THURSDAY,SEPTEMBER 12,2002
FOOD
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN =13
BBQ a U.S. pleasure
Yesterday, our nation reflected on its past and considered the nature of the American dream, which promises a life of pleasure.
One of those simple pleasures is watching football — with the rich smell of barbecue in the air. The only thing that could make a Saturday grander is a win for your team.
This weekend, if you enjoy the pleasures of the Kansas football team's first home game this season, make it a tasty event: tailgate, throw a football party, go to a nearby park with friends and grill up some good eats (don't forget the radio so you can listen to the game). Either way, try one of these hearty American favorites while you show your love for the game. Oh, and don't forget to grab some potato salad and fresh fruit.
Worthy Ranch Burger
1 pound of ground beef
4 hamburger buns, split
1 package of Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning
4 slices of American cheese
4 slices of tomato
Lettuce Leaves
Salt and Pepper
1. Heat coals or gas grill for direct heat. Mix beef with one whole package of ranch seasoning, salt and pepper to taste. Shape mixture into four patties, about 1 inch thick.
2. Cover and grill patties on medium heat, turning once for 13-15 minutes, or until no longer pink in center and juice is clear.
3. Add cheese slices on top of burgers and add buns, cut sides down, on grill for 2 minutes.
4. After cheese melts and buns are nice and toasty, layer burger, lettuce and tomato onto the bun. Add any of your
EAT THIS
Christina DiGiacomo
cdigiacomo@kansan.com
favorite condiments and dig in. Four servings.
Grilled Bratwurst with Bell peppers and Onions 4 cooked bratwursts
1 red, yellow, orange, and green bell peppers, sliced into strips and cleaned (discard seeds)
1 large yellow or Vidalia onion, sliced into thin strips
2 Tablespoons McCormick Grill Mates, Montreal Chicken seasoning (this is what makes these brats so good!)
4 hot dog buns,split
1 tablespoon olive oil
Several layers of aluminum foil
1. Heat coals or gas grill for direct and indirect heat on medium. Grill cooked brats according to package cook for about 10 minutes or until on all sides. While the brats are cooking, add olive oil, bell peppers, cheese and seasoning onto the aluminum wrap into a package, set grill lowest temperature let sit for 8 minutes. Caution: Steam may when opening package of vegetables.
2. When brats are heated through, set aside and add buns cut side down on grill for two minutes.
3. Serve brats on buns and add bell pepper mixture on top of brat. Top it off with yellow mustard. Four servings.
Thrifty eating tips
If you start with one healthy person, and throw no money and no time in the mix, you'll get one definite result: someone who will eat anything cheap or free.
For many college students, this is a proven reality. Most people find that only a few foods fit into the college lifestyle by being fast, convenient and inexpensive.
But when you mix a grocery store and a little thought, you can have tasty dinner options that fit within a college budget. So throw away the mac 'n cheese boxes and start looking for food options to keep your wallet, and not your tummy, fat.
Most pre-packaged dinners contain tons of preservatives and sodium. Plus, instant meals can cost more than simple casseroles and other dishes. At Hy-Vee at 4000 W. 6th St., you can pick up packages of Quaker stovetop oatmeal for $ .17 a serving, while Quaker instant oatmeal goes for $ .32 a serving. Substitute rice for Hamburger Helper and bake it with chicken, which is less expensive than red meats.
Trade instant meals for a little bit of time.
For breakfast, a snack or a side, consider yogurt.
It can be found as low as $.50 per single serving. To cut back even more on extra calories from unnecessary sugar, try plain yogurt. It has about 30 less calories than presweetened flavors, and you can add your own fruit for taste.
CHEAP FOOD
Forget presweetened cereals.
Go for unsweetened cereals. Presweetened cereals such as Oatmeal Crisp pack in 100 calories more per serving than plain Cheerios. Plus, you can find a 1 lb. 4 oz box of Cheerios for under $3, while a box of Oatmeal Crisp costs $3.59.
Opt for sherbet or frozen yogurt over ice cream.
A half-gallon box of Hy-Vee fruit sherbet is only $1.75 and contains only 1 gram of fat per serving, while Hy-Vee ice cream is $2.27 per half-gallon and has about 5
Leslie Kimmel
lkimmel@kansan.com
grams of fat per serving.
Ditch the bag of chips.
Even low-fat baked chips can cost up to $4.00 a bag. Consider completing your meals with a side of celery or carrots and low-fat ranch dressing, which can all be found for less than $.35 a serving.
When eating fast food, chose plain grilled meats over sauces and fried foods.
According to the American College Health Association, a plain hamburger often has less fat and calories than fried fish and chicken sandwiches. If you must have something on your burger, like ketchup, order it on the side so you can control the amount used.
Pick up your food instead of having it delivered.
It's so simple. I'm one of those people that feels guilty if I don't give a decent tip, so I find that eliminating the middle delivery man can save a few bucks a week. And many places around Lawrence give deals to people who take a few minutes out of their day to pick it up. For instance, Gumby's offers a large carryout pizza on Mondays for $4.99.
So though most of us have a limited cash flow, we don't have to resort to eating foods that stifle our appetite and wreak havoc on our bodies. Our body needs to consume about 50 nutrients a day, and it is possible to get them all by pooling your creative juices rather than your funds.
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