Help me make a grocery list? College student?

goodbyefreshman15
goodbyefreshman15 Posts: 71
in Food and Nutrition
Hey guys! So, ramen noodles, easy mac, and spagettios w/snacks like pop-tarts are fitting into my calories okay... but they're killing my macros and leaving me STARVING. I need to think of some inexpensive snack ideas :) and preferably some inexpensive meals, but I'm not too, too concerned.

I was thinking I need to buy a healthy cereal, milk, and oatmeal for breakfast-y things.
Lunch.. maybe some sandwich stuff? Or easy mac. ;)
Dinner.. spagettios?!
And for snacks, maybe.. I have absolutely no idea. Healthy AND inexpensive? Is it possible?

Replies

  • JaniePapageorgio
    JaniePapageorgio Posts: 142 Member
    Try this easy stuff :) Microwave veggi chips that are way easy, healthy, and waaaaay less expensive than buying at the health food store. http://lukespook.hubpages.com/hub/How-to-make-vegetable-chips

    Also, fruit. Good luck!
  • DJHudgins
    DJHudgins Posts: 172
    Do you have easy access to refrigeration? Also, what are your likes and dislikes?
  • goodbyefreshman15
    goodbyefreshman15 Posts: 71
    Do you have easy access to refrigeration? Also, what are your likes and dislikes?

    I have a refrigerator in my room and a full kitchen downstairs :)
    And I really don't have many dislikes. I'm not a picky eater! But I do love veggies, fruits, and things. I'm not a huge fan of super salty things.
  • Rachelc1992
    Rachelc1992 Posts: 246 Member
    Make some freezer meals :) home made ones!! So like a lasagne and cut it into portions.
    Make a big batch of meatballs and freeze leftovers for next meal.
    Fruit?

    I'm from the uk so not sure if prices are same with u :)?
  • DJHudgins
    DJHudgins Posts: 172
    Well, if you like veggies then you are in luck :). A few staples I try to keep around is lettuce (by the head, you get more for your dollar :P), grape tomatoes, cheese, Dressings (Kens Steakhouse Lite dressing are fantastic), assorted veggies, Canned tuna (catch when its on sale :)), and Birdseye Steam fresh rice or veggies :). Those are just a few things I keep myself and I am on a pretty tight budget. If you want, pm me and I can give some quick and healthy meal ideas you and your man can make together and taste good :).
  • browna09
    browna09 Posts: 6
    I'm a college student as well and while my diet isn't the cleanest but, I feel like we probably have around the same budget which makes it hard. I love nutrition bars and a lot of the time they are on sell at grocery stores for a dollar each some of my favorite brands are kind, luna, and lara bars. I eat those for breakfast with a banana and a homemade sugar free soy hazelnut latte. Remember that fruits and vegetables go on sell just like everything else in the supermarket pay attention at the seasons, fruits are always cheaper when they are in season. Also apples at the supermarket were I live are like $2.99 for 12 and are a great source of fiber. Sometime frozen vegetables are cheaper then fresh ones and will some people say fresh are so much better for you, plain vegetables no matter what form are a good choice. For lunch a lot of the time I pack a good fiber rich cereal with the soy milk. Remember that you can buy off brands and non organic if that's all you can afford. With my cereal I may pack either carrot, celery, or cucumbers. For dinner I have whatever want but i try to keep the portion size down. I you want pasta be mindful of a serving and you calorie intake for the day. Also always remember that you can snack on fruits and vegetables anytime you want. As a college student I do probably eat more fast food then I should so I try to keep that down to less then one time a week and I try to eat less then 500 calories at those kinds of places. Also alcohol adds wasted calories and costs a lot of money that could be used for healthy food, try to keep drinks at a minimum so you can save money and calories. If you must drink keep it down to once a week and try a "light" beer. I hope this helps if you have anymore questions on how I'm doing this you can inbox me or look at my food diary(even though I'm not perfect this is what I try to do)
  • Torgrills
    Torgrills Posts: 103 Member
    If you're looking for snack type foods, baby carrots and ranch dressing, celery with peanut butter and raisins, no bake energy bites (easy recipe on Pinterest, much cheaper to keep the ingredients around to make instead of splurging on premade bars), trail mix, hard cheeses with whole grain crackers, protein powder and a shaker cup for quick shakes, Greek yogurt with granola, oatmeal with fresh fruit.
  • angiewf
    angiewf Posts: 171 Member
    I'm a pensioner and have to watch pennies too. I don't know if you have them in the US, but I buy a lot of my fruit and veg in our local street market. They're not the perfect size and shape and colour demanded by supermarkets, but are perfectly good. Since the stupid EU directive that we can't sell by the pound (weight), most stalls sell big bowls of fruit/veg for a pound(sterling) a bowl, which is a whole lot cheaper than supermarkets.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    Eggs. Great source of protein, quick and easy to make for breakfast, snacks, or any meal you want.
  • Phoenix150
    Phoenix150 Posts: 24 Member
    I am a college student as well. My go to snacks are natural unsalted almonds (12-15 almonds) or string cheese or a hardboiled egg or 1 tbsp peanut butter with celery. I also love adding mushrooms and spinach to my eggs in the morning to bulk it up and keep me full. Its hard to do it on a tight budget, I know, but I would say shop around or stop by the local farmers market. Sometimes buying healthy food is more costly but it also can be used for a plethora of meals. I keep my pantry list on my blog feel free to check it out. https://lardydame.blogspot.com
  • Boshnivay
    Boshnivay Posts: 74 Member
    I'm a college student as well (feel free to add me anyone!)
    I am always on the go- to the library, to class. My library has a microwave so this makes my life a little easier.
    First, get a crockpot- it basically cooks dinner FOR you while you are in class! I make soups (really simple recipes online too). I made a soup with lentils, a few tablespoons of rice, carrots, onions, celery, cabbage and veggie stock. about $7 for a pot of soup that makes about 10 meals? Awesome!
    I eat this for a day or two until I get bored of it, which brings me to my next step:
    Get small Tupperware/plastic storage containers and portion the crockpot meal out and freeze. The soup blocks make a great ice pack in a lunch box with a sandwich if you are on a trip to the library, and voila! Lunch!
    For snacks I eat nutritional bars, smartfood (idk if you have it where you are, it's basically popcorn in a bag), cheese and crackers, and nuts/trail mix.
    I also like to cook a ton of food in advance because it is so much cheaper than going out. Try making your own homemade mac and cheese and adding tuna/peas to it and even freezing in it small storage containers for "healthy" easy mac ;)
    All of this preparation DOES take time, but at the mid or end of the semester crunch you will find yourself still eating pretty healthy and quick while others live off of pizza and ramen.
    Good luck and add me!
  • Wifey7891
    Wifey7891 Posts: 91
    breakfast - old fashion oats and honey, takes 2 min in microwave and a very healthy breakfast. so cheap too, definitely good for a college budget. or yogurt and granola. equally nutritious and fast for mornings.

    lunch - tuna and whole wheat bread. peanut butter. easy to take on the go lunches. fruits for snacking or planters mixed nuts. wraps with turkey or chicken. easy to make and put in sandwich bag the night before. just grab from fridge and go.

    dinner - whole wheat pasta, ground turkey meat or chicken, pasta sauce of choice (ragu has no corn syrup). pasta is cheap and healthy, add a protein in there with it. also rice, beans and salsa. quick and very cheap meal, i also like to add some cheese if it fits in macros for the day.
  • rduhlir
    rduhlir Posts: 3,550 Member
    I would maybe look into some crockpot recipes....that will bring in some variety for dinner and give you plenty of left overs to use as lunches or fast easy dinners on nights where studying takes priority.

    Breakfast can be really anything you want it to be. It doesn't have to be cereal and milk. You can make breakfast quesadillas with cheese, chicken, and veggies (peppers, onion, mushrooms, etc...)...easy to assemble and pop in a microwave.
  • goodbyefreshman15
    goodbyefreshman15 Posts: 71
    All of these suggestions have been soooo helpful! Thanks everyone :)
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,097 Member
    I'm a pensioner and have to watch pennies too. I don't know if you have them in the US, but I buy a lot of my fruit and veg in our local street market. They're not the perfect size and shape and colour demanded by supermarkets, but are perfectly good. Since the stupid EU directive that we can't sell by the pound (weight), most stalls sell big bowls of fruit/veg for a pound(sterling) a bowl, which is a whole lot cheaper than supermarkets.

    The EU doesn't allow fresh produce to be sold by weight? Just curious -- do you know what they say they're trying to accomplish with that rule? It seems very anti-consumer.
  • angiewf
    angiewf Posts: 171 Member
    They don't say we can't sell by WEIGHT, but it has to be kilos, not good old British pounds and ounces!
  • Diamond05
    Diamond05 Posts: 475 Member
    At wal-mart they have bags of snack that I buy here (In Canada) . I buy some dried fruit, pumpkin seed, soy nuts and they go for 1,97~ 3.97 a bag and there are many portions in one bag!

    You could also buy some dried chickpeas and make your own hummus to dip veggies or pita in it.

    For meals, dried legumes again and tofu.

    Check out all the sales!
  • Bama56
    Bama56 Posts: 101 Member
    i lost over 100 lbs during my freshman year of college (currently a senior), the main thing you need to focus on is reducing the amount of processed junk in your diet (something that some find difficult while living in dorms). fresh / raw veggies, cottage cheese, plain nonfat greek yogurt are all staples for me. feel free to add me ad i would be glad to answer any specific questions you might have

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