On Monday, Mr. Hulsebus challenged an earlier editorial, claiming it was impossible to eat healthily on $60 every two weeks when cooking for one person. It’s quite easy, really. One of the primary ways I do this is by starting my day right with a quality (and inexpensive) breakfast. Oatmeal is an excellent breakfast food, and a box of rolled oats costs about $2 at Aldi and lasts for weeks. Add some fruit and maybe some peanut butter into the mix and you have a great breakfast for pennies. Also, plain yogurt is low-priced, and so are eggs. On average my breakfast costs less than 50 cents.

Other ingredients I regularly utilize include whole-grain pasta, lentils, flax seed, whole-wheat flour, and white or brown rice. These can all be bought in bulk without me having to worry about them getting spoiled as they sit in the cupboard.

After all of those ingredients, I still have plenty of money left to purchase fresh vegetables, a little bit of meat, a big container of natural peanut butter and a few not-so-healthy comfort foods like macaroni and cheese and hotdogs.

These ingredients, coupled with my rudimentary cooking skills, a full rack of spices and an Internet full of recipes, provide an endless stream of delicious dishes.

You can eat healthy for much less than ISU Dining prices. All you have to do is learn to follow recipes and be willing to spend a little extra money at the beginning to purchase the necessary dry ingredients. In fact, I would argue that I eat healthier than what I can get at the dining center, because I know for a fact that my vegetables haven’t lost their nutrients due to overcooking, my food isn’t greasy and fried, and I don’t pour pounds of salt over my food like everyone else in America.