I think we can all agree that dining hall food gets old very fast. Although we are pretty much stuck with it for most, if not all of our meals we can still try to fuel our bodies with some feel good foods in our dorms. I know it’s hard to go grocery shopping and spend time, which most of us do not even have these days, making food and shopping. Sometimes though, taking the extra step to go to the store to stock up on some foods to make snacks out of in your dorm is worthwhile.
I have compiled a list of easy and healthy snacks for college students to make in their dorms or apartments. The whole broke college student personnel is so real, so these are ideas of snacks where most of the food lasts a long time or is packaged in large quantities.
1) Rice cake with nut butter
This is one of my personal favorites because it works perfectly as a rushed breakfast or a midday snack. My typical go-to nut butter is almond butter but you can use sunflower butter, peanut butter, Nutella, or any other spread you like or have readily in your room. In terms of the rice cake, I love the chocolate ones but you can also choose from plain, salted, caramel, or cheddar. This snack holds me over until my next meal without leaving me feeling uncomfortably full.
2) Fruit nachos
I used to make this all the time using apples at home and totally forgot how easy it is to make at school. We get apples and bananas for free at the dining hall, or you can get any fruit of your choosing at the store. All you have to do is cut up the fruit you are using, and top it off with whatever you like. Personally, I like to drizzle almond butter and honey, and sprinkle granola that I have in my room on top but you can really customize this snack the way you love with whatever you have at your convenience.
3) Vegetables and hummus
This one is pretty self-explanatory. I know that it is especially difficult at college to access fresh vegetables, but even buying a bag of baby carrots from the grocery store and a tub of hummus is a great snack to have at hand in your room and it will last you a long time.
4) Yogurt bowl
This snack is very versatile. I am a big fan of Greek yogurt, so I have a tub that I keep in my fridge. I will typically drizzle honey and peanut butter over my yogurt and throw in granola, cereal, and fruit, whether it’s a banana I cut up from the dining hall or berries I got from the store. I love this snack because I can make it with any food I have laying around my room, and improvise with additional toppings.
5) Cheese quesadilla
Best for last, of course. This is one of my all-time favorite late-night snacks, post-going-out snacks, or makeshift dinners. I have a huge pack of tortillas I keep in the fridge because they last such a long time. Personally, I love shredded cheddar cheese so I keep a bag of it in my fridge at all times but any kind of shredded cheese you like works. All you have to do is throw the tortilla and cheese in the microwave for thirty seconds, and you have a delicious snack, or even meal, that you made in less than five minutes.
The food we put in our bodies is so often reflected in our moods and it is so important to be able to have a couple of foods to rely on even if it means taking the extra step. It is not always easy for busy college students to go out of their way to make their own food, but I encourage you to do it once in a while anyway. These are just a few ideas of fast, and relatively healthy snacks for you to make yourself so you can have at least some control over the food you eat every now and then.