This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Drexel chapter.
As a Freshman at Drexel and off the meal plan during the second term, I found myself in a sticky situation considering I had never really cooked before. So here I was in a dorm with limited resources and a lack of the ability to cook, or so I thought. When I got back from Winter Break it was go-time; my time to shine in the kitchen. Of course, since it was a new year, I also set a dieting goal like every other American. My diet of choice was Keto. I am still going strong! Combining my diet with my inexperience in the kitchen has been difficult, but I overcame the obstacles swiftly. I want other hopeless college cooks to know that they are not alone.
The first step to this process is creating a grocery list on a budget. Before you make the grocery list, check your supplies: do you have general spices, condiments, etc. For starters, you should always have olive oil, butter, salt, and pepper. Those are the basics. If you want to spice things up, have a fundamental arsenal of spices, such as oregano, garlic salt, onion powder, chili powder, cumin, and cinnamon. Having these spices will make your life easier and your food tastier.
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The bulk of the food I purchase is meats and cheeses. Luckily in University City, we have Heirloom Market and Trader Joe’s. Both places have great healthy options, especially in poultry and dairy. At Heirloom, they have a bourbon seasoned salmon, which is so delicious cooked in the oven along with cauliflower seasoned in olive oil, salt, and pepper. This meal is so simple and clean. Another easy buy at Heirloom is their chicken breast. I bought pesto and broccoli along with the chicken. I put the chicken and the broccoli on a pan, covered it in pesto and threw it in the oven. Heirloom also carries lots of tasty lunch meats, hard cheeses, and a vast variety of yogurt. I personally get Chobani Greek Yogurt and eat it for breakfast every morning.
Alex Frank / Spoon
On the other hand, Trader Joe’s has some excellent buys as well. I find Trader Joe’s has a much better frozen food section, which is great for a college student who is constantly on the go. In the frozen section they carry pork. It is already cooked, so all you must do is place it in a pan and cook it until it becomes golden brown. You can eat this in so many ways. I had the pork with a salad, but you can put it on tacos, with greens, mashed potatoes, pretty much whatever suits you. Another yummy frozen option is the turkey burger. Again, all you do is heat up the patties in a pan. Eat it with a bun or in between two pieces of lettuce.
Snacking options at Trader Joe’s are also very impressive. They carry the Everything but the Bagel Dip, which you can pair with chips, crackers, and veggies for a yummy snack. One of my favorite finds at Trader Joe’s is their extremely low carb gluten free cracker called Crispbread. I love eating this with peanut butter. The options for healthy snacks are somewhat limitless at Trader Joe’s. I would highly recommend shopping there for most of your needs, especially since they have cheaper products that are of great quality.
Jocelyn Hsu / Spoon
On a weekly basis at Heirloom and Trader Joe’s I spend about $100. Breaking it down that means I am paying about $5 per meal, which is relatively cheap! So, the next time you doubt your cooking ability, push through it, follow recipes, make a grocery list, maybe even meal prep. It makes your life a lot less stressful, especially when you get to the grocery store and you know what the heck to look for. If I can do it, so can you!
