Monday, November 3, 2014

Good Fall Eats on a Graduate Student Budget

Hello CMIID students!

Regardless of our status, first year graduate student, fifth year graduate student, or post doc, we typically live paycheck to paycheck (maybe tossing some money into savings). I know for myself that after rent, utilities, and a car payment, my weekly grocery budget is fairly set. To stretch that budget, I try to shop in season. By that I mean purchasing vegetables and fruits that are currently being harvested and are thus fresh and inexpensive.

We are currently smack dab in the middle of the fall season and there are a plethora of veggies and fruits in season. These include:

Fruits                           Vegetables
Apples                         Arugula
Clementines                 Root veggies (carrots, parsnips, sweet potatoes, turnips)
Cranberries                  Pumpkin
Dates                           Kale and spinach
Figs                              Brussel sprouts
Pears                            Squash (spaghetti, acorn, buttercup, delicata)
                                    Onions
                                    Celery

Local farmers markets obviously have some great deals on produce. The grocery stores are also worth a look though. Wegman’s, for example, will stock some locally grown and produced foods. Trader Joe’s is where I buy a lot of my winter squash. They sell it at a flat rate whereas most other stores sell per pound. It all just takes some willingness to shop around and become familiar with seasonal produce.

And once you’ve got the produce, it all comes down to preparing some tasty dishes; perhaps a hearty soup, roasted squash, or stuffed baked sweet potatoes. Below are a few links to some tasty looking recipes:

Happy shopping and cooking!

Lindsay

Lindsay Snyder is a 4th yr Immunology and Infectious Disease graduate student in Dr. Cantorna's lab.

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