All of my life, finding food has never been a problem. My mom buys it, my college cafeteria supplies it, and there are always easy-to-make snacks in my fridge. So imagine the huge reality check I get when I move into an apartment style dorm for part of the summer. The cafeteria isn’t open until fall and I am off to fend for myself in the food department. While I am armed with a kitchen full of essentials (microwave, refrigerator, stove, etc.) there is one tiny problem; I have never cooked for myself.

Now when I say I have never cooked for myself I mean that I have never bought groceries for myself and the only thing I have used an oven for is baking brownies. If I want scrambled eggs for breakfast, I make them in the microwave. Mashed potatoes? Screw the stove; I use the microwave. Basically I am skilled with the microwave and nothing else. But since a summer full of microwavable foods did not sound that enticing, I have found a few tips for all those who are cooking in a small kitchen.

Establish food ownership: This is only needed if you are sharing kitchen space with other people. I know many roommates who have fought over ownership of a jar of salsa or accused their friends of eating their whole bag of pretzels. These situations could have easily been avoided had everyone sharing a fridge talked over how they wanted to share the kitchen. Read More »

100-Calorie Packs are the new Starbucks Skinny Latte. They are taking over the world, one grocery store shelf at a time. Though these snacks are making bank for Kraft Foods, Nabisco, Frito Lay, and every other conglomerate on the single-serving bandwagon, there has been some recent media backlash, which brings to light the fact that:

a) The 100-calorie packs are often more than twice as expensive per ounce as the products they mimic.

b) In meeting the 100-calorie limit, the snacks or sweets inside the packs are sometimes pale imitations of the originals. The 100-calorie Oreos, for example, are 20 mini “chocolate thin crisps.”

c) Smaller portions don’t make snacks good for you, especially when they are as highly-processed as 100-Cal Packs.

Still, as Americans, we have issues with self-control. I can go through a box of Cheez-Its in three days and think nothing of it, until I look at the box and realize I averaged about 5 servings of Cheez-Its a day. So, when a small package helps me know when to stop, I dig it. I do agree with above comment on the 100-calorie Oreos: these are a waste of money. So, friends, what follows is a list of my top five picks. All of these are so tasty, I thank my lucky stars that they are measured out for me in 100 calorie intervals. Read More »

Is the economy killing you? Yeah? (Join the club. I can’t even afford mixers for my vodka anymore.) Don’t wanna spend money on cute clothes if you can help it? Well, rally up your girls and organize a clothing swap party. They’re fun AND you end up walking home with tons of new clothes-for free! Here is how it works:

Get together with a group of your favorite ladies – especially those with wardrobes you would kill for. Tell everyone to bring clothes to the party that they don’t wear anymore. Assign each girl to a spot on the floor where she will pile up all the goodies she brought with her.

Each girl will take turns going around the circle and holding up one of the items she brought with her. Whoever wants it can raise their hands. If more than one girl wants it, settle the score through a trivia game…or a drinking game… whichever you choose. Read More »

During my vegetarian kick this winter, I was determined to get enough protein and, ironically, fat in my diet. Cheese was good, milk was fine, and I cannot say enough about my obsession with avocado, but what I needed was something of the nut variety to add a little to my meals. Peanut butter was the obvious choice.

It’s cheap and easy. It’s pre-made. It’s delicious. But I can’t eat the Jifs or the Skippys. They’re too sweet, no matter how choosy my mom is. In actuality, because my mom is diabetic, she was the one who considered them too sweet, and so, by default, I went natural.

Initially I was a little repulsed, because the peanut oil settles on top of the mashed-up peanuts themselves and it requires stirring, but I soon got over this. Contrary to popular belief, I’m not (quite) that lazy. The good news is, if you are that lazy, you can buy pre-mixed natural peanut butter; I just prefer the Smuckers glass jars of it. Essentially, I go through about a jar of this stuff every ten days, and I think you get the idea of how much I love it. Before you judge me for eating it out of the far with a spoon, I am going to share with you the amazing and different ways to enjoy your PB au Natural: Read More »

It’s that time of year when travel is a major part of our lives. Whether we’re off to backpack in Europe, explore ancient ruins, or just heading home to spend the summer reverting back to the days of our youth and being catered to by Mom, it’s no secret these days that air travel has become increasingly frustrating and difficult as airlines make cuts, flights get cancelled if they aren’t full because of fuel prices, and the cost of tickets rapidly go up.

Needless to say, air travel can be a headache and after a few hellacious experiences of my own, and stories of horrendous experiences from friends and family, I decided to write down a few things I’ve learned in order to better deal with what can be an upsetting and exhausting experience. Read More »

Once upon a time, I was skinny. Not to say that I’m not within my healthy weight range now, but back then, I was mind-blowlingly small. I didn’t do anything special, really. I practiced yoga a few times a week in my basement bedroom with the door locked and mood music playing (and because of that, felt I could totally splurge on the double quarter pounder with cheese meal at McDonald’s if the urge struck.) Now, however, keeping my girlish figure takes twice the work – and my days of gorging myself with red meat are long gone.

But, when I waved goodbye to foods high in trans fat and grease and hello to raw, healthy food I discovered quite a few green gems in the world of fruits and veggies. Among them, my personal fave, the avocado.

I know what you’ve heard. Avocados are high in (gasp!) fat. But, they’re high in the good kind of fat – monosaturated fat. They also contain vitamins, dietary fiber and potassium.

But perhaps the best thing about the avocado is how effing delicious it is. It’s not super-sweet, but it is super easy to incorporate into appetizers, meals or store in the fridge as an alternative, nutritious late-night snack .

Here are a few ways you can add the av to your next meal: Read More »

To me, afternoons are like a barren wasteland. They last for hours that can feel like days, and there’s no relief in sight until dinner. To silence the grumbling stomach, it’s important to have a snack sometime in the middle of those wasteland hours.

While it might seem appealing to grab a triple-shot mocha at Starbucks, that’s really not the best thing for our minds or our bodies to have (or, in many cases, our wallets). If you want a snack that scores high on both nutrition and taste, consider one of the following:

Pita with Hummus. You can buy your hummus at the store (roasted red pepper is my favorite kind), or make your own for cheap using a scaled-down version of a recipe like this one. Cut a slit in the side of your pita, shovel in a few spoonfuls of hummus, and you’re good to go.

Yogurt with Topping. It’s really easy to take a container of yogurt with you wherever you need to go, and yogurt has the added advantage of meshing well with almost any topping choice. Try tossing a few chocolate chips on top of caramel yogurt, fresh blueberries atop a carton of strawberry, or a spoonful of toasted nuts and honey on top of plain vanilla. Read More »

When it comes to Christmas presents its easy to forget man’s best friend. I mean, who’s there for you after a long day’s work? Who will cuddle with you during those long, lonely nights? Who will offer up kisses when nobody else will?

It’s unconditional love!

So, in addition to bones, treats, and snacks for your little pup, you could always splurge on an outfit for your mutt! Perfect, right?

In theory, sure. Maybe you have a little dog who needs the extra layers when it’s January and -25 degrees outside. Maybe you throw doggie boots on him when it’s icy (or you live in a city where the sidewalks may tear up your puppy’s feet).

But you know what I do have a problem with?

Hipster dog outfits.

Since when does a dog need clothing from American Apparel? Read More »

Bar food: So fabulously yummy, yet so tragically fattening. I swear, if I even look at a plate of mozzarella sticks or fried zucchini I immediately gain 5 pounds. So imagine my delight when I came across these healthier versions of some of our unhealthiest weaknesses.

It is no secret that Hungrygirl.com is a godsend to those looking to indulge sans guilt. Now, I think I may just have another reason to love them. So whip up these bad boys, grab your gal pals, pull out some light beer and watch some football (Girls Just Want To Have Fun works too…hey, dancing is a sport!)

Mozzarella Fix

Ingredients:
2 light mozzarella sticks (50-60 calories and 2.5g fat per stick)
1/4 cup Fiber One bran cereal (original)
2 tbsp. fat-free liquid egg substitute
salt, pepper & Italian seasonings; to taste
Optional: low-fat marinara sauce (for dipping)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a food processor or blender, grind Fiber One to a breadcrumb-like consistency. Place crumbs in a small plastic container with a lid. Season crumbs with as much salt, pepper and Italian seasonings as you like. Set aside. Cut cheese sticks in half, so that you have 4 sticks. Place sticks in a small bowl, and pour egg substitute over the top of the sticks. Swirl egg substitute around so that it thoroughly coats the sticks. One by one, transfer sticks to the container with the crumbs. Cover container, and give it a shake to coat the sticks in the crumbs. Carefully return sticks to the dish with the egg substitute, and coat them again. Read More »

It’s that time of year again.

Actually, who are we kidding? It’s always that time of year. When is there a time when we don’t wish that our jeans were a little looser, our abs were a little tighter, and that we could resist the temptation of that evil bag of chocolate chip cookies lurking in the kitchen (that always seems to magically disappears within an hour while cramming for finals)

You and I both know that stress = Get me some good food now por favor. Add that with the festive holiday treats from gingerbread lattes to potato latkes, It’s no wonder the average American gains 7-12 lbs during the holiday season.

But, winter break is around the corner and while shoveling down yummy treats may help us cope with the fact we have to learn a whole semesters worth of econ in three days, come the end of finals, we are going to feel (and look) like a big ball of grossness. Sure, Santa’s belly full of jelly is cute and cuddle-y on an old guy in a plush-velvet, red jumpsuit- but I’m thinking not-so-much my look. Especially when i’ll be spending some quality time post-finals on the beach…

Whether you want to drop a few dress sizes or just maintain your weight, foodfit.com gives us some tried and true tips from weight loss specialists to help us avoid those pounds that just seem to sneak up on us.

Remember: Each pound of weight lost requires that you either consume 3500 fewer calories or burn them off with exercise (and let us not forget, one shot = 100 calories. And really- who takes just one?)

1. Figure out what 1,500 calories looks like. If you’re trying to lose weight on a 1,500 calorie meal plan, you need to maintain a healthy mix of those calories - at least five servings of fruits and vegetables; six of whole grain breads, rice, crackers and other grains; two of protein foods; and three of nonfat dairy products. Learn about serving sizes: 3 ounces of lean meat, fish or poultry (the size of a deck of cards) is one serving. One slice of bread is one serving, while a large bagel may equal almost five! Read More »