The answer to this question seems quite obvious: overeating. However, there are actually many different components that contribute to students gaining weight during their college years. I sat down with Stephanie Teaford, the Community Liaison for STRIDE, a research organization at Cal Poly dealing with causes and prevention of obesity, to discuss what really causes the dreaded “Freshman 15.”
– The “Freshman 15″ Team
Craving In-and-Out? Wanna go downtown but don’t have a ride? Too lazy to go grocery shopping? The new app Neighbor Favor, created by a Cal Poly alumni, is an ingenious invention that solves all of these problems. Neighbor Favor is based off of a system of favors and “runners” responding to these favors with the motivation of being tipped a few bucks when they make the delivery. Here are the top 4 reasons you should have this app as a college student:
1. Get Food Delivered to the Dorms
Whether you don’t have time or a way to go to the grocery store, or you’re just really craving a Chipotle burrito, this app allows you to have whatever you want delivered right to you. Just request you favor and wait for a runner to complete the task.
2. Hitch rides
People post when they are headed downtown, to the beach, or where ever they may be headed. If you want to go with them you can contact them and get a ride with them.
3. Easy Checkout
The payments are secure and cashless. You can pay with your credit or debit card after your runner has purchased your item.
4. Make some extra cash
If you volunteer to be a “runner,” each time you do someone else a favor you not only get good karma, you get paid in tips! Who wouldn’t love a little extra cash?
Chilled Spicy Thai Peanut Ramen. Photo by Carly Cady
I love my school, don’t get me wrong, but I think I have made it very clear that the food is not my favorite part about college life. I listen to my friends at other schools talk about their smoothie bars, crepe stations, and whole made desserts, and die a little inside when I realize the most exciting thing we have is a salad bar that rarely has any vegetables.
One type of food that is especially horrible is the asian food. I have heard of multiple students getting food poisoning from eating the “Orange Chicken” or “Teriyaki Pork” and am constantly told to avoid it at all costs. So, in order to satisfy my asian cuisine cravings, I have created a Chilled Spicy Thai Peanut Ramen.
Creating different dishes out of Ramen has become a new culture in the cooking community in recent years. Books like 101 Things to do with Ramen Noodles by Toni Patrick and blogs like The Ramen Rater explore ways to upgrade regular old ramen noodles by adding easy but delicious sauces and spices.
Hans Lienesch, creator of The Ramen Rater, has boiled the art of making ramen down to a fine science. While preparing the noodles Lienesch has a few rules that he sticks to. “I try my best to cook the noodles as directed on the packaging. I also try to never crush the block of noodles,” Lienesch said.
Ramen is one of the easiest things to make in the dorms and with a little effort it can also be the tastiest. “So good! I love the spicy kick that offsets the sweetness of the peanut butter,” Emily Cantwell, freshman at Cal Poly, said of the Spicy Thai Ramen.
Once you try it, you won’t be able to get enough! “Do you have anymore?” Lauren Deitch, Cal Poly student, said as she finished off the bowl.
What you’ll need to make this dish. Photo by Carly Cady
Chilled Spicy Thai Peanut Ramen
1 package of Chicken Top Ramen noodles
3/4 bag of the Top Ramen flavoring
3 tablespoons of peanut butter
2 teaspoon or one package of soy sauce
2 tablespoons of chili-garlic sauce (Sriracha works)
1/3 cup water
Directions
1. Start by placing the whole block of ramen in a microwave safe bowl. Do not crush or break the ramen up.
2. Pour hot water into the bowl so it covers the noodle and put it in the microwave for two minutes.
3. Stir the noodles gently until the start to break up. Place back into the microwave for about two and a half minutes, or until the noodles are complete soft and break up easily.
4.Drain any excess water from the noodles and replace it with cold water.
5. Drain the cold water out and place the noodles in the refrigerator.
6. In a separate bowl, combine the peanut butter, soy sauce, hot sauce, and the ramen flavoring.
7. Mix together and add enough water to give the sauce a thinner consistency.
8. Add sauce to the noodles and stir in.
9. Add green peppers and peanuts to top it off.
Adapted from Serious Eats.
It’s that time of year again… Midterms. The smell of coffee fills the campus and the lines for Starbucks are longer than the lines at Disneyland, as students attempt to suppress their severe sleep deprivation.Every essay, project, and test that has been put off all quarter is now suddenly due, making the idea of the famous college all-nighter seems increasingly necessary.
I will be first to admit that coffee is a great thing for perfectionists and procrastinators alike, but the time it takes and the cost of any coffee shop is hard to justify. For those of us that don’t want to waste any of our precious cramming time waiting for coffee, becoming your own barista is the best way to go! There are three super easy ways to make a delicious cup of Jo in the comfort of your own room!
1. The Keurig
While the actual machine may be a little expensive ($99.95), it will actually save you money and a trip to Starbucks in the morning. The “K-cups” come in a ton of different flavors and strength allowing you to get exactly what you want in a single cup of coffee in less than 2 minutes.
The Keurig single serving coffee maker. Photo by Carly Cady
No matter how great the on campus food may be, it is occasionally necessary to get off campus and explore the different restaurants offered in the area. San Luis Obispo, being the great college town it is, has an abundance of restaurants, bakeries, and bars for the students of Cal Poly. However, while many of these places offer delicious menus, the prices may cause you to lose your appetite. Here is a map showing some of the restaurants with great prices and special deals that can help out the broke college kid.
So far I am loving doing this blog! It’s really fun to be able to have a more conversational style of writing and it seems like the audience is relating to my experiences with the transition for home cooking to dorm food. All of the people I have talked to said that the tone in my blogs made them want to keep reading and were encouraged by the recipe ideas because they were easy to follow. I have made it clear that I am a college freshman too and am going through the same things as my readers which builds my credibility because I am living what I write about. I think that by including a personal story in each of my blogs I make my blogs engaging and interesting to read. The people I talked to said that my blog different from anything they’ve ever seen. They said that the recipes are really practical and inventive. The only complaint that I got was that I need to have more recipes because once people check out my blog they want a wide variety of recipes and ideas but so far I only have a few available. I am hoping to continue to grow my blog to create a archive with a variety of recipes to try. One site that I’ve been really inspired by is Serious Eats. It has a very wide variety of recipes for any level of chefs that I am hoping to achieve one day.
If there are any recipes that you would like to see by made dorm cooking style comment or email us at freshman15minutemeals@gmail.com
– The “Freshman 15” Team
This week is the first time I have experienced something that is very common among college freshman… Homesickness. Unlike many of the students in my dorm, the first quarter was a breeze for me. I never found myself missing home or my old friends because I was having such a great time at school. While I am still loving college, I can’t shake the constant feeling of sadness whenever I think about my hometown or pets and find in increasingly difficult to hold back tear every time I talk to my family.
While going home to ease the homesickness isn’t really an option right now, I thought that making some good ol’ fashion comfort food may do the trick.
“The food you eat can actually change the chemical composition of your brain. Carbohydrates like pasta and breads can trigger the release of serotonin which can actually make you feel happier and less stressed,” Susan Greenwood, a psychologist specializing in eating disorders, from San Diego, CA, said.
"Freshman 15" Minute Meals 