You should never believe anyone that tells you you’re going to eat packets of Top Ramen every day of college because that isn’t true. I seriously believe that adults tell new freshmen that just to scare them. For the most part, as long as you’re living on campus, you are going to use your meal plan. Even though I had a mini fridge in my room, I never actually bought any real groceries except for snacks and I wasn’t ever going to use the community kitchen. So when my sophomore dorm-living friend Riley mentioned to me that he made a meal in the community kitchen last week, I said…”Oh Rly?”
I never did that, but maybe I should have. Maybe I should have listened to my own mother when she said she wanted to give me cooking lessons while I was still in high school. I didn’t. If I had, I wouldn’t have butchered so many of my meals. And to this day, I can only make one of her recipes. When I graduate in the spring, I won’t be able to write these “college” type posts anymore so I’m gonna pump this information out while I still can.
- Have a meal plan. Use it wisely. Don’t buy irrational food items like frozen yogurt every day and a cookie at lunch. Just because you have the option of eating dessert every day doesn’t mean you necessarily need to. The only exception is pie day.
- Own at least one cookbook. It doesn’t need to be fancy, but it should be practical. One that mentions “college” in the title or is a beginners book will usually do. My first cookbook – How to Boil Water – was a gift from a best friend’s mom and I still refer to it often.
- Cook with friends! This weekend, I made a zucchini dish for Sasha using a recipe that another friend had introduced to me and last night Max and I collaborated on a meal together! Cooking with your friends is fun and there is nothing more relaxing than sharing a meal with someone. It’s the perfect study break and a great way to catch up with friends you haven’t seen in awhile.
- When grocery shopping, make a list. If you go without one, then you’re going to buy things that you don’t need. Instead, plan the meals you want to have that week and buy the ingredients to go along with them. Also: Never go to the grocery store when you are hungry.
- Fruits and vegetables are your best friends. You are not seven anymore and you can’t avoid them forever.
- Make sure you have a balanced diet. For about two seconds just now, I considered making myself that food pyramid chart about how many servings I needed in a day. I never paid any attention to that magnet on my fridge when I was a kid, but I still remember it now and they wouldn’t make stuff like that for nothing. It’s easier to eat healthily when you have some guidelines to follow.
