With most kids heading back to school I am reminded of my freshman year of college. The first time away from Mom and Dad, no more home cooked meals, a cafeteria with any type of food I wanted and finally getting to eat what I wanted!Well, after coming home at Christmas and putting on the Freshman 15 – I learned a few things:
- Just because pizza is a staple in the cafeteria doesn’t mean you need to eat it at least once a day
- Fries/pizza/grilled cheese/onion rings with ranch dressing are amazing…but you need to eat them in moderation
- Late night food is never a good idea
- Eat some greens every once in a while (once again, they don’t count if they are a pizza topping) – have a salad at least every few days people
- Pre-packaged sushi…not good…ever
Also – for those heading off to college – or know someone who is, here are some great gifts that every college kid should have (aside from the obvious microwave and mini-fridges):
- Electric water boiler: They sell these at tons of stores – all you have to do is fill it up, plug it into an outlet and you have hot water in minutes. Ideal for hot chocolate, tea and soup.
- Small coffee pot: I know, you may be thinking, “He/she doesn’t drink coffee.” Believe me, that will change when you are faced with an all-nighter or are a little tired from a late night of partying. You’ll find out that coffee is your new best friend.
- Two plastic sets of silverware, plates, bowls and plates: You’ll be surprised how many kids don’t have these. If you do have them, you’ll be pretty popular on your floor. (Note: my sister reminded me that you should only start out with a few of these since by the end of freshman year you’ll probably accumulate a whole kitchen set of silverware, plates, bowls and cups all from your cafeteria).
- Ice cube trays: Most mini-fridges don’t have built in ice cube makers like normal fridges – therefore a few ice cube trays are a must that will save you from going to the local liquor store to pick up a bag of ice.
- Blender – Another obvious, but necessity for those summery margaritas. Enough said.
i packed on the freshman 15, too. it was all the curly fries and oversized chocolate chip cookies that did me in. i also ate countless pre-made bagel sandwiches. never again.
ReplyDeletei remember loving my water filter pitcher. i was used to drinking water straight from the tap in hawaii where the water is clear and pure. so i fell in love with my water filter pitcher upon arrival in california.