Tips to Avoid Eating Out?

Eating at home is ALWAYS best and probably least expensive. Try taking time out on a Saturday to cook your meats... for instance bake a few chicken breast, or salmon, shrimp etc. It doesn't take long and you can do it while you study and that should be enuff to last the week! You can even freeze it too, that way you can prepare it how you want it. For example: as a sandwhich, over a salad (bag salads), with veggies. There's a host of ways to spin it.

I have the same time problems. I'm an older student (went back to college for a different degree), plus I have a job and a dog to walk. I also HATE to cook, LOL.

I eat a lot of lentils, which you can buy dried and then cook a couple of meals in advance. They take about 30 minutes to cook.
1 cup of lentils to 2.5 cups of water, bring to a boil, then cover with a lid and simmer until done.

Chop veggies ahead of time to add and keep them in containers in the refrigerator -- onions, carrots, broccoli, etc.
I add the veggies near the end, turn the heat off, leave the lid on for 5-10 minutes, and they're done.
One exception: butternut and acorn squash are great with lentils. Cook them with the lentils from the beginning.

Lots of protein, inexpensive, and easy to make. No recipes. I add salt for seasoning.

Editing to add you can get a rice cooker, cook up brown rice in advance, and add a little of that for variety.

Please don't avoid eating out!

Please don't avoid eating out!

This and when you do make sure you give a big tip.

I pack my lunch every day and carry it around in a small cooler that fits in my backpack.

I make sandwiches in sandwich thins.
I make a huge salad with lots of veggies, some meat (today is tuna) and a smidgen of flavorful things like feta, olives, and or craisins.
I have celery and dips.
I have fruit and nuts.
For really long days, I include a hot meal, either left overs or lean cuisine.

I make sure I have enough to get me through the end of the day. I have fallen short a few times and I always regret my choices when I do.

Make some weekly calendars and make stuff on it in advance, say on Sunday night. I've just started doing this, and it's amazing how much time is saved during the week.

Eat out if you have (or want) to. Just figure out the calorie amounts before you go and log it and eat ONLY that. My husband and I eat out too much (frankly) but I try to stay in my portions (unless I want to splurge).

Why avoid eating out? It is supposed to be enjoyable for everyone involved, but if you personally don't like it you should suck it up and do it anyway. Avoiding it can lead to serious repercussions with friends and loved ones and make it seem like you don't care.

So just do it.

And always remember to eat clean as possible.

Although there are healthy options for eating out, I know when I was a student it's not so easy on the wallet.

Tuna pouches are great, grab one (or two) of those, a couple slices of bread, and carrot sticks.
Leftovers from: chicken, pasta, etc. Pack them up with a fresh fruit or veggie (or both).
Sandwiches in general: cheese, meat, nut butter, egg salad, add a fruit or veggies.
Hummus, if you like it, with pita bread or crackers.
Yogurt with half a sandwich and fresh fruit.

If you have time to get back to your house and grab a quick bite of something (just not enough time to go home and cook a full meal), I would recommend getting a slow-cooker and making meals that way. Ten or fifteen minutes of prep, then your house/apartment smells awesome when you walk in the door and your healthy meal is all cooked and ready for you. Bonus? Slow cooker recipes tend to have a pretty generous yield, so you will have leftovers later on.

I also second the cafe suggestion....lots of little no-name places starting to get onboard with the local/organic movement and trying out fresh, healthy cuisine! Good luck!

I don't know why everybody's saying to go eat out as much as you want...I'm a college student currently living on my own during the summer and I'm trying my hardest to eat every meal that I can at home! Eating out makes it way more difficult to eat healthy, and I know I certainly can't afford 6-10 dollars a meal more than 1-2 times a week max when I'm having to save half to 2/3 of my paychecks.

I love my crock pot. I made some chicken chili the other day - just spent about 15-20 minutes cutting up vegetables, put them all in a crock pot with chicken and turned it on when I went to bed! When I woke up I had 6 meals waiting for me. Last time I went to the grocery store, I cut up all my lettuce, carrots, and green peppers for salads and put them in tupperware for easy salad preparation. Prepping as much as possible before you actually have to make a meal makes everything a lot easier!