snack/meal ideas or suggestions for college

ncthomas09 · May 2013

Hey guys, I am 25 and will be starting back to school for my second degree next week. When i was in college the first time I lived really close to campus and my schedule was such that I didn't have to pack lunch with me or get run ragged.

I will be getting up at 6am (an hour drive to school) to be in class by 8. I will be in class from 8-12 then it's an hour drive back home, I get 30 minutes at home before driving to work which is 2:30-11. I will be getting home around 11:30.

My current eating habits will either make me balloon or starve. So does any one have suggestions of good snacks or meals to pack other than the routine piece of fruit or veggies? I've been out of the swing of things with college but I remember the less hungry I was the easier studying is!

Scubanana7 · May 2013

Look up 'quest bars'. They are AMAZING. You can buy them in some health food stores, I just order online. Get over $50 and shipping is free. They have 17 grams of FIBER. around 24 carbs and 20 grams of protein. Many of them use a type of sugar alcohol that does Not CAUSE gastric issues. Some have splenda, so I don't get those. Most are gluten free. So read the ingredients before you buy.

The coconut cashew is TO DIE FOR. Tastes like PURE CANDY! can't believe it is so good for you.

ncthomas09 · May 2013

I will have to look into them! I hate coconut so that may not be the flavor for me but I'm sure I could find something. I have found different protein bar brands I like but it honestly depends on the flavor as to which brand I buy.

tptouchdown · May 2013

I have a similar issue in that I leave for work around 5:30 AM and don't get back until 7:00. I know you won't like my answer but in the morning before I leave I pack my backpack with 3 pieces of fruit, a string cheese (or nuts), a power bar and a sandwich or ready made (weight watchers or similar around 150 cal. and watch my sodium). the trick for me is to eat something every 2 hours.

I was hungry at first, but eventually my body adjusted to this. I also always have a cup of green or black tea with me. I don't think I said anything that you don't already do, but good luck back in school!

ncthomas09 · May 2013

I don't mind the fruit and veggies...and I like the string cheese idea actually (forgot that one!) it's just that the more options I know I have the less likely I am to get bored and buy a candy bar and sabatoge myself! I have baby carrots in my fridge, apples, and been eating sandwiches with mini rice cakes. Which I have been good with so far I'm just afraid of getting bored with it over the next 4 semesters!

MalinLondon · May 2013

I always keep snacks with me but I strongly beleive in "real" food and would not make it a habit of eating bars or protein bars. My snacks normally contains of protein (quark, cottage cheese, fromage frais) which I top with small ammount of almonds with raisins, apple with cinnamon, homemade muesli, frozen berries, cashew nuts with goji berries. Stick with high protein snacks that will keep you fuller longer and keep it interesting by changing topping.

slkehl · May 2013

I survive on trail mix and peanut butter.

arenee48 · May 2013

I'm also in college and on the go from about 6:30-10 and definitely need to bring my own meals/snacks if I want to have any chance of weightloss. And it saves tons of money too! Most of these you will have to keep cold so hopefully you have a fridge or cooler available.

Snacks:
-hard boilded eggs
-"mini" sandwiches (small 100 cal flatbread with hummus + turkey)
-wheat crackers + a laughing cow cheese or a cheese stick
-cottage cheese (I often mix some grapes in and eat this for breakfast)
-dry cereal (can be kinda boring but it's good for when you want to snack on something sweet and crunchy)
-peanut butter on wheat bread
-100 cal almond packs
-greek yogurt (tons of protein and a good sweet treat)
-pretzels and hummus

Meals:
-salad with grilled chicken
-whole wheat wrap with tons of vegis (cucumbers, spinach, tomato, red peppers, etc.) and lunch meats or grilled chicken. I try to use hummus or avocado in place of mayo.
-couscous cooked the night before mixed with sauted vegis (this is great becuse it can be eaten cold, hot, or room temp)
-green giant frozen rice pilaf. I usually bring this to work and leave it in the fridge for the first half of my shift so then it thaws out during my shift and makes an easy meal that's quick to heat up

The key for me is putting everything together the night before so it's easy to simply grab my cooler and go in the morning. And if you're sick of eating pre packaged food all the time for meals try to make a few meals ahead of time on the weekend that can be kept well in the fridge that you can heat up throughout the week. Hope this helps!

weightwatcher_girl · May 2013

I'm just coming to the end of my degree and have been practically living in the library for a few weeks...this is what I did for meals/snacks:

I'd make a big batch of soup (usually butternut squash and carrot or tomato and garlic) on the Sunday, enough to last me all week. I invested about £15 in a Thermos food flask which has been great, but since you'll be at home it'd be super easy to heat it up and eat.

I would then have either melba toast or saltines with it (to dip in), but if I was at home I'd have two slices of bread with butter to go with the soup.

If I didn't fancy soup I'd make a big chicken, lemon & herb salad or sandwich, or i'd cook some cous cous the night before and have cold cous cous with tomato and roasted vegetables.

I'm a snacker and I love snacking while I'm working, for some strange reason. Over the semester I've relied on falafel balls, slightly salted tortilla chips, almonds, strawberries, hazelnuts, a square or two of dark chocolate, a toasting waffle (sadly untoasted but still delicious), grapes, a hard boiled egg cut into pieces, chicken, an apple with almond butter, shredded pork, pretzels, 'pizza crackers' (crackers which taste like pizza, amazing), string cheese, a bagel cut into pieces and dipped in Nutella, pastrami...and the occasional chocolate bar and bottle of Coke. Ooh, and strong coffee from the library's cafe for those 5am starts!

My tips: Make it as easy as you can for yourself - I particularly liked having soup because it was so easy to heat it up and go, and it's nice to have a warm lunch. I weigh everything out the night before and pack them into little snack boxes. If there's a time when you need something sugary, do it. Personally I would get cravings every now and then for white chocolate, so I'd buy a bar from the vending machine. As long as it's not an every day thing it's fine.

It gets easier when you get into it

Edit: Oh, I forgot satsumas! I've recently really started loving them, I've had 3 so far today haha

ncthomas09 · June 2013

Thanks for the tips! I most definitely don't make a habit of eating protein bars necessarily but I like to keep them around in the event that I need something right away. I have reactive hypoglycemia so it is habit for me to keep something with me at all times and a protein bar is better than a candy bar. Or sometimes I will eat one in addition to real food.

I love cheese so I will most definitely be getting some string cheese tonight when I go grocery shopping. I am all about making big batches of things. I have done that before and it worked fantastic but by the end of the week I am so tired of it it's not even funny so I may make 2 smaller batches of 2 different things so I can alternate.

I also just found out since the original post my hours at work will be changing so I won't be going home between school and work. There are 3 towns involved and it's just easier not to now. So when I pack my lunch I will most likely be packing two meals in one cooler. One for my actual lunch between school and work and one for my lunch break at work.

snack/meal ideas or suggestions for college

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