Eat Right, Your Way, Every Day

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Katrina Heikkinen
  • 341st Missile Wing Public Affairs
MALMSTROM AIR FORCE BASE, Mont. --  Five members of Team Malmstrom had the opportunity to whip up their healthiest dishes at "Eat Right, Your Way, Every Day" Recipe Challenge at the Health and Wellness Center on March 22.

Staff Sgt. Walter Falls, 341st Medical Operations Squadron health technician, along with Jacqueline Maillet, 341st MDOS health and wellness dietitian, created the recipe contest with the goal of educating Airmen and their dependents on the importance of healthy eating.

"The purpose of this challenge was to introduce the concept of healthy, good-tasting cooking to Malmstrom so our population can realize when you do eat, it can be extremely healthy and taste good at the same time," Falls said. "Oftentimes Airmen come to the HAWC and think there is nothing healthy to eat that is also easy for them to prepare. This recipe challenge is one way of showing how with a little bit of effort, you can find healthy recipes."

Judging the competition were Lt. Col. Marco Galvez, 341st MDOS member; Lt. Col. James Tanner, 341st MDOS chief of physical therapy; Chief Master Sgt. Frank Fidani, 341st Missile Wing command chief; and Chief Master Sgt. Duane Buchi, 341st Mission Support Group superintendent. The recipes entered were required to be a healthy entrée that could be made in 30 minutes or less, have less than 500 calories, less than five grams of saturated fat and less than 500 milligrams per serving.

Contestants prepared shrimp and linguini, tater-tot casserole, spaghetti squash with Turkey marinara sauce and turkey scaloppini. But the eventual winner was a chicken tortilla soup prepared by Lisa Broussard, wife of Tech. Sgt. Christian Broussard, 341st Logistics Readiness Squadron unit deployment manager.

The winning recipe is listed below:

Chicken tortilla soup (makes 4 servings)
Ingredients:
4 Chicken breasts, 1-inch cubes
1 onion, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
3 large carrots, chopped
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 tablespoons cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 can corn, drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can diced tomatoes
12 cups water
5 chicken bouillon cubes

Directions:
In a large skillet, heat oil. Add onions, celery and carrots and cook for eight to 10 minutes over medium heat. Add cumin, chili powder and garlic powder and cook for 1 minute. Add 12 water, bouillon cubes, cubed chicken, diced tomatoes drained black beans and corn. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil. Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Serve.