This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Leeds chapter.
As a student, it’s all too easy to eat out for most meals. Whether you grab a meal deal for lunch, order a cheeky pizza too many times a week, or head to brunch with your equally hungover friends every Sunday, these things add up. That’s why I decided to start meal prepping, which is far less scary than all these perfectly healthy people on Instagram make it seem like. As a student, I want to be healthy, but I just don’t have the time to make wonderfully aesthetic meals 24/7. Moreover, we all need a good bit of unhealthy food while studying every once in a while. Thus, here are my tips for meal prepping as a student!
- The different types of meal prep Some people like to make breakfast, lunch, and dinner for every single day of the week on Sunday night. That, however, does mean you eat the same thing every day, and you waste half of your Sunday on cooking. Moreover, I have no idea who has enough containers to successfully store fifteen meals. I prefer to not prep my breakfast and make dinner once every three days, saving the leftovers. For lunch I make four portions one day and then eat them throughout the week. Everybody’s preference is different, though, so try out what you like. Maybe you want to just prep some ingredients and then throw together meals on the day. After some experimenting, you’ll find your preferred method!
- The importance of shopping lists Some people just stroll through the supermarket, picking up whatever they want and then making meals with that. If you just spent a while making this beautiful meal plan, though, it is important to make a shopping list to make sure you don’t cave into the frozen pizza that’s somehow always on sale or just forget something you absolutely need (I once had to make a pasta bake without any pasta in the house- avoid that).
- How to enjoy cooking So many students I know hate cooking and see it as just an extra chore at the end of the day. The way I get around that, is by adding things to cooking that I enjoy. I like getting creative with the flavours and experimenting means I love the process. However, if that doesn’t make it better, you could always just play some music and have a dance around your kitchen while your food is cooking. Get in a little workout too!
- No doubt the easiest step Step five is the fun part, and my favourite step, as you now just get to enjoy the food you spent so long preparing. Have fun!