Being a college student is stressful since your life is always busy and chaotic. You have classes to think about, projects are starting up, homework is piling high, your gym and skin routine are crying for help, and you still need time to hang out with friends. Nobody ever has time to think about what type of food they are consuming because they are always on the go. Being a college student myself I know how easy it is to heat up some ramen or throw a frozen pizza in the oven, but we all know that is not what is best for you, your body and your energy levels. I have been looking to improve what I eat as well and am excited to share some affordable healthy ideas on what you can make that are not time-consuming.
- Yogurt Parfaits! Yogurt parfaits are a great way to get a ton of nutrients for your body. You can buy your favorite fruits, buy a tub of whatever flavor of yogurt you prefer, and a bag of granola. They have granola bags with coconut pieces or even raisins depending on your taste. Then every morning before your classes, you can simply add your berries and granola to your yogurt in a bowl having a nutrition-filled, time-efficient, delicious and easy meal. My personal favorite parfait has strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and vanilla yogurt.Â
- Smoothie Bowls! A smoothie bowl is a fast and delicious breakfast or snack. They provide lots of nutrients and fill you up for a long day of studying. All you need is fresh fruits, frozen fruits, yogurt and some type of juice. I like to put in strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, mangos, bananas, vanilla yogurt, apple juice and orange juice. You can put any fruits or fruit juice that you like in your smoothie. I like to put lots of yogurt in it so it’s a thicker smoothie. Then I pour it into a bowl, top it with my fresh bananas, strawberries and blueberries, and enjoy! It is a little more time-consuming than the yogurt parfait but will also keep you fuller for longer!
- Chicken wraps! Chicken wraps are a very balanced meal for lunch or dinner. You can add fried chicken or grilled chicken, and any cheese or vegetables that you want in it. Some ideas are lettuce, tomatoes, black olives, cucumbers, mushrooms and avocado. You can put it in a white, wheat, or spinach wrap depending on which one you prefer. Plus, there are so many different types of dressings you can put on it like barbeque, mayo, ranch, caesar and more. My go-to wrap has grilled chicken with barbeque, mayo, or ranch, on a white wrap with lettuce, cucumbers and shredded parmesan cheese. It is such an easy meal to make as well and it is so delicious!
- Salads! I know a lot of people have a bad perception of salads but a salad can be so delicious and you can put almost any type of cheese or vegetable into a salad. It is a great meal for lunch or dinner and there are so many options to choose from. There are steak tip salads, shredded steak salads, grilled chicken salads, crispy chicken salads, buffalo chicken salads, shredded chicken salads, tuna salads and more. Some ideas of vegetables to incorporate are cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, peppers, broccoli, peas, corn, mushrooms, chickpeas, avocado, green olives, black olives, lettuce, romaine lettuce, spinach, arugula, and some people even put in strawberries! Some dressing ideas are vinaigrettes, balsamic, ranch, Caesar, Italian and Greek. My personal favorite salad is a grilled chicken salad with cucumbers, carrots, green olives, broccoli, corn shredded parmesan cheese, and ranch to top it off. There are so many options you could eat a salad every day and have it taste completely different. This is such an easy healthy meal to make and eat while studying. One of my favorite go-to meals!
- Stir fry! Stir fry is a melody of different vegetables, protein, and rice. It hits three of the food groups and you can season it or flavor it in so many different ways. It is a great meal to use up some old vegetables or just add lots of different colors and nutrients to your meal. Some delicious ideas to put in your stir fry are teriyaki chicken, red peppers, carrots, spinach, mushrooms, peapods, onions, broccoli and brown rice. You can incorporate any vegetables you want or like in your stir fry. For cooking the vegetables, you can quickly steam them for a fast and delicious result. For cooking the chicken you can cook it in vegetable oil in a frying pan or even cook it in a marinade. Then boil the rice and mix it all together! This meal is a little more time-consuming than the other ideas, but it is totally worth it!
These are just some of the ideas for healthy, easy, delicious meals that you can make. Having meals that are affordable and easy is crucial because the amount of nutrition you get can impact your mood, your energy and how tired you are. Being a college student with lots of stress you definitely want to eat right, and I hope these ideas make it easier for you. I love all these meals and I hope you try them out and end up loving them too!