Feel Good Cooking

By Katherine Cully

When the responsibility of cooking falls in a college student’s lap, there either comes a feeling of joy, overwhelmed at the opportunity of being able to choose one’s own diet rather than relying on a dining hall, or a feeling of dread- another chore to do. For me, it was a little of both. 

Before coming to Villanova, I worked at a fish market and restaurant that spiked my interest in cooking. The moment I secured my own kitchen, I was extremely excited to test out my newfound skills and to continue expanding upon them. This was quite easy to do at the beginning of the school year when the workload hadn’t started to build up yet. As the semester picked up, however, I found myself strained for time to make consistent meals. Because cooking was something I loved to do, I spent the semester crafting a routine that made it both fun and easy. Hopefully, my experience can help you craft your own cooking routine this semester. 

For my heavier meals (such as dinner), doing meal prep was the best way to reduce the time spent cooking while still being able to create a variety of delicious meal options. I found great ideas simply from watching nutritionists meal prep on YouTube. Because I still love to try new recipes and switch things up, I blocked off Wednesday nights for cooking a homemade meal for my friends. One wonderful recipe book I found that also teaches all of the ins and outs of basic cooking is Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. As for breakfast and lunch, which are often on-the-go due to daytime classes, I created a select set of options that I could cook easily each morning. Avocado toast, smoothies, and parfaits were quick options that packed nutrients in at the time of day our brain needs it most. 

But what is one to eat? My diet was influenced greatly by my lifestyle, as I love to eat healthy, but I also have a dietary restriction—gluten. I think it is especially important for college students to eat well because it is a time in our lives when our brains are hungry for nutrients. I have noticed that the better I eat, the more energetic I feel throughout the day. I started to rid processed foods from my diet, focusing on eating organic produce, proteins, and gluten-free carbohydrates like rice and quinoa (and of course, gluten-free bread). Since I do not eat red meat, I focused my proteins on seafood, chicken, and vegetables. While this comprises most of my diet, I make sure to treat myself to the occasional ice cream or whatever sweet food my taste buds are craving that day. Part of eating well is eating what makes you happy.

Cooking should be an enjoyable experience. As a child, I would help my family cook dinner every night. One of the most vivid memories I have is listening to music on the speaker and dancing around the kitchen while food and flavors were flying. Now, I try to mimic this in my own kitchen by listening to jazz music or my favorite podcasts. 

However you view cooking in the midst of life as a busy college student, these are some ideas to ease the stress and maximize the fun of making food.