Julie Garden-Robinson, NDSU Extension Service food and nutrition specialist, with the assistance of three NDSU student dietitians, developed a series of three publications called “Cooking 101 for Singles and Couples."

“You don’t need a huge budget or gourmet kitchen to make nutritious meals for yourself,” Garden-Robinson says. The NDSU Extension Service launched the publications in celebration of National Nutrition Month. The publications are available online at www.ndsu.edu/eatsmart.

The publications include information on essential kitchen equipment, buying and using a slow cooker, food storage and safety, vitamins and nutrients and the latest dietary advice. Each publication also includes recipes and a week’s worth of menus and grocery lists to help you buy foods that will provide well-balanced, nutritious meals.

“These publications will be great for college students because many are used to having meals cooked for them at home, and having to do their own cooking can be scary,” says John Nagel, one of the students who helped create the publications.

“For many college students, healthy eating just isn’t on the top of their to-do list,” says Katie Myrold, another student who worked on the publications. “It takes some time and planning if it isn’t something you are used to doing already.”

Leah Gramlow, a student dietitian who worked on the publication, has three main tips to help novice cooks find time to prepare healthy meals on a budget. "First, plan your meals before you go shopping, so you don’t buy food you don’t need. Always have some vegetable soup on hand in case you don’t feel like cooking and buy frozen vegetables. That way, you don’t have to chop vegetables and do as many dishes,” she says.

The series is part of the NDSU Extension Service’s Eat Smart. Play Hard. Program, which encourages people to eat a healthful diet and be physically active.