All the ~*~homies~*~ out there who find themselves on a block plan, or without any meal plan at all (it’s been real, Leo’s) may feel a bit out of whack with the sudden disappearance of all-you-can-eat meals every week. Don’t be afraid! Cooking for yourself is fun. And if you make something without burning the apartment down, you get to pretend that you’re a functional adult! The problem though, in post-Leo’s life, is where to get food. You can only rely on Corp stores or your roommate’s side of the fridge for so long.
But you’re in luck! A Safeway exists about a mile off campus (address: 1855 Wisconsin Ave). It’s not the shortest walk, but on the bright side, if you do end up walking there you can claim your grocery trip as your exercise for the day (week?). However, if you don’t feel like walking (totally understandable), you can take the free GUTS bus! The Wisconsin Avenue shuttle is located, for now, across the street from Darnall. It’ll drop you off less than a quarter-mile from Safeway, a 3-minute walk according to Google Maps. The GUTS schedule for this particular shuttle can be found here.
If you’re not into Safeway, there’s a Trader Joe’s over in Foggy Bottom (1101 25th Street NW) which is accessible either by walking (more exercise!) or the $1 Circulator towards Union Station (get off at Pennsylvania and 26th).
Now what to buy?? Clearly, the details of what you want to buy when you’re grocery shopping are left to you. Some suggestions include: versatile vegetables like garlic, broccoli, onions and spinach; fruit of any kind (it makes an awesome snack); any type of protein/grain so you don’t feel hungry an hour after eating; and SPICES/HERBS. The last one cannot be over-emphasized – a simple piece of chicken becomes a work of genius if you season it right.
When you’re buying and preparing food, make sure you cook enough. This might sound obvious, but it’s pretty easy to prepare what looks to be a standard amount of food, only to find out that you’re still hungry when it’s done. This might be because all the steps of cooking (chopping vegetables, sauteing, etc.) make it feel like you’re making more than you actually are – or at least that’s how it feels to me. Anyway, it’s probably better to find yourself with too much food, because you can Tupperware leftovers for the next day’s meal! (Or for when you stumble home late at night. This is a judgment-free zone.)
If you’re stuck on what to make, check out sites like https://collegerecipes.com/ or https://fullthymestudent.com/. With these recipes, you can impress your friends and live out your Food Network Star fantasies. Happy cooking, Hoyas!
Photo: foodnetwork.com
