Coming into college, we were convinced that we would be eating ramen, microwaveable foods, and just overall unhealthy meals all the time. After having plenty of people tell me college was all about Easy Mac and microwavable foods, I was prepared for the worst. However, I realized quickly that this wouldn’t be the case if I was smart about the choices that I made.
Eating clean is important for your body and mind, especially when you are away from home and under large amounts of stress in a college environment. Whether you are eating at the dining hall, or buying and making your own meals, here are 5 clean, affordable, and easy meals perfect for the ~health conscious collegiette~.
1. Chicken
Whether it’s grilled chicken from the dining hall, rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, or chicken that you choose to cook yourself, it will definitely be an affordable and filling meal.
Grilled chicken with broccoli, carrots, and onions is a great option for dinner! You can even throw in some cherry tomatoes, or have butternut squash on the side to add more vegetables to your dish. To spice things up you can add brown rice, tofu, or quinoa for a healthy carb.
2. Avocado Toast
We all love avocado, and we all love toast – so there’s nothing better than combining the two to make some avocado toast for breakfast or lunch! The dining hall has endless amounts of bread and almost always has avocado at the salad bar. This is also an easy meal for those who have kitchens in their apartments, townhouses, or beach houses.
We love making a sunny side up egg or adding a hardboiled egg on our toast for some added protein. As for seasoning, a little salt, pepper, chili flakes, or even sesame seeds will always do the trick.
3. Yogurt, Acai Bowls, Oatmeal
We love having vanilla Greek yogurt for breakfast. Yogurt is so affordable and easy, which is what makes it so appetizing. You can even get creative and add strawberries, blueberries, some granola, or even drizzle some honey on top for extra flavor. Oatmeal is also super easy to make and can be made right in your dorm room – super convenient!
Lastly, our favorite: acai bowls. They are filled with so many fruits and veggies, that you forget these bowls are ~actually healthy~ for you. Acai bowls with strawberries, blueberries, coconut, pitaya, mango, or kale are an awesome meal to have on your busiest days!
4. Hummus
Hummus is always a great late-night snack option that won’t make us feel guilty. Some people like eating humus by itself, but we prefer pairing it with carrots, celery, or pretzels. If you have appropriate portions, hummus can be a great light and easy-to-make snack for when you have a late-night craving or are rushing to class!
5. Salad
There are so many stereotypes that say that because salads are healthy, they don’t taste good. But that doesn’t have to be the case! For lunch, you can eat a salad made of mixed greens, shredded carrots, chickpeas, grilled chicken, cucumbers, tomatoes, and feta or goat cheese. For extra flavor, you can throw in fruits like strawberries, mangoes, blueberries, or nuts.
Of course you have to watch out with the dressing because they can contain lots of sugar, but you can never go wrong with some balsamic, lemon, or oil and vinegar! You can even try tuna salad, chicken salad, or fruit salad for lunch. Your options when it comes to salad are unlimited, so you can get creative!