Start-of-term newsletter
Enter the new academic year with enthusiasm, curiosity, and autumnal recipes.
Hey everyone!
I hope you have all had a smooth start to the new term and if not, that any problems you’re suffering from will last as long as a typical Scottish summer.
If you’re new to GUFAB, or indeed the newsletter - it’s a society focused on improving people’s relationships with food and creating a space where we can celebrate rather than constantly denigrate our bodies. The newsletter will be a collection of 1) society news, 2) collection of random thoughts from my head and 3) some hopefully useful articles and thought-pieces. And, of course, seasonal recipes for your student repertoire.
This month, we’ll be looking at comfort zones, a topic quite appropriate for the new fully in-person year! I’ve collated some songs into a very random playlist to greet the start-of-term. We’ll also include September recipes and, of course, a list of seasonal foods you can pop in your grocery list.
Comfort zones and crisis modes
The start of term can bring some stresses and anxieties - suddenly you have a lot more textbooks to read than the summer, time is low but tasks are high, and sometimes your energy can deplete quickly in that state of mind. In times like this, it is easy to get stuck into a stress run, and go into crisis mode. Crisis mode can often mean sticking to your comfort zone, which is not a bad thing in itself.
Always staying in your comfort zone for is a bad idea though - you become stagnated and sometimes dissatisfied with things. We all have personal levels of comfort with different things, and our own preferred routines. Going back in-person to university this term may be a step out of some people’s comfort zones, who preferred the online and flexible aspect of Zoomiversity. Personally, I’m glad we’re back and have embraced it lately, but it is okay to feel hesitant, for whatever reason.
The beginning of a new year is a solid time to step out of your comfort zone - it’s the beginning, you’re still figuring some things out, and your routine is not completely figured out yet. Whether it’s a new society, a couple of hours volunteering somewhere like a food bank or a skill, challenging yourself with something you have not done before, can often sharpen ourselves in ways we didn’t realise it would affect. When we go out of our comfort zones, we learn, grow and find out things about ourselves. And isn’t that exactly what your 20s are supposed to be about?
Playlist for the month ahead
Working 9 – 5 by Dolly Parton
Matilda by Harry Styles
You’ve Got The Love by Florence and the Machine
Don’t Look Back Into The Sun by the Libertines
I Love You Bitch by Lizzo
Autumn recipes
This month, the seasonal foods are beetroot, cauliflower, carrots, celery, courgettes, raspberries, figs and apples. Here are some recipes you can make for yourself, flatmates or friends!
Cinnamon applesauce
4 apples
Pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg
Knob of butter
Plain yoghurt (Greek is recommended)
Wash, peel and core apples. Slice thinly and put in pan with a small knob of butter. Let them cook for ten minutes over a medium heat. Add cinnamon/nutmeg when soft and cooked. Remove from pan, spoon into a bowl with a dollop of Greek yoghurt. Eat this alongside some plain waffles as a simple autumnal dessert. Or top a bowl of porridge in the morning with the mix.
Carrot and coriander soup
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 potato, chopped
• 450g carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1.2l vegetable stock
• handful coriander (½ a supermarket packet)
Heat one tbsp vegetable oil in a large pan, add a chopped onion, then fry for five minutes until softened. Stir in one tsp ground coriander and 1 chopped potato, then cook for one min.
Add the 450g peeled and chopped carrots and 1.2l vegetable or chicken stock, bring to the boil, then reduce the heat. Cover and cook for twenty mins until the carrots are tender.
Tip into a food processor with a handful of coriander then blitz until smooth (you may need to do this in two batches). Return to pan, taste, add salt if necessary, then reheat to serve.
Beetroot risotto
• 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to serve
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 300g raw beetroot, grated
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 175g risotto rice
• 100ml white wine
• 600ml hot vegetable stock (Bouillon is recommended)
• 50g grated parmesan or veggie cheese
• ½ lemon, zested and juiced
• 40g feta, crumbled
• small handful of dill, to serve (optional)
Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and beetroot - cook over a low-medium heat for 15 mins. Add the garlic and cook for 1 min. Stir in the rice and fry for a couple of minutes, then pour in the wine and bring to a simmer. Add half the stock, stirring until it is absorbed. Add the remaining stock, a ladleful at a time, stirring continuously until the rice is al dente. Stir through the parmesan and lemon juice, adding a splash more stock to loosen if the risotto seems a little thick. Season to taste.
Toss the feta with the lemon zest and dill, if using, and spoon over the risotto. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil.
Leftovers keep (covered) in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in a pan over a low heat, stirring in a little stock to loosen.
Journal prompt: Write about a time last term/year when you stepped out of your comfort zone, and learned something about yourself, or became more confident at something?
This was a short letter, just to introduce you into the start of term. If you would be interested in writing pieces for our next newsletter, then email us with pitches, or DM on Instagram/Facebook. Our email is: gufabpositivitysoc@gmail.com. Our instagram is: @gufoodandbody. Look out for society events and meet-ups on our socials! Thank you so much for reading <3 and keep yourself well.
Sending love,
Aysha Sohail