Ah, fall. With its gorgeous colors, crisp air and back-to-school excitement, it’s undoubtedly my favorite season. The only problem with fall is that it leads into my least favorite season, winter. Being a New England gal, I’ve begrudgingly grown used to braving heavy snow and freezing temperatures, but there’s something else about winter that I’m not wild about.

It’s that, well, I get downright…mannish.

My appetite grows with the cold weather and I start scarfing down everything in sight. Science says that is my way of packing on extra pounds to stay warm, but I know it is just that warm Mac and Cheese just tastes so. good. in the winter.

I bundle up in clothes that don’t exactly show off my figure so I can be warm, and let’s just say I get a little lazy about regularly shaving my legs. And forget about wearing something pretty and feminine, like a short skirt. Nope, it’s my warmest baggy jeans and clunky boots all the way. With my hat pulled down over my hair, I’m one step away from getting an, “Excuse me, young man” when I bump into someone on the street.

I am getting a bit worried that my boyfriend will soon forget what it is like to date a girl, so I am making it my goal to retain a bit of femininity this winter. Below are a few things we can all do to draw the line between hibernating animal and college girl braving the winter winds.

If you want to look cute and feminine and still stay warm, there are ways. For one, you may not want to shave your legs every day, but a pair of pantyhose will hide that and keep your legs warm if you opt for a skirt. Use your layers wisely: start with a silk undershirt for warmth, and then a nice form-fitting shirt and sweater combo should be enough to keep you warm.

On the outside there’s not much you can do to dress up a parka, but go for a tailored pea coat for as long as you can hold it out. Dress up those somber winter colors with a colorful hat and scarf combo. And for that touch of boho chic, get a pair of cheap wool gloves and cut the fingers off. I need my hands to be warm in winter while having the dexterity for writing/texting, and I’ve received many compliments on my handmade fingerless gloves.

If you’re still feeling overly masculine, do something pleasantly girly, like curling up with a mug of hot chocolate. The best part of winter for me is feeling cozy indoors, especially if you’ve got someone to cozy up with. Bonus if that someone doesn’t care how often you shave your legs, or how much winter pudge you’ve packed on.

1. My Dropbox – Does your friend have all the good pictures from last night on her camera? Did she just buy the new Britney album that you want but are too embarrassed to purchase? We all know how annoying it is to transfer files via email – that stuff takes forever – and now you don’t have to. My Dropbox is a program you and your friends download. Wanna share some pics with eachother? Just drag em into your box (that’s what she said) and – voila! – any friends who are linked up with you now have the files too. It’s technology at its finest.

2. Healthy Mac & Cheese? 18 grams of fiber in one serving, and it’s GOOD. My late night munching self is in LOVE with this idea.

3. Eco Friendly organization. We all know we are supposed to hold on to every exam all semester long, along with our bank statements, our shopping reciepts, and a plethora of other junk that just ends up splattered all over our desks, and floors, and cars… and the list goes on. So check out these great, eco friendly ways to divide up your important documents and tuck them away in a neat, safe place. I don’t really love these, but my roommates love seeing the kitchen table, so I guess that’s good enough.

4. Laura Mercier ‘Almond Coconut Milk’ Hand Crème - It fits in your purse, makes your hands baby soft, and makes you think you are sipping pina coladas on spring break instead of cramming for your econ final.

5. Frustration Free Packaging. How many times do you spend 25 mintues trying to open up your new phone/Bluetooth/Barbie Doll and you just end up with a missing tooth, a bloody lip and the urge to scream and stomp on the product? Whoever designed that hard plastic packaging should work for national security. But, thankfully, Amazon.com is ready to do away with “Wrap Rage”; they are introducing a line of “frustration free packaging,” in recyclable cardboard boxes. Perfect for those of us with a need for instant gratification. Easy to open AND eco-friendly? Now that I L-O-V-E.

Unfortunately, your favorite pizza/ burrito/ burger/ neighborhood CVS closed 30 minutes ago and you are left to fend for yourself. Right. Because you could barely get your key in the front door, let alone boil water for some mac and cheese. (Mmmmm mac and cheeeeeese.)

Even a frozen pizza is much too difficult to figure out right now. Turn on an oven? To 350? Then wait 30 minutes? WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?!

Lucky for you, the food industry has been busy creating products for people on the go, which also happen to work quite well for people who are too-drunk-to-function. Yes, that would be you. Just stock up on any and all of these little guys and you are good to go when the Beer Pong tourny is over and you can’t remember your name (or how you made it home with one shoe and a missing bra…):

Uncrustables:

Because making a peanut and butter jelly sandwich requires you to find bread, find peanut butter, find jelly, and then use a sharp object. Uncrustables simply requires you to open your freezer. Done and done. Peanut butter and jelly bliss.

Peanut Butter Slices:

If frozen PB&J isn’t your thang, maybe a slice of peanut butter is better. Easy to slap between two pieces of bread? Absolutely. Gross? Totally. Not quite as gross when you are drunk and just need something to soak up all that Jaeger? Yes please!

Mac and Cheese Crackers:

Back in my day we had to pour water into a bowl with noodles and microwave it for 2 minutes if we wanted some late night Mac and Cheese. Oh the horror! Not anymore, people. Now if you are craving a cheesy post-bar delicacy, all you need to do is open a box. These crackers taste just like the real thing without all that pesky work. No measuring. No cooking. No waiting.

Bagelfuls:

Just like its cousin, the PB&J sandwich, the bagel and cream cheese is just really hard to master after hours of deblitating debauchery. Ever tried to cut a bagel sober? Yeah, hard enough. Thank you, Kraft! You took the work right out of this so drunk kids everywhere could carb up without fear of losing any fingers.

Cereal and Milk Bars:

Because we all love a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch after the bar, but can’t quite get the milk into the bowl/not all over the floor. Thankfully, General Mills fixed that problem by putting milk and cereal together into one delicious late night bar.

Now if only we could get some pre-packaged Vodka Tonics.

Yikes, that doesn’t look appetizing.

Let’s be honest: when I get home at the end of a long day of work and classes and studying, the last thing I want to do is whip up a fancy meal for myself. Sometimes, I just need something fast and simple. But after a few months of take-out and pizza and dining-hall food, I realized that I was sacrificing my waistline for the sake of convenience.

What’s a calorie-counting busy girl to do?

Embrace the frozen entrée. I know, I know. Frozen entrees make me think of my Mom and Weight Watchers and scary-looking meat products in soupy liquids. No thanks.

However, there are some delicious frozen meals out there if you know where to look. The best part? Every last calorie and carb and gram of fat and milligram of sodium is right on the box, so you know exactly what you’re getting. To top it all off, they provide us with something this entire country is severely lacking—portion control. You shouldn’t need a hamburger the size of your head just to feel satisfied—frozen meals are a great way to teach yourself what is considered normal (the measurement for a normal serving of protein is the size of your fist…not your head).

Since I’ve become somewhat of a connoisseur of the frozen meal, I thought I’d round up a few of my favorites, for your thawing pleasure:

1. Go classic. Frozen versions of comfort food are always a safe bet. I like Lean Cuisine, where a decent serving of mac and cheese will only set you back 290 calories, and the cheese ravioli, my personal fav, is 240 calories.

2. Go east. Frozen entrees that mimic Asian or Indian dishes are often full of spices, which do a good job of masking the fact that you’re eating just-thawed noodles. Smart Ones makes a Thai Chicken and Noodles that, if you are tired enough, tastes just like Pad Thai. One full serving is only 260 calories—did someone say dessert?

3. Go healthy. Just about everyone is cashing in on frozen meals, even the health nuts at Kashi (makers of all things bran and dried fruit). They have a decent selection and, unlike their highly caloric granola, you get both nutrition AND low calories. Try the Pesto Pasta, 290 calories.

It’s best to avoid frozen entrees that also include a side and a dessert. Why? Well, for starters, if you’ve ever had your apple crumble bubble over into your honey mustard chicken, you know what I’m talking about. Plus, they add a lot of extra calories. You’re better off getting yourself some Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches and sticking to a one-dish entrée.

Happy microwaving, ladies!

The thing is, you could very easy (and for much less money than going out to eat) make a much more enjoyable and fine-dining form of carby goodness: pasta with scallops.

This is a particularly good dish for entertaining. Also, did I mention it’s delicious? Well, it’s delicious.

Now get cracking:

Stuff You’ll Need

-1 pound of the pasta of your choice (but NOT something individual like bowties or elbows)

-1 1/2 pounds of scallops

-3/4 cups of butter

-3 shallots

-2 cups of a dry white wine (perhaps a Pinot Grigio?)

-3 tablespoons of flour

-2 cloves of garlic

-2 tablespoons of cream (note: you can substitute half&half if you want to save the calories)

Now:

Wash the scallops really, really carefully. This dish is pointless if you get sick.

Mince the garlic till it’s quite minced and chop up the shallots until they’re quite chopped.

Simmer the scallops in the wine until they are tender (but not until they’re rubbery! watch them closely!). Then drain the liquid into a bowl. (You will need it later.)

Melt the butter into a pan and saute the garlic and the shallots, stirring in the flour. Then add in the cream (or half&half) and the liquid from before. Mix all this shiz together until it’s blended nicely.

Now add in the scallops and add salt and pepper as needed. While you’re doing this, you should be boiling the pasta.

When all these things are done, put them all together. Deliciosa! Enjoy!!

(Bonus if you get a hottie over to share the spoils of your work. Deliciosa x 10!)

[Image courtesy of www.taunton.com]

Anyways, this occurrence is not inevitable, but pretty regular for me, and from what I’m told, countless other Weekend Warriors. So to make my (and your) Sunday morning/afternoon nausea slightly more tolerable, I present my Top 5 fave Hangover Foods.

5. McDonald’s Diet Coke + an Egg McMuffin.

This makes the list for both its deliciousness and medicinal values. McDonald’s Coke and Diet Coke WILL cure your hangover. My best friend swears by it. So does her Mom. That stuff is great. Unfortunately this meal is 1) highly inconvenient, as there’s very little chance that you will be up early enough to get an egg McMuffin and 2) usually eaten under the circumstances that your hangover is very very severe and you can only manage small bites and sips.

4. Fresh Bagel toasted lightly with cream cheese and O.J.

Delicious when prepared correctly, which is almost always because operating a toaster isn’t (usually) that hard. Also very convenient and easy make when it’s that kind of hangover where you’re still drunk (most likely tequila induced).

3. Stouffer’s Mac & Cheese.

This heap of cheesy goodness will set you back 529 calories, but come on, you’re body is seriously depleted of nutrients right now and you MUST restore them. Right? I like to add gourmet touches to mine, like micro-waving for an extra 3 minutes to develop a nice golden crunchiness around the edge or adding some ketchup. It might sound disgusting, but trust me it is divine.

2. Hot Pizza from your favorite local place.

A chain restaurant pie simply will not do the trick in this situation. Whether you’re game (and sober) enough to drive over there and dine in, or you can barely dial the number for delivery, the soothing taste of gooey cheese and wonderful, glorious carbs should improve your condition any day.

1. Panera Bread’s Cream of Chicken and Wild Rice Soup with a Turkey Sandwich.

When I am hungover, Panera is my substitute Mom. But better (no offense Mom). Where my mother will criticize me for being hungover in the first place, on a SCHOOL DAY no less, Panera greets me with warm, fresh bread, sometimes friendly service and plenty of hydration, compliments of the free refill fountain drinks.

Most importantly, they have the most delicious soup. This is incredibly important, as hangovers force me to revert to feeling like an 8 year old with a cold, and the ultimate sick food is obviously soup. Pair that with freshly baked bread, wonderful turkey and a tallllll glass of water, and I may just experience instant recovery–and so might you.

It has been a few months since breaking up with the ex and while he is out telling the world that I am still calling, I have been out on the town looking for a new man to bunk up with. Being that I am not living in some big city that allows for a Carrie-Bradshaw-Revolving-Door-Of-Men type situation, I have been resorting to some new ways of scouting out the men.

Namely, internet dating.

Ah! Say it ain’t so! I must be crazy, right? But seeing as I spend my days sharing my life stories via the internet, it only makes sense that I create some of those stories that way as well. Well, that and the fact that my brother met his wife online and they had a bomb ass wedding.

So far, so good. Actually, great.

I have come to realize that there are so many benefits to online dating. For one, I can do it from the comfort of my couch. In the comfort of my underwear. While enjoying a heaping bowl of Mac and Cheese (the ultimate comfort food!). All that comfort – paired with the fact that I can hide behind the glow of my computer screen – makes the whole getting to know you period a whole lot more…well, comfortable.

Pair that with the fact that you can simply sign off/ignore the guy when you just don’t want to hear about how great he is/how he’s the president of his frat/how much his dad makes and you realize how genius this whole inter-web thing really is!

Getting to know your prospective mate through online conversations, emails, phone calls and then – eventually – an actual date, gives you the opportunity to take some time and decide if getting up, getting dressed and sitting through a potentially awkward evening is really worth it. You can get to know the guy on a more personal level early on so when you do finally meet, it feels like you have known him forever.

It makes for a much different dating feeling.

Online dating was so taboo for such a long time, but I am really starting to wonder why I waited so long to log in. I feel like I have finally graduated from my college dating ways to a more sophisticated take on finding a mate. No more heading out to the bar in search of a man whose name I won’t remember when I wake up next to him the following morning. Now I feel I can connect with someone on a new level; an adult level.

And if I do end up waking up next to said man the following morning, at least I will have his screen name.

Between the late night pizza runs, pre-football game beer runs and the inability to find anything remotely healthy and appetizing in the cafeteria, avoiding the Freshman 15 is harder than anyone thought.

And, without mom and dad making you those well balanced dinners like the old days, staying healthy doesn’t get all that easier as the college years go on, either. I tried it every year I was in school, but all I knew how cook was Mac and Cheese and leftovers of Chinese take-out.

And soon my fat jeans became my only jeans and my immune system went into shock.

Enter, The Dorm Room Diet, a new book by Daphne Oz; daughter to Oprah’s favorite doc, Mehmet Oz. Daphne, who struggled with weight issues all her life, is a sophomore at Princeton and chock full of great ideas to maintaining a healthy lifestyle in the dorms.

Her ideas are sometimes obvious, sometimes not what you want to hear, but always guaranteed to keep you healthy and happy, even after a rough night on the town.

Daphne’s book is entertaining, witty and outlines a plan that includes healthy eating, exercise and vitamins. The perfect combination to keeping healthy in college. She’s both understanding and forgiving, for example:

Experts agree that the important thing is calorie intake over several days, not just one meal. So don’t be too hard on yourself if today was especially trying on your waistband; just get back on track tomorrow.

This book is definitely a must-have for all college women; if not to lose weight, at least as a guide to keep us all healthy as we stay up way too late, drink a little too much, and navigate the cafeteria (or student union food courts) for something to eat.