Sometimes it’s like they salivate at the swish of the automatic doors of the grocery store. College students are some of the hungriest people I’ve had the opportunity to meet (meaning I have never met a poor, starving child). A grocery store is the most idealistic utopia for a college student. Think about it, there are at least 16 aisles full of food–anything one could possibly crave–and there are displays to hide behind while darting through the aisles in a game of hide-and-seek for those moments when students wish they were back in elementary school with less worries, especially financial worries.
These fiscal obstacles can make going to the grocery store a depressing experience. A carton of strawberries: about $3 to $4. Fresh fish: out of the question. And don’t even think about that $10 sushi carton. A bag of chips (well, half a bag since half of our payment goes to air): about $5. Dark chocolate: always more than milk chocolate.
Besides the occasionally high prices for the little things we love, shopping for one is more of a challenge than shopping for four. Timing is a problematic factor. Sometimes a person with a more modest appetite and varying flavor cravings doesn’t go through a whole pack of cold cut turkey before it goes bad or a whole bag of lettuce and salad trimmings. Even one pack of bread can go bad before it’s devoured.
Here are a few suggestions about food products you can buy that will last through the long haul and serve multiple purposes.
Premade Salad
This idea came from firsthand learning. A bag of lettuce along with cucumbers, carrots, and bell peppers didn’t last long enough to be eaten. Salad every single night can get a little tiring, especially for those lazy nights after long, hectic school days when the last thing you want to do is pick up a knife and slice those juicy peppers, then wash the cutting board and knife.
Publix sells decently sized premade salads in a few varieties. They’re in containers you can reseal. My favorite has lettuce, bell peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, and even scallions. The best part is you can eat this one big salad as-is, or you can use the lettuce to stuff in sandwiches or wraps, along with scallions (which add a nice perky flavor) and any other vegetables provided. I love slicing up the tomatoes with some olives and tossing it with pasta. Get creative!
Banana Peppers
These pickle-hinted peppers are absolutely delicious, and they’re fantastic in sandwiches. They add a kick of flavor to turkey sandwiches and you can even use them in nachos. These peppers will last a long while in the jar if you keep them in the fridge after opening.
Olives
These are pretty versatile. Slice them up and toss them with almost any pasta recipe, use them as a topper for pizza or salad. You can even get a small container of them with a lid you can reseal to keep them fresher longer. They’re even delicious when combined with carrots just for a light snack.
Turkey or chicken meat
There are many dishes you can make with ground turkey meat (a healthier alternative to beef as it has less fat) or chicken. Ground turkey meat can be sautéed in a pan and seasoned to add to stir-fry or put into a zesty marinara sauce perfect for pasta – leftover marinara sauce can also be topped on bread or bagels, toasted with cheese to melt on top and you have a makeshift pizza.
If you’re only cooking for one, separate your meat into smaller sections before sticking the package in the freezer. Then you can take out a small amount at a time to defrost instead of having to make more food at one time.
Bakery bread
This can be done right if you keep it in the fridge rather than leaving it on the counter. It’s thought of as being way more expensive than packaged bread, and yes, you get more bread usually in the bread aisle than the bakery. However, bakery bread is great quality and can be utilized in meals that really amp up the flavor. The Publix bakery sells half-loafs in addition to full loafs, and the price never exceeds $4. There are different varieties for all times of the day that make tasty toast, sandwiches, and garlic bread. Dip a slice in soup for extra texture, too.
Frozen vegetables and chicken patties
These last a significant amount of time, so you don’t have to worry about fresh vegetables (which are a bit steeper in price) going bad before you can cook them. Grocery stores carry all different varieties for any style dish you could come up with. Chicken patties or chicken nuggets are great options to make by themselves, or with fries, potatoes, and pasta. Put them in a sandwich or slice them up and put them in a salad for a chicken salad. There are also vegetarian patty options that are delicious. Check out Morning Star in the Frozen Food section.
It all comes down to planning. When meandering through the rising shelves and well-kept displays think about how quickly you can go through a food item before it goes bad, so you don’t waste. There are plenty of ingredients that have multiple functions so you can spice up your diet!
Get creative!