#questwithambition

Thank you babe!!  

I think the biggest thing that helped me eat healthy in college was going vegetarian -- dining hall meat is questionable, and there are a lot more processed options in general. There are ofc still lots of processed veggie foods (i love me a good soy nugget) but I’ve found they’re easier to avoid. 

In general, I try not to keep too much junk food in the house -- I always keep a pint of ice cream in the freezer and I’ll have a frozen pizza on hand for nights when I’m just really not feeling like cooking. When I’m really craving something sweet I’ll treat myself by going out for boba with friends or something like that.

I have a few go-to meals that I rotate through so I don’t have to spend too much time coming up with ideas. I don’t always eat super healthy, but cooking at home makes me feel better than frozen food or eating out. Find some easy recipes you love that you can fall back on. 

Here’s what a typical week of dinners looked like for me last semester:

M: Dinner with roommates (usually pasta)  T: Gnocchi and brussels sprouts  W: Burrito bowl (rice, beans, corn, cheese) T: Veggie fajitas (squash, zucchini, bell peppers) F: Eat out with friends 

None of my dinners took more than 15 minutes to make, and I would put on some nice jazz and dance around which gave me a nice little break from homework. 

I make a smoothie with greek yogurt every morning, and I always carried Clif bars in my backpack since I had a late lunch break. For lunch I would almost always have leftovers, or grab a bagel on campus if I forgot lunch. If I was home for lunch I’d make a quesadilla, acai bowl or avocado toast.

For the none food stuff -- set strict work boundaries. I never work while I eat -- that’s reserved for talking with friends, watching a show, or staring into space. I stop working an hour or so before bed so I have time to shower, do some yoga and relax. Make sure you’re making time for friends and hobbies. Spending an extra hour studying for that test isn’t going to help as much as an extra hour of sleep will. 

1. Which book would you consider the best book you’ve ever read and why?

An impossible question.  I cast looks of judgment on the very idea there is one book that is better than all other books.

Probably the best book I’ve read this year is Cannery Row by Steinbeck.

18. Did you enjoy the Hunger Games?

Yes! Well, I only saw the first movie, but I liked the books very much.  I even liked the new one, Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which has been less well-received than the original trilogy but which I thought answered a question I’ve had about literature for a while, which was: can you write a book from the POV of the antagonist and keep the audience from justifying/explaining his actions.  Snow never becomes the woobified bad guy who we all just love in that. He stays genuinely horrible even though we are inside his head.  In my fics, I’ve written villain POVs and people end up loving and rooting for them.  And if you look at Lolita, you see a whole lot of people read that and justify Humbert, the POV villain (and blame Lolita which is a fucking monstrous read.)  I was starting to wonder if the nature of putting the reader in the head of the villain effectively hijacks our emotions so much that we end up sympathizing with the villain no matter how evil he is.  After all, if Nabakov couldn’t pull it off, maybe it’s simply not doable. And then Collins does it, and I was just so pleased.