Healthy, Yummy, AND Cheap: Clean Cooking in College

My number one favorite thing about living off campus is being able to cook for myself.  It's such an adventure (with the most amazing reward at the end: FOOD!)

There is a terrible stigma about college eating habits.  While there may be some students who live solely off of Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Ramen, and beer... I don't actually know any.

What I do know is that it is important to fuel your body with healthy, whole foods.  And sure, I've been guilty of having the occasional Totino's party pizza for dinner...  But I feel 100x more energized and healthy when I eat lots of fresh vegetables, fruits, dairy, and complex carbohydrates.  I try to limit my meat consumption (I had a 6 oz steak at Outback a couple weeks ago and that will probably hold me over until the summer) but I do occasionally enjoy tilapia filets, lean chicken breasts, tofu, and meatless "meat" products.

Some common misconceptions:
1. College students don't have money to eat "fresh" or "clean".
Too which I say:  Yes you do.  Shop smarter, make it a priority in your budget.
2. College students don't have time to prepare healthy meals.
To which I say:  Make it happen.  It takes 30 seconds to slice a tomato.

I'm not a chef, and I'm also not one for very complex meals or recipes.  The rest of my life is crazy busy so I want my time in the kitchen to be relaxing.  You don't have to "de-bone", "reduce", or "concasser" anything to prepare a quick, healthy, enjoyable meal.

Really, the key to eating something delicious is to start with whole, pure ingredients.  Ingredients are EVERYTHING:  Cook them sparingly, mix them consciously, and eat them slowly.

Healthy cooking starts with shopping: which is fairly pain-free in a small town.  My strategy?
1. Go to Aldi for basics (whole wheat pasta, bread, english muffins, milk, soy milk, eggs, cheese, basic produce)
2. Go to Hyvee (preferably after 9PM so it's not very busy) to buy anything I can't get at Aldi (diet coke, bare chicken breasts, eggplant, greek yogurt, coconut water, garbanzo beans, larabars, Ben and Jerry's, basil, etc)

...Then take those ingredients and cook!  Like I said, I don't usually follow elaborate recipes, I just put things together in ways that I think they belong.

Since I am *such* a nerd, I've been taking pictures of some of my food-things that I've created lately, just to show how simple eating can be.

Turkey bacon, avocado, tomato, and mozzarella cheese sammich

English muffin with peanut butter (w/o hydrogenated oil) and vanilla-honey greek yogurt

Romaine chopped salad with homemade black been chili 

Banana "ice cream" 

Spaghetti squash with spinach, tomato, and feta

Chinese stir-fry tofu and broccoli 

Spring mix salad with tomato, avocado, veggie burger, and parm

Spring mix with olive oil dressing, parm, and a turkey burger

Indian spiced pumpkin, cauliflower, tomato, and green pea stew - over brown rice

Pesto spaghetti squash with tomato and green beans

Zucchini-egg scramble with tomato and toast

Saffron risotto with turkey meatballs

So that was a random mess, but just a few of my typical eateries.  

I didn't really include breakfast because it's almost always this:

...with a banana and milk.  

I'm not sure what point this blog post is trying to prove, other than the fact that it is really easy to eat in a way that prepares your body to successfully take on the tasks of whatever your day contains.  I would definitely recommend it.  So healthy eatings, friends! 

The Blog Scene

The decision for me to blog came only from others' decision to blog.

Blogging really is such an interesting thing, because it is a way to compile information and personal experience in one approachable and easily accessible place.  There are blogs on literally any topic, so there is something for any reader.  Blogs can be educational, inspirational, entertaining, or my favorite - all three!

Today I want to give a shoutout to some of the interesting blogs that I typically read:

Already Pretty is an inspirational and fun blog about the beauty of fashion and life.

Nerd alert: The Freakonomics Blog is a place where basic economic principles and culture come together. 

College Fashion is a fun website for college aged girls.  Clothing, homestyle, and culture trends are highlighted.  My apartment bedroom was even featured on their website here!

Kendi is a quirky young lady from Texas who blogs about how to find your own unique style, with an emphasis on remixing your wardrobe.  

Food Fitness Fashion is a blog following the life of Alli, a masters student and newlywed in Boston whose life revolves around living healthfully and joyously.  She is one of the inspirations behind my deciding to run a marathon! 

You, Me and Charlie is a blissful collection of happy things.  All kinds of happy things. 

The Consumerist is a sassy blog of consumer tales.  I view this one mostly as a source of humor.  

In it to Win it! is a blog hosted by Lizzy, a crazy amazing athlete (swimmer turned runner and triathlon-er) who is really such an inspiration when it comes to fitness goals and pushing yourself.   

Food Gawker.  Drool.  Sort of like pinterest, but with only pictures of food (which you can click on to get the recipe), so it's easier on your ADHD tendencies.  

...And those my friends, are just the blogs that I view on a regular basis that I would definitely recommend.

Enjoy fabulously!

The 100

Oh, everyone loves love.  Or at least the idea of love.  Whichever.

Oprah said it is helpful to make a list of the top 100 qualities you want in a special "other".  And since I always do what Oprah says...

Here is my 100:

1. Loves and lives for Jesus.  
2. Will go on sunset runs with me.
3. Likes banana smoothies.
4. Isn't afraid of heights or roller coasters or sky diving or bungee jumping. 
5. Will adopt a penguin with me. 
6. Likes to travel. 
7. Can ski a double-black-diamond without dying.
8. Will go on all-day hiking adventure. 
9. Likes cats.
10. Someone who will cook dinner with me.
11. Plays an instrument.
12. Wears Sperrys. 
13. Isn't afraid to eat pink ice cream. 
14. Knows how to use a coffee maker. 
15. Appreciates classical music. 
16. Can fix my car.
17. Likes Mini Coopers.
18. Watched all of Arrested Development and understood the subtle hilarity. 
19. Watched Beauty and the Beast.
20. Will sing Christmas songs loudly in the car with me. 
21. Plays baseball... or can at least hold their own on a slow pitch softball league.
22. Will go to Times Square for New Years Eve. 
23. Rule: No chin straps.
24. Wants to stroll the impressionist section of the Louvre. 
25. Reads blogs. 
26. Thinks for themselves on political issues.
27. Will teach me how to golf.
28. Is equally obsessed the magic bullet infomercial.
29. Understands basic economic principles. 
30. Wears grey or black socks.
31. Shops at H&M
32. Still cries during the stampede scene of the Lion King.
33. Washes their face every night.
34. Likes decorating.
35. Checks the weather 5 times a day like I do.
36. Refuses to actively participate in Twitter. 
37. Knows how to tie a tie.
38. Can solve a 5 star sodoku.
39. Gets along with my little broski.
40. Motivated; doesn't suck at life.
41. Is loyal to friendships.
42. Owns argyle socks.
43. Has good taste in sunglasses.
44. Trims fingernails on a regular basis.
45. Watched every single episode of Boy Meets World.
46. Can speak "un peu de francais"
47. Optimistic and encouraging.
48. Someone who will never stop trying.
49. A good listener who remembers what I say.
50. Makes lists and then doesn't follow them.
51. Gives good massages. 
52. Someone whose positive attitude makes them a good leader.
53. Is open to the idea of peanut butter and marshmallow sandwiches. 
54. Understands the importance of buying girls flowers.
55. Will stargaze for hours upon hours.
56. Has a shining smile.  
57. Understands the beauty of humility. 
58. Has a loving heart for the world.
59. Had a job in high school.
60. Has a good sense of humor.
61. Enjoys the sport of educated debates.
62. Reduce, Reuses, Recycles.
63. Can ice skate.
64. Has a pair of geeky (but awesomely adorable) glasses.
65. Reads for fun.
66. Competitive. 
67. Financially smart, but will still buy me a Mini Cooper.
68. Wants to host parties.
69. Will browse on pinterest with me.
70. Will have random dance parties with me.
71. Considerate of others' feelings. 
72. Drinks diet coke.
73. Will speak in a British accent at our high school reunions. 
74. Loves Christmas shopping.
75. Will camp out in front of the Chick-Fil-A Grand Openings with me to win a free years supply of sammiches.
76. Likes artichokes.
77. Appreciates sound quality and will invest in good speakers.
78. Wants to own a boat.
79. Will fly across the country to go to Coachella with me.
80. Will make me heart shaped pancakes on Valentines Day.
81. Is awkward.
82. Understands technology better than me.
83. Has dreams, aspirations, and goals that they are willing to relentlessly work for.
84. Gets along with and respects his mom.
85. Will write me a love letter.
86. Owns a suit.
87. Likes shopping at Target more than Walmart.  
88. Will call in sick to work and take spontaneous road trips.
89. Insists on owning a trampoline.
90. Notices the little things.
91. Has to be 100% honest.
92. Isn't afraid to express his feelings.
93. Isn't afraid of love.
94. Doesn't take anything for granted.
95. Takes care of his physical possessions.
96. Forgives.
97. Forehead kisses.
98. Doesn't talk during the Super Bowl commercials.
99. Loves to laugh.
100. Loves to live.

Huge Group of Girls Goes on Adventure Time

I must preface this post with 2 facts:

1. I love my lady friends, and
2. I am absolutely 100% terrified of the dark.

That being said...

Kirksville.

Sigh.

Living in a small town lends itself to many things, one of which is being extremely creative on how you spend your time.  Luckily, Truman is a pretty intense school so free time is not often abundant, but the 3-day weekend after the first week of classes was looking pretty bare.  And there are only so many baby elephant videos you can watch on Youtube.

And so that is how Sunday became dedicated to random adventure time.

Cue one of the best weekends at Truman ever.

First of all, in order to embrace our TTS (Typical Truman Student; i.e. nerd) syndrome, we created a Googledoc to organize our adventures and create an agenda, beginning with...

The Abandoned Ski Lodge
First up was the abandoned ski lodge.  In the 80's there was a legit ski lodge in Kirksville but it was forced to close because of a couple of warm winters.  The remains of the ski lodge are about a mile off of Rainbow Basin (gravel) road and you have to walk through the woods to get there.

Saturday night was actually my 3rd attempted trip to the infamous ski lodge.  The first trip was last Spring and consisted of wandering around the woods at night and ultimately not finding anything but a car that was hotboxing (they got scared when we tapped on the window).  The second trip was this past August, and ended in success as I went with some experienced ski lodge finders.  Both of these prior times I had been accompanied by big, scary boys.  Not this time.  

As me and 4 of my closest friends drove down that gravel road, we pretty much knew we were the stupid girls from every scary movie combined.  We parked the car and hesitated to get out.  There was confusion on where the trail actually started.. was it by the parking lot or further up the road?  We decided it was further up the road.  So we got out of the car and started walking along the gravel.

We got startled by some deer that were in the field to our left.  Deer attack when they are mad, right?

It was during this walk to the entrance of the woods that I confessed to my pals that I was legitimately afraid of the dark and that I still sleep with a light on. 

Ultimately, we decided to adventure to the ski lodge another day, preferably when it was still light outside or when we became friends with 20 football players.  

Since we didn't actually make it to the ski lodge Saturday night, I'll include some pictures of when I went there in August:

It's scary stuff.

University Farm Stargazing

After being in the middle of nowhere for a few minutes, we realized how beautiful and clear the night sky was, so we headed to the University Farm to stargaze.  The rational was that at the farm, we would still be free of light pollution, but at least we were on Truman property if we were murdered.  

According to my Google Sky Map application, Jupiter was making an appearance.  Jupiter:

...He's shy.  Another group of people were also there and they had telescope which they shared with us.  We got a better view of the planet and of our neighbor galaxy. 

Budweiser Horse

Our next mission was to climb on top of the Budweiser horse on the roof of the Budweiser building, which was thought to be within jumping distance.

It was not.

HyVee

By now it was about 9, and we were hungry girls (no time for dinner when you're too busy adventuring), so it was snack time.  

But dance parties always take priority.

I only had 3 dollars and I wanted to maximize my purchasing capability, so I logically bought a scratcher ticket.

Apparently the Christmas ones aren't as lucky in January.

So I was down to $2.  Luckily Cheese Balls are only $1.85 plus tax.

Also... bacon flavored popcorn?  Ewwwwwwww

Train Bridge

Snacks in hand, it was time to road trip 10 miles south of our great town to the train bridge.  Getting to the train bridge also required turning off of highway 63 onto some random sketchy gravel road and then onto another sketchy gravel road, which we didn't know the names of.

Did you know that you can't drive 45 mph on gravel?

We eventually found the road to turn onto, and made our way to the train bridge, which apparently is a really cool place to be if a train happens to be going under you while you're there.

In event that a train doesn't come, it's a neat place to take pictures. 

On the way back to Kirksville, Liz and I decided we had careers in tractor modeling.

Totally Party

Anyone else would be ready to kick up their feet after such exhaustive adventures.  Not us, we were ready to pop up our polos. 

The adventures are to be continued.  There is much more to be done.  

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

― Mark Twain

My Favorite Thrifts + Secrets

I’m a big fan of thifting.  Be it Ebay, Goodwill, random consignment shops, or the dumpster behind Salvation Army (yeah that's happened)… I’m all over it.  

I thrift for a few reasons:

I'm a college student:  I love shopping, I love name brands, I love looking good - but alas cash is scarce. 

Trends repeat themselves over time: Why go to Forever 21 to buy a newly made accordion pleated skirt when there are a million left over from the 80’s just sitting in resale shops?

Environmental reasons: Clothing production and waste is c-c-crazy.

Decreased spending tolerance: Once you’ve bought an Express shirt for 50 cents, it’s hard to buy the same shirt in the store for $50, thus my spending tolerance has decreased. 

Entertainment & Adventure: Some people hunt ducks, I hunt BCBG.  

This past year has been quite successful in the thrifting department, so I’m going to do a big “no-no” of the thrifting world and share some of my secrets favorite finds with you! I’ve also included my purchase price, along with the original retail price just for kicks, so you can see just how much money you can save by thrifting.

Let the fun begin!

Floral strapless sun dress

Brand: Free People (Commonly purchased at Urban Outfitters)

Thrifted from: Mormon Thrift Store in Kirksville 

Price paid: $1

Estimated Retail Price: $50-70

Vintage Gray Accordion Pleat Skirt

Thrifted from: Salvation Army (Kirksville)

Purchase price: $3

Original retail price: $30 in 1980 dollars (original tag still on)

Red Tunic

Brand: French Connection UK (Commonly purchased at Nordstrom or speciality store)

Thrifted from: Ebay

Purchase price: $6

Estimated retail price: $50-60

Plaid button down with feminine detailing

Brand: Gap

Thrifted from: Mormon thrift store in Kirksville

Purchase price: $1

Estimated retail price: $30

Olive Dress Pants

Brand: The Limited

Thrifted from: Goodwill (O'Fallon, MO)

Purchase price: $3

Estimated retail price: $80

Pink and Cream Blazer

Brand: Old Navy

Thrifted from: Salvation Army (Kirksville)

Purchase price: $3

Estimated retail price: $30

Pink Dress Shirt (+ 3 others in the same style, different colors)

Brand: Express

Thrifted from: Mormon thrift store in Kirksville

Purchase price: $0.50

Estimated retail price: $50

Black Silk Tank Top

Brand: Express

Thrifted from: Mormon thrift store in Kirksville

Purchase price: $0.50

Estimated retail price: $50

Pink Ruffle Top

Brand: Express

Thrifted from: Goodwill on Manchester

Purchase price: $3

Estimated retail price: $30-40

Missoni for Target Clutch

Brand: Missoni for Target

Thrifted from: Goodwill (O'Fallon)

Purchase price: $3

Estimated retail price: $23

1 Liberty of London Pillow (I already had 2, but finding a lucky third one really rounded out the look!)

Brand: Liberty of London for Target

Thrifted from: Goodwill O'Fallon

Purchase price: $2

Estimated retail price: $40

Blue Patterned Sun Dress

Brand: Merona (Target)

Thrifted from: Goodwill on Manchester

Purchase price: $4

Estimated retail price: $40

And of course I found some shoes, in excellent condition! Jessica Simpson, Bandolino, Nine West, and Franco Sarto brands purchased from Ebay, Hidden Treasures Consignment, and Goodwill each for $3-$20 a piece. 

...And that's only part of the damages I've done in the past year.  Not pictured are 4 suit sets (Banana Republic, Benetton, The Limited, and Ann Taylor Loft) and 2 coats (Banana Republic and Kenneth Cole) courtesy of Ebay, as well as some more professional/career type clothes.  

That being said, thrifting has been especially helpful as I build my professional wardrobe.  This summer during my internship, I'll have to dress "business professional" 4 days a week, so it helps to find basic career staples at deeply discounted prices. 

My biggest secret to successful thrifting is to have fun with it, allot a decent amount of time to your adventures, and most importantly to be smart.  Don't buy anything that you don't need, just because it is cheap.  Also, buy things that have high quality and that are in good condition.  And lastly, WASH everything before you wear it or use it (duh).  

Thrifting can be a fantastic way to expand your wardrobe, and can help you add newness and variety to your current wardrobe without breaking the bank.  Then again, this post wasn't meant to be overly persuasive because the more thrifters there are, the more competition there is for me ;)

Stay fabulous!

Sarah