Since I posted one of my mom's recipes, I now feel obligated to post one of my dad's, considering my parents make up like 50% of my readership. This recipe requires slightly more effort than mom's, but requires much less brain power, so I assume that means it evens out to be quite doable for a college student.
My dad has always LOVED cereal. He cannot live without his bowl of Grape Nuts or Granola in the morning. Recently, however, my mom's been trying to phase cereal out of our diet. It's apparently expensive, full of sugar, and has too many preservatives. Honestly, I can't complain about this latest development because now my mom COOKS homemade breakfast. Mmmmm
But my dad's usually out of the house early, and he prefers to eat cereal for breakfast. Since my mom has stopped buying as much cereal, his solution is homemade granola!
The recipe is simple: just a 1-1-1 ratio of three ingredients.
Homemade Granola
1 cup of oats
1 tablespoon of oil (We use coconut oil because it adds flavor and is healthy and there's nothing else in the house, but you can use other oils)
1 tablespoon of some sort of sugar (We used Very Dark Maple syrup, which was DELICIOUS! Honey also works, or just any generic syrup you'd put on top of pancakes)
1.) Preheat oven to 350
2.) Combine ingredients
3.) Spread on to a baking sheet, preferably one with a lip so you don't make a mess all over the kitchen
4.) Cook for 12 minutes
5.) Take out of oven.
There you have it! Oats are cheap and filling, thus a great addition to any college breakfast. Go ahead and try it out!
Showing posts with label Coug Eats. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Coug Eats. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 11, 2017
Breakfast for Lazy People
Did somebody say breakfast?
Breakfast has always been an important part of my day. My family is the kind of family that CANNOT live without breakfast. My childhood mornings consisted of Frosted Mini-Wheats, Cheerios, and Life, and in my high school years, I graduated to Multi-Grain Cheerios and Grape Nuts. Regardless of where we are, what time it is when we wake up, or how much we ate for dinner the day previously, my family ALWAYS eats breakfast. So when college came around and most of my friends started skipping breakfast in favor of ten extra minutes of sleep, I rebelled. I would rather sacrifice some extra snoozes for a hearty bowl of Grape Nuts, thank you very much.
Since breakfast is such an important part of my day, I've been working on learning some breakfast recipes that are quick, easy, and fairly healthy. One of my new favorites is my mom's Oatmeal in a Jar recipe (my mom probably got it off the Internet somewhere, but whatever. I don't think the Internet Police will prosecute me). The nice thing about this recipe is that it's so versatile. It's one of those recipes you absolutely, positively cannot mess up (thank goodness. I have enough cooking issues as it is). It requires no cooking, no baking, no mincing, and even no toasting! It's almost as easy as the "just as water" Top Ramen you were probably previously eating for breakfast.
You could also try adding chopped nuts, sliced apples, chocolate chips, brown sugar, strawberries, raspberries, or whatever else your heart desires. Get crazy.
Blueberry Banana Oatmeal
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup blueberries
1/3 cup sliced bananas
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp chia seeds (if you're feeling hippie. You can drop it if you want)
A mason jar, or maybe just an empty spaghetti sauce jar. Or even a Styrofoam cup, that works too
1.) Put all that stuff in a jar.
2.) Put jar in Fridge overnight
3.) Eat
OR
Peanut Butter Banana Oatmeal
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup sliced bananas
14 cup peanut butter
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp chia seeds
A mason jar, or maybe just an empty spaghetti sauce jar. Or even a Styrofoam cup, that works too
1.) Insert into jar
2.) Put jar in Fridge overnight
3.) Eat
I was going to add a picture of my creation, but the pic made my oatmeal look like so disgusting I decided against it.
Good luck putting your ingredients in your jars! <3
Monday, May 29, 2017
The Scoop on the Freshmen Fifteen
I've gotten this question a lot from my high school friends: Is the freshmen fifteen real? *insert edgy, scary music*
My best answer? It depends. *insert groans from Ambeajaf at my vague and unsatisfactory answer*
I remember when I was preparing for the trek up to BYU, it seemed like EVERYONE had a piece of advice to give me. Some people wanted to set me up with their grand-nephew, some people advised me against getting a job my first year, some people just had miscellaneous advice as to how to properly cook Top Ramen. Pretty much everyone, however, had advice about the freshmen fifteen. They'd tell me, eat lots of BYU Creamery ice cream, you're going to gain the freshmen fifteen anyway! Or, make sure you expect to gain the Freshmen Fifteen by the end of your first semester, it's going to happen regardless of how much you try. Whenever people would say stuff like this, I'd always laugh, but in my head, I'd also be mildly concerned. Were they expecting that I'd return home a rolling ball of fat, like Matt Meese from Studio C on a bacon cleanse?
Despite all my joking on this subject, the Freshmen Fifteen was a real concern for me. I was raised by a health nut who taught me how food affects my body, and I was scared of being unable to control what I put in my body as I had before. I would constantly be at the mercy of what the Cannon Center was serving for dinner.
Honestly, it's still something I worry about, but now I worry more about meeting my personal health goals than avoiding the freshmen fifteen. The Freshmen Fifteen is more fiction than fact. Some people do gain weight their freshmen year, but others actually lose weight from walking around campus every day. Other people's weight fluctuates frequently, depending on the time of year or the busyness of school, while still other people's stagnates. It honestly depends on the person's previous history and lifestyle.
My point is, don't worry about it. It's way more important to be healthy than to be skinny. If you are healthy and happy, then that's what matters, even if college does mean you put on a couple extra pounds. You will learn soon enough that NOBODY CARES. Everyone is in the same situation, and there are few college students who have time to judge you for your extra weight when they themselves probably went to school in their pajamas and are living off of Hot Pockets. So don't stress.
That being said, if eating healthy is important to you, then there are ways to make that happen, even if you have to eat at the school cafeteria every day (I'll blog more about ways you can adjust your eating habits to living alone later). The same thing also applies to working out. If you love exercise and are worried about having enough time to do it college, just know that if it's important to you, you can find a way to fit it into your schedule. You can take a yoga or Zumba class, join an intramural sports team, or find a running buddy with someone in your dorm. There's always an option. Know your goals, then be flexible and creative in achieving your goals, and you can make anything happen.
Remember, your worth isn't made up of the number of laps you run at the gym or the number of chocolate chip cookies you eat. It isn't made up of numbers at all. It comes from something deeper, something diviner, something that isn't changed by choices. It just comes from being you.
So next time you are weighed down by weight, take time to count your many blessings instead. You'll soon find your mental scales tipping towards living a happier life.
Honestly, it's still something I worry about, but now I worry more about meeting my personal health goals than avoiding the freshmen fifteen. The Freshmen Fifteen is more fiction than fact. Some people do gain weight their freshmen year, but others actually lose weight from walking around campus every day. Other people's weight fluctuates frequently, depending on the time of year or the busyness of school, while still other people's stagnates. It honestly depends on the person's previous history and lifestyle.
My point is, don't worry about it. It's way more important to be healthy than to be skinny. If you are healthy and happy, then that's what matters, even if college does mean you put on a couple extra pounds. You will learn soon enough that NOBODY CARES. Everyone is in the same situation, and there are few college students who have time to judge you for your extra weight when they themselves probably went to school in their pajamas and are living off of Hot Pockets. So don't stress.
That being said, if eating healthy is important to you, then there are ways to make that happen, even if you have to eat at the school cafeteria every day (I'll blog more about ways you can adjust your eating habits to living alone later). The same thing also applies to working out. If you love exercise and are worried about having enough time to do it college, just know that if it's important to you, you can find a way to fit it into your schedule. You can take a yoga or Zumba class, join an intramural sports team, or find a running buddy with someone in your dorm. There's always an option. Know your goals, then be flexible and creative in achieving your goals, and you can make anything happen.
Remember, your worth isn't made up of the number of laps you run at the gym or the number of chocolate chip cookies you eat. It isn't made up of numbers at all. It comes from something deeper, something diviner, something that isn't changed by choices. It just comes from being you.
So next time you are weighed down by weight, take time to count your many blessings instead. You'll soon find your mental scales tipping towards living a happier life.
Thursday, May 18, 2017
I Looked In the Window and What Did I See? My Popcorn Burning...
I am about to divulge the recipe for the most amazing, mouth-watering, nutritious and delicious dinner you will ever eat as a college student. Prepare to be amazed!
Serving Size: 3
Serving Size Reality: 1 (how pathetic)
Ingredients:
1 starving college kid
1 bag of microwave popcorn
1 microwave
Method:
1.) Remove plastic wrapping from bag. Bonus points if you rap while doing this.
2.) This is a hard step! Walk to the microwave. This might require you to leave your dorm, but the energy expended in completely this step pays off with the final product.
3.) Open microwave.
4.) Throw bag into microwave
5.) Spend a full minute trying to figure out how the microwave works
6.) Cook on high for 2 minutes 30 seconds
7.) Smell the air to make sure it doesn't burn
8.) When finished, hobble back to room with bag
9.) Eat and enjoy! Pairs great with water (Dasani or Arrowhead are both acceptable)
Serving Size: 3
Serving Size Reality: 1 (how pathetic)
Ingredients:
1 starving college kid
1 bag of microwave popcorn
1 microwave
Method:
1.) Remove plastic wrapping from bag. Bonus points if you rap while doing this.
2.) This is a hard step! Walk to the microwave. This might require you to leave your dorm, but the energy expended in completely this step pays off with the final product.
3.) Open microwave.
4.) Throw bag into microwave
5.) Spend a full minute trying to figure out how the microwave works
6.) Cook on high for 2 minutes 30 seconds
7.) Smell the air to make sure it doesn't burn
8.) When finished, hobble back to room with bag
9.) Eat and enjoy! Pairs great with water (Dasani or Arrowhead are both acceptable)
Tuesday, April 25, 2017
Cannon Center Creations
So as a Helaman Halls resident, I've grown accustomed to eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner at the Cannon Center. (For those of you who don't know, the Cannon Center is basically the BYU cafeteria). Overall, I love the Cannon Center! It's fairly good, especially for cafeteria food, and it has a lot of options available; however, eating there every single day can get a little old. Us freshmen thus have to turn our culinary creativity on to ensure that our meals don't become monotonous. Here are some great Cannon Center hacks that can help you keep your dining experience interesting:
1.) The Y App is a necessity for your freshmen year. With it, you can access the Cannon Center's menu every day of the week, and you can also see the nutritional facts of anything they serve. So if nothing looks appetizing, you can go get dinner somewhere else. Or you can plan your schedule around the chicken quesadilla day at the grill (they are soooo good!)
2.) The Cannon Center does build-your-own burgers and mini pizzas on the off-hours of the day (usually from around 2:30-4). Super good!
3.) You can ask for basically anything at the stations. Like sometimes, a station will have Chinese food for lunch, and I'll go up and ask for two scoops of rice and then make a killer burrito out of it. And other times, I'll go to grill and ask for a basket of sweet potato fries to pair with whatever else I'm eating. This is good for all you picky eaters out there.
4.) There is a microwave in the Cannon Center!!! It's in the Grainery, by the cereal. I've seen people heat up chocolate chip cookies and apple pie in it... Mmmmm.
5.) Panini Bar! In the Euro station, there's a panini maker you can make use of. Just go over to the salad bar, create your panini, then ask one of the workers at the Euro to press it for you. Deliciousness!
6.) For special occasions, you can do waffles and ice cream for Sunday dinners. We did this for my friend's birthday, and it was a ton of fun! Every Sunday, they have BYU Creamery ice cream, and they have waffle irons available at all hours of the day. It's a SUPER yummy, tasty treat!
7.) The SALAD BAR! Honestly, the salad bar is waaaaay too underrated. It's got all kinds of secrets people don't know about because they never eat salad. For example, the salad bar often has gummy worms and goldfish out for the yogurt and salad bar respectively, but I'll often just go get a bowl full of Goldfish. The salad bar also usually has pico de Gallo, guac, and chips. There's nothing stopping you from putting guacamole on your bacon burger or ranch on your pizza. I've also made super yummy spinach berry salads using the berries from the yogurt bar. And my day is made whenever the salad bar has mozzarella cheese out because I usually top off my tomato and basil soup or chicken and white bean chili with some fresh mozzarella. Definitely, definitely use the salad bar.
8.) The salad bar also has ice cream bars! It's in one of the little areas that usually holds plates and bowls, but instead of holding plates and bowls, it holds ice cream. A pleasant surprise!
9.) Also at Grainery, there's a bunch of random stuff that's fun to eat. There's crunchy and creamery peanut butter, jelly, and bread, so you can make a PB&J sandwich for lunch. There's also a pump for caramel and hot fudge. Think of the possibilities of that! Fudge covered chocolate chip cookies... caramel sauce on your cheesecake... homemade caramel apples... toasted peanut butter banana sandwiches... the possibilities are endless.
10.) Breakfast at the Cannon Center is honestly the best meal they serve. They have a made-to-order omelet bar that's super good! They also make these amazing blueberry scones... soooo good. My personal favorite thing to eat is oatmeal or cream of wheat with raspberries, blueberries, and granola mixed in. Maybe I'm biased because I love breakfast foods, but my advice is to never skip breakfast at the Cannon.
So there you have it! There's honestly sooooo many more hacks I've heard of; this is just a little flavor of what eating at the Cannon Center is like. Feel free to comment below with your own favorite Cannon Center Creations!
Gosh, now I'm starving from thinking about all this food. Thanks guys. I'm going to head to the Cannon Center for dinner:)
1.) The Y App is a necessity for your freshmen year. With it, you can access the Cannon Center's menu every day of the week, and you can also see the nutritional facts of anything they serve. So if nothing looks appetizing, you can go get dinner somewhere else. Or you can plan your schedule around the chicken quesadilla day at the grill (they are soooo good!)
2.) The Cannon Center does build-your-own burgers and mini pizzas on the off-hours of the day (usually from around 2:30-4). Super good!
3.) You can ask for basically anything at the stations. Like sometimes, a station will have Chinese food for lunch, and I'll go up and ask for two scoops of rice and then make a killer burrito out of it. And other times, I'll go to grill and ask for a basket of sweet potato fries to pair with whatever else I'm eating. This is good for all you picky eaters out there.
4.) There is a microwave in the Cannon Center!!! It's in the Grainery, by the cereal. I've seen people heat up chocolate chip cookies and apple pie in it... Mmmmm.
5.) Panini Bar! In the Euro station, there's a panini maker you can make use of. Just go over to the salad bar, create your panini, then ask one of the workers at the Euro to press it for you. Deliciousness!
6.) For special occasions, you can do waffles and ice cream for Sunday dinners. We did this for my friend's birthday, and it was a ton of fun! Every Sunday, they have BYU Creamery ice cream, and they have waffle irons available at all hours of the day. It's a SUPER yummy, tasty treat!
7.) The SALAD BAR! Honestly, the salad bar is waaaaay too underrated. It's got all kinds of secrets people don't know about because they never eat salad. For example, the salad bar often has gummy worms and goldfish out for the yogurt and salad bar respectively, but I'll often just go get a bowl full of Goldfish. The salad bar also usually has pico de Gallo, guac, and chips. There's nothing stopping you from putting guacamole on your bacon burger or ranch on your pizza. I've also made super yummy spinach berry salads using the berries from the yogurt bar. And my day is made whenever the salad bar has mozzarella cheese out because I usually top off my tomato and basil soup or chicken and white bean chili with some fresh mozzarella. Definitely, definitely use the salad bar.
8.) The salad bar also has ice cream bars! It's in one of the little areas that usually holds plates and bowls, but instead of holding plates and bowls, it holds ice cream. A pleasant surprise!
9.) Also at Grainery, there's a bunch of random stuff that's fun to eat. There's crunchy and creamery peanut butter, jelly, and bread, so you can make a PB&J sandwich for lunch. There's also a pump for caramel and hot fudge. Think of the possibilities of that! Fudge covered chocolate chip cookies... caramel sauce on your cheesecake... homemade caramel apples... toasted peanut butter banana sandwiches... the possibilities are endless.
10.) Breakfast at the Cannon Center is honestly the best meal they serve. They have a made-to-order omelet bar that's super good! They also make these amazing blueberry scones... soooo good. My personal favorite thing to eat is oatmeal or cream of wheat with raspberries, blueberries, and granola mixed in. Maybe I'm biased because I love breakfast foods, but my advice is to never skip breakfast at the Cannon.
So there you have it! There's honestly sooooo many more hacks I've heard of; this is just a little flavor of what eating at the Cannon Center is like. Feel free to comment below with your own favorite Cannon Center Creations!
Gosh, now I'm starving from thinking about all this food. Thanks guys. I'm going to head to the Cannon Center for dinner:)
My MOA Cafe
So I'm about to get my hard-core fan girl on... brace yourself for this. *buckles on helmet* *cracks knuckles* *rolls shoulders* K, you ready now?
The MOA Cafe is legitimately the BEST FOOD ON CAMPUS! Oh. My. Gosh. I discovered it last week randomly. My friend Bresciana was going and invited me to come along, and I'm so glad that she did! The MOA is a high-end soup, salad, and sandwich place. Since my roots are planted in Southern California, I've always been a bit of a health nut, and this place is particularly satisfying because it feels *relatively* light, refreshing, and healthy. My absolute favorite menu item they have there is the very berry salad: raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, candied almonds, and a sweet vinaigrette are combined to make me very, very happy. I also LOVE the Fontina Cheese Panini, and I hear that the chilled raspberry soup is also a work of art.
Here's the Very Berry Salad and the Panini I was talking about:
The location is also absolutely, perfectly gorgeous! It's in the top floor of the BYU Museum of Art (which is also the awesomest place ever, but I will talk about that later). The cafe has floor-to-ceiling windows that look out on Y Mountain, and on a rainy day, when the fog rolls in from off the mountains, it gives you the sensation that you're floating in the air on the tops of trees. The eating area itself is very homey and cozy, the perfect place for a date.
The only downside is the place is a little pricey... it's about $10 for a soup and salad or sandwich and salad. But I think it's definitely worth it, especially if it's covered by the MEAL PLAN!!!
So yeah. More information about the MOA can be found here. Just please go at least once; you won't regret it!
The MOA Cafe is legitimately the BEST FOOD ON CAMPUS! Oh. My. Gosh. I discovered it last week randomly. My friend Bresciana was going and invited me to come along, and I'm so glad that she did! The MOA is a high-end soup, salad, and sandwich place. Since my roots are planted in Southern California, I've always been a bit of a health nut, and this place is particularly satisfying because it feels *relatively* light, refreshing, and healthy. My absolute favorite menu item they have there is the very berry salad: raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, candied almonds, and a sweet vinaigrette are combined to make me very, very happy. I also LOVE the Fontina Cheese Panini, and I hear that the chilled raspberry soup is also a work of art.
Here's the Very Berry Salad and the Panini I was talking about:
The only downside is the place is a little pricey... it's about $10 for a soup and salad or sandwich and salad. But I think it's definitely worth it, especially if it's covered by the MEAL PLAN!!!
So yeah. More information about the MOA can be found here. Just please go at least once; you won't regret it!
Monday, April 24, 2017
BYU Blue Line
So, I recently discovered this, amazing, glorious, life-changing place on BYU campus called the Blue Line. It's in the bottom floor of the Tanner Building (which, if you're directional-ly challenged, is at the top of freshmen hill). I am literally so disappointed that I didn't discover this place earlier! It's got sub-style sandwiches, like the Monte Christo and the Cubano. It's also got this little wanna-be Cafe Rio place, complete with burritos, Taco Tuesdays, quesadillas, and salads. There's even a little make-your-own hot dog stand and a small market area with dark chocolate peanut butter, chips, and fresh fruit for sale.
But the best part... drum roll please... is the PB&J sandwiches! OH BOY THEY'RE SO GOOD! You can put anything you want on them. They have white chocolate, dark chocolate, and natural peanut butter, and you can add on bananas, apples, cinnamon, chocolate chips, and whatever else you want. My current favorite creation is a toasted dark chocolate peanut butter, apple, banana, and cinnamon sandwich. Slay me, it's so good.
The location is also pretty great. For those of you living in Helaman, it's super close and a super convenient place to stop for lunch on your way home from classes. Plus, the Tanner Building itself is simply GORGEOUS! If you've ever been to the Kennedy Center in Boston, it's like that. It's got this airy, atrium feel to it, and I always feel like I'm gaining brain cells just rubbing shoulders with all the smart people who study there. It's also just really pretty; it's naturally well-light, open, and decorated with the national flags of hundreds of countries. Sooooo it's the perfect place to eat a toasted dark chocolate peanut butter banana sandwich.
If you want to find out more information or see their hours, click here. Seriously go there. Please. And then send me a selfie of whatever you order so I can get properly inspired for the next time I go.
But the best part... drum roll please... is the PB&J sandwiches! OH BOY THEY'RE SO GOOD! You can put anything you want on them. They have white chocolate, dark chocolate, and natural peanut butter, and you can add on bananas, apples, cinnamon, chocolate chips, and whatever else you want. My current favorite creation is a toasted dark chocolate peanut butter, apple, banana, and cinnamon sandwich. Slay me, it's so good.
The location is also pretty great. For those of you living in Helaman, it's super close and a super convenient place to stop for lunch on your way home from classes. Plus, the Tanner Building itself is simply GORGEOUS! If you've ever been to the Kennedy Center in Boston, it's like that. It's got this airy, atrium feel to it, and I always feel like I'm gaining brain cells just rubbing shoulders with all the smart people who study there. It's also just really pretty; it's naturally well-light, open, and decorated with the national flags of hundreds of countries. Sooooo it's the perfect place to eat a toasted dark chocolate peanut butter banana sandwich.
If you want to find out more information or see their hours, click here. Seriously go there. Please. And then send me a selfie of whatever you order so I can get properly inspired for the next time I go.
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