Mount Hood

Put some pep in your meal prep

Tips for how to start meal prepping

Allison Vanderzanden | Lifestyle Editor

Having access to regular healthy meals can be difficult for college students; healthy ingredients can be expensive, and dorm living does not always offer the necessary amenities for homestyle cooking. However, meal prepping offers a great way to save money and eat delicious meals more regularly. Here are some ideas and tips to help get started.

Set aside enough time to make meals; this will depend on how many meals are cooked at once and could take up to a couple hours. Meals can be made for the next three to six days, depending on budget and refrigerator storage space. Collect enough plastic or glass containers or Ziploc bags to store each meal. If possible, buy ingredients in bulk to save money.

If a stove and oven are not accessible, pick foods that can be cooked in a microwave, are precooked or don’t need cooking at all. Potatoes, pasta, rice, quinoa and frozen vegetables are just a few foods that can be prepared in a microwave. Canned meats don’t need any cooking, and rotisserie chicken can be pulled apart and refrigerated for up to four days.

Keep in mind, certain foods will keep better in the fridge than others. Salads keep for about a week, especially when dressing and wet ingredients are layered at the bottom and greens at the top. Quinoa stays good for about a week as well, while rice and cooked potatoes and vegetables can be eaten for about four days. However, if a freezer is accessible, meals can be prepped and kept for much longer — anywhere from two to four weeks.

As for recipes to try, salads are easily customizable and add some variety to a set of meals. Burrito bowls are another meal with lots of choices available. Loaded baked potatoes, or sweet potatoes, are perfectly proportioned on their own for a lunch. If the means are available to cook soups, stews or ramen, there are many different recipes to choose from. For breakfasts, oats, parfaits and wraps are great options.

If this is the first time trying meal prepping, start small with just lunches or dinners, or only prepare a few days at a time. Don’t feel discouraged if a week is missed; as it becomes part of a regular routine, meal prep will get easier.

Contact the author at avanderzanden19@mail.wou.edu

Plan the day away with a planner

How to start using a planner

Allison Vanderzanden | Lifestyle Editor

With 95% of Western’s classes being held online for fall term, keeping up with a schedule is more important than ever. Students have to be their own regulators of their study time outside of virtual meetings. A great way to stay on track is by using a planner, and here are some tips on how to use one most effectively.

Start by picking a planner or printing out free planner sheets to put into a binder;  daydesigner.com is just one site that offers free sheets in many styles. Pick a layout that has room to detail each class and associated workload. This may look like a weekly layout with columns on the side to expand on what assignments are due.

Next, color code assignments and classes. Use a highlighter or colored pens and markers. Some categories to code by are types of assignments, such as readings, discussion posts and projects, or class — whichever makes more sense personally. Also give a color to other tasks and events, such as work, vacations and trips to the gym or grocery store.

Now it’s time to pull out the syllabus. Write down class meeting times, assignment due dates and quiz and exam dates for the term with desired colors. Then add in other events as far ahead as is known. Finally, find some gaps in which study time for each class can be allocated. It is important to have designated times for studying and completing homework in order to keep up with classes. This time could be half an hour or several hours, but it should be set aside to do classwork uninterrupted. 

Starting a planner is the first step, but keeping up with a planner takes more persistence. To help with motivation, check off tasks and days once they are completed. Focus on one to two weeks of work at a time if seeing the entire term at once is overwhelming. Set aside a few minutes a day to check up on upcoming events to make it part of a routine, and always feel free to update the planner as life happens.

Contact the author at avanderzanden19@mail.wou.edu

At-home exercises for every home-body

Exercises anyone can do outside of the gym

Allison Vanderzanden | Lifestyle Editor

A new school year is a time for a fresh start — students have the opportunity to get organized, manage their time and get into a healthy routine. Exercise is an important activity to add to one’s regular routine, as it can reduce the risk of certain diseases and improve mood and mental health, according to betterhealth.vic.gov.au. With many gyms still offering limited service, here are a few exercises anyone can do from home.

To work out leg muscles, do bodyweight squats. With feet slightly more than hip width apart, hold arms out straight ahead, parallel to the floor. Lower down until thighs are parallel to the ground, then return to standing. Complete up to three sets of 12 reps. Make squats easier by utilizing a wall, or add a challenge by doing one-legged squats.

One back workout to try is the Superman. Start by lying facedown on the floor with arms outstretched in front and legs straight. Keep every limb in a straight position, and simultaneously lift them several inches off the floor. Hold for a few seconds, then slowly return to the starting pose. Do about three sets of 10 reps; adjust the amount of reps to modify.

For an arm muscle workout, try tricep dips using a chair, coffee table or bed. Facing away from the object, place palms on the edge of the surface with feet flat on the floor. Lower down until arms are at 90º angles, then rise back up. Aim for three sets of 8–10 reps. Stack a textbook on the thighs to add some additional weight.

Mountain climbers are also a great exercise that works out many parts of the body, especially the core. Start in a plank position, then bring one knee forward to chest and tap toes to the ground while maintaining a flat back. Quickly switch the positions of the feet to complete one rep. Do 15–25 reps at a time, or perform as many as possible in one minute. 

With any exercise, remember to warm up and cool down. Always rest and modify movements or reps as needed. 

Contact the author at avanderzanden19@mail.wou.edu

Pumpkin bread recipe to fall for

Fall in love with this pumpkin bread recipe

Allison Vanderzanden | Lifestyle Editor

There are few things better than a warm baked good fresh out of the oven, especially as the weather begins to cool. To celebrate the start of fall and embrace the new season, try this moist pumpkin bread recipe with a sweet chocolate addition.

CHOCOLATE CHIP PUMPKIN BREAD

Start to finish: 1 hour 15 minutes

Servings: 1 loaf

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

¾ teaspoon table salt

2 large eggs, at room temperature

¾ cup granulated sugar

½ cup packed brown sugar

1 ½ cups pumpkin puree (canned or fresh)

½ cup vegetable oil, canola oil or melted coconut oil

¼ cup orange juice (milk can substitute)

⅔ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

 

HOMEMADE PUMPKIN PIE SPICE SUBSTITUTE

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

 

Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position and preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with non-stick spray. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger and salt together until combined. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs, granulated sugar and brown sugar together until combined. Whisk in the pumpkin, oil and orange juice. Pour these wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently mix together using a rubber spatula or wooden spoon. There will be a few lumps. Do not overmix. Gently fold in the chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 60–65 minutes, and loosely cover the bread with aluminum foil halfway through to prevent the top from getting too brown. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with only a few small moist crumbs; begin checking every five minutes at the 55 minute mark.

Allow the bread to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack before removing and slicing. Cover and store leftover bread at room temperature for 3–4 days or in the refrigerator for up to about 10 days.

Recipe from sallysbakingaddiction.com

Contact the author at avanderzanden19@mail.wou.edu

A showcase of grad cap designs

Rylie Horrall |  Lifestyle Editor

Graduation and Commencement will be done differently this year due to extenuating circumstances, but that has not stopped many seniors from taking their graduation photos and decorating their caps to celebrate their accomplishments. Here, a few seniors show off their caps and explain what they mean. Congratulations class of 2020.

Ellen Moore, B.S. in Education Studies — I knew I wanted to paint something silly on my cap because I thought that would showcase my personality the best, and since I am constantly quoting Spongebob, it felt very fitting to use a Spongebob reference for my design!

Melissa Chacon-Lopez, B.A. in Psychology — I wanted to show my hard work and dedication through this cap. I put the Mexican flag because that is something that has defined who I am — a strong and independent Latinx woman who is dedicated in accomplishing her goals. The sunflowers define who I am. I’m a bubbly person who is always smiling and standing tall. It is also my favorite flower. The two butterflies represent my parents’ migration from Mexico to the U.S. I also wanted to add a caption that tied the whole cap together as well as closing a chapter to my life. I decided to add a caption from a reggaetón artist (Bad Bunny) who said it best “Gracias a to’ el que creyó en mí, desde el primer día / Gracias a pa y a mami por to’ lo’ regaño’ / Gracias a ustede’ soy el mismo to’ los año’ / Cada cosa que logro a ustedes se la dedico” This translates to “Thank you to everyone who believed in me since day one. Thank you dad and mom for scolding me. Thanks to you I am the same person throughout the years. Everything I accomplish I dedicate to you all.” Those few words he stated in his most recent song helped me sum up my four years of college. Si se puedo mami u papi !

Magen Boegli, B.S. in Psychology and Public Policy & Administration — My cap design is inspired by one of my favorite shows of which has carried me through college called “My Hero Academia.” The anime has a saying to ‘go beyond, plus ultra’ and I thought that sentiment is a good thing to continually aspire to, to do better and transform yourself into the best version you can be.


Contact the author at rhorrall17@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Ellen Moore

Photo courtesy of Melissa Chacon-Lopez

Photo courtesy of Magen Boegli

Thanks for the memories: DIY memory book

Rylie Horrall |  Lifestyle Editor

As the school year comes to a close, students may find themselves looking back on the memories they’ve made throughout their time at Western and want to memorialize the experiences they’ve had. A way to do this is to create a memory book filled with significant things and events from a specific time period.

To start, grab something to use as a base — this could be an unused photo album, a notebook, a sketchbook or something similar. Additionally, Amazon has scrapbooks and similar items that can be bought online, if that’s preferred. 

After finding what will be used, plan out how pages will look. Memories and photos can be organized chronologically, by events, milestones or themes, to name a few options. These can be printed at home, a store or even ordered online; to save money or express more creativity, a person can recreate their favorite photos through drawings or paintings.

According to mimeophotos.com, it’s also common for people to include text, illustrations, clippings and various mementos in their memory books. This can add more meaning to the project as a whole if it’s filled with things that have meaning — concert tickets from throughout the year, buttons purchased from attended events, a pressed flower from a gift or postcards from trips. Adding in text and drawing doodles across the section could be an opportunity to play with fonts and themes on each page. 

Finally, while including the positive things that occurred in a time period, it’s also important to incorporate the difficult experiences, if the person is comfortable with doing so; they may have been unpleasant, but they still happened and were overcome, so why not acknowledge the fact that they came and went? This helps to create an accurate representation of a person’s life, and show that both good and bad times will always come around.

Contact the author at rhorrall17@wou.edu

Photo by Rylie Horrall

WOU Bites provides recipes for students learning remotely

Rylie Horrall | Lifestyle Editor

Many students, if not all, are currently doing remote learning for their classes due to the closure of campus. As a result, the dining options available on campus — such as Caffe Allegro, The Press and Valsetz Dining Hall — have also had to close their doors to students. However, WOU Bites has begun posting recipes on their various social media platforms for students to try at home.

“Our team has spent the last month planning, cooking and filming recipes that students can replicate right at home,” stated Marketing Program Assistant of Campus Dining Tatianna Brock, going on to say that their goal was to bring comfort to the students.

According to Brock, WOU Bites is creating and posting tutorials on how to make some of the meals that are favored the most by students. Recipes are chosen by the Assistant Director and Assistant Manager for Campus Dining, which are based on what ingredients they currently have available for the more popular dishes.

Currently, the instruction videos for homemade alfredo sauce, teriyaki sauce, chocolate crinkle cookies and guacamole have been posted on social media — @wou.bites on Instagram, ‘WOU University Housing and Campus Dining’ on Facebook and WOU Bites on YouTube. Brock says that more are coming as well, such as a recipe for curry, miscellaneous breakfast foods, more of Pam’s Desserts and “more fun recipes we created.” 

In addition, Brock created a home page for students to look at previously posted tutorials, request recipes and give feedback, which can be found at the link wou.edu/dining/recipes/. The website also has a section titled ‘Cooking Basics,’ which gives students tips on how to cook rice and boil pasta.

The recipes are posted on social media every Wednesday and uploaded onto the homepage for students to access at later dates.

“We thought this would be a fun and creative way to still stay connected with students who are taking classes remotely! Hopefully bring a little bit of WOU to them,” Brock said.

Contact the author at rhorrall17@wou.edu

Photo courtesy of Tatianna Brock

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