The first lesson students learned at the University Health Center cooking classes is not to take themselves too seriously in the kitchen.
When the health center’s registered dietitian Kristen Olmos began teaching the first class, she spilled all over the floor the spinach and baby greens that students would have used to make a salad.
“See, everybody has accidents in the kitchen,” she told the budding chefs.
In an effort to help students learn how to cook quick and healthy meals, the health center is offering three-week cooking class sessions once a term. The health center has been offering the classes sporadically since 1994, and this term’s session began on Oct. 22.
Olmos said students are charged a fee that pays for their lessons and some equipment. Students pay $15 for three classes, but they come away with a $30 value, including a skillet, mixing bowls, a utility knife and Tupperware.
Senior Leigh Schroeder said she is taking the classes, which offer a vegetarian menu, to learn how to eat healthier.
“I eat a lot, a lot of refined sugar and refined flour, and I don’t eat a lot of vegetables,” she said. “The more vegetables I can incorporate into my diet the better.”
Olmos said the class focuses on teaching students that eating healthy doesn’t mean they need to shell out a lot of cash and a lot of time.
“I want students to learn healthy eating is not necessarily buying gourmet items,” she said.
She said she feels students have a strong desire to have healthy eating habits, but many think they don’t have enough time and end up eating fast-food instead. She added that healthy eating habits start with a well-stocked kitchen and suggests students keep a supply of whole grain foods such as brown rice, whole wheat bread and canned beans.
Junior Justin Weiler said he is taking the class because he wanted to learn how to cook.
“I’m a college student and I never cooked in high school,” he said. “Now that you’re on your own, it’s nice to know how to cook for yourself.”
He added that he thinks he has a typical student diet, and he likes learning how to incorporate healthier foods into it, other than SpaghettiOs.
“You learn how to cook also with other sorts of vegetables, spices and oils,” he said.
Olmos said for students who don’t have time to cook all the time, a meal that yields larger servings can be saved for a later day. She suggests freezing leftovers or keeping them in Tupperware, but encourages students to remember “when in doubt, throw it out.”
“If the yield is four servings, that’s great because it means you’re not cooking your dinner the next night,” she said.
Olmos said she bases the menus for the class on a well-balanced, vegetarian diet that includes foods rich in protein and whole grains. She emphasizes the importance of monitoring serving sizes and ensuring that they are not too large.
She added that students in this terms’s class are all open to trying new things, even though none of the students is a vegetarian. Meals from last week’s class included black bean cakes with mango salsa and hummus.
Although class sizes are limited to six students each term, students can sign up on the waiting list at the health center. Students who just want tips or information about creating healthier diets can call Olmos at the health center at 346-2794.
Olmos said the classes offer a relaxed atmosphere in which students can feel comfortable asking questions.
“And they don’t even have to clean up,” she said. “I do.”