The Ultimate College Guide: Food Edition

~healthy snack and meal ideas for busy college students who want to stay full and fueled~

Below you will find snack and meal ideas using both non-perishable and refrigerated items. I understand that not everyone has access to a fridge/ mini fridge in their dorm, so please use whatever info in this guide is helpful to your specific case!

 

Remember:

When thinking about college snacks, it’s important to think about sustenance. Ultimately, foods with higher protein and/or fat and fiber will keep you satisfied longer. Then you won’t have to reach for a new snack every hour. Don’t get me wrong, I love munchy snacks like goldfish, cheez-its, and crackers too, but they don’t provide much energy. Incorporating a protein and/or healthy fats with pretzels or crackers is a great way to get that crunch you’re looking for while also providing your body with some crucial nutrients.

INSPO:

Refrigerated Food:

·      Hummus

·      Baby carrots

·      Packaged veggies that are pre-washed + cut (peppers, sugar snap peas, cucumbers)

·      pre-cut fruit (but definitely more expensive)

·      Avocado

·      Greek yogurt (Siggi’s and Chobani are great brands)

·      Sliced cheese (Buying these at a deli counter at your local store is typically cheaper)                              

·      Deli meat (turkey, ham, salami) (same as cheese, cheaper at deli counter)

·      *Bananas

·      *Apples

·      * = refrigeration optional

·      Soozy’s muffins (they come frozen but you can store them in the fridge for up to a weeks)

Non-refrigerated Items:

·      Bread and/or tortillas 

·      Oats

·      Granola

·      Crackers (ie: Simple Mills)

·      Pretzels

·      Nuts

·      Nut packs from Trader Joe’s

·      Healthy beef jerky sticks (ie: Chomps which are grass-fed/finished meats)

·      Dark chocolate 

·      Popcorn with simple ingredients (ie: Skinny Pop ) 

·      Jelly

·      Healthier ramen (ie: Mike’s Mighty Good Ramen)

·      Chia seeds

·      Natural peanut/nut butter

Bars (more expensive but quality):

·      Perfect bars (they are the cheapest at Trader Joe’s)

·      Bulletproof bars (Sam’s Club and Trader Joe’s are the best prices)

·      NuttZo bars 

·      Kind Bars 

Breakfast Ideas:

·      Oatmeal with chia seeds, peanut butter, and greek yogurt (or collagen peptides for protein)

·      Peanut butter toast with a sprinkle of chia seeds

·      Avocado toast

·      Yogurt + granola + nut butter

·      Fruit 

·      Smoothie- not for everyone and I get it is more of a pain to bring a mini blender like a nutri-bullet to school— BUT, quick breakfast to make: just add fruit (banana, frozen strawberries and frozen spinach), protein powder, chia seeds/flax seeds, nut butter, just use water or milk or yogurt

Lunch Ideas:

·     Peanut butter and jelly, peanut butter and banana, hummus & veggie, or turkey and cheese made on bread or tortilla wraps

·      Avocado toast

Snack Ideas:

·      Hummus with carrots, veggies, pretzels, or crackers 

·      Apple/banana with peanut/nut butter

·      Yogurt with fruit + granola 

·      Crackers and peanut butter (+ jelly if you’re fancy!)

·      Cheese and crackers

·      Beef jerky sticks 

·      Nuts (cashews, almonds, pistachios, whatever you like!)

·      Nuts and dark chocolate 

·      Apple, peanut butter, and dark chocolate 

Also:

·      Stasher bags are reusable silicone bags (like an upgraded ziploc bag) that are great to pack food in when you’re on-the-go: check them out here

·      Reusable and portable utensils are great too. You can throw a utensil set like this or this in your bag or backpack instead of relying on plastic utensils. Convenience and saving the earth, double win!

 

I hope this guide was helpful!