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daily kansan
wednesday
3.4.98
eight.a
Are you sick of eating this?
We've got some suggestions to help you eat better
by gerry doyle ● gdoyle@kansan.com
At home with their parents and in the residence halls, students' food needs are well cared for. No time must be spent cooking, no groceries must be bought (except beer) and no special provisions must be made for keeping food fresh (except beer).
But when the well-fed student moves from the residence hall to the harsh reality of life in an apartment or house, culinary habits change.
From shooting deer to stir fry, there are many different approaches to putting together a healthy inexpensive meal.
Some students get recipes from their parents to try on their own. James Dix, Chicago junior, has a recipe book his mother put together for use in his new house. Dix said it had useful instructions for mixing vegetables and meat, but that some of the recipes in the book just took too long for a harried college student to prepare.
"One of them was for barbecued brisket," he said.
"The recipe had two parts—one marked 'first day' and one marked 'second day.' I don't think James will be making that one."
Hunting down a useful animal to use as food might not be as convenient as going to the store and hunting down a pound of hamburger, but the meat is better, said Paul Vankirk. Louisburg senior.
Some people prefer to kill their food.
He said he thought the healthy lifestyle of the deer could transfer to the person who ate it.
Vankirk said he liked to do whatever took the least time and filled him up. From the stove to the frying pan, convenience was the key, he said.
"Spice packets, man," he said. "I just want something that tastes good and doesn't take a lot of time. Chili and spaghetti are easy, and I use venison for that stuff, too. It's supposedly better for you than beef."
While easy and cheap are good characteristics of a college student's meal, good nutrition should not be sacrificed, said Ann Chapman, registered dietician at Watkins Memorial Health Center.
As students move from the home to college and from residence halls to private housing, nutrition usually suffers, Chapman said. The lack of guidance when preparing food can lead to meals that leave a lot to be desired.
"I think they tend to eat less healthily because their parents prepare more balanced meals for them," she said. "They're not being forced to eat their veggies anymore."
Students should try to eat something from every level of the food pyramid with every meal, she said. This means basing a meal around grain, adding veggies, cheese and a little meat.
Mmmm! This T.V. diner looks yum, but it won't fulfill your health needs if you eat it every night.
She recommended baking boneless, skinless chicken breasts in chicken broth as an quick, easy-to-freeze-and-cat-later meal.
Some of the favorite foods in the hall were homemade pizza and barbecued ribs, he said. The recipes for the hall's food usually came from a mass-production cookbook - called "Food for 50" - but some were contributed by hall members.
"The these are college men, so it has to be filling," he said. "We use pasta, bread, potatoes, and always veggies. This stuff can't be too demanding. It has to be for people who aren't proficient at cooking."
For students who are unable to improvise well, there are numerous cookbooks available to walk would-be Julia Childs through meal preparation.
Bearing titles like *The Starving Students' Cookbook: Recipes* so simple you can't screw them up and Help! My Apartment Has a Kitchen, these books are designed to helps students utilize otherwise incomprehensible kitchen implements. The secrets of frying pans, spatulas and even toaster ovens are revealed in print.
"Have you ever burned your hand making popsicles?" the Starving Students' Cookbook asks. "Do you think Al Dente invented spaghetti?"
While these cookbooks and others offer ways for students to avoid starvation while living on their own, there are a few questions better left unanswered to hungry - and thirsty - Jayhawks.
is beer nutritious?" Chapman said. "No, not really. If you really want to drink to be healthy, you're better off with red wine. It might help your heart."
Clip-n-save! Here are some quick and easy recipes to get you started on the road to better eatina.
Got leftovers? Scrounge around in the back of the refrigerator - ignore the moldy stuff - and get the remains of yesterday's cooking out. It can feed you again, if you'll let it.
Leftover chicken and potato bake
You need:
- 1 medium potato, peeled and sliced (if you use a leftover cooked potato,
    only minimum time to reach 20 minutes)
Quick-n-easy mexican chicken stuff
baking time is shortened to about 20 minutes
A handful of cooked chicken or turkey, in bite-size pieces
1/2 can cream of celery soup (or whatever cream-style soup is languishing in your cabinet)
1/2 medium onion, sliced
Step one: In oven baking dish, arrange layers of potato, chicken and onion.
Step two: Mix together soup and milk in a small bowl. Pour over top of layers.
Step three: Cover. Bake in 350 degree oven for 40 minutes or until potatoes are tender when you poke them with a fork.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
1/4 cup milk
step two: Dip the bread in the egg, making sure it is completely covered.
Step three: Cook the bread in a frying pan about 2 minutes or until it is brown on both sides.
You need:
A can of pinto beans (or any other beans you like)
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
A jar of salsa
Preheat oven to 350 dearees
Source: Help! My Apartment Has a Kitchen
Want quick? Want easy? Well
Source: The Starving Students' Cookbook
Step one: Pour beans over chicken.
Step two: Pour salsa over beans and chicken
Step three: Cook the whole thing for about one hour in a 350 degree o
Source: Ann Chapman, registered dietician
Pita pizza
Quick cole slaw
Everyone loves pizza, right? Well, it's not that hard to make. With a simple recipe, you can construct your own Starving Jayhawk in the (relative) comfort of your own kitchen.
Step one: Beat the egg in a bowl large enough to accommodate a slice of bread.
You need:
1 whole pita bread (6 inches in diameter)
4-6 tablespoons of pizza sauce (or you can mix tomato sauce with 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, 1/4 teaspoon dried basil, and 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder)
pardon
1/2 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
Preheat broiler, making sure rack is in top position
Step one: Slice the pita bread around the circumference, making two equal discs.
Source: Help! My Apartment Has a Kitchen
Step two: Crisp the pitas in the broiler for about 30 seconds, then remove and spread 2-3 tablespoons of sauce on each disk, adding mozzarella cheese.
Step two: Broil the pizzas for about 1 minute.
1 1/2 tablespoons corn oil
2 slices bread (stale is better, for once)
So you buy a whole loaf of bread. You eat it at your own pace, a sandwich here, toast and jelly there. Then one day, you take out a piece, and it feels funny. Hard. Stale. DON'T THROW IT AWAY (unless it's green)! Just eat it!
Students love barbecues. And what's barbecue without cole slaw? Here's how to make your own.
1 green onion, minced
2 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons vinegar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
You need:
Step two: In another bowl, stir together all the other ingredients until well blended.
Step one: Combine cabbage, carrot and green onion.
1/2 head cabbage, shredded
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 carrot, grated
Step three: Stir into the cabbage mixture until the vegetables are well coated.
Source: Where's Mom Now That I Need Her?
French toast
You need:
1 large egg
Quick franks and potatoes
Doesn't every college student wish he or she were an Oscar Meyer wiener?
This way, you can be one, tool
6 frankfurters
6 tablespoons tomato sauce
You need:
Quiche in a blender
4 servings mashed potato
1 1/2 cups grated cheese
4 servinas mashed potatoes
Preheat oven to 375 degrees
Step one: Split each frankfurter lengthwise and arrange in a baking dish.
Step two: Spoon 1 tablespoon of tomato sauce into each split, then spoon mashed potatoes between them and top with grated cheese.
Step three: Bake in a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes.
Source: Where's Mom Now That I Need Her?
You need:
Who said real men don't eat quiche? They do if it's quick, easy and cheap to prepare. With this in mind, let a blender spin you away.
1 cup milk
$ ^{1} / 2 $ cup packaged pancake mix
2 eggs
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
$ \blacksquare^{1/2} $ cup frozen cut-up broccoli
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Step one: Combine all ingredients, except broccoli, in blender container and blend on low speed for one minute.
Step two: Thaw broccoli in cold water, drain and pat dry with a paper towel.
Step three: Spread a bit of butter around the bottom of a pie pan, put the
Step Two: Draw broccoli in cold water, drain and purify into a paper bowl.
Step Three: Spread a bit of butter around the bottom of a pie pan, put the broccoli on the bottom, pour blender mixture over the broccoli and bake for about 40 minutes.
Source: The Starving Students' Cookbook
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