Fridge Voyeur is a virtual visit into the chill zone of the Spoon Crew — our team, our friends, and some of our favorite wellness gurus. We may eat a lot of plants, but you better believe there’s a whole lot of variety, and a bit of naughty, going on behind closed doors. We know you want a peek ;)

This week, we’re peeking into the fridge of MIT student, food instagrammer, and recipe writer, Emily Chen.

Splendid Spoon: Hey Emily! Tell us a bit about yourself.
Emily Chen: Hi! First off, thanks for having me :) In a short statement, I’m a daughter, sister, independent adult(ish), lifelong foodie, and currently a college student at MIT studying CS by day and night. I love exploring, whether that’s in the form of traveling to new places, trying out new activities, learning new concepts, or even testing out new recipes in the confines of our dormitory kitchen.

The foodie aspect of me explains in large part why I take pictures of my food and LOVE eating (haha) and after falling prey to the “freshmen 15” a couple years early in high school, I became curious and passionate about sharing ways to maintain a balanced lifestyle in college. To me, “health” is more than boiled chicken and broccoli or any one strict diet, but rather a more all-encompassing journey of balance and moderation (because, as you’ll see, chocolate is a huge part of my life)!

SS: What are the 5 kitchen staples you can’t live without?
EC: Oats, chocolate, cinnamon, nut butter, and spinach. Can you tell I’m a HUGE breakfast person? :)

As a college student, oats are probably the most versatile and convenient grain you can have! I use them to make hot oatmeal in the morning, overnight oats for a quick on-the-go breakfast or my raw oatmeal for a quick-but-not-planned-ahead breakfast (recipe in my feed!). Savory oatmeal can be put together in less than 10 minutes for dinner or lunch, and is pretty cheap! Additionally, I’ll sometimes grind oats to use as the base for bread or cookie recipes.

Chocolate… well, I mean, I don’t think this needs an explanation. It’s just necessary.

We must also give an honorary spice award to cinnamon because I add it to practically everything. It’s surprisingly high in antioxidants, has anti-inflammatory properties, and has a certain subtle, spicy warmth that enhances the sweetness and depth of flavor of any dish! I sprinkle (let’s be real, dump) it on my oatmeal, smoothies, yogurt bowls, sweet potatoes, apple slices (the combo literally tastes like apple pie), and practically any sweet recipes.

I first fell in love with nut butter when I saw my third grade teacher snacking on it with a spoon straight out of the jar. We’ve been inseparable since then! I love nut butters on toast as a quick snack, definitely in my oatmeal (when it melts and added a certain creaminess to the oatmeal), and just plain as is!

To be honest, I included spinach in here from a practical standpoint, but upon further thought, I probably do actually consume it every day with dinner. On a convenient plus side, it’s also pretty common in any grocery store and relatively cheap!

SS: What’s the weirdest thing in your fridge?
EC: Hmm… well, I like to keep granola bars/Larabars in the fridge even though it is definitely not required. I don’t know, it’s just one of those foods that I prefer cold... kind of like how cold pizza has its own unique, somewhat acquired taste.

SS: What are the health benefits you feel when you prioritize eating healthy as a busy college student?
EC: To put it simply and bluntly, I feel good, not just physically, but mentally, when I eat healthy. And if eating a certain way can produce that effect, then why not? I do also want to caveat this with the fact that I am still very guilty of snacking on bars (I try to only consume ones that have very few ingredients!) throughout the day because they’re easy and convenient during and between classes. However, I am conscious and pay attention to eating a balanced diet including fruits and vegetables, whole starches, protein, and healthy fats in almost all of my meals. Personally, this fuels me and gives me the energy I really need to study (because it is also mentally and somewhat physically exhausting!) and also exercise when I have time. I stress a balanced lifestyle more than anything, so yes, I’ll go for cupcakes now and then, just not multiple desserts every single day like I used to consume.

SS: What’s your fave sweet and what’s your fave savory?
EC: Fave sweet is honestly anything with chocolate. I love dark chocolate, and for my birthday cake during my senior year of high school, my mom surprised me with the most decadent raw chocolate vegan cake from this small bakery near our house. To this day, it’s the one sweet thing I always get when I go back home. My fave savory changes all the time but a big, cozy bowl of Taiwanese style noodle soup is a comfort food for me that just hits the spot every time! When I visit my grandma in Taiwan, you can be sure I’ll also allocate a couple of meals at a family owned noodle shop just downstairs. The noodles come piping hot and full of love!

SS: If you were one thing in your fridge, what would it be?
EC: A banana. A plain but reliable and supportive source of energy for my family and friends (...and sweeter with time).

SS: What food do you turn to when you want something comforting or nostalgic? Although we eat to keep our bodies strong and healthy, food also connects us to our past, to friends, and to different times in our lives.
EC: Well, I think all roads just lead back to chocolate for me. I ate it before I got into healthy eating and still continue to eat it because it’s a part of how I manage a balanced and healthy relationship with my food! My mom used to joke that my existence hinges on chocolate because I always had a ready sweet tooth to devour dessert no matter how big my meal was, and I used to always make my dessert menu decisions based off of what had the highest percentage of chocolate (still kind of guilty of this to this day!). I would highly recommend Eating Evolved chocolate bars or Splendid Spoon’s Chocolate Cherry smoothie!

You can find Emily in class or the library at MIT or dreaming up amazing recipes on her Instagram, @healthifulbytes. Be sure to check out her variety of oat recipes; they’re delish!