We are all aware that fuelling our bodies with nutritious food is a necessity. However, when embarking on your new life as a student, this knowledge is often thrown to the wayside. Meeting new friends, attending society events, trying to understand the complexities of Academic Registry and – the worst culprit of all – getting ready for nights out and prinks, begin to take precedence, and pot noodles and pasta become the norm.
Having been in this position (I still marvel at how I can stomach pasta pesto today), I wish someone had provided me with some simple tips to at least provide some protection against developing scurvy. Here are some of the things that I have discovered that help keep your tummy and mind happy.
Delete Your Takeaway Apps
It can be all too easy to simply order takeaway, especially if this is a novelty for you. Having lived for 19 years in the depths of west Cork, it certainly was for me! Instead, try to resist, and save getting takeaway for special occasions or after a particularly taxing week. It will save you so much money and make those occasions more special.
Meal Plan and Batch Cook
At the start of every week, or on Sunday evenings, make a rough list of meals that you fancy having during the coming week. Try to opt for meals that use overlapping ingredients such as roast chickpeas, roast vegetables or potatoes. This means that you can chop and cook these ingredients in bulk and then store them away for each coming meal. For example, if you boil potatoes, allow them to cool and store them in an airtight container in the fridge. For the next three to five days, you can eat them mashed, fried, or just slathered in butter and salt. Alternatively, if you cook chilli, serve it with rice the first night, and have it with a baked potato and cheese the following day.
Find a Shopping Routine That Works For You
Shopping in bulk certainly saves money, but can increase waste. Everyone has different cooking patterns and preferences, so find a balance that can seamlessly fit into your timetable and stick to it. Meal planning certainly helps to reduce waste, but sometimes cravings take hold and change your plans, so try to maintain flexibility in your meal preparation.
Buy Loose Goods
If you and your housemates have found that cooking together works for you, then lucky you! However, if this isn’t the case, try to buy fruit and vegetables loose. It is impossible for one person to go through a bag of carrots in a week without turning an iridescent shade of orange. Buy them loose and save the waste and the plastic! If you have a part-time job in a café or restaurant and notice a lot of food waste, ask if you can take some of the food home. It decreases waste and feeds you for free – a win-win!
Bring Library Snacks
Tackle those mid-study rumbles and get yourself a good metal lunchbox (such as these) and bring grapes, dried fruit, dark chocolate. You could even toast some nuts and seeds in soya sauce in the oven by combining a few tablespoons of soya sauce, a small amount of sunflower oil and your nuts of choice. Just spread them across a baking tray and roast for 15 minutes at 180 degrees, tossing halfway through. Try to avoid loud, crunchy, or rustle-y foods such as popcorn or raw veg for the sake of your library neighbours, especially if you’re in the Berkeley.
Cooking Should be Fun
Follow some food Instagram pages such as @mobkitchen, @naturalbornfeeder, or @recipesfromapantry (to name just a few) to get daily inspiration. Make a cooking playlist, or follow one like this to cook along to and channel that main character energy. Treat cooking as a break from study/college and enjoy it – I never thought I would repeat what my mom has been telling me for years, but your brain won’t function if you don’t fuel it properly.
You could even toast some nuts and seeds in soya sauce in the oven by combining a few tablespoons of soya sauce, a small amount of sunflower oil and your nuts of choice. Just spread them across a baking tray and roast for 15 minutes at 180 degrees, tossing halfway through.
Bonus: Do You Consent to These Cookies?
you’re like me and find you crave something sweet after dinner, try making cookie dough and freezing it so you’re prepared for whenever those gnawing hankerings take hold.
Ingredients
- 6 oz plain white flour
- 4 oz butter
- 2 oz sugar
- A generous handful chocolate chips
- A glug of condensed milk
Method
For a devilishly good batch of cookies, combine the flour, butter, sugar, chocolate chips, and a good glug of condensed milk (you can do this all in a blender such as a NutriBullet or by hand in a bowl), roll into a cylinder, cover in cling film and freeze.
Cut a few cookies whenever you fancy them and cook for 15 minutes at 180 degrees. Then sit smugly with a big mug of tea and watch yourself quickly become the most popular housemate.
