People have strong opinions about college food. Whether you hate the campus food or live in the dining halls, having snacks in your room is a great way to ensure that you get food you love. Below is my list of holy-grail snacks that’ll have people raving about your dorm food in no-time.
Cereal
Cereal is a staple at home. You can eat it straight out of the bag as a snack, or maybe you decide that you want to have proper cereal for dinner. Who knows, college is weird.
Soy Milk
I’m not lactose intolerant, but it is a fact that soy milk will last longer in the fridge than cow milk. Almond milk will also last longer, usually around 7-10 days, whereas cow milk lasts 4-7 days. Soy milk is great to add to oatmeal or cereal in the mornings, mac and cheese, or if you decide to make a mug cake.
Oatmeal
I love oatmeal because you can easily make it in the mornings before class and it is a filling, healthy way to start the day. I make mine in a mug with an electric kettle that I fill up in the sink. Right now, my favorite is Quaker’s Apples and Cinnamon oatmeal because it is pre-portioned and perfectly fits in my mug! You can always buy rolled oats and make yourself overnight oats as well.
Greek Yogurt
Before writing this, I picked up 10 containers of Oikos Triple Zero blended yogurt from Giant. These are great as a quick breakfast because they have 15 grams of protein and only 6 grams of sugar! All the flavors are great, but my favorite’s banana.
Carrots
These are a super healthy snack and can easily fit in your fridge. Baby carrots are my personal jam and you can eat them by themselves, or add hummus for a god-tier snack.
Hummus
To eat with your carrots or with pita chips if you have, hummus is delicious. I typically get Sabra’s with Toasted Pine Nuts but there are so many options!
Apples
Apples are my favorite fruit, hands down. I grab a bunch from Upper or Marquis and eat them as a snack throughout the day, or add peanut butter if I want something a tad more filling. I keep a bowl in my room filled with apples and other fruit so I will always be able to have something fresh. You can always grab whatever your school offers and add it to your collection. I once swiped a whole pineapple from Lower and it was wonderful.
Dates
This is a bit out there but I usually have fresh dates in my room. Not only are they a perfect way to annoy your roommate and ask if they want to date (you), but they are also super sweet so they can satisfy cravings for something a bit more processed.
Chips
I don’t typically eat the chips that come with my meal swipes so my room has accumulated bags of chips that I feed my friends whenever they come over. My school sadly doesn’t have pretzels, so I buy that from Giant and usually have a tub of pretzel sticks to snack on.
Goldfish
Oh, to be five years old eating Goldfish as a snack before taking your nap. Oh wait, you can do that in college, too! A classic. 10/10 would snack again.
Saltines
If you ever get sick and need something to eat, Saltines will always be there for you. Paired with Gatorade, they can help you keep something in your stomach if you are having trouble keeping anything down.
Granola bars
Who doesn’t like a good granola bar? They’re a traditional staple for a reason. If you don’t have granola bars in your room I’m kind of worried. This week I bought these peanut butter bars because I was craving peanut butter.
Peanut Butter
A good addition to ramen or a sandwich, peanut butter is awesome. Peanut butter on Ritz crackers is delicious, and I have friends who say they are obsessed. Stock up on spoons and go wild.
Protein bars
My family is a Costco family, and I would normally say I love Kirkland products but the Kirkland brand protein bars are legitimately some of the worst things I have ever eaten. Instead, my family goes against the brand tends to buy these ones in bulk since we always seem to have them in the house. Are they delicious, well, kinda. Are they a good meal replacement? Well, at least you ate something. They are good as a pre or post-workout snack, though.
Puffed Rice Rolls
These are crunchy, slightly sweet, and always satisfying. You can get them at almost any grocery store!
Cup Noodles
Fun fact, my parents wouldn’t buy these for the longest time because they had so much sodium and they were right! However, these are in the ‘Just Add Water’ category of meals, so they make it to my list despite not being the healthiest. I like these because they come with a cup already so I don’t have to wash a pot and a bowl, like you would with traditional cheaper ramen packets.
Mac and Cheese
I honestly don’t like mac and cheese and I don’t get the hype, but I know plenty of people who do. Enjoy, or whatever, but please, for the love of God, put water in your mac and cheese before microwaving it. Your floormates will thank you for the lack of fire alarms.
Of course, always keep a few reusable water bottles around to reduce your plastic use and the number of empty bottles that you have to clean up. Whether you are health conscious or not, there will always be a perfect snack for you. Having healthy and filling snacks in your room is a great way to help get through the days, plus it doesn’t hurt to have snacks for friends who come over!