Students living on campus can often have a difficult time eating healthy. The mixture of being away from home cooked meals, using your own money for food, and a having a convenience store full of snacks nearby can often lead the “freshman fifteen,” though it is not always limited to freshman. But the Central Washington University Wellness Center is here to help with their Dine and Tote program.

Dine and Tote has been a tradition for several years, and though the meals have changed, the purpose remains the same: To help students understand how to make their favorite meals in a healthier way, and to provide students with an alternate way of eating while at school.

“I decide on the meals kinda depending on the season and what I think people will enjoy while still being healthy,” Emily Blakley, senior nutrition major specializing in dietetics, said.

Blakley is in charge of the program this year, and for every event she has lots to do. To prepare for each meal, she first spends a few hours at Fred Meyer buying all of the supplies needed for those who have signed up to participate. Along with deciding on the recipes for each Dine and Tote event and buying the ingredients needed, she also helps the students with any questions they may have throughout the cooking process.

Before the cooking begins, participants are given a short presentation on several basic nutrition principles: fats, carbs, proteins, etc. Then they can pick their cooking partners and work together to create the given recipe.

“I’ve always enjoyed cooking and baking. When I decided to start eating healthier and make a change with my eating habits, is when my cooking got a little more creative,” Blakley said. “My first two years of college I gained a lot of weight, for numerous reasons, but one was not really having the resources to make my own meal.”

CWU has lots of different places to eat around campus, from North Village Cafe, to the new 1891 Bistro and the expanding food truck revolution that has swept campus. Of course, some of these options are healthier than others.

According to Blakley, students can be healthier by just eating in moderation.

“Personally for me, if I am eating on campus I like to stay away from things with added sugars. But that is just me,” Blakley said, “Think ahead of time about what you want and stick with that.”

Outside of the Dine and Tote program, there are other ways that students can seek out advice on how to eat healthier. There are also peer nutrition groups run by people in the nutrition department. These groups will meet with students to do evaluations with them to find out what their goals are, and then help them make smart choices in order to reach their goals.

Dine and Tote is a campus program that is only open to CWU students. Each quarter there are three different menus; the first took place April 20 and consisted of tuna cakes, Waldorf Salad, and black bean brownies. The second happened May 18 and was comprised of Korean style pork chops, steamed broccoli, and brown rice.

For any students interested in attending a Dine and Tote event, there is one more before the end of the quarter. It will take place June 1 in Michaelsen Hall and the menu will feature baked chicken stuffed with pesto and cheese.

To sign up, go to the Wellness Center’s page on the CWU website and fill out the required information. Each event takes about two to three hours and cooking begins at 5 p.m.