Tips for College Cooking

1. Grocery Shopping 101

Have a budget. Start with the basics. Buy ingredients that will stretch out for two or three meals. Be careful when buying in bulk because things go bad very quickly when cooking for one. Stick to your list as much as you can. Compare prices and buy the generic brand when you can. Try to be courteous to your roommates when taking up food space in the pantry, fridge, and especially the freezer.

2. Eat Healthy Snacks

Instead of a Twix or a frosted pink cookie grab some fruit or oats, like a horse. Get some carrots and grass while your at it. No seriously, it is so easy to eat healthy snacks. Eating a whole bag of popcorn, even if it's fat-free, is still not healthy. Apple slices, a granola bar, or something else in between breakfast and lunch, and lunch and dinner will help curb your appetite and keep you going throughout the day. Avoid late night snacking however. That is the quickest way to add poundage.

3. Keep a Water Bottle Handy

Feeling tired, depressed, sick? Water will save the day! Drink like a camel, then save some some for the whales. Keep a water bottle in the fridge and have one to tote around during the day. Don't forget to wash them every so often. The smell will remind you.

4. Say No to Fast Food

Every once in a while fast food is okay, especially if it is the "healthier" fast food such as salads. Before paying that 99 cents for a taco, ask yourself these two simple questions, "When was the last time I had fast food?" and "Is it worth it?" You will save money, time, and that waist line if you forgo the fast food. Oftentimes the vending machines around campus offer healthy alternatives to fast food such as yogurt, fruit, crackers, bagels, etc.

5. Maximize Leftovers

Leftovers will become your best friend at your home away from home. Be sure to have enough containers to store leftovers in. Many times things like chicken, ground beef, rice, lettuce, noodles, fruits, and vegetables can be re-gifted, so to speak. Don't forget about your leftovers though, because before you know it something could be growing in the back of your fridge.

Remember...

Your meals don't have to extravagant and time consuming to be delicious, quick, and healthy. I usually think simple when cooking. Because of busy schedules, cooking can become an unwanted chore and it's easy to give in to frozen, boxed, or fast food meals. Don't give in. All it takes is a little bit of thinking.