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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Louisiana Tech chapter.

Healthy eating is absolutely amazing to me. Your body gets perky and energized. You feel like you’re on top of the world. Want to become a chef? Want to make dishes you, your friends, and your family love? Look no further! Make a list of the food items you like (excluding junk food). Be sure to organize them into categories such as dairy products, fruits, vegetables, and meats to make it easier for yourself. Then, look up dishes online that contain the foods you love.  

For me, I love almost all vegetables. Almost. If a recipe sounds really good but has one or more ingredients that I don’t like or don’t have, I either leave it out or substitute it with something else. I made creamy mushroom pasta the other day and added broccoli while substituting milk for white wine (because I didn’t have any), and it turned out splendid! Yes, I just said splendid. You can also go to the store to buy a certain amount of items on your list of things you like. Then come home, find recipes you want to try, and then put them in groups based on those recipes, so you’ll have everything you need already together.  

Healthy food can be expensive. It’s like the universe wants us to be unhealthy and unhappy. Not to say that sweets and junk food are going to make you unhappy. I get very happy when my tongue meets chocolate! I know how my body reacts to certain types of food habits, so I know when I eat a bunch of chips, sweets, and drink sodas that I get lazy and don’t feel like going anywhere or doing anything. When I cook, I’m the opposite. For starters, I get excited knowing that I’m being productive, and then I’m left feeling satisfied with myself for being my own personal chef.  

Here are a few of my favorite recipes!

Chicken Noodle Casserole https://pin.it/52iksLh

Pull-Apart Breakfast Bread https://pin.it/2CeTO4j

Creamy Mushroom Pasta https://pin.it/1oWAHxV

BBQ Chicken https://pin.it/3h8QCLB     

Here are a few recipes that I want to try soon!

Sausage and Rice Casserole https://pin.it/5V8WVSe

Mediterranean Pasta https://pin.it/5xwmJle

Shrimp Dumplings https://pin.it/3OWxCsi

Cheesy Bacon Stuffed Peppers https://pin.it/LSPKAE5

 

You can always find loopholes, too, if you need to use gluten-free or sugar-free products. My friend Anna and I just recently made homemade lasagna with gluten-free noodles. I didn’t get to try it, but she said it tasted amazing. I’m sure there’s a lot of different diets or guidelines to go by to eat a certain way. You just have to find what’s right for you! If you have some unhealthy eating habits, that’s perfectly fine, too! The reason I write this is not to put down anyone’s food preferences, it’s to acknowledge that the human body can mess up in all kinds of ways like diabetes, heart problems, or moods. Moods? Yes, moods! If I eat pumpkin pie too much it causes me to get sad and emotional with bowel problems, and we don’t want that. However, when I eat healthy such as my cheesy mushroom pasta, I get really happy and energized. In my opinion, you should be open to trying new things, look up new recipes, and have fun with it! You could be the greatest chef of this generation!

Mandy Parker

Louisiana Tech '23

I'm a sophomore majoring in sociology. I just want to help people wherever I can. Tomorrow is never promised, so I live for the moments we have now.
As a little girl, I spent hours writing stories. Obviously they weren't exactly bestsellers, but it was my passion nevertheless. I would fill up my notebooks with everything I didn't know how to say out loud, and anything I could imagine. Now, as a college student, I'm chasing my dream one word at a time. I'm currently studying English and Marketing, with the intention of becoming an editor.