"I don't like waiting in line to get my food," one of my dining companions explained to the group, as he complained about the uninspired food quality in the dining hall. Others picked at their poorly dressed salads and shoddily constructed wrap sandwiches.
Meanwhile, I sat there, quietly contemplating my sliced strawberries and banana, covered in honey, granola, yogurt and flaxseeds. This was the third course in an otherwise delicious meal, all procured from that same dining hall.
Why was my food so much better? so much different? Because I care. I care enough to ask for pesto on my salad, to get mushrooms and edamame from the salad bar to put into my fried rice, and to slice my own strawberries so I can have fruit in my parfait.
I don't mind waiting in line for 2 minutes if it means the difference between fresh, hot food and eating pasta that's been sitting in a steamer for an hour. I don't mind going every so slightly out of my way to make my own salad dressing if it means I know everything that goes into it.
It doesn't take a lot of time to make good, healthy food—just a good dose of care and simplicity. Dinner can be roasted broccoli and a piece of good bread. (Bonus points if you grate some parmesan on the broccoli as it comes out of the oven.) A salad can be lettuce and dressing. Breakfast? A banana with peanut butter.
I'm not perfect. There are days when I just don't feel like caring. Yesterday, I ate cake for breakfast. But most of the time, I do most things right. And in the end, I gave the rest of the cake away.
Once a week, make a 5-ingredient dinner. Not a 5-ingredient dish--a whole meal. Salt. Pepper. Oil. Vegetable. Starch.
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Simple Salad
Ingredients
1 lemon
2t mustard
4T olive oil
spring mix
cherry tomatoes
{or arugula and avocado}
Directions
1. Juice the lemon into a bowl. Whisk in the mustard, then the oil.
2. Toss the {washed} lettuce and tomatoes with the dressing.
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Let me know what you think by leaving a comment or emailing me at piquantprose [at] gmail [dot] com.
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Showing posts with label dining hall. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dining hall. Show all posts
5.09.2011
4.28.2011
Stuck in a Rut
All fall and all winter, I had an intense, perpetual craving for fats. Good fats, bad fats, I was all over it. And it seemed that a meal (or snack) wasn't satisfying without a heaping dose of fat.
Eating in the dining hall, this was a blessing in disguise. The green beans they serve are generally shiny with oil. Sauces are generally laden with fats and buttered bread is sometimes the only thing that looks appetizing (especially when it's basil butter.) Did I mention that ice cream is available three meals a day?
As a result, I weaned myself off of sugar. Manufacturers tend to compensate for the lack of fat with an increase in sugar (e.g. froyo vs. ice cream), so by eating more fat, I ended up eating less sugar. Even my sugar intake from fruit was somewhat limited (mostly due to a lack of acceptable fruit).
Then, a few weeks ago, summer fruits and vegetables began to arrive--blueberries with lunch, vegetables other than cauliflower, and a glimmer of hope for tomatoes. It was glorious.
Kind of.
Eating in the dining hall, this was a blessing in disguise. The green beans they serve are generally shiny with oil. Sauces are generally laden with fats and buttered bread is sometimes the only thing that looks appetizing (especially when it's basil butter.) Did I mention that ice cream is available three meals a day?
As a result, I weaned myself off of sugar. Manufacturers tend to compensate for the lack of fat with an increase in sugar (e.g. froyo vs. ice cream), so by eating more fat, I ended up eating less sugar. Even my sugar intake from fruit was somewhat limited (mostly due to a lack of acceptable fruit).
Then, a few weeks ago, summer fruits and vegetables began to arrive--blueberries with lunch, vegetables other than cauliflower, and a glimmer of hope for tomatoes. It was glorious.
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4.02.2011
I messed up.
So you remember how I gave up meat for lent? Well, I've been doing pretty well, sticking to my on-Sundays-only policy.
Except this week I got to the dining hall after a long, hard practice. I'd already noshed on carrots and hummus in my room (because I didn't think I could make it the 30 yards to the dining hall without nourishment), but I was still starving.
All they had was eggplant and zucchini. Ok, it was ALL they had, but the options were:
salad with a weird raspberry dressing
pasta with really terrible marinara sauce
eggplant+tomato towers (I really don't like eggplant at all)
zucchini (I HATE zucchini)
zucchini (yes, that's right, they had two zucchini dishes)
chicken
beef stir fry
rice
I just didn't have the energy to be creative, so I decided to grab some rice and pick the veggies out of the beef stir fry. The veggies looked delightfully oily, crisp, fresh, nutritious and delicious. The beef just looked oily.
But then I just didn't have the energy to pick around the minuscule pieces of beef.. so I decided I'd just pick around them at the table.
But then I started picking them out and realized just how monstrous a task that was.. so I decided to just eat them. They weren't very good, or very satisfying.. I just didn't have the energy to avoid them.
The whole thing was fairly representative of my experience so far. I haven't missed meat much at all, but eating has become just enough more difficult that it can be frustrating. It's especially difficult in a dining hall, where not eating meat eliminates a large number of options. It's trying to have to pass up delicious vegetables because they've been mixed with meat, or to not eat a salad because they've added bacon or chicken.
Do you have any dietary restrictions? How do you deal with them when others are cooking for you?
Let me know by leavin a comment or emailing me at piquantprose [at] gmail [dot] com.
Like what you read? Share it on Facebook, Twitter or GoogleBuzz using the buttons below!
Except this week I got to the dining hall after a long, hard practice. I'd already noshed on carrots and hummus in my room (because I didn't think I could make it the 30 yards to the dining hall without nourishment), but I was still starving.
All they had was eggplant and zucchini. Ok, it was ALL they had, but the options were:
salad with a weird raspberry dressing
pasta with really terrible marinara sauce
eggplant+tomato towers (I really don't like eggplant at all)
zucchini (I HATE zucchini)
zucchini (yes, that's right, they had two zucchini dishes)
chicken
beef stir fry
rice
I just didn't have the energy to be creative, so I decided to grab some rice and pick the veggies out of the beef stir fry. The veggies looked delightfully oily, crisp, fresh, nutritious and delicious. The beef just looked oily.
But then I just didn't have the energy to pick around the minuscule pieces of beef.. so I decided I'd just pick around them at the table.
But then I started picking them out and realized just how monstrous a task that was.. so I decided to just eat them. They weren't very good, or very satisfying.. I just didn't have the energy to avoid them.
The whole thing was fairly representative of my experience so far. I haven't missed meat much at all, but eating has become just enough more difficult that it can be frustrating. It's especially difficult in a dining hall, where not eating meat eliminates a large number of options. It's trying to have to pass up delicious vegetables because they've been mixed with meat, or to not eat a salad because they've added bacon or chicken.
Do you have any dietary restrictions? How do you deal with them when others are cooking for you?
Let me know by leavin a comment or emailing me at piquantprose [at] gmail [dot] com.
Like what you read? Share it on Facebook, Twitter or GoogleBuzz using the buttons below!
3.21.2011
Savory Oatmeal
Every time I make this, I get weird looks in the dining hall.
"Is that cheese in your oatmeal?" my companions ask me with wrinkled noses. "Gross!"
Yes, people, that is CHEESE in my oatmeal, delicious, gooey, savory cheese. And if you've never tried it, you're missing out big time!
Not eating meat, dining hall brunch options can be fairly limited. Donuts aren't exactly a great post-practice fuel and buffet style scrambled "eggs" got old about 2 years ago. Plus, I like to get at least one of my 10 daily servings of vegetables (yes, I normally eat ten, not five) before dinner time.
Here's the solution:
1. Pile spinach high in a bowl (I'm talking as much as you can possibly fit) and microwave it for a minute and a half. If there's no microwave, use a little bit less spinach and the oatmeal will be hot enough to get it mostly cooked.
2. Put a big scoop of oatmeal on top of the spinach. Microwave for another 60 seconds if you like your food mouth-burning hot like I do.
3. Add cheese, pumpkins seeds, and whatever else looks good from the salad bar. (If you're a meat eater, bacons bits are particularly delicious!!!)
4. Stir thoroughly and chow down (carefully--it's hot!!!)
Don't eat in the dining halls? Make it at home with your slow cooker!
"Is that cheese in your oatmeal?" my companions ask me with wrinkled noses. "Gross!"
Yes, people, that is CHEESE in my oatmeal, delicious, gooey, savory cheese. And if you've never tried it, you're missing out big time!
Not eating meat, dining hall brunch options can be fairly limited. Donuts aren't exactly a great post-practice fuel and buffet style scrambled "eggs" got old about 2 years ago. Plus, I like to get at least one of my 10 daily servings of vegetables (yes, I normally eat ten, not five) before dinner time.
Here's the solution:
1. Pile spinach high in a bowl (I'm talking as much as you can possibly fit) and microwave it for a minute and a half. If there's no microwave, use a little bit less spinach and the oatmeal will be hot enough to get it mostly cooked.
2. Put a big scoop of oatmeal on top of the spinach. Microwave for another 60 seconds if you like your food mouth-burning hot like I do.
3. Add cheese, pumpkins seeds, and whatever else looks good from the salad bar. (If you're a meat eater, bacons bits are particularly delicious!!!)
4. Stir thoroughly and chow down (carefully--it's hot!!!)
Don't eat in the dining halls? Make it at home with your slow cooker!
12.03.2010
A delicious sandwich
I went to the dining hall and was supremely uninspired by seafood salad and french fries, so I reverted to my old standby: the sandwich.
My normal whole grain bread was, sadly, missing, so I opted for two dense slices of rye bread, toasted until warm and just crispy.
While the bread was toasting, I altered the dining hall's egg salad, adding kidney beans, cubes of turkey, and some lemon juice (about equal volumes egg salad and beans+turkey).
After the bread came out of the toaster, I put spring mix on one slice, drizzled in olive oil and lemon juice, and sliced carrots on the other slice. The egg salad went into the middle of the bed of spring mix. I cracked some fresh pepper on top, too.
Delicious! (and really pretty!) The eggs and bright spring mix popped off of the dark rye bread, the carrots added some crunch, the eggs/mayo/beans/turkey/olive oil added richness, the lemon and spring mix added acidity and freshness, and the pepper added some zing. I wish I'd taken a picture, but unfortunately it was in the middle of a crowded dining hall.
Try it next time you need an interesting sandwich.
My normal whole grain bread was, sadly, missing, so I opted for two dense slices of rye bread, toasted until warm and just crispy.
While the bread was toasting, I altered the dining hall's egg salad, adding kidney beans, cubes of turkey, and some lemon juice (about equal volumes egg salad and beans+turkey).
After the bread came out of the toaster, I put spring mix on one slice, drizzled in olive oil and lemon juice, and sliced carrots on the other slice. The egg salad went into the middle of the bed of spring mix. I cracked some fresh pepper on top, too.
Delicious! (and really pretty!) The eggs and bright spring mix popped off of the dark rye bread, the carrots added some crunch, the eggs/mayo/beans/turkey/olive oil added richness, the lemon and spring mix added acidity and freshness, and the pepper added some zing. I wish I'd taken a picture, but unfortunately it was in the middle of a crowded dining hall.
Try it next time you need an interesting sandwich.
11.21.2010
The salad bar
I love bars: chocolate bars, Lara bars, cookie bars... and I also love the salad bar. I don't know if you've ever eaten in a dining hall, but sometimes there's just nothing good, or nothing good for you. This is when the salad bar comes to the rescue—not to make a salad, but to allow a bit of creativity.
Don't get me wrong, I love salads. In fact, I'd consider myself a salad connoisseur. My favorite salad: green leaf lettuce, with cubes of tomato, cucumber, red bell pepper and avocado, corn straight from the cob, and half slices of carrots, thoroughly tossed in a dressing of equal parts good balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil, with just enough dijon mustard to help it emulsify. Doesn't that just have your mouth water?
Unfortunately, most salad bars are not stocked in red bell pepper, avocado, corn from the cob, carrots, olive oil or good vinegar.. let alone a dining hall with a bowl big enough to get a good toss going. So I avoid salads, because why waste any room in your stomach on something that's not completely satisfying and delicious?
No, I like to use the salad bar much more creatively. I've also seen a number of grocery stores that have salad bars in their produce aisle. Here are just a few of the ways you can use the salad bar to make your life easier, or to improve your lunch.
1. Spruce up your pasta dishes. The dining hall serves vegetarian pasta dishes all the time, but I usually find them a bit heavy on the pasta and light on the protein and veggies. I'll usually fill my plate with pasta, and pile on edamame, corn, beans, cubed chicken or tofu, and a little bit of cheese. I then throw the plate into the microwave for a few minutes, and suddenly I have perfect pasta. (Sometimes I also grab a pat of butter and throw it into the mix... makes for some delicious bites).
Don't get me wrong, I love salads. In fact, I'd consider myself a salad connoisseur. My favorite salad: green leaf lettuce, with cubes of tomato, cucumber, red bell pepper and avocado, corn straight from the cob, and half slices of carrots, thoroughly tossed in a dressing of equal parts good balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil, with just enough dijon mustard to help it emulsify. Doesn't that just have your mouth water?
Unfortunately, most salad bars are not stocked in red bell pepper, avocado, corn from the cob, carrots, olive oil or good vinegar.. let alone a dining hall with a bowl big enough to get a good toss going. So I avoid salads, because why waste any room in your stomach on something that's not completely satisfying and delicious?
No, I like to use the salad bar much more creatively. I've also seen a number of grocery stores that have salad bars in their produce aisle. Here are just a few of the ways you can use the salad bar to make your life easier, or to improve your lunch.
1. Spruce up your pasta dishes. The dining hall serves vegetarian pasta dishes all the time, but I usually find them a bit heavy on the pasta and light on the protein and veggies. I'll usually fill my plate with pasta, and pile on edamame, corn, beans, cubed chicken or tofu, and a little bit of cheese. I then throw the plate into the microwave for a few minutes, and suddenly I have perfect pasta. (Sometimes I also grab a pat of butter and throw it into the mix... makes for some delicious bites).
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