Trying to balance school, work and social activities can be daunting, especially when you have to make time to prepare food for yourself in order to stay energized. This year, I clustered my classes into Tuesdays and Thursdays, with the majority of my classes being on Thursday. I am on campus from 9:40 AM to 9:00 PM and can get pretty hangry in between classes. As I try to be a responsible adult and eat out less, I have started packing and preparing my lunch the night before.
Breakfast
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Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I assure you, even if you’re in a hurry to your morning class these overnight night oats will keep you full and energized.
What you will need:
1. A mason jar or any Tupperware you may have
2. ⅓ cup of milk (or a non-dairy alternative)
3. ½ cup of plain Greek yogurt
4. ⅓ cup of rolled oats
5. ½ cup of fruit!
Add everything together into your preferred container and put in the fridge overnight. You can also add some honey, chia seeds or flax seeds if you would like. If you’re not an oatmeal person or do not like it’s consistency you can always blend it up and make it a smoothie. If you prefer to make a smoothe place the overnight oats into the fridge without the milk as the oats will soak them up. Instead, use 1 cup of milk in the morning once everything is inside the blender for a more smoother texture.
It’s that easy to never skip breakfast again.
Snack #1
By this time, I’m running to my class just as my first class has ended. I need a little pick me up to hold me over until my next gap. For something quick, eat a granola bar. If you have a little more time you can pack some sliced apples and peanut butter.
Lunch
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Lunch is my favorite meal of the day. It’s how you know you’re halfway done and it’s almost time for you to go home. My go to lunch to pack is fried rice.
What you will need:
1. 1 cup of cooked white rice, brown rice, cauliflower rice or quinoa, just pick a grain
2. 2 eggs (optional)
3. Mixed veggies*
4. Cooked chicken, seafood or veggie alternative*
5. Soy sauce*
6. Salt and Pepper*
*to your heart’s content
Heat up the pan with oil on the stove pot and add your rice. Let it heat up for a bit then make a little hole in the middle of the rice and pour the eggs. Once your egg is almost cooked mix it with the rest of the rice, add your protein and veggies. Add salt, pepper and soy sauce.
You can always make more rice in order to have a quick lunch for the rest of the week.
Snack #2
I absolutely love eating tangerines as a snack. They’re easy to carry and the skins are great for compost!
Dinner
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PASTA! Pasta is one of the easiest meals to make ahead and you can either make it simple or fancy it up with veggies or meats. There are also so many types of pasta to choose from. From penne to rotini, the possibilities are endless.
What you will need:
1. Cooked pasta of your choice
2. Sauce of your choice
Easy, right? You can keep a batch of plain cooked pasta in the fridge and cook portions of it with different sauces throughout the week. You can also add spinach, broccoli, chicken, shrimp, anything you want really.
In order to be successful in college, you need to take care of your body. Skipping meals because you are too busy should not be normalized. Your body and wallet will thank you for prepping your meals in advanced.