[Everyone’s got a vice, a bad habit, something they know they need to change. Unfortunately, everyone also has a million excuses why they just can’t do it. Not anymore. Every month we will be following a different CollegeCandy writer as she takes on a personal challenge. For April, Jill is going to give up restaurants. And it's not lookin' good.]

It’s a brand spankin new me, people.
A domesticated me.
A Martha Stewart – but with more inflection in my voice while speaking – me!

I started this week off excited! I wrote a list of things I would need and checked it twice (much like I would imagine Santa does on Christmas, but, really, what do I know? I’m Jewish) and headed off to Whole Foods. Instead of heading for the prepared foods aisle or straight for my clutch of frozen Amy’s Organics (seriously have you ever had the Mexican tamale pie? Delish. But I digress. We’re focusing on cooking here), I made my way through the produce and on to the fish and meat.

And let me tell you, those Whole Foods people, they are friendly bunch of peeps. I felt like a “real person” asking about which cut of meat was the leanest, how long I should cook my sea bass for, should I leave the skin on or off? These are things I would never even THINK about when ordering out at a restaurant, yet I suddenly became determined to make everything correctly and deliciously and full of taste that would make my grandma kvell (that’s Jewish speak for beam with pride.

Cooking during the week was easier than I thought. Save for the piece of fish I slightly undercooked and didn’t realize it until a few bites in. Oopsie. Read More »

[Everyone’s got a vice, a bad habit, something they know they need to change. Unfortunately, everyone also has a million excuses why they just can’t do it. Not anymore. Every month we will be following a different CollegeCandy writer as she takes on a personal challenge. Last month Lauren (sorta) gave up chocolate. For April, Jill is going to give up restaurants. And it's not lookin' good.]

I love eating out.

I love the socializing. I love the food. I love the people watching. (Like the hottie-with-a-body manager at my favorite resto. Why, yes, I WILL have some of your famous carrot cake, thank you!) I love the excuse to get dessert because you have friends to share it with. I love the convenience and I love the opportunity to try new things that I would never make myself at home.

And by “never make myself at home” I mean, things that take more preparation than pouring milk on my cereal or tomato sauce on my veggies. Yeah, I’m so gourmet like that.

Truth be told, after living in my apartment for over two years, a friend had to teach me how to use my dishwasher after a party I had. Yes, you just read that correctly. Two years. Never used my dishwasher. If only my mom (and world’s best cook) could see me now; she’d be BEAMING with pride.

But after shelling out big bucks for a last minute travel adventure in the land of Oz, I took one look at my very depressing bank account and it became more and more clear how much I spend on dining out (or carrying in). I promised myself I would reel it in, venture into cooking, and dine out less. Because as it turns out, in the world where food meets saving cash – there really is no place like home. Read More »

It’s SAT season and you know what that means: high school juniors are buckling down and getting ready to take “the most important test of their lives,” the test that will determine whether or not they get into college, the test that will supposedly predict how well they will do there. Now, I don’t know about you ladies, but as a seasoned college student I have to say I think that is a load of ridiculous. I mean vocabulary and problem solving and knowing who the Kardashians are is all well and good, but is it really an accurate portrayal of how a student will do in college?

No. It’s most definitely not.

So we thought we’d help College Board and all those other important SAT people out by offering them a few alternative SAT questions. Real life questions, the kind of questions that college students may encounter on any give college day…

1. One tequila, two tequila, three tequila…

(A) Four (B) Floor (C) Bed (D) Death

2. Beer goggles is a commonly used college expression. Explain the meaning of this phrase and then use it in a sentence.

3. A walk of shame is:

(A) Walking into class after said class has started (B) Walking home during the early hours of the morning in last night’s clothes after spending said night in with a guy (C) Tripping while walking in high heels

4. A steak dinner is to real life as ____ is to college life.

(A) cafeteria food (B) Ramen noodles (C) Chef Boyardee

Read More »

DO NOT LICK YOUR SCREEN!

[There are over 100 million sites on the Internet. 100 million! You might think you know about all the important ones (CollegeCandy, Gmail, Google, Facebook…), but there are thousands of other sweet sites out there (like College Daybreak, iConcertCal and RescueTime) and more showing up every day! We get it – it’s not easy or fun sifting through the crap and porn to find those gems, so we’re gonna bring the gems to you. Just sit back, kick up those feet and allow us to introduce you to the diamonds in the internet rough.]

At almost any given time of day, you can turn on the TV and find a show about cake. Whether it’s Cupcake Wars, Ace of Cakes, D.C. Cupcakes or Cake Boss, all these cake-themed shows only add to our society’s reputation of being obsessed with food.

The internet is just another outlet to fuel this obsession. There are literally thousands of websites about food out there, ranging from recipe databases and cooking tutorials to sites dedicated to a particular type of food. One of my new favorite sites, Bake it in A Cake, falls into the latter category.

Read More »

Since we all snacked so healthily last week, I think we deserve a treat. And there is no better treat than cheesecake. Unless, of course, that cheesecake also involves peanut butter cookie dough. I know, right?

Hello, lover.

This recipe is not only super simple, but it will be the one that will make you famous among your friends. Like, “I want to hug you and buy you presents” famous.

Ladies, I present you with my most coveted recipe: Peanut Butter Cheesecake Bars. No, it’s not New Year’s Resolution friendly, but whatever. These things are so good, you won’t even care about the calories.

Ingredients:
1 8-oz package of cream cheese
½ cup sugar
1 egg
1 18-oz package of your favorite store-bought peanut butter cookie dough Read More »

[Everyone’s got a vice, a bad habit, something they know they need to change. Unfortunately, everyone also has a million excuses why they just can’t do it. Not anymore. Every month we will be following a different CollegeCandy writer as she takes on a personal challenge. This month, Megan is gonna go 4 weeks without eating out. First, she learned her way around the kitchen, then she struggled through her normal routine. How did her month round out?

At last, the 4 weeks sans eating out have to come to an end!

Thankfully, this week was extra busy for me.  Between work and holiday shopping (I’m one of those last minute shoppers), I didn’t really have much time to even want fast food.  That being said, I can’t say I had much time to cook either. So I enjoyed lots of leftovers, made by my wonderful mama.  I did do a tiny bit of cooking though. This week I experimented with lots of quick, yummy, snacks. Has anyone ever tried the Velveeta and Rotel queso dip? It’s muy delicioso.

As proud of myself as I am for not caving in this week, I am quite excited for this entire experiment to come to an end. Hello, McDonalds! How I’ve missed you! (Have you guys learned I’m a little obsessed with McDonald’s yet? I think I’m the only person who ran out for some Chicken McNuggest after seeing Supersize Me.)  Regardless of if its McDonald’s or elsewhere though, I am more than ready to walk in somewhere, ORDER some food, and enjoy every last bit of it without having to cook it or clean it all up.

That brings me to what month has been as a whole:
AWESOME.
CHALLENING.
LONG. Read More »

Yup, building snowmen....still fun.

HAPPY OFFICIAL FIRST DAY OF WINTER!

It’s hard to remember when you’re spending half of your day bundling up in the thickest, warmest, heaviest things you own just to walk outside to get the mail, but it’s is the most wonderful time of the yearrrrrrrr! Yes, really. Andy Williams was not lying when he gleefully belted out the season’s staple song back in the 1960s, and his holiday tune still rings true today. Even if it takes my hands a full 7 minutes to warm up after being outside.

Winter is one of the best seasons for a multitude of reasons that I just don’t have enough time (or Redbull) to list. But, because I need to share the gloriousness of this beloved season, I compiled the top 10 reasons why winter beats summer, spring, and fall’s seasonal asses every year. Read More »

[Everyone’s got a vice, a bad habit, something they know they need to change. Unfortunately, everyone also has a million excuses why they just can’t do it. Not anymore. Every month we will be following a different CollegeCandy writer as she takes on a personal challenge. This month, Megan is gonna go 4 weeks without eating out. She was learning her way around the kitchen last week, let's see how she handled herself this week.....]

At 3 weeks in, the “challenges” within this “I’m not eating any meals out this month” challenge are finally starting to show. Don’t get me wrong, I love some of the effects of this challenge; I am proud that I can cook some delicious and edible meals, and the effects it’s had on my wallet have been extraordinary. But there have been total negatives.

Dating is one. And it’s a biggie.

As a single gal, I like to get my date on. However, what’s every single male’s novel first date idea? DINNER! (And he’s not cookin’ it at home for me.) Which leads me to demanding a more creative date, spending an hour proving that I’m not a “challenging” girl, or trying to convince him that I don’t have an eating disorder.  And while some of these dates have been creative and fun, I can’t wait to accept dinner date offers again. Especially, when it is on his dime.

Another downside – this holiday season has been busy.  I didn’t really think about my timing on this challenge, but working 2 jobs, I’ve literally been working 7 days a week.  With so many hours at work and more hours studying for finals, the last thing I want to do is come home and cook.  I’m usually so tired and famished, I have dreams of McDonald’s fries. And not only can I not indulge in said fries, but being more tired, my cooking is getting a lot less tasty than it should be.

And by “less tasty” I mean “Easy Mac is back.” Read More »

[Everyone’s got a vice, a bad habit, something they know they need to change. Unfortunately, everyone also has a million excuses why they just can’t do it. Not anymore. Every month we will be following a different CollegeCandy writer as she takes on a personal challenge. This month, Megan is gonna go 4 weeks without eating out. Can she handle the heat of the kitchen??]

After raiding my cabinets this week, and realizing we had, like, no food, I decided I would have to go food shopping if I was going to survive this no restaurant month.  Being that I’m an impulse buyer, I also “attempted” to make a grocery list. And while I bought a majority of items off my list, I found myself coming home with lots of comfort foods: Easy Mac, ramen, spaghetti.

The comfort foods were a good start. They were super convenient, thus keeping me from eating out. Plus, they’re cheap and tasty. Yum.  However, after a couple nights of Easy Mac and ramen, I missed variety, not to mention things that aren’t noodles.  And that’s when I realized, it was time to start cooking something a little more challenging than turning on a microwave.

And I did it- I successfully made tacos!

Not only did I not have to extinguish any fires, but they were actually good!  While most people don’t look at tacos as a challenging meal to cook, it was a huge accomplishment for me.  It was also just the cooking confidence boost I needed.  And so, inspired, I hit the interwebs for even more culinary inspiration and got myself quite a stack of  delicious recipes.  And then I went shopping again (so much for saving money) and before I knew it, I was cooking up a storm. Read More »

[Everyone’s got a vice, a bad habit, something they know they need to change. Unfortunately, everyone also has a million excuses why they just can’t do it. Not anymore. Every month we will be following a different CollegeCandy writer as she takes on a personal challenge. Last month, we watched Melanie push herself to work out every day. This month, Megan is gonna go 4 weeks without eating out. Can she handle the heat of the kitchen??]

Sitting here writing this, I’m beginning to wonder if I’ve lost my mind.

I’ve decided to challenge myself to not eat out for the entire month of December. And only 4 days in, I’ve already got a hunger for some delicious food that doesn’t require me cooking. Let’s not forget that the only dishes I can cook successfully are Kraft Mac and Cheese and Cup O’Noodles.

So what led me to this crazy decision? No, not a sugar induced high, but Mint.com.  Looking over my Mint account, I started to notice a trend.  My “Restaurants” numbers were always ridiculously high and one of the top things I spend money on, month after month. To be honest, until I was trying to figure out where I could cut spending (thank you, student loans), I had never realized how often I eat out and just how much of my money I spend on food.  What’s even more disgusting is that I know I’ve spent cash (lots of it!) on food as well, I just don’t have the documented proof staring at me from my computer screen.

The other reason I wanted to try this challenge was to force myself to have to cook. I know that one day I am going to be a real human being and I’m going to have to know my way around a kitchen. Unfortunately, that time is coming more quickly than I’d like and I can’t live on microwavable noodles forever.

Being the busy (and lazy) girl that I am, I’ve grown accustomed to coming home after a long day of class and work and just running out to grab fast food or picking up my phone and ordering delivery.  Now that I don’t have that as an option, I’ll finally get around to finding and trying out some recipes.  I always read the awesome recipes posted here on CollegeCandy and now I’ll have no choice but to try some out!

Let’s hope I don’t burn my kitchen down.
Or starve when I mess up every single thing I attempt to cook.

Now, all that being said, I did set one exception to my “no dining out” goal and that involves gettin’ my drank on. Although I’m not eating out, I’m still going to drink out. Going out to bars is a huge part of my social life and if I can’t have food, I’m gonna need some yummy drinks. BUT! I promise no drunken food, at least not until I get home. (Pizza bagels, here I come!)

I can’t wait to keep you updated on this challenge and hope that some of you will join me along the way. It won’t be easy, but I’m hoping it will pay off….literally.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go raid my kitchen and pack a lunch for tomorrow.

[Check out the other One Month Challenges we've taken on. And if you've got a challenge you want to tackle (and be held accountable for), email us and we could feature you next month. Come on - it's good for you!]