Do you ever find yourself stumbling across Tasty or Delish videos on Instagram or Facebook and think to yourself, “My god, that looks good!” Well, that thought will run through your mind every time Grace Manning posts on her food Instagram account. If you thought those recipes were the bees knees, you have to check out @swolefashioncooking!
I had the wonderful opportunity of interviewing Grace and ask her a bit more about what her life is like as a senior at Illinois State, what her plans are for after graduation, and how her major has shaped her passion for delicious, healthy recipes that are affordable and easy to make.
Name: Grace Manning
Year/Major: Senior/Food, Nutrition & Dietetics
Hometown: Roscoe, IL
Favorite hobby: Either working out or cooking
Current food craving: Kit Kats
Her Campus ISU: Hello Grace! Thank you for taking the time to interview with Her Campus ISU. To start, please tell us a little bit about yourself!
Grace Manning: Hi! Well, I grew up in Roscoe, IL, went to Hononegah High School and now I’m a senior Food, Nutrition and Dietetics student at Illinois State University. I’m currently the president of the Food & Nutrition club, play for the women’s club soccer team and spend a lot of my time studying, working out, or working at Potbelly Sandwich Shop. If I’m not doing any of those things, I’m probably cooking with my fiancé, Tyler! Because of my major, I’ve really gotten into cooking. They’ve equipped us with proper cooking skills and just an overall love to cook and eat healthy food!
HC ISU: Given that you are a senior and the school year is dwindling down towards its last few weeks, what do you think you will miss most about your time at Illinois State?
GM: I think I’ll miss how close all of my friends are. We can be at each other’s apartments in less than 10 minutes if we want to. I know we’re all going to scatter across the country soon and I’m trying to cherish every moment I have with them before we graduate! I’m also going to miss Pub cheeseballs with all my heart and soul.
HC ISU: What are your plans after graduation then?
GM: My plans are up in the air right now for after graduation. I applied for DICAS (Dietetic Internship Match Students) in February and am waiting to hear back from schools on April 8th (match day). Once I’ve found out if I got a match or not, I can begin to plan for the fall! If I do get matched for an internship, I will be completing grad school and a dietetic internship during the next two years. Tyler is also patiently waiting with me to find a job for himself and to move with me. During this time we’re going to try to plan for our wedding… yes I know we’re crazy!
HC ISU: What is your current obsession(s) and why?
GM: My current obsession would probably be overnight oats. I make them as often as I can and it can be as basic as adding equal parts of yogurt, almond milk and oats, or you can add other items such as chia seeds, flax seeds or peanut butter. I recently have been using chocolate almond milk instead of vanilla and it has changed my life.
HC ISU: I’ve just started making overnight oats and love them! So I’ll definitely have to try adding the chocolate almond milk! Now, can you describe what a typical weekend looks like for you?
GM: Luckily, my weekends start on Thursday nights! I really love to keep things open in my life, so every weekend looks different for me. But I would say, more than likely, I work on Fridays and hang at Pub with my buddies. Saturdays I really try to focus on doing homework or picking up a shift at work. And Sundays, Tyler and I go to church and do homework the rest of the day. The life of a college student!
HC ISU: I can’t help but agree with you! Okay Grace, I have a huge confession! I follow your Instagram account, @swolefashionedcooking, and I have to admit that I honestly look forward to ALL of your posts! What would you say is your absolute favorite thing to make?
GM: I’m flattered! Oh man… It’s really hard to pick my favorite thing to cook as I love to eat everything. If I had to choose, I would say tacos! They’re super easy and the amount of variability is endless. I make fish, shrimp, chicken, ground turkey, ground beef and even veggie tacos. I usually have all the toppings on hand (cheese, sour cream, guacamole, cilantro, onion) because they can be used with a lot of other meals, too.
HC ISU: With all of the delicious meals you make, and because they are more on the healthy side, do you ever find yourself spending too much money?
GM: That’s a good question. Eating healthy can be a little bit more expensive than buying typical “junk food” if I’m going to be honest. But it’s all about where you shop and what you’re buying. I typically shop at Aldi and they always have extremely cheap and good quality produce. I can get about a weeks worth of food for about $40-50. On the other hand, going to Walmart and Kroger can put a pretty big dent in your wallet. Another good idea is to focus on the sales! It might be hard for people that eat the same food habitually, but if I see something on sale, I will replace that with a normal item on my grocery list. Buying name brand can get a bit pricey too, so I try to avoid that!
HC ISU: How do you plan your meals? Do you usually find yourself cooking on the fly or looking up recipes to try?
GM: I like to keep my meals pretty spontaneous. I am a part of a program called Fresh FAVs (fresh fruits & vegetables) where I pick up a bag of produce every Friday. It always has different items so I try to base my meals off of those. If I get an item that I’m not too familiar with, I usually look on Pinterest for some ideas, but just wing the recipe. I don’t like following measurements and would rather just throw something together. For example, I got basil leaves and decided to make pesto for the first time; I added some unorthodox items (avocado & almonds) and it turned out amazing!
HC ISU: What is something you could add to every meal that would make it better and why?
GM: This is the most millennial answer ever, but I’m going to have to say avocado. It’s super versatile. You can put it on toast, tacos, eggs, salads, soup and you can use it for dressings and dips. And in the process you’re getting some great unsaturated fat!
HC ISU: So overall, describe how being a Dietetics major has changed or enhanced your views on food and nutrition.
GM: This major has completely changed my mindset about nutrition and overall healthy lifestyles. I used to always think staying healthy just meant eating less and working out a ton. But now I know that calories aren’t everything. The meaningful part of your diet is the macro and micronutrients. It makes me think about what I’m putting in my body and the effects that it will have on me. I also love that this major is completely research based so EVERYTHING has been studied to ensure dietitians are giving their clients accurate information.
Thank you so much again for the incredible opportunity, Grace. It’s been an honor getting to know a bit more about you and your passion for healthy lifestyle choices. For more of her delicious recipes, be sure to follow her Instagram @swolefashionedcooking!
I’m off to buy some avocado and chocolate almond milk!
Until next time,
HCXO