some of this stuff at the grocery stores here, but it would be cheaper to order from iherb. Plus, you’ll get free shipping if you order $40 or more ^___^.

Things I recommend:

-Whole wheat flour, bread, pasta

-Natural Peanut Butter (only ingredient is peanuts) (also at Kaldi)

-Natural Almond Butter

-Black beans (Also at Seijo Ishi and Kaldi)

-St. Daflour Jam (Also at Seijo Ishi and Kaldi)

-Mustard

-Raw Almonds

-Raw Walnuts

-Honey

-Larabars

-Tea

-Coconut Butter
-Eden's Apple Butter

-Oatmeal

-Dark Chocolate

Now, I know you're probably thinking, "Wut! What's the point if I can get these at stores here? Why would I order $40 worth of stuff?"

Well, this stuff is a bit cheaper than what you can find in stores. You can stock up on items and save money in the long-run. I'm bolding that because I know you may not want to spend a lot, but it will save you money compared to buying this stuff in the stores here.

Plus, since you buy it, you'll probably be more prone to eating it to get your money's worth. By golly. What a great way to make yourself to eat healthier ^___~.

Look at this happy family. Now it's time for you to eat them.

A little snacky snack

Kat, what's a filling, healthy, and affordable snack to have? Well, here is a recipe I eat often that consists of only 4 ingredients, you health nut, you.

Ingredients:
-Almonds
-Banana
-Ground Cinnamon
-Frozen Blueberries

What you need:
-Microwavable bowl
-Microwave

Directions:
1) Put ⅓ to ½ cup of frozen blueberries in the microwave and heat for 2-3 minutes.
2) Slice the banana and put into the bowl of blueberries
3) Sprinkle with Cinnamon
4) Put 12-16ish almonds in the bowl
5) Stir and EAT DAT.