UMass swimmer cooks quick, inexpensive meals

UMass Amherst swimmer Tavis Potter, 21, goes for speed in the pool and in the kitchen. “We’re all about quick,” she said while standing in front of her not one, but two refrigerators, and this time she’s not talking about swimming races.

Potter, who lives in a house with six other swimmers, said that although they try to eat healthy, time is an important factor in what finally ends up on their plates for dinner.

“When we get back from practice there’s at least five of us, and we’re starving, so we just try to get it done fast,” she said. “We’re not about to start boiling water to make dinner.”

Residents cook and save in community kitchens

Every morning after a six-mile run, Sruthi Valluri, 19, of Amherst, Mass. enjoys a protein-rich breakfast, consisting of a glass of whole milk, a cup of yogurt, and a cup of fruit. It’s high in protein and calcium, and low in processed carbs, and for her, it’s much better than drinking a cup of raw scrambled eggs.

“I’m a vegetarian, so I look for protein wherever I can get it,” Valluri said. “But I can’t cook eggs, so if I want them I just crack them into a cup and drink them.”

Valluri, who lived off-campus in the past, recently moved back into the dorms, making cooking for herself an even bigger challenge. Now, she uses the community kitchen in her dorm, Leach, to cook meals for herself. On average, Valluri said that she spends about 30 minutes every night cooking dinner.