By Amelia Summers
Have you ever spent forty-eight hours sitting on your bed reading and writing? Well, that is what I did this past weekend in essay writing confinement. But what is a girl to do when all she wants to eat to keep her sustained are minstrels and pesto pasta? Here are a few recipes that will keep you well fed, guilt free and healthy so that you can focus on your school work, and less on the work it will take to get your hips into skinny jeans when you have to get back to the real world.
Pesto Couscous Salad
This recipe is great when you are craving carbs but know that you should eat something nutritious. The couscous is a carb with a lot of protein to keep you full longer, and this salad is a lot cheaper than it would be at a walk up and order salad bar.
· Couscous
· Pesto
· Grape tomatoes
· Fresh lettuce of choice
· Feta
· Lemon
· Olive oil
· Pepper
Cook some plain couscous, lightly dress with pesto, and chill in refrigerator until cold. Spoon couscous over a bed of lettuce and sprinkle with feta, grape tomatoes, olive oil, a wee bit of lemon juice and season with pepper.
Morning YumYum Cookies
These are a great healthy, filling, and quick breakfasts to grab and go in the morning before lecture. These are also wheat free, dairy free, gluten free, and vegan!
Base:
· 3 bananas
· 1 cups gluten free oats
· 1.5 cups sultanas
· 1 cup dried un-sweetened coconut
· 1 cup chopped walnuts
· .5 cups chopped almonds (blanched or unblanched)
· 1 cup chopped peanuts
Cranberry White Chocolate:
· 2 cups dried cranberries
· 1 cup white chocolate
Pumpkin Dark Chocolate:
· .5 cups pumpkin puree
· 1 cup dark chocolate
Mix all the base ingredients together in a big bowl. Then add whichever special ingredients to flavor the cookies differently (feel free to get creative!). Form the ‘dough’ into circles which are roughly the size of the palm of your hand and bake at 200 degrees C for 15-20 minutes. Let cool on the baking tray to harden, and then store in a sealable container in the fridge. They last up to two weeks. Makes about 10 cookies.
Miss Figgy Salad
This is a great meal if you are hungry, but not too hungry, and want something light to eat. You can add fish, chicken, or tofu though if you are looking for something a little more filling.
· 1 head of romaine
· 4 figs cut into 8ths
· Feta
· Olive oil
· A wee bit of honey
· Pepper
· Toasted herb focaccia (optional)
Toss all the ingredients together and then eat with vigor because this recipe is delicious.
Mixed Mac
Want Mac’n’Cheese for dinner without all the negatives that you will find on your hugging thighs in the morning?
· 1 head of Cauliflower
· Half a bag of whole wheat pasta of choice
· .5 cups of milk
· 2.5 cups of whichever cheeses you fancy, grated
· Olive oil
· Butter
· Salt
· Pepper
Cut up cauliflower, toss in olive oil, salt and pepper, and then roast for about 10 minutes at 200 degree C in oven. Cook pasta in the meantime and drain. Put the pasta back in big pot on the stove and add the milk and grated cheese. When it is mostly melted add roasted cauliflower. If the sauce needs more liquidity, add small pads of butter until the desired consistency is reached. Feel free to eat as is, or crisp up under the boiler for a few minutes to get that crispy cheese crust. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Just want some healthy snacks to munch on?
1. Mixed nuts (salted – will satisfy craving for crisps)
2. Frozen fruit (will satisfy craving for ‘Froyo’)
3. If you really want ice cream, buy the individual portioned minis. It might be more expensive, but it makes it impossible overeat or ‘accidently finish off the tub’.
4. Fresh fruit (will satisfy craving for candy)
5. Plain popcorn with just salt and olive oil
6. Cut up veggies in the fridge, so that they are ready to eat when you are procrastination eating
7. Morning YumYum Cookies also make great snacks to have on hand
Ways to keep you from binge eating in the kitchen:
1. Every time you go into the kitchen do a full sun salutation
2. While you are waiting for the microwave do pushups or try to balance on one tiptoe for the entire length of the timer.
3. Force yourself to drink 8oz. water before you open that pantry looking for something to do that is not essay writing.
4. Have a game plan before opening the fridge; do not open the door just to gawk. If you know what you are looking for you will be less likely to munch on everything.
5. DO NOT KEEP FOOD IN YOUR ROOM – if you are in a dorm, put food in a hard to get to spot and keep cold items in a plastic bag hanging outside the window. We are in Scotland, your milk will be colder then the kids who keep their milk in the fridge.
I hope these recipes and ideas are helpful, because when you are in essay writing confinement you need to be well fed with quality brain food. Bon appetit and good luck everyone!