Senior year. Those two words carry so much meaning. While they mean different things for each person, senior year is fundamentally the same for everyone. Our last first day of college, our last fall at St. Olaf, our last volleyball season, our last homecoming and so much more.
Senior year brings a whole new round of expectations, fears and pressures, but also great reward. One reward for me personally is finally living off-campus in a house with four of my best friends. I have been looking forward to living off-campus since the day I moved into my triple in Kittelsby Hall as a freshman, amazed that all of my stuff could fit in such a tiny room. Living off-campus has already exceeded my expectations, and I have only lived here for a couple of weeks.
Food is one reason why I love off-campus living so much. While some of my friends were worried about having to prepare meals for themselves, I was a little anxious, but mostly excited, for the opportunity to finally have sole responsibility for preparing my own food. Sometimes I wish that I had a hot meal waiting for me after volleyball practice, but most night I enjoy creating something myself. Having a kitchen means that I have the ability to whip up a batch of cookies whenever I feel like it, which is a simple but satisfying freedom to have, and my roommates don’t complain too much about this either.
I will use this food blog to pass on dorm-friendly recipes, easy college meals or just a yummy treat. The first recipe I want to share is for overnight oatmeal. I came across this recipe in the Good and Fresh Magazine and thought it would be great for college students. You can make the oatmeal at night and have this ready-to-go breakfast sitting in your fridge for two weeks! Adding yogurt and fruit as toppings creates variety and extra flavor.
All you need is:
• 2 cups regular rolled oats
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup apple juice
• ¼ cup honey
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Optional- fruit, walnuts, and yogurt for toppings!
(Makes about two hearty servings)
1. In a medium bowl combine oats, milk, apple juice, honey and cinnamon.
2. Stir, cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours and up to 24 hours. Will keep in fridge for 2 weeks.
3. Top with fruit (apples, strawberries, blueberries), nuts (walnuts, almonds) and yogurt. (I added strawberries and some vanilla yogurt, which was delicious!)
Enjoy!