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
Michigan celebrated St. Paddy’s Day yesterday, so with the festivities going on all day long, I didn’t cook anything. My bad. But I did have some good eats on Friday that I want to share.
I made a new addition to my oatmeal Friday morning: quinoa! I’ve seen breakfast quinoa before but had yet to try it. I made a big batch of quinoa on Thursday to have for the next few days, so I decided to add some to my bowl of oats. I made the oatmeal as I usually do (with almond milk and banana), then mixed in a quarter cup of quinoa and some more almond milk, and then I microwaved it for about a minute. I topped it with strawberries and almond butter. It was so yummy! I liked the texture a lot – it was more grainy and less creamy than oats, but nice and hearty. Plus, quinoa is packed with protein (24 grams per cup compared to oatmeal’s 6 grams), so it’s a great way to start my day.
Lunch
My bowl of oatmeal-quinoa kept me full for hours, so I wasn’t starving when lunch rolled around, which means it was – you guessed it – green smoothie time! I blended together an apple, a handful of spinach, a handful of kale, two big carrots and half of a bottle of Evolution Fresh Sweet Greens juice (made from green vegetables, apple and lemon). I really like the Evolution juices, but I’m never fully satisfied after drinking just a juice, so I like adding it to a smoothie to give it a thicker consistency. You can find the juices at Whole Foods; there are tons of different flavors, and they are a bit cheaper than some of the other brands.
Dinner
Dinner was the winner on Friday. I made acorn squash stuffed with roasted beets, apple and quinoa topped with toasted squash seeds, adapted from this recipe. It was absolutely delicious. Beet and apple are a nice combination, and they both tasted so good with the warm squash. Aside from the time it takes to roast, it was actually pretty easy to make. The ingredient list is pretty short, too.
Usually when I make acorn squash I just toss the seeds, but never again! Toasted seeds are so tasty; I can’t believe I’ve been wasting them. They added a nice, salty crunch to the dish, but I want to make a batch to eat just plain as a snack. I also usually toss the beet greens, which is also a mistake I’ll never make again. They kind of taste like Swiss chard and are a good source of vitamins, iron and calcium – definitely not something that deserves to be tossed out uneaten. All in all, this was a fab dinner, full of great flavor and even better nutrients. Go make it.
Ingredients
- 1 acorn squash
- 4 beets
- 1 apple, chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 1/2 cup cooked quinoa (can prepare in advance or while squash is baking)
- Olive oil
- Minced garlic
- Salt and pepper
Directions
- Soak beets in warm water and scrub off any dirt. Remove stems (save the greens). Place clean beets on baking sheet lined with foil, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in oven at 375 degrees until tender, about 1 to 1.5 hours.
- Cut acorn squash in half. Scoop out insides (save the seeds). Rub insides with a little olive oil (about a half teaspoon on both sides) and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put in oven after beets have been in for about 25 minutes.
- While beets and squash are roasting, clean the seeds by rinsing with water and removing any strings and squash bits. Dry seeds and put in bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle salt and pepper on top. Spread out evenly on baking sheet. Bake in oven for the last 10 minutes that the beets are roasting.
- Heat half a tablespoon of olive oil and the minced garlic in a pan over medium-high heat. Sauté beet greens (the leaves) until wilted and soft, about 5 minutes.
- Once beets are done roasting, remove and cut into bite-sized pieces. Remove squash and stuff each half with a quarter cup quinoa, the apple, the beet chunks and beet greens, and top with toasted seeds.