Pancakes

Chili Popcorn

Chicken Chop Suey

Rolled Chicken and Asparagus

Shepard's Pie

Quick Cookies

F. Interesting Sites

G. People Pleasing, Time Saving Soups

H. Customer's Recipe Corner

I. Short and Sweet

J. Quote of the Month

K. Some Back-To-School Humor

is an oxymoron (along the lines of Liberal Conservative), but I'm here to prove otherwise! Keep reading for lots of tips, advice and recipes for the (often times broke) student on the go.

And if you are neither parent nor student, don't hit the delete button just yet! Everyone has busy and hectic lives, and sometimes it's hard to find time to eat properly. If you're finding that your dinner options are slowly wearing down to TV dinners and pizza, then read on! It's time you took yourself back to your student years, and rekindled your love for throwing the contents of your fridge into a big pot and calling it dinner!

**PLEASE NOTE** To all the hard working student meal plan organizers, creators, cooks and workers out there. I, along with the many students you feed each year, appreciate all that you do! This newsletter is not meant to insult you, or the service you provide, in any way. This is a review of student meal plans based on both personal and friends' experiences, and was not meant to upset anyone. If you feel that what I have said is unjust or completely inaccurate, please feel free to let me know (kellys@ed.ca), and I will make sure to include your comments in our next newsletter! Also keep in mind that this was written in a lighthearted and fun spirit, and was meant to be read in the same way.

If this is your first time away at school, you will most likely encounter 'the meal plan'. The meal plan is a great way for students to adjust to their new surroundings, new people, new schedules, and most importantly, their new budgets. However, convenience comes at a price (yes, the plan itself usually comes at a ridiculously high price, but I'm thinking in the more philosophical sort of way). As much as the fantastic people who created these plans wanted to provide healthy, wholesome meals for their charges, it doesn't always quite turn out that way.

Student meal plans are usually mandatory for first year students. This may be for the student's benefit (one less thing to worry about) or it just might be because it's the only year they can trick the students (and parents) into paying that much for food =) Regardless of why, if you're going away for the first time, and have been forced into a meal plan, here is a brief guide of what you may run across, and how to get the most out of your plan, while at the same time remaining healthy and well nourished.

The Full Meal Plan

This is where students are fed 3 times a day, 5-7 days a week (depending on the details of the plan). The meals are usually only available at one location (and most likely on the other side of campus from where all the student's classes are), and the meal times are usually inconvenient and short. However, this is still the most common type(and will therefore be the longest part of this guide...just to warn those with short attention spans =).

Ok, so unless you are one of the unfortunate souls who have an 8:30am class, the chances you'll be up and at breakfast before it ends seems unlikely. However, breakfast is probably the best meal of the day, and is worth rolling out of bed for (and after a couple of weeks, you probably won't even mind heading to the dining hall in your PJ's!). There is usually fresh fruit to choose from as well as juice, cereal and many other healthy, tasty choices! The other great thing about actually making it to breakfast is that many of these meal plans offer a bag lunch option, which is picked up at breakfast.

The bag lunch gives you the luxury of eating lunch when and where you want, and also prevents you from eating the chilidog or pizza lunch that seems to be a meal plan staple.

If you are going to brave the lunch crowd, try to go for the sandwich and salad bar. The hot options are almost exclusively bad for you and are not very substantial (i.e. you'll either have heartburn or be hungry an hour later...or both).

Dinner is a little trickier. Sometimes they have a yummy, healthy entree, and sometimes...not so much. Try to always have a salad with your meal. Then, even if dinner isn't so healthy, you still get something fresh and nutritious.

Pasta is served quite frequently, and rarely has more to it then just sauce and pasta. To make your meal more nutritious and filling, try tossing in some fresh veggies from the salad bar or the side dish.

To sum up:

-Be careful about what you choose to eat. Just because it's offered in the meal plan, doesn't necessarily mean that it's healthy or nutritious.
-Don't feel that you have to eat everything on your plate (they tend to give enormous portions, much more than you should consume at 1 sitting!
-Don't feel that you have to 'get your money's worth' by eating everything you possibly can. The point of the full meal plan is for you to have one less thing to worry about, in an already hectic year. If you start eating well when it's prepared and ready for you, you will have a better chance in continuing with those healthy eating habits in coming school years.

The Debit Card System

Some schools have a debit system, where the student can go to any of the on-campus (and some off-campus) restaurants and merely charge their meal plan card. This system can be either the best or worst meal plan, depending on how willing the student is to eat nutritiously.

Your options will probably vary from Subway to Burger King, to good old cafeteria style, but if you're careful in choosing the places you eat, you should have no problem finding tasty, healthful meals.

No Meal Plan

Some schools have alternative living arrangements that either does not require a meal plan, or one is not even available, while others have an opt-out option for their meal plans. If you find yourself in one of these situations, read on, as the student's guide to cooking continues!

It is important to remember that everyone is different, and as such, everyone has a different idea of what is 'easy' and 'fun'.

This is why, even though I'm sitting here giving ideas on how to enjoy cooking, it ultimately comes down to you. You have to find your own cooking style. Do you like to eat the same thing all the time? Do you like to try new tastes and recipes every day? Do you like your food so spicy that anyone who enters your kitchen will start to cry? As I can't accommodate everyone's unique tastes and styles, I'm going to stick to just the basics, and leave the rest up to you!

Before you go out and buy tons of yummy, fresh food, and invite 30 of your closest friends over for a home cooked meal, you might want to make sure you have the essential cooking equipment first. To make it as simple as possible, here is a list I have compiled from a few different student cuisine books and sites:

1 frying pan, nonstick, with lid
2 medium sized pots
2 spatulas (wood or rubber - metal will scratch away the nonstick coating on the pan)
1 cooking spoon (wood or rubber)
1 can opener
1 sharp cutting knife (if you don't want to buy a sharpener, go with a brand like star frit, which has a no-sharpening, lifetime guarantee)
1 Set of Mixing Bowls (these can also double as salad, noodle or soup bowls)
1 large cutting board
1 large measuring cup
1 set of measuring spoons (a great idea is to go pick up an inexpensive multi-piece (40 or so) Tupperware set from a Zellers. They usually have tons of different bowls that can be used for everything, as well as an ice cube tray, measuring spoons, a measuring cup and a large pitcher for making drinks in!)
1 baking sheet with rim

There are an endless number of other items that can be useful and time saving, but are not necessities, and other items can usually be substituted. For example, a good sharp knife can moonlight as any number of graters, mincers, choppers or slicers.

If you have a microwave, make sure you have a set of microwavable bowls (if your mixing bowls are microwave safe, this is the best way to get the most out of your dishes!) With even just these items, you'll be surprised about how many different and delicious meals you can whip up!

Now, if you're a little bit on the lazy side of life and the idea of all the prep work involved in cooking makes you want to run to the nearest take-out counter, never fear. There are things you can do to make the cooking process as painless as possible!

The first thing to do is plan ahead. Otherwise, you may come home from an exhausting day of classes, open your fridge, and get discouraged at the amount of work that would go into making a meal, when all you want is something quick and easy.

This is probably the part where you close the fridge and head out to McDonald's instead.

To avoid the above situation: before you head to the grocery store, sit down and make a list of what meals you think you'd like to make in the next week (remember to keep in mind your upcoming schedule - do you have an extremely long day coming up? Do you have plans to go out during the week? Plans for friends to come over?). Once you've decided on your meals for the week (using cookbooks and online recipe guides is a great way to come up with new meal ideas), you can sit down and write out your list of ingredients that you'll need.

Try to select meals that use common ingredients, as this will save you money when shopping, and will prevent wasting unused food. (And remember, leftovers are a student's best friend! Always try to make enough for 2 meals. It's cheaper to make and you can eat the rest the next day!) After you get home from the grocery store, it can be helpful to actually prepare the food before putting it away! For example, if you had planned on making a stir-fry the following night, wash and cut all your ingredients right away, and store them in Tupperware containers. Then, when you go to make your stir- fry the next night, all you'll have to do is heat up a pan and throw in your ingredients! (You'll thank yourself when you get home the next day, tired and hungry) The other issue that students have with cooking is the post-meal clean-up. The easiest thing to do is to quickly rinse off all your dishes as you finish using them. It's so easy to do when the food hasn't dried, and then you can go back and wash them later without fear of what might be growing on them!

Just because you are a student (and even if you're motivationally-challanged) there's no reason why you can't cook quick, yummy meals and impress all your friends, family and even yourself!

I wish I had known about this book while I was in university! It says it all right on the cover:"Easy, cheap, fast, nutritious recipes for students". What more could you want? It has a section on the equipment, and staple foods you'll need, basic cooking terms, conversion table, substitution suggestions, safety tips, cleaning and even how to fix common cooking mistakes, such as burnt food or soggy rice.

There's also a reference for the shelf life of popular perishables, both when stored in the fridge, freezer or at room temperature (Tofu is good for 1-2 weeks in the fridge and 1-2 months in the freezer! Go Tofu!).

There are tons of great recipes in this book, all categorized perfectly for students, and there's a bonus relaxation recipe too!

This book has small sections dedicated to giving you tips on how to best make, store and get the most out of your breakfasts and lunches, and the greatest part of this book? It's small and compact, making it the perfect little cookbook for students. Easy to bring with you on your travels, and useful to boot!

This is a fantastic little book for all students, and is available on our website at: http://www.ed-foods.com/student.html

You can also see a couple of sneak peak pages of this book there too!

Gourmet Melt (PSC)

1 English muffin or bagel
Onion, tomato, avocado, all sliced
Cheese, sliced

1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Toast English muffin or bagel.
2. Place the toasted halves on a baking sheet, cut sides up. Top each with sliced onion, tomato, avocado and then with cheese.
3. Bake for 8 minutes until cheese bubbles and is golden brown.

Recipe Variations
-Substitute your favorite veggies
-Add some sliced cold cuts for some quick added protein

Pancakes are perfect for a quick breakfast, or for a leisurely brunch with your friends.

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 large egg
1 cup milk
2 tbsp vegetable oil

1. In medium bowl, mix flour with sugar and baking powder.
2. Make a well in the center of dry ingredients and add egg, milk and oil. Stir with a wire whisk until batter is smooth.
2. Heat nonstick frying pan over high heat for 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium high and grease if desired.
3. Drop the batter in pan by large spoonfuls. Cook until golden brown underneath, flip over and cook other side. Eat hot or cold with jam or syrup.

Recipe Variations
-To make multigrain pancakes, use equal quantities of whole- wheat flour, buckwheat flour and cornmeal instead of all- purpose flour.
-If you're having some friends over, separate the batter into smaller bowls and let each person add their own favorite pancake ingredients, such as blueberries, apples and cinnamon or chocolate chips!

Chili Popcorn

Popcorn is a great university snack foods. It makes an amazing study snack, is cheap, and can have so many different flavors!

1 cup popping corn (or a prepackaged envelope) 60g butter
1/2 tsp hot paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt

1. Prepare the popcorn as you usually would, melt butter in a small saucepan (or in a small microwavable bowl), and stir in the cayenne pepper, paprika and salt. Pour the mixture over the popcorn and toss well to coat.

Recipe Variations
-You can add in whatever flavoring you like! (I'm partial to garlic powder or parmesan cheese, myself).

Chicken Chop Suey (PSC)

2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 chicken breast, boneless, cut into tiny strips
3 sliced carrots
3 stalks celery, sliced
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 cubes chicken bouillon
1 tsp each dried ginger powder and granulated garlic
4 cups bean sprouts

1. In a large frying pan, heat oil at medium high. Stir-fry chicken strips for 2 minutes.
2. Add sliced carrots and celery. Sprinkle with soy sauce, crumbled bouillon cubes, giner and garlic. Stir- fry for 2 minutes.
3. Spread bean sprouts on top. Reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Turn heat off, toss to mix and let stand for a few minutes.

Recipe Variations
-For vegetarian chop suey, replace chicken with tofu or extra veggies, and chicken bouillon with vegetable bouillon.
-It's Chop Suey! Add any meat or veggies that appeal to you.

Rolled Chicken and Asparagus

4 (5 ounce) chicken breasts (boneless and skinless) 30 asparagus spears, tough ends removed
2 tbsp lemon juice
6 green onions, chopped

1. Cut chicken breasts into 8 to 10 strips, each about 1x5-inches long. Wrap each strip in a corkscrew fashion around 2 or 3 asparagus spears. Fasten with toothpicks.
2. Place in a covered baking dish that has been sprayed with a nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle with lemon juice and onions. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
3. Remove toothpicks. Serve hot or refrigerate until chilled and serve cold.

Recipe Variations
- You can also use slices of halibut or cod instead of chicken

Shepard's Pie

This recipe may take slightly longer to make than others, but Shepard's Pie is a fantastic student dish. It's easy to prepare, very versatile (you can add or substitute almost anything to make this dish to your taste), and it's great for leftovers!

4 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon finely chopped onion
1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
5 carrots, chopped
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 pound lean ground beef
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ketchup
3/4 cup beef broth

1. Boil a largepot of salted water. Add potatoes and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes.
2. Drain and mash. Mix in butter, finely chopped onion and 1/4 cup shredded cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste; set aside.
3. Boil a pot of salted water. Add carrots and cook until tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, mash and set aside.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
5. Heat oil in a large frying pan. Add onion and cook until clear. Add ground beef and cook until well browned. Pour off excess fat, then stir in flour and cook 1 minute.
6. Add ketchup and beef broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
7. Spread the ground beef in an even layer on the bottom of a
2 quart casserole dish. Next, spread a layer of mashed carrots.
Top with the mashed potato mixture and sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese.
8. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Recipe Variations
-You can substitute veggie ground beef and vegetable broth.
-You can use instant mashed potatoes for a speedier meal -Step 2 is optional (if you don't like carrots)

Quick Cookies

Who doesn't love cookies, and nothing beats the smell of freshly baked cookies. Here's an easy, quick cookie recipe. It's just the basics, so add your favorite cookie ingredients and impress your friends with your baking abilities!

1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup margarine, softened
1 cup flour
1 tsp vanilla

1. Mix all ingredients and form into 1-inch balls.
2. Place on cookie sheet and bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees.

www.allrecipes.com

The greatest online recipe site I have found yet! (you'll notice that a few recipes I have used come from here). Search for your recipe by ingredient, keyword or genre. Make sure to read the users comments, as they often give you great tips for recipe variations!

http://homecooking.about.com

A great place to find a variety of student cookbooks

http://familyeducation.com/student

Some tips for getting along with your new college roommate

http://familyeducation.com/parent

Some tips for parents when your first one leaves home.

http://www.yumyum.com/student/

Another great site for student recipes

"I've been using your soups for awhile, but I've been reluctant to try the instant soups. I was pleasantly surprised when I finally did. They are much better than any instants I've had before."
Wil Arnove, NY

"I tried your sample of Instant Cheesy Enchilada today. Wow!
Incredible flavor, a new favorite for lunch. Even I have time to put a cup of water in the microwave! Love it!"
Pat Wink, WI

"I cook from scratch when I have the time, but your soups are every bit as good as mine and sure save me time during the week when we both get home hungry and don't want to wait a long time for dinner. What a boon to a working couple! Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
Jackie Ramer, MI

Bean with Bow Tie Pasta with a Twist

I Added 2 slices of thick bacon, chopped, 2 medium fresh tomaoes, diced, 1 Tablespoon instant chicken flavor, and cooked to your directions - Great!!! Next time I'll also add some diced celery, shredded carrots, and a touch of garlic!"
Barb Redman, MD

Vegetarian Chili

I put it in the pot on medium heat, added a bit of soy cheese and red star vegetarian support yeast flakes, and that's it! I love this stuff. I eat it all the time for lunch.
Amanda Lounsbury, AB

"I hope to eat some again soon :)"
Carmen Buhler, ON

Marisa Reboulis, ON

The child comes home from his first day at school. Mother asks, "What did you learn today?"

The kid replies, "Not enough. I have to go back tomorrow."

When I first started college, the Dean came in and said "Good Morning" to all of us. When we echoed back to him, he responded "Ah, you're freshmen."
He explained. "When you walk in and say good morning, and they say good morning back, it's freshmen.
When they put their newspaper down and open their books, its sophomores.
When they look up so they can see the instructor over the tops of the newspapers, its juniors.
When they put their feet up on the desks and keep reading, its seniors.
When you walk in and say good morning, and they write it down, it's graduate students."

Two college seniors had a week of exams coming up. However, they decided to party instead. So, when they went to the test, they decided to tell the professor that their car had broken down the night before due to a very flat tire and they needed a bit more time to study. The professor told them they could have another day to study.

That evening, both of the boys crammed all night until they were sure that they knew just about everything.

Arriving to class the next morning, each boy was told to go to separate classrooms to take the exam. As each sat down, they read the first question.

"For 5 points, explain the contents of an atom."

At this point, they both thought that this was going to be a piece of cake, answering the question with ease.

Then, the test continued... "For 95 points, tell me which tire it was."

An economics professor at school had a strict policy that the hourly examinations were to be completed at the bell and anyone who kept writing on their exam after the bell would take a zero on the exam.

Well, one guy kept writing on his exam for a while after the bell and then confidently strode up to turn it in. The professor looked at him and said, "Don't bother to hand that paper in...you get a zero for continuing after the bell."

The guy looked at him and said, "Professor, do you know who I am!"

The professor replied, "No, and I don't care if your dad is president of the United States...you get a zero on this exam"

The guy, with an enraged look on his face, shouted, "You mean you have no idea who I am?"

The professor responded, "No, I've no idea who you think you are."

With that, the guy said "Good!" plunged his exam into the middle of the stack of other student's exams, and did a hasty retreat from the examination room!