Well I am now in my 5th week or school, thus a month has gone by (only a month???). I thought it was time to update you on what exactly I have been eating in college. I'm making do, but I barely know who I am anymore. I can't cook new recipe or do recipe development. I've only made two new things since I've been here and forget photographing. There is no light! I have one window in my room, but it's crap and it just does not work. This foodie is really depressed π My need to cook and create is being crushed every moment I'm here. I am really struggling with this. Cooking is just so important and so ingrained in how I am...it makes me me! At least I haven't gotten sick and it's not necessarily hard to eat. I go grocery shopping once a week for essentials, am still stocked with tons of non non-perishables, the dining hall has my dinner proteins, and than there is Whole Foods on the weekend. There is enough to eat, it's just not fun and expensive...
Also, as a side note, at least when I do use the kitchen or microwave here in my dorm room or the hall kitchen, I know HOW to cook. On Saturday after I got back from the VegFest, we had 2 fire alarm incidents. Some ignorant horrible person set it off by microwaves cookies at about 7pm. Then in the middle of the night at 12am some stupid stupid person set off the alarm making pancakes. There are 3 options here. Either A) these children should read my blog and learn how to cook, B) they should stop cooking and stop cooking at ungodly hours, or C) have someone cook for them (i.e. the dining hall or other place since the dining hall is barely ever open). All I know is I am not evacuating the building in the dead of winter in the middle of the night. No way...
Breakfast is still my favorite part/meal of the day. I can still get creative and delicious here fairly easily. I've been enjoying tons of oatmeal, mug cakes, and the occasional weekend pancakes. As you can see, there were PSPcakes made last weekend π I was a wonderful reuniting after so many months!
With the dining hall, here is how I got it to work for me. I send an email to the manager with what I want for dinner for the week. Usually I will just say plain steamed veggies and either plain grilled chicken, salmon, or tilapia. Then I go and pick up my special order, bring it back up to my room and fix it. I add my own "starch/carb" side dish, meaning potatoes, plantains, squash, or grains. Then I add spices, nut butters, avocado, vinegars, you know, the good stuff to everything. Sometimes I add more veggies and fix that up too. It works, simple, but at least it is safe. The salmon is really good and so is the chicken. Surprises me every time. π
If I haven't cooked anything myself, I usually got to Whole Foods for dinner on the weekends. This is the food of my dreams. I can pile on as much as I want and really make a filling fueling delicious meal with foods I would actually make at home. So good. Whole Foods will never get old!
Then sometimes I do make all my own food. There are dinner bowls or love with either beans, sprouted legumes, or canned sardines, salmon, or tuna. All good and all food I would still be eating at home. I have one PSP left...I need more and DC does not have them! WHAT! I thought I would be able to find them at Whole Foods. Such a lie. I've only gone to Sweetgreen once! It is always super delicious, but I am usually craving something more satisfying at dinner time (I need ALL the food). Add I still end my night with protein milk π I am so glad I have all my protein powders now. And besides all that, there are snacks, lots of coffee, tea, and Brita filtered water, and of course lunch. But lunch is the same-old-same that I ate at home (i.e. sandwich, side, fruit/veggie). Nothing to interesting, but easy and good!
I'm making it work, but I miss really cooking. When you are a foodie like me, not only a recipe developer, but someone who made all their own food for years and years, plus you have allergies and chosen restrictions, it is sad that you can't cook and do what you love. I just keep dreaming of the next time I get to go home. I miss my little comforting kitchen at home so much. I miss the fridge, my spice cabinet, the pantry, the grill, the oven, the microwave. Everything. The stove is electric, the microwave is up way to high and I always spill hot water on my hands, plus it is so high-powered and that means different cooking times, the fridge and freezer are weird and the freezer is so cold everything freezes too much! My spices, jars, pantry items, proteins, are all so annoying to get to. Pans, bowls, plates, etc. are all in different places and so hard to wash with no water pressure in the bathroom. Things are sad, but I am truckin' through π
So tell me:
+ Do you find lunch boring? It is the last mealtime in the hierarchy of meals in my opinion π Breakfast first, then dinner, then nightly snack, then lunch!
+ What have you been eating for breakfast lately? I think I could live forever on mug cakes and oatmeal right now. So good!
Did you notice I did a semi-real WIAW today! Crazy π
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Cindy (Vegetarian Mamma)
Silly fire alarms, but boy your food looks good~ Thanks for linking up at our Gluten Free Fridays party! I have tweeted and pinned your entry to our Gluten Free Fridays board on Pinterest! π I can't wait to see what you share this week! Its LIVE!
Cindy from vegetarianmamma.com
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Haha, thanks Cindy!
Julie V. (Somebody's Dinner)
Rebecca, I love all your photos collages π
I think I have a love/hate relationship with breakfast. Sometimes I love it; other times I just eat dinner leftovers. I'm one of those people who gets so hungry if I don't eat a good breakfast.
Is the fire alarm really sensitive? I would say they should learn how to cook, but I set my ridiculously sensitive alarm off all the time and I don't burn the food (usually).
I was lucky to live at college in an apartment with a kitchen and honestly would despise having to share a dorm kitchen! Good for you making it work and know that one day you'll look back and wonder how you did it and be proud of yourself.
I also wanted to invite you to the Retro Re-pin Party starting Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET if you want to share your old pins π Have a great day.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
You've got to wake-up early enough so you can make the best breakfast π That's what I do.
No. Kids just do stupid things....very stupid things.
Bailey K.
I'm impressed with the dining hall and that you can order what you want! And good job on "fixing it." π That cracks me up! I found out I was celiac when I was in the dorms, but that was 10 years ago, so the dining halls didn't offer anything for me. I had to cook every meal of mine in the crappy dorm hall kitchen, and I got a blender in my dorm for smoothies. Luckily, my roommate took interest and started cooking with me, and in turn she became healthier and started to love cooking! And of course, I had a friend in the kitchen with me. π Your meals sound great and I hope you're getting into a groove that will feel more normal for you. The one thing we can count on in life is change, whether we like it or not! Haha!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
No my dining hall is terrible. That's why all I CAN order is plain chicken, fish, and steamed veggies, lol π
Lindsey @One Mother of a Day
Taking in consideration all of your allergy restrictions, you are eating 1,000 times better than I ever did in college, hence why I gained the "Freshman 25". I just found your blog through the Fitness Media in Motion FB group page. So glad I did! I am currently on day 37 of an Elimination Diet (per my doctors request) and I have easy days and tough days.
I'm off to stalk the rest of your blog π
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Haha, eating "healthy" isn't hard as long as you care about your body. But eating safely takes care and vigilance!
And I'm so happy you stopped by then! That group is so dead so I'm happy we can still get a little use out of it π
Lindsey @one mother of a day
That's what I was just noticing too! No one ever posts on there anymore. I can't really complain since I haven't posted in over a month... Life happens... Things come up... Oh well! Glad we connected!!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Totally! I always start the threads during the week when I post, but it seems pointless...Haha!
We need to revive it and get new people to join!
Mary Legare Whaley
Dorm cooking BLOWS. It's been a while, but my first 2 years of college were terrible (as far as cooking). College was awesome! But food and cooking was an afterthought. You know what would be awesome...if you came up with a college guide to cooking in a dorm room. You are obviously aware of the struggles! Take that microwave and use it to your advantage. I bet you could come up with some super creative recipes. And I also recall a few fire alarm episodes when the drunk, late night crowd decided to make a pizza at 3 am but fell asleep while it was cooking. Morons.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Hahahaha! I do just have to get even more creative than normal huh? π
Kristy @ Southern In Law
Your eats look so good!
My meal hierarchy definitely goes breakfast, snacks, lunch, dinner - I am never that enthused by dinner but I loveeeeee breakfast haha
I'm back to loving on breakfast bakes and cold pancakes (weird? Potentially but I make them in big batches and freeze!) for breakfast - topped with nut butter or coconut whipped cream and strawberries <3
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Cold pancakes rock! They are one of my travel breakfasts π They may just give "hot" pancakes a run for their money, haha!
Marla
Good post. I am way past the college age but I can identify with finding healthy foods to eat when you are away from home and have food allergies and such. It sounds like your doing a pretty good job. Love your pictures and they sure do look tasty and tempting. Thanks for sharing on Real Food Fridays.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Haha, thanks Marla! Everyone seems to be impressed π I'm not though! I want my real kitchen and groceries back!
Jaqcui
Totally agree about lunch! Its always my least favorite meal and i never know what to have!! π
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
It's just so....boring....I mean I love the sandwiches I make, but breakfast and dinner are just so much more EXCITING!
Athletic Avocado
I love this post! Being A college-athlete and a healthy eater, its very hard to eat according to my health/wellness, so I also make oatmeal in my dorm and stop by whole foods at least once a week! Awesome post!!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Oatmeal and Whole Foods are so comforting π Haha!
Michelle @ Vitamin Sunshine
I lived off Whole Foods hot bar in college! It's great to have that option. Bringing plain food back to your dorm room to "dress" up sounds exactly like something I would do!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Haha I have to! Gotta keep it safe and no one can utilize spices and herbs like me π
cole
I just love how you laid out the photos in your collages
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Lol, thanks.
Ali the Skinny GF Chef
Great post and so important in these times. I'm posting to G+ and sharing!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thank you Ali.
Katherine
Ugh. It is 2014! You would think colleges would be more food allergy friendly by now! I hope things get better! Can you believe how fast time is flying? I'm so confused as to how October is NEXT WEEK! Anyways, I'm not a big lunch person at all. It's my least favorite meal of the day, breakfast obviously coming in first. Lately it's still been terribly hot, so smoothies and oatmeal have been my go-to breakfasts. When it gets colder warm oatmeal will be my fav! I hope your Thursday is lovely xx
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
I know!!!! And with the price tags on these schools.....they should have to provide better!
It is weird that's its already October, but yet these weeks of school seem like months too....I just don't know what to think!
I wish it was still super hot here π Cold mornings are killing me!
Sandra Laflamme
College eating can be tough! Sounds like you are working hard to figure out ways to cook and create recipes. I hope things improve. My favorite breakfast lately are garden fresh tomatoes baked with an egg inside.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thanks Sandra, but don't be fooled, I'm barely cooking at all π
Kennedy
I love your blog!
I'm a freshman in college this year, studying dietetics. I've mostly been cooking stuff in my steamer. I have ate at the cafeteria a few times but, I'm scared of of gluten. I really don't mind cooking my own stuff, it's just that all freshman are required to buy an expensive meal plan. So I feel bad for not using it a lot.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thank you!
Your scared of gluten? Do you have celiac or an allergy?
Required meal dollars are horrible, especially when kids like me can't be accommodated for their needs and special requirements yet are expected to be able to spend all that money in the same place.
Kennedy
Oops, I forgot to say I do have celiac. I was diagnosed about two years ago.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Well the that makes sense π Haha XOXO!
Cassie
I totally wish we had a kitchen in my dorm... our food was awful. My mom would make a ton of meals for me and freeze them and I would microwave them haha.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
I wish I could have made a bunch of frozen things to bring down with me, but it wouldn't have stayed frozen on the way down!
Dr. Jennifer Weinberg, MD, MPH, MBE
Congratulations on such a balanced approach to cooking under college circumstances! What an accomplishment and inspiration!
Thanks for sharing π
Jennifer
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thanks Jennifer π
Purelytwins
you're making eating in college look great, way better than we did our first year!!! we've gotten into thick smoothies/puddings for breakfast and loving it. mug cakes sound yummy!!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Haha, I'm just trying to make my eating as close to normal as possible!
I always need something "bready" in the morning! Smoothies are no good!
Cailee
I was really intrigued when I saw the title of your blog post! I am a college student as well with gluten intolerance and I have just discovered a soy allergy as well!!... so yeah, it can be hard! Haha, thankfully my cafeteria has been very accommodating! We don't have salmon though.. sounds DELICIOUS! I love love LOVE salmon!! Looks like you are eating some really good, tasty and healthy foods!! YUM! π
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Salmon is the best π
If you ever have any questions or need help, let me know! We allergy foodies have to stick together π XOXO
Jamie @ Rise.Run.Mom.Repeat.
Lunch is the hardest meal of the day. I need quick, but quick isn't usually healthy. I do much better with breakfast and dinner.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Quick can be healthy! Just keep things simple and whole!
lindsay
i think this first year will be an adjustment, but then you can learn from that and really grow as a foodie and celiac. You can do it!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
My dad said something about knowing someone who has an apartment I might be able to get for next year....that would solve all my problems π
Patty @ Reach Your Peak
These are great meal ideas I'll have to try out! It's good that your school is so accommodating. I wish I could eat this healthy all the time. I got really off track the past few weeks but started back up this week and have been feeling better eating whole, nutritious foods - and it's really helped my running!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
.....................Hahahahahhaha!
NO they are NOT accommodating. They only thing they can provide me is plain fish and chicken, haha!
Everything else is up to me π
Nikki Vergakes
This is impressive! I just made myself a protein smoothie for the first time in a while, sometimes I make myself cereal or go to the salad bar. I should do more food prep here, but we don't have access to a stove. I should try a mug cake like yours!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Mug Cakes will make your day amazing!!!!
I only make a smoothie once in awhile since I didn't bring my blender. I use the mini food processor I brought! Haha!
Christina @ Juggling Real Food and Real Life
I'm really impressed with your dorm eating Rebecca. My son is a senior this year and he finally has his own kitchen. All of his friends laughed at all of the organic foods we filled his cupboards with. It's crazy how processed junk is the norm. Get used to the fire alarms. That is just so the norm. That was one of my favorite parts about graduating..........no more alarms.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
It's sad how so many college kids eat so unhealthfully :/ But that is also the dining halls fault as well, you know?
Haha, it is going to be a joy come winter π
clare @ fitting it all in
hahah girl get used to the fire alarm in the dorm!! at least once a week, usually on popcorn, for my college experience:)
And it looks like you've gotten some AMAZING food!! I know college was good for me because it forced me to loosen up a little - you're making good compromises xoxo
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Some kids just should not have access to any cooking equipment...haha!
I just miss creating recipes SOOOOOOO much π
Maureen
You are doing a great job with your situation! All these meals sound delicious!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
Thanks Maureen, I'm trying! π
Melanie Ward
My daughter was just diagnosised this summer. She is allergic to all things soy, sunflower, tree nuts and most additives & preservatives. She is in her last semester of college and she is feeling your pain. She does have access to a kitchen and she has been able to cook some meals in her microwave. The problem is that the college is in a small town and the only grocery stores are Wal-mart & a local grocery store. She really misses the Whole Foods & Trader Joe's and the farmer's market. She knew eatting would not be easy, so we bought a bigger dorm refridgarator that has a separate and larger freezer. Once a month when we visit, we stock her freezer with homemade meals that she can warm in the microwave. Like you she loves to cook and create new dishes and she too misses that so much.
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
My school really sucks with accommodations (specifically with the money/meal plan dollars). At least she really don't have to worry since she has one semester left, haha!
Emily @My Healthyish Life
Girl you are doing awesome with dorm eating! Your meals look a lot like mine did freshman year (expect my dining hall never had fish...or I just didn't trust it). Whole Foods was/is a staple for delicious dinners. Just think of all the inspiration you'll have to get back into the kitchen during Thanksgiving/Winter break! Hang in there π
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
I feel like my inspiration and ideas are being taken and I won't have it when I get back :O
CARLA
SO INTERESTING
I graduated in the 90s and I swear I knew no one with food allergies.
it has changed so much and must just be EXHAUSTING at times!
Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
It's not to bad since I have a lot to eat...I just can't cook like crazy like I am used to (and need to!). Plus the weekly groceries I have to supplement are expensive..and I am worried about the money thing a lot. Just have to utilize every option I have the best I can!