Celiac, Food and the Dorm

I always joke that if the apocalypse hits, everyone should run for my dorm room. Why? Because that's where all the food is! 

I do have a thing for food...and silly faces

Snacks and celiac are hard to de-tangle, but preparation comes with a price - mainly in square footage. Now that I'm cooking all my own meals, finding space for my supplies is harder than ever. But with a few simple tricks, any college celiac can turn into a food-organizing "PRO."

First, prioritize. Not only what foods you want where, but the ratio of celiac vs non-celiac related items. I always call myself a simple gal - when I first moved into my dorm, my roommate stared at my couple bags of clothes and school supplies and asked when I was bringing the rest of my things! 

My fridge is also overflowing!

Every time I return to school after break, though, my car is overflowing - with food. Since my diagnosis, I've become passionate about cooking, experimenting and sharing my food. Groceries take up 70% of my room, and, because I value my food over knick-knacks from home, I'm okay with that.

Once you've determined how much space you are willing to dedicate to your munchies, start the food organization. Personally, I use my Oatless oatmeal mix, nana ice cream toppings, and sunbutter nearly every day so they are stored for easier access than my extra lara bars, millet, and rice noodles. 

My boyfriend jokes that everything he does varies from a 0.1 to a 1 on the "effort scale." Prioritizing your food is the one time to promote laziness - put the snack all stars at a 0.1 and that new grain that you keep promising to try at 1. Your midnight munchy cravings will thank you.

A place for everything - including the selfie taker!

After your food is mentally color coded and physically overtaking your floor/bed spread, its time to re-utilize. Or, to transform every extra inch of space into a working pantry. The biggest rule? There are none. 

My room's treasure trove ended up landing in the dresser drawer next to my desk. People open the drawers looking for socks or notebook paper and end up staring at a bag of cacao nibs instead. The faces? Definitely Instagram worthy!

In the top drawer, I stuffed my spices, banana ice cream toppings (can you say granola?), oatless oatmeal mix and all my other favorite goodies. The second down houses cereal, baking flours, granola bars, chocolate (it has to be somewhere close!) and extra supplies. Third hides the dishes, pans, Nutribullet, and my other ninja cooking supplies.

No socks here!

Don't be afraid to get creative - any nook (whether designed for plants or toothbrushes!) can be the perfect mini pantry. And when in doubt? Stuff it under the bed - the extra food is the only monster hiding under mine!

To achieve "PRO" level celiac skills, though, there's one final piece of advice: owning it! No matter where I am, it's likely that a snack is perched only a few inches away. Why should my own space - my dorm room - be any different? Yep, I have food lined on my shelves. And my own fridge, microwave and spare freezer.

Sometimes I feel like a weirdo for displaying potatoes and bananas instead of extra family photos, but  I like to call mine "living art." And, compared to other shelve decorations, mine certainly don't sit around long enough to catch dust!

Make it fun!

And if you're really self conscious? Up the fun! My extra produce sits in a bright blue pencil organizer and all my appliances boast pink post-it-notes with messages like, "What's cookin', good lookin'?" or "Gluten Free for me!" scrawled in purple ink. My room - food and all - is it 100% me!

Filling a celiac's room with the right food is just as important as their stomach, but it isn't always easy. By prioritizing, re-utilizing and owning it all, though, it's entirely possible to build your own glamorously gluten free utopia. One drawer at a time. 

How do you manage food storage? What is one way you're creative with your room organization? Comment below!