Food: Preserving Ourselves

October 3rd, 2009

Great coupon for groceries!

Eat Healthy- Don’t Lose Sight of Nutritional Value

An important part of my daily routine is balancing my meal components for the day, starting by planning at breakfast time. I wish I weren’t obligated to, but with my busy schedule keeping me out of my apartment for sometimes twelve hours on end, I plan what type of food I’m going to eat ahead of time. For example, if I have a yogurt (always on sale and “Low-fat”) in the morning before class, and wash it down with some natural fruit juice (V8 and Tropicana are sold at every grocery store), then I plan on eating more vegetables and bread after my first class.

A grocery store I didn’t even know about until i read Student Maximus is Associated Supermarket in Manhattan. The prices are great and student coupons are in the magazine.

(Here’s where I might differ from you in two ways: I’m a vegetarian and I don’t have a school meal plan. But I’ll elaborate more on those later.) I keep vegetables in the fridge at all times – these frequently include sun dried tomatoes, cucumbers, tomatoes, kalamata olives and lettuce. I have pita bread and low-carb wraps of various grain count and flavor. Sounding appetizing? Maybe if your a raw-fooder or vegan… I’m not either so I do want to address protein and efficient ways I recommend to get yours. Healthy protein comes in said yogurt, soy milk with cereal, and nuts, like maybe a bag of almonds in a schoolbag. And breathe easy, egg lovers, because I’ve got your hard-boiled egg cooking tips right here!

These babies will last you three to six breakfasts or lunches and they taste great with so many sides and condiments. I’m providing a college-y recipe for boiling eggs quickly and easily below. Just peel and eat with salt and/or pepper if you like them simple, or when you feel adventurous (I say “when” because I know you will, and you’ll thank me after), eat them on a bagel with hot sauce! (Add cream cheese and grab fruit juice et voila! Five food groups!)

Some college students may never even have used a stove before. I’ll admit that I needed someone to show me how to light the stove sometime within the same years that I was smoothly 2,000-ing SAT tests.

They look and taste and treatcha good!

They look and taste and treatcha good!

Hard-boiled Eggs (for Dummies!) Recipe

Supplies:
6 of your 12 large free-range organic brown eggs
1 metal pot, like a saucepan, with lid
1 tap water faucet
1 gas stove (I don’t know about you fancy electric people. ;))

Directions:
-Place all six eggs carefully in the pot
-Fill the pot with tap water to about an inch above the eggs
-Put the lidded pot on one of the stove coils
-Find the corresponding (front or rear, right or left) stove knob and turn to Light
-Turn the knob to Hi and let eggs heat until you see bubbles (boiling water) when you pick up the lid, Turn Off
-If you like your yokes light yellow with grey on the outside, let them sit in the water for 10-15 minutes
-If you like your yokes just done and a brighter yellow, let them sit for less than 5 minutes
-Drain the hot water by carefully turning the pot over a sink. I add cold water gradually and then take the hot eggs out by hand and put them on a small paper towel or just on the counter (*conserve as much paper as possible!)
-You can place them in cold water until you like their temperature or just dry them off and then refrigerate. I put them back in the carton and make note of which 6 eggs are boiled and which aren’t (or else I eventually run into a literally sticky situation).

*This item falls under Green Tips that I Live by.

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Oh, college!

October 2nd, 2009

Isn’t it grand?

Walking/riding/blogging around New York City, there is always that statement tickling the back of my mind: I am a college student. Shopping, dating, commuting, everything – my class schedule and school year budget remain on the brain. This is clearly the part of co-ed life that will mentally ready me for the Responsibilities Being an Adult Brings one day – after graduation, of course. I am 20 years-old, and I matriculate at New York University, better known as NYU. I pay top dollar tuition with help from my education-appreciatin’ father and a small amount of financial grants. Diverse group of co-eds that we are, many of us actually do receive financial assistance through the university. I say “actually” because our school has a probably accurate reputation of having a large number of wealthy trust-fund types – and even famous people – in our student body. According to collegeboard.com, though, more than half of fall 2009’s freshman class were offered financial aid. In other words, I hang out with a lot of people who like cutting the excess fat off their credit-or-debit bills – or better yet, not consuming the excess in the first place.

source: http://blogs.nyu.edu/blogs/ukk201/geo12/

Washington Square Park, NYU campus

Since this is my third year living in Manhattan, I’ve noticed a few things while focusing on cutting costs. I’ll address just one in this, my first, post: All co-eds in the States focus on academia and socializing. But a third part of life unique to living in such an expensive ‘hood as Manhattan is hardcore-budgeting while knowing you are surrounded by stock sellers and manicured mommies who collect six-figure incomes. They spend at the same coffee shops, food markets, and clothing stores as you. So unless you want to buy all your grub preserved and, truthfully, unhealthy on Kmart‘s lowest level before rolling that red cart to the juniors section to grab what’s left of the polyester “winter jackets” and “warm scarves” this year, you have got to learn how to shop responsibly and efficiently. And over time, you learn…

See, I’m on this ride with you. And with the help of Student Maximu$, we can save our dollars (and souls?) together.

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