Sick of eating cereal and ramen for lunch and dinner? Want to spend less money eating out and finally start cooking for yourself? Put down that frozen pizza, because HC’s Health Editor, Sammie Levin, is here to share her daily eats so you can get ideas for healthy, satisfying meals that are easy enough for any time-strapped collegiette to make. After you read Collegiette Eats, your taste buds, wallet and waistline will thank you.
Breakfast
I went to the gym yesterday morning before class, so I took breakfast to go. I made a chocolate-banana-peanut-butter smoothie that looked heinous (as does my chipped nail; forgive me) but tasted good. I blended a frozen banana with a scoop of cacao powder, a scoop of PB2 (powdered peanut butter), a quarter cup of plain Greek yogurt and some chocolate-flavored almond milk. If you don’t already have one, I recommend getting a Blender Bottle like this one so you can take smoothies with you wherever you go! They are so easy to use and clean.Â
LunchÂ
For lunch, I made an original creation. I didn’t follow a recipe; I just threw together some ingredients that sounded good. Whenever I do that it’s very hit or miss, but luckily this one was a hit. I’m calling it a “citrus farro salad”: farro with orange segments, pomegranate seeds and edamame. Farro is a chewy, nutty whole grain rich in fiber (more than brown rice!) and minerals like magnesium. It’s a bit thicker and chewier than rice and tastes good in soups, salads or your own creation.
To cook the farro, I put a half cup of it in a pot with one and a half cups of water and brought it to a low boil. Then, I let it cook for about 15-20 minutes, until the grain had absorbed all the liquid. Then, I mixed in a half cup of edamame, a quarter cup of pomegranate seeds and one orange cut into bite-sized pieces. I squeezed a little juice from the orange over all it, added a teaspoon of coconut oil and then mixed it all together. Try this recipe! I would be honored.Â
DinnerÂ
For dinner, I made something similar to the smorgasbord I had for lunch one day last week. I roasted a sweet potato and some Brussels sprouts and added them to a big bowl of kale for a yummy salad. Read this post to learn how I roasted the sweet potato and sprouts. Instead of sautĂ©ing the kale like I usually do, I massaged it (lucky kale, getting a free massage) with a homemade dressing and let it sit in the fridge for about 10 minutes. Marinating the kale before eating it helps to soften it and make it less bitter. I followed this recipe for sweet tahini dressing from the blog Deliciously Ella, and it was delicious. It consists of tahini, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, paprika and chili flakes. I didn’t have chili flakes, but it still tasted good without it. Tahini is a paste made from ground sesame seeds. You’ve probably eaten it because it’s a common ingredient in hummus, and a collegiette who doesn’t like hummus is a rarity. Tahini has many health benefits, such as its high levels of calcium, protein and important vitamins and minerals, but stick to one or two tablespoons because the calories and fat (even though it’s the good kind of fat, like peanut butter) do add up quickly.Â