Sick of eating cereal and ramen for lunch and dinner? Want to spend less money eating out and finally start cooking for yourself? Put down that frozen pizza, because HC’s Health Editor, Sammie Levin, is here to share her daily eats so you can get ideas for healthy, satisfying meals that are easy enough for any time-strapped collegiette to make. After you read Collegiette Eats, your taste buds, wallet and waistline will thank you.
Breakfast
Friday morning, I had a really easy on-the-go breakfast. I was running late to class, so I had less than a minute to throw something in my bag. I put a handful of pistachios, almonds and goji berries in a plastic bag and grabbed a pomegranate-flavored Greek yogurt and an Evolution drink. The Essential Greens flavor has only 70 calories per bottle and is made from only good stuff: celery, cucumber, spinach, romaine, kale, lime, parsley, wheatgrass and clover sprouts. Fast food doesn’t have to be your only option when you need food fast! This breakfast took all of 30 seconds to gather and is a good balance of protein (the yogurt and nuts), healthy fats (the nuts) and vitamins (the juice). Not a bad way to start the day. Plus, sometimes I like eating my breakfast in class instead of at home because it’s more bearable to listen to a lecture at 8:30 a.m. when you’re eating tasty food!
Lunch
For lunch, I made a slightly weird concoction because I’m low on groceries, so I combined bunch of random things in a bowl. It kind of ended up tasting like fried rice, though, so I was all about it. In the mix: two fried eggs, two pieces of turkey bacon, a half cup of edamame, a half cup of quinoa and a little bit of shredded vegan cheese (which, unsurprisingly, doesn’t taste enough like regular cheese for my liking, but I wanted to give it a try). I sprinkled some salt and pepper on top, and midway through the bowl I added some Frank’s RedHot to the mix. Like I said, it was a slightly weird lunch, but it was good and filling.
Dinner
I had an absolute feast for dinner Friday night at Raja Rani, an Indian restaurant in Ann Arbor, with my friend. We ordered the Dinner for Two to be able to get a little taste of everything, and it turned out to be the size of a Dinner for Four, at least. We were both stuffed by the end but we still had a ton of leftovers to take home. Win. It came with tandoori chicken, chicken curry, navratan korma (vegetables cooked in herbs and spices and a creamy sauce), basmati rice, naan (garlic and plain) and salad. We got mango lassi to drink, which is the Indian version of a really thick smoothie. The cool, sweet lassi helped to wash down all the fiery spices of the dishes.
By the time we couldn’t eat another bite, the waiter came by and reminded us that dessert was included with our meal. Wow. We couldn’t turn down a free dessert, so we took one for the team and had a few bites. I got rice pudding, and I am so glad that I did because it was unreal. Rice pudding doesn’t sound like it would be decadent, but this one seriously was. It was unbelievably rich and creamy, with an amazing cinnamon and cardamom flavor. I know there must have been a lot of sugar and dairy to get it to that level of deliciousness, but just a few bites hit the spot (especially considering how full I was), so I didn’t even have the option to overdo it. This was only my second or third time having Indian food ever, but I loved it. I can’t make a habit of these elaborate feasts, but I do want to eat them more often! So flavorful.