Sorority Food
 

Food!!!!!

Does anyone have any ideas on cooking healthy in a sorority house? We have cooks and aren't allowed to make our own food, so we must eat the recipes provided by the housemother. A lot of things are fried and I realized after my second year that we eat the same things over and over again! We always have a salad bar but eating salad everyday gets boring.

Also,
What was/is your favorite lunch or dinner?

My FAVORITE FAVORITE FAVORITE is chicken enchiladas with white sauce. Whenever we have that, all of it gets eaten and there are no left overs.

Our cook also makes really good soups.


Have you tried finding recipes you want to eat and giving them to your housemother/cooks? Our cook loves making new and different stuff based on our suggestions (probably because she gets bored making the same thing over and over lol)

Grilled chicken breasts and baked potatoes. Use Molly McButter instead of "real" butter on your potato.

You can also find some "eating clean" recipes here:
http://www.eatcleandiet.com/Default.aspx?id=21

I read that real butter is actually better for you than artificial butter.

I use a few sprinkles of Molly McButter. I don't gob on real butter by the tablespoonful.

lol :p

Some people do.;)

I use the "I can't believe its not Butter" spray, and its amazing.

The cook in our house used to always make pasta and breaded chicken, but he would still try to keep veggies on plates too. ;) Your best bet towards eating healthier when you aren't making the food is to provide some recipes & see if your cook/house mom will make them.

have you talked to your house manager, or whatever you all call the sister who is in charge of communicating the needs of the house to the house mother and to the alumnae housing board? first, you may want to do this:

take a poll of your sisters to see if they feel the same way. ask them for suggested menu changes and approach your house manager. she , in turn, should speak to either the house corporation board(the local alumnae who make the decisions about the hiring and firing of the staff, approving bill payments, etc.) or the house mother. if one of your sisters is a nutrition major, maybe she could do a project by converting some of the "unhealthy" meal recipes to more healthy ones, or she could ask one of her professors to help.

does your house offer a salad bar during lunch and dinner?

i cannot remember what my favorite lunch and dinner was-we did have wonderful cooks(one for breakfast and lunch, and a different lady for dinner) and i do remember that the food was good.

going in armed and informed may improve your chances of effecting change.

I agree with FSUZeta - I would definitely talk to the house manager and the alum corp and try to get some changes made. The housemother sounds like she's being kind of lazy.

In my chapter we did a food survey and asked people what meals they liked, what they didn't and what they were looking for in terms of food (low fat and lactose free, vegetarian options, etc.) We then presented the survey to the house director and the cook and they took it from there.
I remember that post-survey the cook would sometimes make both the traditional versions of a recipe and the low-fat versions. Also she started using more grilled chicken and ground turkey over beef, etc. She made great stuffed (ground turkey) peppers.
You (or the house manager) could also look into a suggestion/feedback box where members could say what meals currently made that they really liked, submit recipes of their own, what meals they didn't like etc.

In the past, there have been sisters that give recipes to our housemom, but she always seems to revert back to the same old meals.
We are getting a new housemom this year so hopefully things will change.

Feel lucky....only two houses on our entire campus have food service.

Former House Chef
 

I was a former house chef for a sorority in the 90's for 4 years. At the beginning of each year I had a questionaire of different types of foods broken into categories. I also had questions of dietary/religious restrictions so I would be aware of those as well. A good part of my recipies came from Cooking Light magazine because I knew my girls wanted to eat healthy. Maybe the house manager could get a survey from all the girls on meal plan and present that to the chef to give them some foundation. I only did dinner 6 nights but they had breakfast food as well. It is challenging to come up with different menus 6 nights a week and in my case for 22+ girls. Even though I would get in a rut occasionally I would try to keep it tasty and different. Sounds like to me your house chef gets slightly lazy after a time :rolleyes: or not just too motivated. It is hard but they have to try.

I agree with the suggestions offered already. Try giving recipes and making suggestions (probably easier with the new housemom). If that doesn't get anywhere and the girls are still pretty adament about wanting healthier/more variety then take it to House Corp. That's something for them to ultimately handle.

Quite a few excellent suggestions have already been posted. I would just add that be sure the suggestions are within the the chapter's budget for meals. And are there any time constraints?

Cooks have to work within the budgets provided for them. To work within the budget, certain menus are often more cost effective than others. Especially when you are dealing with feeding a number of members with different tastes (likes and dislikes) on any given night. The "cost effective" meals may need to be rotated through more often than the chapter would like. The alternative being to increase the meal budget. If the chapter decides to increase the budget, then it normally means one of two things. Either reallocating funds from another area of the chapter's budget or an increase in chapter dues.

Also, some meals are more suitable to feeding a large number of people within a limited amount of time. And on top of that, for those members who aren't able to be there during the meal time, preparing something that "reheats" may also be a consideration.

One other suggestion. Being creative in meal planning may also keep the chapter's costs down and be a break from the boring. I have know many a chapter houses that will have at least one nice supper a week. To compensate for the expense, another night might be something very simple like hamburgers or "make your own" pizza or tacos. I understand y'all aren't allowed to make your own food, but the "make your own" really is just selecting the items for your pizza or taco. In any case, it can be quite cost effective plus each member gets to "fix" their burger, pizza or taco as they want. A win / win scenario. Another variation is a select your pasta meal. The member selects from different sauces and different pastas.

Basically, anything that lets the member have an input *at meal time* can go a long way to making the meals more enjoyable.

Here at Arkansas, every sorority has whats known as "Chicken Finger Friday."

Every friday the sororities have Chicken Fingers, Mashed Potatoes, and a Roll. Each girl is allowed to bring one guest to eat for free. Chicken Finger Fridays are my favorite lunches EVER.

I think there are two main problems my house has: the cooks and money. We have three or four cooks but they are middle-age/apathetic/women who don't relate to us at all. The best decision would be to get rid of the cooks we have right now. However, these women have been working at our house for years! and I don't think we'd be able to get anyone else at a comparable price.
Also, we don't pay nearly as much for food as other houses do, so that means less quality ingredients.
I have talked to one of my sisters that is a dietetics major and she thought it would be a lot of fun to find recipes. However, I agree that it's hard to cook healthy for a lot of people (we have 50+ girls at some meals). I'll see if the combination of new recipes and a new house mom equals better food.
But I've ultimately gathered that in order to have better food, we need to pay more because healthy food is expensive! It's much easier and cheaper to just fry something.
This is definitely not something that can be fixed while I'm around, but hopefully I can start it and someone else can finish it.

Thanks for all your imput!

My personal favorite meal is pasta with meat sauce. For some reason it's unlike any meat sauce i've ever had......they probably use lard or something. haha.
We have chicken finger lunches, but not nearly enough. I definitely think we should have them at least once a week.

I can tell by your posts, your cook is either white or black. Hire an Asian cook the next time.

And what is that supposed to mean?:rolleyes:

One other problem may be the source of food that your cooks are using. I don't know if it's still this way at FSU, but when I was there all of the houses used the same supplier (something like Sisco but that wasn't it - probably no longer in business). Heavy on the processed casseroles and limited fruit and vegetable selections. Maybe there is some other source that your cooks could use?

If the selection is limited for all houses, maybe you could bring it up at Panhellenic.

PS - glad to see another Nole on GC!

Why six days a week?

Usually on Fri. it is a go out night.

If that is true, then Chef butter paddys so wont get to drunk!

No Sat or Sun. meal either as most are away and not going to eat dinner.

So if one does a survey of ls what is eaten and what is afforable it narrows it done?

1. Itilian. Pasta.
2. Mexican. Taco, burrito, encilada tamale.
3. Pizza is always a Fav.
4. Meat, burgers and fries.
5. Breakfast menu.
6. Once a month steak, baked potatoes, mashed with gravy or fries.
7. Major Salad!
Dining budget is costly.

Okay, maybe once ore thrice a month have a nice sit down dinner. Maybe fish and not Tuna but shrimp boil.

Old days, Sweet Roles and juice-class!

Lunch, cold cut sandwhich and chips, dip with pork and beans.

Never easy is it?:(

I cooked Sun-Thursday for dinner at 6pm every night
My purveyor was US Foodservice for most items but I still had a produce person that delivered 3 x a week, a milk person and a bread person. They always had fresh fruit on hand and breakfast items (cereal, bagels, cream cheese, frozen waffles). I have never seen Life cereal disappear so fast with that group.

It doesn't matter who your purveyor is, it's is knowing how to cook and not rely on pre-made foods. Now if your food budget isn't that big that can be a big issue and you may need that more than some. I was lucky that I had a pretty ok budget to work with each semester.

I did do most of what you listed and gave at least 2-3 entree options each (for my carnivores, vegetarians and the "i am on xx diet this week that says I have to eat tree bark so what do you have for that'). The biggest thing they liked was dessert. Salad bar was mandatory

I did chicken. turkey, fish and shrimp a lot..not too much beef as they weren't usually big beef eaters outside of the hamburger. I did ethnic, meals for those that were celebrating Passover (big hit) those that were lactose or gluten intolerant, had one girl that was Kosher. I had compartment plates w/ lids for late plates that were in the fridge. I have a culinary degree so I knew all the ins and outs of sanitation regarding food.

If a request was made for a specific food it had to benefit the majority not just one person (unless for religious or dietary needs). Some things I just could not get in bulk or a size that would not encorage waste.

The job had its ups and downs, a big up was having the summer/spring break/christmas break off. That was always cool. The downs were I was an independent contractor so I had to provide my own benefits (which I wrote off). It is a hard job ( just me for 22+ people) but it was fun and I got to see some a NPC does their rush vs. the NPHC way @ my school. It was a learning experience in so many other ways.

Asians tend to cook healthier. :D

Should I even take you seriously? I mean, your username is slang for asshole.

Not really.

A lot of Chinese restaurants say that they don't use MSG, but I don't buy it. I've been eating Oriental foods all my life and I can really tell if the dish has MSG or not.

I have a Filipino mother who needs to quit making traditional dishes because my stepfather's on notice from his doctor to watch his diet. His cholesterol levels were through the roof.

I figure the only healthy part of the Korean plates I eat are the vegetables that come with the entree (bean sprouts, watercress, seaweed, etc.). The entrees are usually oily and full of grease.

There are lots of healthy Oriental dishes out there that I enjoy, but the ones that most people are familiar with are anything but healthy.

Have Miso Soup in the morning and drink real Green Tea (not the Arizona or canned kind). It cleanses your system and it's good for you.

Funny I don't think you were in the house I fed so you don't know what I cooked now do you:rolleyes:


Run along now and don't bother me..

LOL, ups and downs would be putting it nicely!:D

Weekly food bananza or meals suck!
'
Friday, fish or mac and cheese for respect!:p Don't really fly anymore!

So, a monthly menu, correct?

Buffet of Asian, Italian.
Itialian- pasta and meat balls or sausge. Pizza.
Asian- stir fry or Chow mein.
Mexican- tacos, burritos, encialadas, tostados, and add refied beans or rice.
American-Burgers, hot dogs, cheep steak(?). Fries. Chicken, baked, fried or BBQ.

Potatoes, Mashed with gravy, fried, scalloped with different spices.

Shrimp, every so often with potatoes, shrimp sauce or lemon butter!

How about a breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast, and hash browns with sausage or bacon?

Winter-Clam Chowder or Chili for the chill. Tomatoe soup and grilled cheese sandwiches?

Grilled ham and cheese with chip and dip.

Oh for the ladies, a Chef salad, lot of items can be added with varying dressings.

Difference to keep it new is an answer as you are the grand chef pooba!:D

Just thought of an item that sound baed but taste great!

Tom's Gooey Buns!

Cheep and really tastes good.

Bologna or hot dogs ground up. Add mayo, sweet pickle relish, a little horse radish, and mustard.

Deli buns with a mix on the bottom and cheeze whiz on the top. Close bun.

Place in oven and bake untill the cheese is melted int the mix. Add side dishes like tater tots or french fries with BBQ or pork and beans, chip and dip. Salad if so desire!

Tom I think they would have killed me if I served your Tom's gooey buns!

But menus were done weekly..that part I don't miss doing at all.

Pasta had like 2-3 sauce choices with 2 pasta choices (couldn't keep pesto, ate it like no tomorrow)

Did the breakfast thing w/ french toast prepped the day before so it was more like french (or brioche) toast bread pudding.

The only time I may have done sandwiches was at the beginning of the year or the end when there wasn't that many students @ the house.

The girls made me be creative I will say that and it stretched my boundaries.

But to those having difficulty with their house chef hopefully the house manager and the chef (and House board if need be) can sit down and express their wishes and needs so everybody is happy. It doesn't make sense to pay a lot of money for room/board and the meal plan is crap.

Tom, that is quite a "manly menu." It would cause a riot in a sorority house! Ground bologna or hot dogs...girls just don't eat that!!!
Back in the day, our cook was simply fantastic. The things Leetha Mae could do with chicken...wow:p. One of our favorite things was to see what our new pledges from the north did with collard greens...LOL!! I never got her recipe for a crumbled Oreo cookie dessert because I figured I'd have to make it every day the rest of my life!
Daughter frequently complained that her house served too much chicken...and she was right. Her housemother told me she'd LOVE for the girls to suggest recipes. And certainly money is a major constraint.
Starfish has some VERY good info and advice.

LOL

I said that hoping to rile up a newer greekchatter, who doesn't know me well. I didn't suspect someone who has been posting here since 2005 to take anything (of this nature) I say seriously.

Umm :eek: LMAO

Did she make good grits also?

Oh yes. It's an art.
What do you mean, "Umm?":confused:

If you do not tell them what it is and they try it, I am sure they will like them!:)

It is finger food so to speak like burgers ! Try it your self and see what you think. Easy to make and fix to bake. Can add many different side dishes to go along with it! Maybe only once a month as wit about any meal being cooked, like Pizza or pasta and meat balls or meat sauce.

The house Mom and cook had Sweet rolls, milk and juices for breakfast so easy. If lunch, was a meat tray for sandwiches and chips if enough people came to the house for lunch if house was near campus!

Taco night, make your own with chips and sausa with refried beans.

I guess the whole idea is to make it varied enough to keep it interesting!:D

Gosh, I could each shrimp at least once a week!

How about instead of a sit down dinner, do a cook out at least twice a month? Weather permitting on the lawn in the rear of the House if have one.

Burgers, Dogs, Brauts or a sea food boil?

some of our house favorites that are pretty easy for a cook to prepare in bulk:

-tilapia with a spicy breading and peppers
-taco night (cook makes taco meat and vegetarian "taco" meat, and we put on our own veggies, cheese, etc.)
-breakfast for dinner (eggs, sausage, pancakes, hashbrowns, etc.)
-grilled chicken with some sort of white sauce

we have pasta every monday, which gets sort of annoying for those of us who only eat at the house on mondays before chapter meeting. but they switch up the sauces every week, and we use whole-wheat pasta so that helps a little.