Going from eating my mom’s home-cooked spaghetti to the Eatery’s grilled cheese, and now to my own kitchen where I am responsible for meal planning, prepping, grocery shopping, budgeting, and cleaning, is a major adjustment. On top of my eighteen credit course load, clubs, and sorority, planning my food intake is a new addition to my day that can be quite time consuming.
Before even going grocery shopping, I have learned that it is important to make a list that details what you have run out of, what you need to make your meals for the week, and what your budget is. My roommates and I like to talk about what meals we want to make for the week and find a few easy freezer meals from Trader Joe’s that are easy for a busy night. Generally, the three of us each buy our own snacks but share fridge food and other ingredients. We all take turns cooking, which works out well because I personally only cook two or three times a week, but am guaranteed a hearty and home-cooked meal almost every night.
One of the biggest challenges of living in Oakland is the fact that it’s a grocery store desert. The grocery shopping production starts with catching the bus (if you are rocking with a budget like me) to Target and Trader Joe’s, the place where most Pitt students get their nutrition from. Once you are there, you must resist the temptation of grabbing everything that sparks your interest off of the shelves and stick to the grocery list. I have learned so far that you need to try to buy items that will last a while, otherwise you will end up throwing away lots of expired goods. For example, unless you are an avid yogurt consumer, opt for individually packaged yogurt that will last for at least four weeks, rather than one big container of yogurt that goes bad quickly after you open it. Another thing to keep in mind when you are grocery shopping in the city, and taking public transit, is not to buy more than you can carry! You only have two hands, so more than two or three bags could be disastrous on the ride home.
I also am learning how to cook for one to three people at a time, which is definitely an adjustment. At home, when I would cook dinner for my family, five hungry people always sat down at the dinner table. The first time I made a salad for me and my roommates, at least six people could have shared that massive blend of lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers! It is so difficult to guestimate portion sizes when cooking for one, two, or three people. A few lessons that we’ve learned so far is that one box of pasta is perfect for us to have dinner plus a small container of leftovers, we can freeze our bananas when they start to go bad for smoothies and baking, Trader Joe’s freezer meals generally feed all three of us, we share all produce to avoid waste, and the smallest proportions on the rice package is always too much rice.
A few of my favorite meals that we have made so far that will definitely be in the rotation are burrito bowls, buffalo chicken cobb salads, “marry me” chicken and pasta, California roll poke bowls, Trader Joe’s orange chicken bowls with rice and broccoli, buffalo chicken mac’n cheese, chicken sausages with roasted potatoes, Southwest salads, and salmon caesar salad.
My roommates and I are definitely still learning how to cook as college students, but I think we are well on our way. Check in with me at the end of the semester to see how much progress I have made on my cooking journey!