Grad school diet plan?!

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stop_stopping
stop_stopping Posts: 11 Member
in Recipes
Hey guys! I'm starting grad school in minus 2 hours and I will be attending it full-time. I will also have a 15 hr a week internship on top of working full-time. Needless to say...I won't have a lot of extra time on my hands! I was wondering if anyone had any really good cook-ahead style meals that I can eat on the go that aren't super basic like smoothies and salads etc. I was thinking about maybe cooking 2 meals on sunday that can last a week and just going back and forth between them..like chili, quiche, etc. Things that will hold well in the fridge and are relatively easy to prepare...I don't even know where I'm going with this-- does anyone have any ideas?

A lot of my current dieting habits revolve around me cooking at home and I LOVE cooking / preparing my own food. I eat canned food too and often incorporate into my diet but I get a CSA box and more often than not am working with fresh fruits and veggies. I do enjoy meat but I can leave or take it-- I'm not one of those with a need for meat but i also love eating meat lol. Basically, I don't have many dietary restrictions but I'm leaning towards a vegetarian based diet, a flexitarian, I guess?

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  • aynhagenbarth
    aynhagenbarth Posts: 75 Member
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    Congratulations! I'm starting my second of year of grad school and I like to do the same thing. I usually make a hamburger/veggie soup that lasts all week It's super easy and tastes delicious.

    Ground Turkey (browned with onions, garlic, salt pepper, etc)
    green cabbage (chopped)
    zucchini
    one can green beans
    one can black beans (optional)
    2 cans italian stewed tomatoes (these add a lot of flavor)
    beef broth
    bay leaf
    really whatever veggies you want it's a very flexible recipe the ones I listed are just my favorites


    so you just brown the meat, and add the veggies and broth and let it simmer for about 30 minutes add salt and pepper to taste
  • aynhagenbarth
    aynhagenbarth Posts: 75 Member
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    this is easily made without the ground turkey I just add extra black beans and even garbonzo beans
  • jenn6784
    jenn6784 Posts: 2
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    I am also starting grad school at University of Michigan... this is going to be interesting but I plan to stick with my exercise program and diet.. I have come too far to let myself go again!
  • hobbitgeekgirl
    hobbitgeekgirl Posts: 30
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    I was not in grad school, but was trying to hold down school, full time work, and a start up business (as well as the family life). The crockpot was my friend - still use it in fact. I got one of the three crock beasties (they are smaller crocks so great if you only have one or two people - or one or tow servings you are putting together). This way you could throw in everything before heading out to do weekend running/homework/etc. then have a cooked meal and possibly two others ready to dish out for the fridge?
    My faves for this are (these are all supposed to be two servings each):

    Mexican chicken (can have with instant rice or corn tortillas - whichever you prefer)
    Two frozen chicken breasts
    half a jar of salsa (16 oz jar I think, not the smallest and not the jug sized)
    water - until just enough to finish covering the chicken
    One chunky cut bell pepper (green, red, yellow, doesn't matter)
    Two dashes of chili powder (can adjust for how spicy you like things)
    Layer these things in the order they are here - cook on low for at least 7.5 hours
    Drain off liquid (can use liquid to make the instant rice for more flavor)
    Add Velveeta caso blanco (about 1/4 or 1/3 a large loaf) and stir and chop up the chicken with the spoon
    Once this is melted stir again and it is ready to serve or portion out into tupperwear

    Cheesey Chicken (I serve this with Perrogies - you can nuke them quickly)
    Two chicken breasts
    half can cream mushroom
    half can cream of chicken
    1 cup milk
    pepper
    cook on low 7.5 to 8 hours
    turn down heat and add 2 cups of 2% motzarella
    If you are storing this one to eat later, portion out the chicken and cream sauce in to two containers and just put 1 cup of cheese on top of each (adjust for taste if you don't want it as cheesey) and it will melt down when you re-heat it. I would cook the perrogies seperatelly then mix together before eating.

    This also works well for chili and (although you are not as big on the meat) steak with canned potatoes (and mushtrooms - just add a packet of Onion soup and add broth until it is covered).
  • JessG11
    JessG11 Posts: 345 Member
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    Fellow graduate student who also works full time and has to consider my fiance as well. I can get stuff to the almost cooked point and he'll finish but his skills are pretty basic ;). Best things I can suggest: crock pot and food saver. If I plan properly, I can cook stuff in a crock pot and then separate and have in food savor packages and freeze. It works for me. Good luck!
  • celadontea
    celadontea Posts: 335 Member
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    I've been making all of my meals on the weekend for the past two weeks because I go to work full time and school most nights of the week. It has been amazingly helpful and my nights are totally free now. I am finding "Happy Herbivore" recipes to be very useful. Also do a search for "Meal Prep Mondays" or "Meal Prep Monday Recipes". This will let you in on a ton of meal ideas. First, make a chart with all your meals. Think ahead what you can eat a couple times a week. Buy only the groceries you need for each meal & snacks.
  • M_from_PA
    M_from_PA Posts: 4 Member
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    When I was in graduate school (especially when I was writing my dissertation), I made pesto every Sunday and froze it in ice cube trays. Then, each day for lunch, I would boil some whole wheat pasta, drain the water (keep the pasta in the hot pan), throw in one of the pesto cubes, stir, and eat right out of the pan. I wasn't on a diet, but this routine didn't cause weight gain. (I found being busy also kept me attentive to a schedule, so I also went to the gym regularly in between writing and teaching.) You can also prepare it ahead of time, throw in some veggies, and have it as pasta salad.
  • JessG11
    JessG11 Posts: 345 Member
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    Fellow graduate student who also works full time and has to consider my fiance as well. I can get stuff to the almost cooked point and he'll finish but his skills are pretty basic ;). Best things I can suggest: crock pot and food saver. If I plan properly, I can cook stuff in a crock pot and then separate and have in food savor packages and freeze. It works for me. Good luck!

    I have two crock pots so I can have more meals going at once.
  • JessG11
    JessG11 Posts: 345 Member
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    I've been making all of my meals on the weekend for the past two weeks because I go to work full time and school most nights of the week. It has been amazingly helpful and my nights are totally free now. I am finding "Happy Herbivore" recipes to be very useful. Also do a search for "Meal Prep Mondays" or "Meal Prep Monday Recipes". This will let you in on a ton of meal ideas. First, make a chart with all your meals. Think ahead what you can eat a couple times a week. Buy only the groceries you need for each meal & snacks.

    I'll check that out!!!
  • Snow3y
    Snow3y Posts: 1,412 Member
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    flexible dieting ftw
  • jen4relient22
    jen4relient22 Posts: 46
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    i'm in grad school, and have found that making a big meatloaf on sunday gives me plenty of food for lunches/dinners during the week. also sloppy joes! made with lean meats these aren't really that unhealthy.
  • singer201
    singer201 Posts: 560 Member
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    I make a crustless quiche (use any recipe you like) for a 400 calorie, low-carb meal. It takes a few minutes to prepare, about 45 minutes to bake. It keeps in the fridge for the 6 days it takes to use it up--I have it for breakfast every day, warmed up 45-60 seconds in the microwave. Good cold, too.

    I also make 6 or so hard-boiled eggs at a time and keep them in the fridge. Easy to add to a salad or a lunch box, or for deviled eggs or egg salad sandwiches.

    If you like sweet potatoes, bake one or two in the oven anytime you cook a casserole, meat dish, etc., takes about an hour at 350-400F. Peel and store whole in a container in the fridge (keeps about a week)--warm up a portion about a minute in microwave.

    When I was still working, I'd make a couple of favorite recipes on the weekend, portion in containers, and freeze. I then had a variety of healthy frozen entrees to form the base of my work dinner.
  • stop_stopping
    stop_stopping Posts: 11 Member
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    These are all amazing ideas! When I had 2 jobs I used to crock-pot a lot but I had completely forgotten about it. I think I'm going to crock something sunday nights and wednesday mornings. Thank you guys for all the great recipes and ideas! (I will definitely be working down the list here)

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