Guest Post: Dorm Life Healthy Eating
Dorm Life: How to eat right while living in a 12′x16′ room
Hi Carrots n Cake readers! My name is Anna. I’m originally from south of Boston, but go to college in Washington, DC. When Tina put out the call for guest bloggers, I jumped at the chance. I wanted to do a post from the perspective of a college student: someone who doesn’t always have the means OR the time to cook healthy and yummy meals, nor the willpower to control mindless late-night studying snacking.
In my room, the fridge and food shelves are in between my bed and desk:
That’s my food on the silver shelves, and the stuff on top of the fridge belongs to my roommate. You can see the corner of my desk on the left-hand side- that’s where all the magic (aka studying) happens!
So, as you can see, my food is literally within an arm’s reach! Seriously, I don’t even have to get up when I’m sitting at my desk- I can just lean over and grab whatever I want. Convenient, yes, but dangerous! Throughout the three semesters I’ve spend living in a dorm room, I picked up the following habits in attempts to avert the freshman 15 (and sophomore 15, for that matter).
Ways to eat healthfully and reduce the college munchies:
1. Try to keep tempting foods out of view as much as possible- I keep all of my bars (Larabars, Z-bars, etc) in an opaque bag so I’m not as tempted to mindlessly graze on them just at the sight of them.
2. Speaking of bars, get some good ones! Larabars are by far my favorite. Tina has talked about them a lot on Carrots n Cake, and for good reason. They are delicious, healthy, and whole- just fruit and nuts! Perfect for snacks in between classes.
3. Single-serve packages of food, while not very environmentally friendly, can reduce the overeating that results from grazing out of a big container or bag. Try and snag some single-serve packs of cereal, crackers, peanut butter, etc. from the dining hall or campus events (college is full of free food!)
4. Love to bake like me, but don’t want to be stuck with an entire pan of brownies? Set aside a few for yourself and roommate, and deliver the rest to friends in your dorm. Nothing makes people happier than a guest bearing unexpected baked goods!
5. Invest in some Tupperware (or its cheaper cousin, Gladware), and cook a full-sized batch of any meal that would make good leftovers: My favorites are healthy pasta salads, bean salads, quinoa salads, and lasagna. Portion them out into Tupperware and stick them into your fridge for nutritious meals you can grab whenever (I’ve mastered the science of maximizing the capacity of a tiny mini fridge- it takes some serious engineering to pack all that Tupperware in there!)
6. TEA! I like to make a big mug of it while studying- it’s relaxing and gives your mouth something to do to keep the nibbles away. My favorite is Celestial Seasonings Bengal Spice- it tastes so sweet, cinnamon-y, and spicy, you’ll swear it has sugar in it! (But there’s none!)
Lastly, here is a recipe for my favorite go-to pasta salad. The proportions of the ingredients change every time I make the recipe, so I left it up to you. If you like lots of veggies (I do!) use 1 pint of tomatoes and as much spinach as you can fit in the pot- it really cooks down!
Spinach, Tomato, and Cheese Pasta Salad
-Approx ½ lb. whole-wheat pasta (I like penne)
-1 bag of spinach
-1 pint of cherry tomatoes, halved
-feta cheese- a little goes a long way
-Olive oil, salt
Cook the pasta according to package directions, but add the raw spinach to the pot with the pasta when there is about one minute cooking time remaining. Drain, then mix with tomatoes and cheese and add olive oil and salt to taste. Enjoy!
Posted by: Tina 24 comments
Posted in: guest blogger
on Dec 15th, 2008 at 2:30 pm
Fun guest post, Anna!!
on Dec 15th, 2008 at 2:38 pm
Like the bars in an opaque bag – good idea. Out of sight, out of mind. Also going to try the Bengal Spice tea. Love cinnamon! Pasta recipe sounds so easy and very tasty. Thanks for sharing Anna!
on Dec 15th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
Wish I had thought like this when I was a freshman
Great tips!
on Dec 15th, 2008 at 2:43 pm
Great guest post! Love the tips! Perfect for college students!
on Dec 15th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Thanks Anna! That pasta salad looks great. I had a similar set-up in my dorm, but I have to admit, I was SO happy when I moved off campus! Loved your post
on Dec 15th, 2008 at 2:57 pm
Great post, Anna! Love that recipe too!
on Dec 15th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
Great post!! I wish I’d read this 10 years ago when I was living in my dorm!
on Dec 15th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
Those are good tips for college life! Thanks!
on Dec 15th, 2008 at 3:07 pm
nice job sister
those are some great tips… you gotta make me some of your pasta salad sometime!
on Dec 15th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
These are some great tips, I wish I had this kind of resource when I lived in the dorms! But your pasta salad sounds awfully good!
on Dec 15th, 2008 at 3:31 pm
oo bengal spice tea! that sounds tasty!
on Dec 15th, 2008 at 3:33 pm
Good tips! Nice job
on Dec 15th, 2008 at 3:46 pm
that was super cute!!
on Dec 15th, 2008 at 3:55 pm
I loved this post! The most frustrating thing for me about living in the dorms was the lack of healthy food options in the uniersity stores, despite having spent tons of money on the food plan. Do you find that schools are more aware of healthy products now that there are so many new ones on the market?
on Dec 15th, 2008 at 4:01 pm
Yummy! The Bengal Spice is seriously my FAVE! I have a huge cup of it at night with my dessert–that way I feel extra full, like I get two desserts
on Dec 15th, 2008 at 4:03 pm
Thanks, guys!
Yes Ami, I do think that colleges are becoming more aware of stocking healthy food options. The on-campus store at my college stocks lots of great healthy brands like Amy’s soups and frozen entrees, but the only downside is that they’re a LOT more expensive than at the regular grocery store. This year, I cut a deal with my parents where I switched my meal plan from the full to the half plan, and then they gave me the difference in cash to buy my own groceries. It worked out pretty well, because it allows me to eat in the dining hall with friends once per day (usually dinner) and then I make lunch ann breakfast on my own.
on Dec 15th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
Great post! I can totally relate to this post. I graduated a year ago from college and no how hard it was to resist that 3 am pizza and all that campus food!
http://www.missymaintains.blogspot.com
on Dec 15th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
You must be lucky enough to have a kitchen near you in college!! How lucky!!!!!
Thanks for the great post-college is fun but sure can be tricky when it comes to nutrition, thanks for your take on things!
on Dec 15th, 2008 at 5:07 pm
Wonderful guest blog!!!
That pasta recipe looks amazing. I might make it tonight!!
Angela
http://www.ohsheglows.com
on Dec 15th, 2008 at 5:30 pm
Thanks, Anna. I’m also in college and am always looking for a way to maintain a healthy lifestyle. The only thing I would add to this post is a late-night eating tip–in addition to staying up late to study (I usually drink tea like you! or gum, or a spoonful of pb if I’m really hungry), there is the inevitable late-night drunk “let’s get pizza!” mentality that is sometimes quite hard to fight! I always ask myself, “am i really hungry? Do I really actually want this?” and if the answer is yes, I’ll find a buddy/ies to share with me, so I don’t end up eating the massive pieces of pizza they have here by myself. I hate feeling bad the next morning as I do when I eat gross stuff late at night (esp after drinking), but I also get a lot of flack from my guy friends for not participating, so I’ve found that what I said above is a pretty decent route to take on this. Perhaps others have other suggestions! On a sidenote, I think we may go to the same school, and I’m from Boston originally too
…
on Dec 15th, 2008 at 5:39 pm
I see your roomie has NUTELLA! Smart girl!
on Dec 15th, 2008 at 7:20 pm
Oh man, I wish I cooked while in college. I definitely gained the freshman 15 (actually it was more like 20!)
on Dec 15th, 2008 at 10:58 pm
I was so happy when you mentioned Bengal Spice tea- its sooooo good! Smells like caramel
on Dec 16th, 2008 at 9:07 am
There was always someone in our crowd who would suggest a late-night food fest after coming back from the bars. I began to drink tea during these times- just as you said- to occupy my mouth! It worked!