What I've Learned So Far

I've been doing this experiment and blog for about three weeks now and already have so much I've learned from it. Of course, I have been learning from my mistakes.

So, I thought I would take the time to share some of the things I've learned so maybe you can avoid them should you decide to take this challenge on as well. Because as you have probably already noticed, I have yet to upload any recipes. This is not out of shyness (not totally) nor of laziness. But because I was not 100% prepared for the task I took on. So, that starts off with the first bit.

1) Be prepared! This might be the most obvious thing in the world, but sometimes the most obvious can be the easiest thing to overlook. But you can't just randomly stock up your fridge and pantry and expect to be ready to cook. You must have a plan for the week. How often you want to cook, what you want to cook, or at the very least the style.

I did not set up a plan or think about even the style I would want to cook. It was because of this little moment that prevented me from cooking the first week I was at the dorm. I was simply not prepared for what I would be facing for the semester and with this blog. So, if you're going to attempt to cook on a busy schedule, put it in.

2) Make a schedule! Even if you're not one who likes schedules, just writing what you want to eat during the week down will help so much. Take about 20 minutes every Sunday and plan out your week. Of course this is not going to be mandatory, you can change your mind depending of your mood that day. But have an idea.

I would recommend picking out the days you think you want to cook. If you like the idea of cooking more than once, pick days that you don't have too much going on (unless cooking is a stress-reliever). And make sure that you are planning for the leftovers you might make. And the days you plan on cooking have a recipe or a main ingredient written in for that day.

Make room for changes or opportunities to go out. Friends could pop in with random meal invitations or you could get a big craving for the sushi-joint down the street. Don't feel constricted to the schedule.

By doing a few of these things you will be able to handle yourself throughout the week, get a healthy plan, and have an estimate on what you will be spending.

3) Have the basics! It might sound silly to have spices, butter, and eggs in a dorm room, but if you're planning on cooking you need to have the basic cooking ingredients. Is there a spice or two that you just have to taste in any food you have? Make sure you get them! This is to make sure you eat!

My recommendations are:

• Salt
• Pepper
• Any spice you love (mine is Garlic Salt)
• Eggs
• Butter/Margarine
• Pam/Olive Oil
• Bread (any kind)
• Pasta (any kind)
• Cheese (any kind)
• Vegetables/Fruits (many kinds)

I think if you always have these things at your disposal at all times, you will always be able to make something. And luckily, things like the spices, pam, and pasta can be shelved away for a while without worry about it going bad any time soon. But if you have these in your dorm room you will be able to cook, even if you have no idea what you want at the beginning of the week.

4) Have the basics (prt.2)! You can't cook with just food. You will need to have some equipment at your disposal. Always make sure you have

My recommendations are:

• 1 or 2 pots
• 1 pan
• 1 cutting board
• 1 cutting knife or chopper
• 1 strainer
• 1 large/stirring spoon
• 1 spatula
• 1 peeler

Once you have these basics, you should be covered for most all recipes you might want to try in a dorm. If you start to get more adventurous and have the money, start getting other lovely items to expand on your cooking.

HOWEVER before purchasing any of these, talk with your RA. It is a possibility that they have a lot of these items for you to use in the dorm-kitchen. Go and see what they have to offer before you go out and purchase anything.

5) Have recipes! Remember those 20 minutes I mentioned before? Well, not all of it will be writing down days you want to cook. Take the time to go on the Internet or sit with any books you might have and find recipes you will want to try.

Again, nothing is set in stone. But if you know what you want to make you will know what you will need to buy and how much time will be needed to be set aside to prep and cook.

Keep a lot of links of recipes you find online so when Sunday comes around you don't have to do a lot of searching later.

6) Check dorm schedule! Your dorm hall can be a very lively place. They can have parties and functions and all sorts of things that are scheduled in advanced. You really don't want to get all your stuff prepared and gathered, only to get down and find that the kitchen area is closed because of a Football Party.

If you planned to cook on a Wednesday, go down that morning and talk with someone who would know what is going on. Just make sure that there is nothing big happening that would distract you or prevent you from cooking.

These are some very simple pieces of advice that can really help anyone along who wants to start cooking meals at their dorm. And all of these have been reasons for my lack of recipe-updates. Just do your research and be prepared. You have a much better chance at getting something tasty made if you do!

Dorm Room Cookin

The new term is starting. Time for books, friends, papers, and late nights of studying (or partying). When you're in college, whether you are a fish or about to graduate into the real world, a lot of time can be eaten up by so many things. It can be real hard to eat anything that isn't frozen or made by someone else behind a counter.

College students aren't well known for being healthy eaters. Nor are we well known for having a lot of cash in our pocket. Then there is the idea of actually having enough free time outside of class to cook anything. Add on to the hours of sitting for classes or the sleep (or lack of) it can be real hard to maintain a real healthy, inexpensive diet.

Is it possible to eat fresh, healthy, homemade meals often? Can it be done without taking up hours of time or money?

My prediction is YES. And in this final year of school I am going to make an attempt to do just that. I will try to cook healthy recipes in a college kitchen on a college budget.

The Plan

1) To use as healthy and cheap of items as I can. For now I can only travel to one store at a time, so I will research brands and compare store prices online for now.

2) Look for and share nutrition facts.

3) Attempt to do one recipe a week.

4) Share a rating system on the recipe based on:

• Price
• Ease to make
• Taste (by myself and eventually by others)
• Time
• Leftovers

5) Put alternatives for those who might not like some ingredients or are allergic.

6) Take pictures of what is cookin.

7) Use this blog also as a means to keep up and share my own weight loss.

This probably won't be a daily routine, at least not yet. This is a start of a big life-change. It also isn't the easiest to do a daily diary of it. But I will give it a try. Hope readers may forgive a novice blogger!

In between recipes, I will put up other items to help out anyone who reads. Tips about saving money, healthy choices outside of the dorm kitchen, learning to deal with the guilty days, and what is recommended when anyone wants to indulge a bit.

But before all of this really starts, I'll give a short introduction to who I am and why I feel like this is something worthwhile.

I'll start off to say I am not a professional anything. I am not a doctor, food specialist, trainer, or even a cook. My degree isn't even in the Culinary Arts. So this is about experience, research, and what has worked out well for myself. If it doesn't work for you, I am sorry and hope something in here can provide some help.

Why am I doing this? I have struggled with my weight all of my life. Due to poor choices, insecurities, and genetics I am overweight. Now in may final year in undergraduate school I am ready to push that image away and start something new. This past year I have done more than I ever have like join Weight Watchers and go to the school gym failing. Because of this I have already lost 30 pounds!

However, I am still about 40 pounds shy of my final goal of 140. So this blog can be my inspiration to do even more for my weight and my overwhelming shyness.

Throughout the time I have been at my dorm (since 2010), I have only used the kitchen about five to ten times. Not a lot when you think about it. And each time was only for soup or out-of-the-box noodles. Now, I plan on trying to break out of my shyness and leave my sanctuary of my room and actually cook in public. Something I have never done before.

So, I am writing this blog for myself. To document my cooking experience, my weight loss, and step outside my comfort zone. But I do hope that I won't be alone in this. Perhaps this can help inspire others to do the same. Whether you want to try to break out of your shyness, lose weight, or just try something new. This blog might have a little bit for everyone.

Now, there will be mess ups for sure. Probably will cook something way too complicated for a tiny space, make far too much, or, heaven forebid, burn something. But thesis why I want to do it. My mistakes can show others how NOT to do it.

This will be such a challenge. I am a full time student with six classes, president of a club, I want to hang out with friends, and I hope to get a job. Though I don't party or drink, I do have a busy college schedule. So if I can get healthy, anyone can do it.

School starts in a week! I'm so nervous about it but I'm excited too. Hope to have the first recipe up soon. Let's see what can come out of this little experiment!