Surviving the post-holiday season

Story and photo by Zoe Wiley

Darkness sets in around 5 p.m. The open fridge provides the only light. The last of the Christmas leftovers stare back at you. You look to the pantry and see the ramen you’d rather not eat for the fourth time that week.

The excitement of the holidays is over. Gone are the big meals with family and friends, the countdown until Christmas, and the ringing in of the new year. It’s back to school and back to work, and winter is in full swing. We’re no strangers to seasonal depression in Washington, and unfortunately, many students are also acquainted with food insecurity. According to Western Washington University’s Office of Student Life, 44.7% of respondents to a 2021 basic needs survey reported experiencing food insecurity within the last 30 days.

Western has been grappling with this issue for years, and has come up with solutions such as on-campus food pantries, Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) and meal donating programs, participation with the Outback Farm, and emergency food funding. These programs are a great start, but accessibility is limited for off-campus students. What do you do when you open your fridge and are faced with the fact that you desperately need to go grocery shopping, but don’t even know where to begin?

When I became the dietary manager and cook for Blossom Early Learning Center, part of my job was revising our recipes so that anyone could make them. I started thinking about the factors that made a recipe easy to follow, and about the fact that all of the recipes I use exist because they meet the nutritional needs of growing children. College students need nutrient-dense, simple foods every bit as much as toddlers do.

Food and cooking literacy is another struggle that many college students often have to overcome, and doing so on a tight budget can feel overwhelming. A 2020 study at Utah State University identified that students struggle with knowing what and how to cook, as well as where to get the food required to meet their needs. If you never learned how to cook a nourishing meal from scratch, that’s okay! It doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. 

I sourced almost every ingredient for the following recipes from Grocery Outlet, and took a trip to Fred Meyer for the rest. The recipes break everything down, and they’ll last you more than one meal (or maybe you’ll share with your roommates). Chopping veggies can be daunting, but having a hearty soup that lasts you several meals is a worthy reward.

Irish Lentil Stew

From the kitchen of Blossom Early Learning Center

½ cup diced onion

6 cups of stock/water

2 cups chopped mushrooms

8 medium potatoes

1 ½ cups shredded carrots

1 ½ cups diced celery

1 ½ cups red lentils

½ cup fresh parsley

2 tsp sugar

½ cup tamari

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp rosemary

1 tsp marjoram

Salt & pepper to taste

1. Rinse the lentils and cover with stock or water. Turn the stove on and begin cooking.

2. Add the carrots, celery, potatoes and mushrooms. You can chop them as you add, this stew is very forgiving in terms of time.

3. Add the sugar, tamari and spices.

4. Simmer until all veggies and lentils are soft and enjoy!

This recipe has tons of room for substitution. Instead of rosemary, marjoram and thyme, you could use Italian spice mix. Tamari, which can be tough to find in stores, can be subbed out for soy or worcestershire sauce. If you have access to a blender, using it like a food processor and chopping your carrots, onions and celery in there is a great way to cut down on prep time without sacrificing the flavor and texture of the stew. Use this recipe as a baseline to experiment with other ingredients and flavors! Stews and soups also freeze well in glass containers or even in plastic bags.

So you have lunch or dinner covered, but what about breakfast? Not everyone has time to make an elaborate meal before work or class, which is where this breakfast quiche comes in. It can be kept refrigerated for four days, or frozen for four months. If you do freeze it, consider portioning it out ahead of time for some easy microwave meals on the go. I like to use fresh broccoli for this recipe. If you do the same, make sure to boil it beforehand for about three minutes so that there isn’t a big texture difference in your quiche.

Broccoli or Spinach Quiche

From the kitchen of Blossom Early Learning Center

8 eggs

1 cups of cottage cheese

1 cups of cheddar

1 cups of broccoli or spinach

Salt, pepper and spices to taste

1. Chop broccoli into bite size pieces.

2. Mix ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

3. Grease your pan and pour mixture making sure to evenly distribute ingredients.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until set.

This breakfast bread doubles as a snack, and it’s also the perfect freeze-for-later baked good. Oats are a great ingredient to keep you full and fueled, no matter what your day has in store.

Oat Applesauce Bread

From the kitchen of Blossom Early Learning Center

¾ cup sugar

½ cup coconut oil or ¼ cup olive oil

1 ¼ cups apple sauce

2 eggs

½ tsp vanilla extract

1 ½ cups all purpose flour

½ cup rolled oats

½ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg

¼ tsp salt

½ tsp baking powder

¾ tsp baking soda

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a standard bread pan with butter and a dusting of flour.

2. Melt coconut oil until clear.

3. Add sugar and whisk together. Gradually add the applesauce, eggs and vanilla extract, whisk until combined.

4. Add dry ingredients to the bowl and whisk together.

5. Combine wet and dry ingredients until smooth.

6. Bake for 50 mins on the middle rack. Use a toothpick or knife to check if the center of the loaf is done. Bake in two minute increments if not.

I hope these recipes provide you with a good place to start if you’re new to cooking, or with some new budget friendly recipes if you’re an already established cook!