Pad Thai… That won’t thicken up the thighs…
SAY WHAAA???
I’ve been on a kick with testing out new, fun recipes.
DON’T GET ME WRONG – I LOOOVE salad and will eat it until the day I die, but I’m taking less credits this semester and have more free time, so I’ve been getting more adventurous in the AHTK kitchen.
( MY KINDA SECOND SEMESTER SENIOR SITUATION 👏🏻 )
In my free time, I’ve also been geeking out over emails from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. These emails share journal reviews, nutrition-related articles, recipes, and Academy news. I got into a rabbit hole looking up nutrition-related articles online and I came across this study done at UW-Madison, my school!
This 2016 UW-Madison study suggests that every 1-meal/week increase in fast-food and sit-down restaurant consumption was associated with an increase in BMI (Body mass index, a measure of body fat based on height and weight) by 0.8 and 0.6 kg/m2. The study suggests that the reason for this is the lack of cooking skills and unavailability of healthy foods at shopping and eating venues, which are both positively associated with fast-food and sit-down meals.
Given this, I wanted to make a recipe that would be easy to make… ALSO – something that you would order when you dine out.
I mean… Don’t you want to order something exotic when dining out?
But here is the thing – you CAN make this recipe because it’s just so simple… and absolutely delicious.
Did I lick the plate after eating this??
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Now that we have established that this recipe is simple to make, why is it so much healthier than regular Pad Thai??
Palmini
Palmini Pasta is my OG, go-to substitute. I LOVE this pasta because it’s primarily made from hearts of palm which is a good source of fiber and vitamins. Rice noodles are the primary ingredient in Pad Thai have few nutritional benefits to offset its calorie, fat, and sodium profile. It’s an unrefined carb that doesn’t provide much bang for your bite. I get asked ALL the time where I buy my Palmini, which I haven’t seen in any grocery store, and I always purchase mine from amazon. I also get asked how Palmini compares to zoodles and although I enjoy zoodles. I found that Palmini holds up better while zoodles often go limp when heated.
PB2
PB2 is an AHTK pantry STAPLE!! In a nutshell ( PUN INTENDED ), the oil from the peanut is removed to reduce calories per serving. PB2 contains 85% less fat calories than traditional peanut butter. I could consume my body weight in peanut butter ( seriously, don’t test me!! ), so I enjoy PB2 because I can have a serving with fewer calories. Pad Thai often as a mix of oils and fats in the dish, making it a higher fat meal. Because Pad Thai tends to be high in fat, PB2 is a fabulous sub that will reduce the overall calories and fat in the dish.
Ingredients
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 3 ounces chicken
- 1 T PB2
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp garlic
- 1 tsp thai red curry paste
- 1 tsp honey
- 1/3 cup mushrooms
- 1/3 cup slivered carrots
- 1/3 cup red pepper
- 1 stalk green onions
- 1/2 can Palmini
Directions:
Soak chicken in liquid aminos for at least 30 minutes.
Whisk PB2, liquid aminos, garlic, thai red curry paste, and honey in a small bowl. Add water if desired. Set aside.
In a medium-large pan, sauté chicken in sesame oil. Add in slivered carrots then red pepper then mushroom. Add Palmini and stir in sauce. Top with green onion.
I hope you enjoy your skinny Pad Thai!!
xx hails
Here are some other Palmini recipes:
Bhutani, S., Schoeller, D. A., Walsh, M. C., & McWilliams, C. (2018). Frequency of Eating Out at Both Fast-Food and Sit-Down Restaurants Was Associated With High Body Mass Index in Non-Large Metropolitan Communities in Midwest. American Journal of Health Promotion, 32(1), 75–83. https://doi.org/10.1177/0890117116660772