I’ve always been the type of person who wants to have the matching bento boxes and live in the TikTok fridge restock videos with their glass containers of juice and satisfying clear boxes of produce. But as a sophomore in college — that’s just not possible.
Growing up, my parents always valued having balanced and thought out meals. Since living on my own, I’ve begun to value that too. I’m taking inspiration from my mom in planning out what meals I’m making for the week and surveying what I already have so I don’t overspend at the grocery store. I also took the inspiration from my parents to go grocery shopping on Sundays to aid with my “Sunday Reset”.
It helps that I have an adorable “Meal Plan” chart for the week, but I love filling it out every Sunday. It breaks down the plan by day and then by meal. I continuously have the same breakfasts every week: my yogurt bowl or English muffins and an egg scramble. For lunches throughout the week, I either have salads with chicken that’s already pre-portioned or leftovers. I used to be a huge leftover hater, but since I’ve gotten older I see the beauty in its ease. Dinners are where I go a little rogue.
I have a lot of go-to ideas for dinner (typically in bowl form), but this is also where I love to try out new ideas and new techniques. My sister, roommate, and I have weekly “roomie dinners,” so that makes our dinners more fun and engaging for all of us. We take turns cooking each week and it gives us all something to look forward to.
Since I don’t have the means to organize my fridge in the way I would like or to buy purely organic groceries, I have to make do with what I have. So, I have some staples that I use to make my week run smoother and healthier.
- Pre-bagged salads – don’t knock on bagged salads until you’ve tried one! They are fast, easy, and honestly quite good if you put some chicken in it to beef it up. Trader Joe’s bagged salads are the best (in my opinion).
- Pickled onions – I originally bought a pre-made pickled onion container from Sprouts, but once I ran out of the original product, I reused the brine and cut my own red onions. It works just as well. I love pickled onions on everything! They add a crunch, acidity, and sweetness to any dish to heighten it.
- Cucumbers, baby carrots, and hummus – I think it’s a necessity for me to have some kind of hummus lying around in my fridge, but lately I’ve been loving the Trader Joe’s olive tapenade hummus. After a long day of classes I enjoy coming back to my apartment, kicking off my shoes, and going straight to the fridge for a quick snack. Some veggies and crackers with any kind of hummus is my favorite go-to.
- Yogurt – I go through food fixations (sometimes borderline obsessive) and I’ve been in my yogurt phase for a few years now. It’s a quick protein and calcium source, plus you can customize it every time you use it. It’s typically my go-to breakfast if I’m not at work with my overnight oats or if I’m not having peanut butter banana English muffins with scrambled eggs.
- Eggs – Like I said prior, eggs are one of my go-tos for breakfast. I also love utilizing eggs when it’s near the end of the week and my fridge content is running low. I add some roasted veggies or hashbrowns and make an egg scramble for meals. It’s a really easy way to finish off the random produce hanging around in your fridge or freezer.
- Staple fruits – for me, it’s blueberries, apples, bananas, and frozen fruit (for my overnight oats). I’m a firm believer that just because fruit or vegetables are frozen, that doesn’t mean they aren’t just as healthy as fresh produce. I especially think that as a student in college, frozen fruits and vegetables are essential.
To make my weeks easier, I typically meal prep my lunches on Sunday after the grocery store. It frees up my day so that I’m not spending loads of time wondering about what I’m going to eat for lunch, and it saves me money!
It’s a pain to wash your fresh produce beforehand and to cut all your veggies right away, but I promise later-you will thank you. I also pre-batch cold brew to last me throughout the week. I use Dunkin Donuts ground coffee (I’m currently loving the blueberry muffin flavor) in my cold brew contraption, and it only takes about 24 hours to diffuse.
I will admit I’ve fallen off the wagon a little bit near the end of this semester, but I’m finding my way back to that level of productivity. It has been a total game changer for me, and I love finding new ways to expand my palate and master my meals!