Thank you all so much for your comments on my last post. Blogging is good for the ego 🙂 I really wasn’t expecting such an overwhelmingly nice response – but I guess I should have known better because you are all so sweet. I really do appreciate it and will definitely be referring back to it on a rainy day!
I’ve been doing my best to budget my time since I got back from LA. I’m trying to get as much QT in with the family before I have to start another round of classes! I’ve also slowly been making my way around to see all of you bloggers have been up to – it’s crazy how much you miss in just 3 days!
Breakfast this morning had to be quick because we had an early tee time 🙂 I made myself a big bowl of Kashi Go Lean with unsweetened vanilla almond milk and topped it with fresh blueberries, blackberries and raspberries.
I also had a mug of Coffee Cocoa.
[Breakfast Net Sugar: 12g]
Golf went really well today – Papa Bender had his lowest score on the front nine ever! It also doesn’t hurt that the weather was pretty nice, too 🙂 After the round, we stopped in the clubhouse for lunch.
I had a hearty bowl of white bean chili to start, which was very thick and delicious!
For my main entree, I chose the Greek salad, which came packed with feta, tomato, kalamata olives, green and red peppers and romaine. The dressing ended up being a little to oily and flavorless for my taste, but there was so much stuff in the salad that I really didn’t need it.
[Lunch Net Sugar: 0g?]
Now that I’m back, I’ve signed, sealed and shipped off my blogiversary prizes to the two winners and will now be doing some more research on that Blogger Book Club!
In other news, last week I was contacted by a representative of Cookware.com, who offered to provide me with a short article on pretty much anything kitchen related. I thought it might be cool to have a feature on kitchen appliances that are easy on the budget for college students – since I am one 😉 But of course, I’m sure that we could all benefit from budget-friendly kitchen appliances, right? She agreed and sent a great article my way. It’s posted below!
Note: The article is not written by me!
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Five College-Friendly Kitchen Appliances for Less Than Thirty Dollars
Being a recent college student, I can tell you that there are times when I’d rather opt for cooking or baking rather than subjecting myself to bad pizza or the Russian Roulette that is dining hall food. But during college I was almost always broke and was living in either a dorm room or a cramped apartment, so money and space was always an issue when it came to cooking on my own. Fortunately I found out that there are appliances out there that will solve both problems, so I’m going to highlight five appliances that are “college friendly”. These aren’t exactly premium items, so you won’t be seeing Vita-Mix blenders or Mauviel Copper cookware sets (as great as they are for cooking and food prep). But what will be featured are appliances that are compact, versatile, and durable, and you can find all of these for less than thirty dollars.
Cuisinart Mini-Prep Food Processor in Stainless Steel
This handy gadget doesn’t have as many settings as other food processors, nor does it have a large work bowl, but it does cost a lot less and will take up less counter space. This Cuisinart model works very well for basic food prep, as it has settings for chopping and grinding. It’s also more powerful than comparable processors and is easy to maintain, as it comes with dishwasher-safe blades. And as an added bonus it comes with a recipe book and a spatula to boot.
Black & Decker Handy Steamer and Rice Cooker
When it comes to cooking, one of the things I tend to mangle most consistently is rice. No matter what I always leave it on the stovetop for too long. This is the case even for brown rice! That’s why I eventually caved in and bought a rice cooker, to minimize the risk of human error more than anything else.
The Hand Steamer and Rice Cooker has all of the basics (autotimer and pilot light) and is able to cook up to 8 cups of rice and can be converted to steam vegetables as well. It also comes with a number of nifty features, such a built-in flavor scenter for spices, egg holders and a drip tray as well, making it one of the most versatile appliances out there for less than $30.
Back to Basics Blender Express in Brushed Chrome
Other than the price, the one thing I really like about this blender is that the 24 oz. blender container has a flip up lid and a handle, converting it into a handy travel mug. This is great if you have a busy lifestyle, as you’re able to take what you blend on the road without having to transfer it to a different container. A 350 watt motor and two-speed setting should be able to take care of any basic blending needs.
Rival 4 Quart Crock Pot
Crock Pots and Slow Cookers are great for people are want to eat well but don’t have much time to cook. With crock pots, all you need to do is toss the ingredients in and heat for a few hours, and you’ll have yourself a large batch of stew or chili.
Rival’s 4 Quart Pot doesn’t have the same capacity as more expensive models, but it cooks very well on both settings and is very easy to clean, making it an ideal appliance for people who want to eat healthy without putting in a lot of effort.
George Foreman Champ 36-inch Nonstick Electric Grill
I simply couldn’t make this list without paying tribute to George Foreman, even if his products are already well-known (and cherished) by any college freshman who dreams of cooking hot dogs in their dorm room. Between its compact shape, drip tray, and easy-to-clean surface, cooking with the basic Foreman Grill is still after all these years the easiest (and least expensive) way to pull off an impromptu cookout.
There are certainly a lot of other appliances out there that just about anyone in college can avoid, these happen to be my favorites because they offer the most for the price being offered. Cooking successfully on a college budget can at times require some creativity but with the right appliances and ingredients, you shouldn’t have any trouble eating and cooking well!
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Ok, it’s me again 🙂 I hope that you all enjoyed the article! I thought it had some great information and I will definitely be putting some of it to use myself someday! Thanks again to Cookware.com for the opportunity – and kudos to the writer!
I am out for now! I’m looking forward to a Papa Bender dinner and, if we’re being honest, will likely be watching Twilight for the zillionth time since I picked up the DVD on Monday! The special features and commentary are the best!!
Get your Edward Cullen fix,
Enjoy every minute at home! What a great day you had with your dad! That lunch looks awesome- I LOVE greek salads. Feta is such an awesome cheese! Have a goo dnight
Ahhh hang in there with the upcoming round of classes, girl!! **hugs**
I’m coming clean. I previously bastardized your Coffee Cocoa. I’m not proud of it. I made it legit today. It was good. I am remorseful and ashamed. I hope that you can forgive me, I have seen the errors of my ways. My name is Sarah, and I’m a Splendaholic.
I love the product list and your greek salads! I love those and seeing them on your blog all the time reminded me to eat them!
Enjoy the QT with the fam!!!
Love your Cookware.com article, great info! BTW your pic from your last post is gorgeous, lovely lady!!!!
Yay Edward Cullen… But Kristen Stewart not so much
Enjoy the rest of your break! Thanks for all your comments, you really are too sweet! Ps I can totally bake you bread!
love this article!! cheap is the way to go when you’re young 😀 we have a cuisinart food processor, it’s great 😀 love all that fruit in your bowl!
That chili looks fabulous! Enjoy the rest of your vacay! 🙂
White bean chilli looks amazing! I wouldn’t mind a bowl or two!
what’s the blogger book club? soudns like an awesome idea!
Glad you enjoyed golf. I also want to note that I have broken 3 back to basics blenders, and am very happy to know own a vitamix.
I need to get that DVD – I still haven’t seen it! Read the books though.
It sounds like you are having a lovely time with the fam and enjoying the nice warm AZ weather.
Go Papa Bender on the gold course! That’s awesome.
I love your berrified breakfast.
Way to go on the golf course, Papa Bender! I wish I had the patience to golf! Keep me updated on the book club!
You crazy Twilight people 😉 Just kidding – enjoy the movie!!
I’ve heard so many good things about rice cookers – quick, easy to clean up, foolproof, etc. I guess I’ll try this one!
The chili looks so good!
Sounds like you are having a good time!
Great article!
Oh the joys of AZ! Congrats on your award. That soup and salad look great.
Your fresh berries look amazing.
And my foreman grill was excellent when I lived in a dorm for 8 months. And my steamer. Actually, I still cook my rice in my steamer to this day – I never over or undercook it!
i’m liking the college friendly appliances for under 30 bucks… i have recently had this new fetish for buying ‘houseware’ products… it’s not like i have a house- more like a dorm room ahah but i have suddenly enjoyed indulging in all these house appliances and accessories for when i move into a house at the end of the summer… i think it’s my new way to divert my attention from being productive with studying hahah.
LOL, being far removed from college (let’s see, it’s been 8 years) since undergrad, I can tell you that the crockpot is THE best item to buy on a college budget. You can throw the cheapest meats/broths/frozen veggies in there, and get a great meal.
Those berries look so good! I won’t by them in March in Canada as that means they had to come from very very far away. I can’t wait until they are in season.
Those berries look so good. I can’t wait for fresh produce!!!
Great looking food today! Supa Supa healthy:) Love the article too! It’s good for all of us to see in college or not.
P.S. I think that’s SO cute that you and your boyfriend are high school sweethearts:)
Girl, where DO you get those berries? You make me crave them every time I read a post.
Thanks for the appliances info. Jenn!! Enjoy time with the fam and congrats again on your hollywood weekend! 🙂
Love the cookware article! Thank you for posting it up!
Your breakfast is so pretty! And I really need to get my hands on the Twilight DVD. I have been relying on YouTube to get my Edward/Rob Pattinsson fix… mmm 🙂
will I get stuff thrown at me since I haven’t seen or read anything related to Twilight yet? 🙂
Glad you’re having a good time!
Love your beautiful berry breakfast!
Thanks for the appliance reviews. I think it is hard to cook and eat healthfully on a college student’s budget, but it can be done! 🙂
Those berries on your cereal look ah-mazingly fresh!
Enjoy the rest of your break!
white chicken chili and a greek salad – yummm. 🙂
congrats on the prize!!! cute dress!! you looked gorgeous!!
Like the blog style and may copy some of it. The use of pictures in very interesting.
The suggestions for small appliances are good but you may need to offer some recipes for college students to use with these appliances. Not everyone is an intuitive cook at this stage and with limited space and probably budget some iteas would be good.
I did some recipes for rice cookers a while back. They are at http://hubpages.com/hub/Recipes-for–your-Rice-Cooker Perhaps some of your other readers could make some suggestions as well.
yogiwan
http://YourSmartKitchen.com
Those berries look amazing!
Not sure what you had in mind for the blogger book club, but have you looked into GoodReads.com? I’m part of a few groups there and they seem easy to organize and control.
Congrats on your win! I too am a bit behind in my blog reading so just catching up.
Your dress is beautiful too!
i missed yesterday’s post! congrats! thats so awesome!!
I love the article. I have a mini food processor and a George Foreman and they are great appliances. I’ll be looking for that crockpot.
http://www.seejessrun.com
Ha LOVE twilight. Still haven’t gotten my DVD, I’ll have to do that SOON!
Thanks for the appliance reviews – very helpful!
Jenn,
I was wondering how many times you’d watched Twilight. I have yet to purchase it. I usually get a quick fix on YouTube when I need it. However, the movie is definitely on my Amazon wish list!
I love your big bowls of cereals and berries when you are at home. I remember them from your Christmas break.
Thanks for sharing the Cookware.com article. All they appliances they listed are completely necessary in my book!
Enjoy these last few days with your family, and congrats to Papa Bender on a great round of golf!
I’ve missed a few posts but just caught myself up!
Firstly, your dress at the award show …. WOW!! AMAZING! You looked sooo good Jenn… and this isn’t to totally inflate your ego anymore lol- i’m being serious!
Great article from cookware.com!
I love the light shining on your cereal 🙂 I’m a golf moron so when you told me Papa Bender had his lowest score, I was thinking – why does that make you happy Jenn? Do you want Dad to lose? Then I remembered golf scores are all backwards 🙂
Jenn!
Thank you SO much for the thoughtful and generous donation to my Team in Training fund! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
ps—blogger book club??! I think book nerd is my middle name! 😉 I am so down!
um, will you hate me if i told you that i still haven’t cracked open any of the twilight books, even though they are totally available to me? hahaha…i blame field work! too many hours outside of the house!! but i hope you’re enjoying the movie (um, duh, of course you are).
wooo lunch at the cluuub 😀 I LOVE like 3 of those products, it’s funny b/c i didn’t really use them in college but here at home I am all about them! I was a big micro/stovetop fan in college..slash chipotle 😀
Thanks for your compliment about my skin woes! I did get a prescription face wash, it’s working really well so far, and no headaches so I’m into it…. Have a great night my breakfast buddy!