my college kitchen.

Hey there! Hope your Thursday isn’t half bad… make that good, more like it :) I’m exhausted and am just wanting it to be Saturday (Race Day!) already. Anyway… the show must go on until then.

I was in dire need of groceries, so after a few hours of a.m. work, I hit up TJ’s to restock my kitchen. One of the posts that I’ve had in mind (on my long list of post ideas) is to share with y’all what’s in my little college kitchen. You have a pretty darn good idea of how I eat/cook, but I thought I would do a simple summary of how I eat as the Nutrition Nut on the Run.

It’s been neat to see my diet evolve from a freshman in college to now, a 5th year senior. My dorm days of Amy’s organic frozen meals seem like forever ago. My diet lifestyle is always evolving, day to day, as I learn more and more about nutrition and well-being.

Because I share a kitchen with others (and mainly because I’m a minimalist), I’d say my kitchen is simply stocked; though, my roommates that live off sugary cereals and turkey sandwiches may beg to differ.

My Grocery List Gist

• Rather than going grocery shopping daily for a few ingredients, I shop roughly 1x per week. Sometimes I’ll stretch it out to 8 or 9 days; though because I eat preservative-free, perishable foods, I must shop weekly for fresh food. I think having a regular shopping schedule helps to keep my food expenses down… a bit.

• Trader Joe’s is my main grocer of choice, where I do approximately 75% of my shopping. The other 25% is spent at the farmers’ market, Safeway/Raley’s, and the local co-op. I don’t live near Whole Foods; though, I’m like a kid in candy shop when I do get to roam the aisles with a kombucha in hand.

• I do not eat 100% organic, as much as I wish that were true. Eating organically is something I believe in and support whole-heartedly. If that’s not your thing, so be it. I also believe in supporting local farmers and businesses; this came naturally to me being raised in a small, agriculturally-rich community.

• I most likely spend more money of groceries than your typical college student; on the contrary, I rarely dine out or spend my money on alcohol. Personally, I’d rather spend my mullah on chia seeds and quinoa than a watery, overpriced bar beer… but that’s just me ;)

As I mentioned, my diet is always evolving – and because I also try to eat as seasonally as possible – my fridge doesn’t look exactly the same all 12 months of the year. Most of the time you will find:

Fridge

• 1% milk

• free-range eggs

• unsweetened vanilla almond milk

• non-fat plain Greek yogurt

• goat cheese

• sharp white cheddar cheese

• baby spinach

• whole carrots

• cucumber

• fresh salsa

• hummus

• almond butter

• peanut butter

• jam

• maple syrup

• coconut water

• rice vinegar, sesame oil, Soyaki (teriyaki sauce), mustard

• brown rice or sprouted wheat tortillas

• firm tofu

• freshly-ground flax seed

• seasonally: apples, oranges, pears, summer/winter squash, berries, stone fruit, tomatoes

Freezer

• bananas

• mangos and/or berries

• edamame and/or peas

• dr. praeger’s California burgers

• ground decaf coffee

• chocolate chips

• unsalted butter

• veggie dogs

• wild salmon, on occasion

• nuts – usually almonds, walnuts & pecans

• sliced bread – usually sprouted wheat

• homemade muffins

• homemade pesto

Pantry/Dry Storage

• avocados

• bananas

• lemons & limes

• red onion

• quinoa

• wheatberries

• brown rice

• brown rice pasta

• homemade granola

• cereal

• chia seeds

• unsweetened coconut

• canola oil, coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil

• oats – rolled, oat bran, steel cut

• dates

• dried fruit – unsweetened mango, cherries, apricots

• sesame, Sunflower & pumpkin seeds

• multigrain chips

• sweet potatoes

• baked beans

• black beans

• tuna (in water, unsalted)

• balsamic vinegar

• honey, Brown rice syrup, AGAVE

• herbal tea

• misc: cinnamon, raw sugar, unsweetened cocoa, instant espresso powder

There you have it, the inside scoop on my kitchen. I’m off to the WREC for some beloved vinyasa flow…

What should I do with these beautiful, golden beets that I bought from the local CSA farm? Eat them obviously… recipe suggestions!?

Always,

Healthy Hill on the run

Tagged as: Healthy College Grocery Lists