{"id":9688,"date":"2021-07-13T09:23:38","date_gmt":"2021-07-13T13:23:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.virginiawestern.edu\/grants\/?p=9688"},"modified":"2025-07-16T14:08:32","modified_gmt":"2025-07-16T18:08:32","slug":"6-summer-recipes-transform-pantry-staples-with-co-op-quick-meal-cards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.virginiawestern.edu\/grants\/2021\/07\/6-summer-recipes-transform-pantry-staples-with-co-op-quick-meal-cards\/","title":{"rendered":"6 summer recipes: Transform pantry staples with Co-op Quick Meal Cards"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As much as I want to eat healthy, so much comes down to convenience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For me, cooking is more of a chore than a creative act.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is why I loved “Meals that Heal,” a cookbook that showed me how to eat more anti-inflammatory foods. Author Carolyn Williams (PhD, RD) recommends having easily accessible, minimally processed meal components ready to go. She calls these “simple staples,” and for my kitchen, that means eggs and canned pinto beans for quick tacos; frozen berries for smoothies; and pre-cut veggies for … everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Make it tasty, make it easy.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"recipe<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

This is exactly the thinking behind our Co-op Quick Meal Cards <\/strong>grant project, which was made possible by the Virginia Foundation for Community College Education (VFCCE).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Student Activities Coordinator Natasha Lee<\/strong> came up with the concept, wrote the proposal, and managed the six-month project, which was funded by the Anthem Foundation Hunger Relief Grant Program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With this $5,000 award, the college commissioned more than 60 laminated “quick meal cards,” which will be displayed in the Virginia Western Student Co-op, fueled by Kroger<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The recipes were created and curated by registered dietitians, including Evita Huang<\/strong>, a 2016 VWCC alumna<\/a> who recently graduated with a master’s in Nutrition and Dietetics from Virginia Tech. (Go, Evita!<\/em>)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With these recipes, students can transform pantry staples (including rice, quinoa, beans, tuna, and peanut butter) into tasty and nutritious breakfasts, lunches, dinners, or snacks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The co-op will rotate these cards each season, displaying 10 to 12 cards at a time inside the pantry, which is located on the top floor of the Student Life Center<\/a>. Grant funding also established a card template, so the recipe catalog can be updated for years to come. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the cards were created, the pantry has stocked more nutritious and less processed foods for these quick recipes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was curious — and getting hungry — as I learned more about the project, so Natasha shared a bunch of recipes perfect for the summer months. I couldn’t choose just one recipe to highlight, so I’m including all six PDFs for download (and they are easy to print).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Natasha noted, these recipes are ideal for summer cookouts and picnics:<\/p>\n\n\n\n