Eating As a College Student

Eating. Seems like a simple task. At home, you would just simply walk into the kitchen open the fridge and see the handful of meals your mom had prepared that day or that week. You might see some cooked pasta with your favorite tomato sauce or some leftover homemade pizza the family got the day before. If you happen not to see anything to your liking in the fridge you might find something hidden in the snack cupboard. The point is food is always ready and available when you are at home. You might’ve not realized that when you actually lived at home, but when you moved to college and all of the sudden mom’s cooking was gone you realized maybe “eating” or “cooking” was not as simple as you thought it was. At least that’s how I saw it when I became a freshman in college. Most of the time I was too lazy to cook. It seemed like writing my essay for a class was easier than making a healthy meal for myself. I would get sick of the dining hall food and the thought of going outside to pick it was agonizing. As a result, I would go days without eating more than the granola bars I had stashed in my dorm, which is in no way a healthy life choice. I lost over 10 pounds felt sick and tired all the time, purely because I was not eating enough. Over winter break I decided that I would not have a repeat the following quarter and would focus on not only school but staying healthy. And for me, that started with figuring out how I could make cooking and eating simple again.  To help me and others that are finding themselves in the same predicament I have compiled a list of some healthy food options as well as some recipes that are easy and college budget-friendly that would hopefully bring you back to a home-like sense of cooking and not simply a college dining hall.

Breakfast:

• oatmeal>>(buy frozen fruit to add instead of sugar)

  •  make them overnight oats so you don’t have to make anything in the morning>> make them in a Maison jar

• Protein shake>>( good when you are in a rush) 

• Greek yogurt (vanilla>>Trader Joes) and granola(Seventh Market)

• Chia seed pudding

• Cottage cheese and fruit

• Mint Chocolate Chip Smoothie:

  • Mint Chip Smoothie:

  • 1 frozen banana 

  • Handful spinach 

  • 3-4 ice cubes

  • 1 cup oat milk

  • 1 tbsp hemp seeds

  • 1/2 avocado 

  • 1/2 – 1 tsp peppermint flavor

  • Dash salt

  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder

  • 2 tbsp taco nibs blend lightly 

Lunch:

• Cheese Quesadilla with guacamole

• Peanut butter and jelly sandwich

• Rice cakes with peanut butter and banana 

• Trader Joes Fried Rice (microwaveable >>ready in minutes )

• Bagged salads (caesar salad is a personal favorite:))

Dinner:

• Tuna salad

  • salad(target>>easy kit) add packets of tuna( Seventh Market)

• Taco bowl

• Spaghetti with tomato sauce 

Snacks:

• pomegranate seeds/juice( Target)

• hummus and pita chips

• Apples and nuts cut up with cinnamon

• Protein bars

• Seaweed>>( Trader Joes)

• WATER!!!!!!!!!!!!

• Peppers

• smoothies>>(fruits and kale)

• Chipotle bitcoin sauce (Trader Joes) >>top a lot of things with it

• Protein balls:

  • 1 cup of oats

  • 1/4 cup of ground flaxseed

  • 1/4 cup shredded coconut

  • 1/2 nut butter

  • 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips’

  • 1/3 cup honey