Visiting our hometowns over winter break come with a lot of strings attached, to say the least. We get to rekindle old friendships, convince family members to cook our favorite meals, and enjoy our free time—and then the semester starts and reality sets in.
When we come back to campus after break, we find ourselves in a not-so “taken-care of” state as we did when we were home. We go right back to scheduling every minute of our time and squeezing in a snack or frozen meal when we can. It feels like we must, right?
WRONG!!! Ever since getting back on campus full-time after winter break, I have made it a priority to fuel my body with the energy it needs to get through the brutally cold season (even though my family isn’t playing chef for me). Here are the two keys to not getting hungry after the holidays are done and the leftovers have all disappeared!
1. meal prep
It isn’t as hard as social media makes it look. It can be as simple or elaborate as you want. What I do is dedicate my Sundays to preparing for the week with the meal-prepping listed below:
- Cooking meat & freezing for quicker cooking
- Writing out meals for the week
- Pre-assemble & package sandwiches (this is great for on the go!)
- Buy in bulk & ration out to save $$$
- Boil eggs for a quick breakfast food or an easy protein on salads
- Cut up vegetables when you get them to save time and space
- Canned goods are great for recipes and hardly expire
2. good leftover recipes
The first yummy-looking recipe you see isn’t always going to be the most practical option. Try some of these easy-to-cook meals at home that will leave you with leftovers JUST like the holidays:
- sloppy joe & pulled pork meat for sandwiches
- chili (check out last weeks “White Chicken Chili Recipe”)
- seasoned ground beef for tacos, nachos, etc.
- lunch meat sliders
- pasta salad
- cheese ball
- chip dips (find great recipes everywhere)
- casserole recipes always make a TON of servings