Big Ugly #3

The third Ugly Truth I am uncovering is food. Childhoods meals were provided each night, cooked by a parent who did not have a ton of time but everything was sufficient. As people transition to college, a cafeteria provides a consistent set of options. Current college students will frequently tell you how much they despise the caf: there are always lines, the food doesn't taste the way they would like it, there isn't much variety, etc., etc. On the flipside many recent college graduates will tell you they would go back to eating cafeteria food in a heartbeat.

I never loved the caf at Luther but it certainly was not the worst in my mind. The food was above average and with a bit of creativity (aka visiting 6 different lines) I could create a relatively healthy meal I like (plus take a little fruit for the road). It was far from perfect but it was immediately available almost every night after track practice (unless practice was 7-9pm, in which case I ate at 4pm and my options were a little more limited), it was hot, and it came at no additional cost in my life (thanks Mom and Dad for paying for room and board).

Cooking as an adult is the exact opposite of all of that. I get home from work most nights just before 6 and usually have to take my dog on some sort of walk, at least 45 minutes. There is no food readily available when I come back. Some amount of prep work is always required. Food also comes at a price. Anyone that buys groceries knows that food supplies are not cheap and buying in bulk is not always practical for household of two (where one travels often) as food spoils and then gets wasted. I love the grocery store Aldi (if you're unfamiliar with the store, check it out here: https://www.aldi.us/) because everything is affordable and comes in a portion I can use. Because groceries are a bit expensive I try to plan meals so that I only have to buy necessary food at Aldi. If I plan well enough and use leftover supplies from previous meals I can spend about $35 a week on groceries for two people. I like to think this is actually pretty good but I don't know. Aldi offers great deals that make this happen and I adore them.

Another catch of buying food on your own is eating healthy on a budget. That's part of the reason I love Aldi so much, they actually have a pretty great selection of fruits and vegetables. Like any grocery store you have to check things out because some foods look like they are close to being thrown away, but I have had good luck being observant. College has a readily available salad bar and fruit selection with every meal. I don't eat fruits and veggies fast enough now to justify buying the big quantities because they expire before I can finish them. I try to shop healthy but the reality is I can make a pasta casserole that feeds me 5-7 meals and some vegetables just don't last that long and require some prep work (because who wants to eat a raw salad for every meal of their life?!).

College students, enjoy not cooking for yourself because post-college cooking can be a challenge if you aren't kitchen savvy to begin with. I was a baker but certainly no chef. I have learned how to fend for myself enough to get by and enjoy the planning and executing of a meal plan during the week. I like hunting through grocery stores, cross referencing sales flyers, trying to get the best deal; I've been known to go to 2-3 groceries in a weekend to get the best deals on everything–not even a little ashamed of that. By golly I want the best bang for my buck!

I enjoy the ability to decide what night I have spaghetti as opposed to it being my back up plan if all the other lines in the cafeteria didn't look so good. I've really taken to casseroles and crockpot meals because the ingredients are easy to have on hand and the meals can be thrown together quickly. They also create big meals that turn into leftovers, perfect for lunch at work the next day and maybe dinner the next night too. I have become pretty good at buying a set of ingredients, throwing it together, and making a decent meal that lasts for several days worth of meals. This is also great because I can eat immediately after getting back from work or exercising with my dog.

My other favorite aspect of cooking as an adult is the ability to experiment. I bought a butternut squash this weekend and will have to figure out to how cook it this week. The challenge is fun and sometimes things turn out great. Other times I make ramen because my plan fell through horribly and it's all I have time for after investing the last hour on something that failed miserably. The freedom to choose every meal is great but other times I wish everything was laid out for me. And costs money...There are no other options. If I don't buy groceries and cook them for myself, I starve.

So the call is out! Are you a young adult who has purchased his or her own groceries and needs some suggestions on easy meals?! Let's swap! I've already done this with one person (looking forward to your recipes, Sarah!) and I think my cooking ability can only go up from where it currently is. I am no Betty Crocker but I do have a couple ideas and I'm willing to throw things together and see what happens. I am not ready to cook a full Thanksgiving meal for 25 people but I have moved well above the cop out of toast and ramen from college.