Meal Prepping Tips for Students
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard college students complain that they never have enough time to cook healthy meals or that they’re too busy with their studies to prepare healthy food. This is understandable – after all, who has time to plan for all six of their food groups every day?
This article will offer some meal prepping tips so you don’t find yourself skipping your morning oatmeal because you’re running out the door in the morning. Forty-five minutes is all you need to get a healthy meal prepped and on your table for the day!
1. Fall Back On
McDonald’s will never fail to serve a large breakfast, and they will always be open after 11 am. They are filled with junk food, but they will do the trick when it comes to making sure you have something in your belly from time to time! If you’re sick of home-cooked lunches, go back to McDonald’s for a quick lunch.
2. Start With Your Dessert
Your favorite dessert can quickly become a healthy breakfast when paired with whole-grain cereal or skim milk. I love to bake cookies, so I do a lot of my baking at night. My favorite way to work dessert into breakfast is by eating my homemade cookies with some whole-grain cereal that’s been topped with skim milk and honey.
3. Get Creative
I don’t know about you, but I get sick of eating the same thing every day for breakfast. A great solution? Make a list of things you love and make your breakfast based on the foods on the list! Anything from pancakes to warm muffins can make great breakfasts; just make sure to watch portion sizes and avoid foods like syrup and fried meats (bacon, sausage links, etc.)
4. Grab a Snack
If you’re in a bind for time, grab a snack from the vending machine. You can do this for a week or two until you run out of snacks and, and I find it is easier to make healthy snacks from whole-grain cereals and milk.
5. Keep Them Frozen
I keep my oatmeal in the freezer, so I don’t have to eat it right after making it! Not only does this make my oatmeal last longer, but also, my oatmeal doesn’t get soggy after sitting in the fridge overnight!
6. Keep It Fresh
I hate the texture of dry cereal, and most mornings, I opt for fresh fruit instead of cereal when making breakfast. Fruit is a great way to break your morning routine and eat something healthy for breakfast!
7. Warm It Up
If you’ve eaten lots of frozen oatmeal in the morning, warmed-up leftover oatmeal can make a quick and healthy breakfast that will give you more energy throughout the day. I like to heat some oatmeal on my stove and then eat it with a spoon!
8. Pack It Away
I know it sounds like a lot of work, but this will keep you from skipping lunches and dinners because you’re too busy eating leftovers from breakfast. I prefer to put my meals into Tupperware containers, so I have a wide range of food to choose from when packing for lunch! Anything from muffins, cookies, mashed potatoes, etc., can be kept in a Tupperware in the fridge and eaten throughout the week.
9. Keep it One Serving Size
Before you eat a plate of cereal, make sure to measure out only one serving size to avoid overeating at once! If you make too much oatmeal or cereal at once, you’ll get sick of eating it before the week is over.
10. Enjoy reliable delivery service
From a brand new perspective, nothing feels better than having a plan for something before it happens. If you need breakfast for tomorrow morning, try having it delivered to your door. You can consider any service like Home Chef to try on delivery. Of course, you’ll have to get up a few hours early to have it there, but sometimes that is worth it.
How to eat healthy on a budget?
It may seem impossible to eat healthy on a budget, but it doesn’t have to be. You can find plenty of healthy foods at discount stores and bulk stores, and you will rarely spend more than $10 for a week’s worth of goods.
Here’s how:
- Shop at Discount and Bulk Stores: I know you don’t like shopping at these stores, but they carry tons of healthy foods you can prepare in your dorm room! I love shopping at places like Aldi and Costco because the food is affordable and fresh!
- Make a Weekly Shopping List: Take a look at your weekly budget and figure out which items you can get for the lowest price. For example, if you have a budget of $10 per week, you can get an extra 16 ounces of milk for about $0.65 per week!
- Buy in Bulk When You Can: I BUY EVERYTHING IN BULK when I want to save the most money on the least amount of food possible! You can quickly get 20 pounds of rice for $10 (about $0.24 per pound) from a place that sells all their rice in bulk. Bulk bins are indeed a blessing because you can choose what you need and spend as little as possible on the rest.
- Buy Fresh Food When You Can: I recommend buying fresh produce at a local farmer’s market or CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) box. The food will be expensive, but your food will last longer if you buy it fresh instead of frozen! I usually buy canned beans whenever I go to the store because they’re cheaper than other canned vegetables, and they taste great!
- Buy Produce in Season and Local Foods: Producing local foods will be the most expensive part of your grocery costs, but they will be worth it. I recommend buying fruits and vegetables in season because you’ll get the freshest produce at the lowest price.
Conclusion
Meal preparation is the key to healthy eating because it doesn’t make you feel like you’re dieting. You can easily make tons of food for cheap and store it in the fridge to eat whenever you feel like it. It’s great to know you can always have food around because life gets busy, and it’s hard to prep and cook meals regularly.