I enjoy cooking and try to make homemade meals when I can, but as a busy college student, it’s not always feasible — especially when I have to use the dorm kitchen. Most of my meals are made in the microwave (not frozen microwavable meals), so I eat something that isn’t too far off from homemade. But even that can become a hassle. To make things easier, I usually get fast food from different restaurants around campus. The problem with fast food is that I never seem to feel full from what I order, which is a lot from some places.
In order to find more filling and “healthier” combinations, I decided to try “hacking” my foods. I always saw infographics on how to transform fast food meals into multiple dishes so that you are getting more food. For instance, if you order a chipotle burrito bowl (or their salad bowl, which is fantastic) and get the free tortilla, you can use half of the bowl to make a burrito (for a lot less than they sell them for) and still have leftovers to put into another tortilla or mix with salad. I’ve done this several times and let me tell you, I’m full after the first burrito and the leftovers are great with a salad.
Another hack I’ve discovered is asking for a side salad with your chicken nuggets at Chic-Fil-A. I usually get a higher count of nuggets to save the leftovers for later and cut a handful of the nuggets up to put into the salad. I like this hack because I get something to eat healthily and then indulge in nuggets later on. You can use this same idea while eating at Cook Out. Order a chicken strip tray and whatever sides you’d like! One chicken strip is enough for one salad as long as you have salad mix on hand. That’s around three meals if you plan it right!
Fast food is really convenient for college students but sometimes isn’t the healthiest or the cheapest. By hacking the fast-food orders, you get something that is delicious, sustainable and wallet-friendly. Give any of these hacks a try or find a way to hack your favorite fast food restaurant!