Anna Carroll ’23 dishes ideas for the dining hall

By ANNA CARROLL ’23 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

From the wide range of choices to the sheer number of students in the pantry, it is an indisputable fact that the Hill School Dining Hall is overwhelming. For many, indecisiveness kicks in when attempting to put together a nutritious and delicious meal. Thus, it only seems appropriate to provide all students with a guide to the Hill School Dining Hall, providing tips and hacks on how to satisfy cravings and fuel energy through making use of the variety of whole foods provided.

In short, this is my take on Hill’s high-performance meals.

The Fast

If you want to shake up your breakfast, making a smoothie bowl is always delicious and filling.

Smoothie Bowls: When there are smoothies at breakfast, I like to pour the smoothie into a bowl and top it with an assortment of fruit, granola, and chocolate chips.

Soup-er creations

Vegetable Noodle Soup: It’s always a good day when the garden vegetable soup is served. As an avid pasta-lover, I like to add noodles to my soup, as well as plenty of parmesan cheese. You could easily do this with other soups, as well!

Mix with Rice: I’ve also seen other students add rice to soup and put chili on top of rice! You can add whatever toppings in the salad bar to your soup.

General tips

-The Sesame dressing is good on everything.

-The Pico de Gallo will always spice up a regular salad, as will the bruschetta.

-The lemons are located next to the tea and coffee.

By now, every student knows that the rice is a hot commodity at lunches and dinners. And, honestly, this is rightfully so. However, if there is ever rice left in the cooker for you, here is a classic idea:

Sesame Bowl: Build a nutritious bowl by pairing rice with your choice of protein and vegetables. For me, this looks like rice with tofu, mixed greens, cucumbers, and other vegetables served. Then, top it all off with the Asian Sesame dressing—it's really the best salad dressing there.

Up your basic salad

Balsamic Spinach Feta: When there are strawberries, this is my favorite salad to make! Have a bowl of spinach, with feta cheese, strawberries, croutons, and diced chicken. You can use either balsamic dressing or balsamic vinegar mixed with olive oil.

Pico De Gallo Salad: Level up your salads with a variety of vegetables, sliced grilled chicken, and the pre-made Pico de Gallo. I like to top this salad with the Balsamic dressing or the Orange Citrus Vinaigrette.

The pantry is filled with endless pasta-bilities

There are more types of pasta to make than just parmesan dusted noodles. Combine the pasta line with the salad bar, soups, condiments, and/or drink station (yes, the drink station) to create lemon pasta, pasta salad, or even vegetable noodle soup. Here are some of my favorites:

Lemon Pasta: Grab a bowl from the salad bar and create a small bed of spinach. Then, ask for an appropriate portion of plain noodles. Add any toppings you want. For protein, I choose between the protein from the mindful station, the diced chicken, or beans. I add other vegetables available at that meal, as well, such as broccoli, snow peas, and edamame. Sprinkle on parmesan cheese and olive oil. Grab a lemon from the drink station near the tea to squeeze its juice on the pasta. Lastly, add salt or pepper-- to taste.

Pasta Salad: Ask for a little bit of pasta (this works best with smaller noodles). Mix with cucumbers, tomatoes, the bruschetta, and feta cheese. For protein, I like to add beans or diced chicken. As for the dressing, I like to mix the balsamic vinegar and olive oil—these are located on the side of the salad bar, next to the dried fruits and seeds (the opposite side of the granola).

The Dining Hall is home to various options of quality, nutritious food. Look for ways to mix and match different ingredients to satisfy your cravings and fuel your hunger. And who knows, maybe your creation might just be the next high-performance meal.

The Hill News wants to thank Sodexo for their constant support of the student body and school to ensure we are fed for our long days.