College meals

caitlyntaylor44

As the title says, I’m a college student with a full kitchen. I’m looking for some recipes or even healthier alternatives/snacks.
I’m definitely a bigger fruit person compared to veggies. Please give me ideas!!

aokoye

Honestly, if you have a full kitchen, then there's no need to search out "college meals". Yes you need to manage your time, but that isn't unique to college students. There are plenty of websites to browse for recipes - ones I like include Serious Eats, Simply Recipes, Bon Appetit, Epicurious, and Smitten Kitchen.

Nerys52

See YouTube Food Wishes for cooking inspiration.
Stir fry small amount of chicken/meat a few vegetables chopped into small pieces with some cooked noodles or rice.
Pasta dishes. Fruit salads.
There are College Cookbooks look up titles at Bookdepository, Amazon. GoodReads etc. The BHG red cookbook is also full of good recipes just divide into smaller quantities for one.
From 1978 Sunset Cookbook Cooking for Two or just for you... is a fabulous cookbook try to find it.
Plan your grocery shopping so you can have supplies you need to cover a week.
Keep pantry basics that you can cook from supplies if you are short on time.Flour, milk, eggs for crepes.
Fruit pieces or small fruit, berries, grapes, some juice frozen into ice cubes are nice in mineral water.

andreachidester

Beef jerky, plain almonds, string cheese, frozen grapes, ONE protein bars, power crunch protein bars, baby carrots with hummus, rice cake with peanut butter and banana, mandarins...those are all my go to snacks!!

jayz826

I second everything that @andreachidester mentioned with the addition of: roasted chickpeas, tuna, oatmeal and peanut butter, protein balls (oats, cocoa powder, nut butter, honey, dark chocolate chips, flax seeds, etc), Belvita biscuits... meals are a little trickier, but stuffed peppers, lettuce wraps, coconut chicken curry, and sweet potato tacos are all relatively easy

sharondesfor935

Make a batch of something chili-ish or curry-ish one day a week, and parcel it into single serve containers or Ziploc bags. One day with pasta or quinoa, one day on top of salad, one day with rice and vegetables...just don't eat it more than two days in a row or you'll be sick of it before it's gone. Most chilis and curries are freezable, so throw two baggies of each batch in the freezer and in a month you'll have four different choices to rotate for finals week so you don't have to cook.

Now for more questionable ideas:

If you have roommates (who are both amenable and reliable...which is a whole 'nother thing), could you set up a cooking rotation for two or three days a week, so you have a shared dinner a few times every week?

Ask your parents for a slow cooker for your birthday...gifts of the gods there.

And/or ask for a Magic Bullet. Smoothies, if you have a decent blender, are a very fast meal replacement on those days when you've only got a bit of time between classes. Green smoothies, fruit smoothies, whatever. Hide your vegetables in the smoothies.

JohnnytotheB

Everyone is giving great suggestions/ideas!

I also like popcorn, and not the microwave bag kind! Get an air popper or in your kitchen do it the old fashioned way with a little oil and kernels! At around 35 calories per cup it's a great snack! BTW, no butter! You can pop up a ton and save it for later. I found it will last up to a week in a bag or bowl.

I also like a seltzer water - with no chemicals, additives, preservatives, sugars, calories. Just carbonated water. It feels like you are cheating without the weight gain of soda. I add real flavors like slices of lime, lemon and cherries, etc. I buy the Polar brand and sometimes the Kroger brand but the Kroger brand has a touch of salt.


I also make these protein balls. They are oatmeal, flax, peanut butter and honey - that's it. Some people add chocolate, etc but I like it basic. At 100 calories a serving, they are a little calorically dense but really filling.


You like fruit so you should always have your favorites in reach in a bowl.

Someone mentioned smoothies which are also a great idea. You have the full kitchen and if there is a blender, you can make up a big batch and pour that into several cups. I reuse glass peanut butter jars or ball jars that I got at a rummage sale for around a quarter and fill those up! My smoothies are basic with banana, pineapple, kale, spinach, chickpeas or kidney beans. I will also add seasonal items like blueberries, raspberries, cherries, grapes and whatever else. The smoothie is very forgiving! I even have put the broccoli stems into it and it's great! Some people add peanut butter (but I don't like that). I use the beans mainly chickpeas for the protein. The only thing that is really not good IMO is grapefruit and orange. Something with the citrus stuff doesn't go well!

mc12884

hi! im going to add you so that i can follow your journey! im starting my weight loss journey when i return to school so this thread is really helpful!