For some people, the hardest part of going to college is the adjustment to new classes, and for others it’s not having access to a kitchen. Back home, my favorite part of the day was experimenting in the kitchen with good music playing after a long day at school. So, if you are like me and are learning to navigate the great downsizing – the shift from your full-sized fridge at home to the mini fridge in your dorm – here is what I recommend.
Preparation
First things first is recognizing that space is limited and that your snacks must be meticulously curated. However, as I discovered on my first grocery run off campus, grocery shopping can easily get overwhelming because of all of the exciting choices. I’m here to help! Let me just say there is no question that your grocery store of choice should be Trader Joe’s. There is no family-sized anything, and the prices are college-girl-friendly. So, without further ado, here is my mini-fridge-friendly Trader Joe’s guide that won’t break the bank or overfill your fridge.
My biggest mistake on my first Trader Joe’s run was getting a cart instead of a basket – I had no idea how much I was buying in relation to the space I actually had in my fridge. The first section in most Trader Joe’s is the vegetable and fruit aisle and is arguably the most difficult to shop in because of expiration dates. However, I’ll share with you now what to buy that will last more than a few days.
Fruits and Veg
For this category, I recommend focusing on the resealable items. My go-tos are the baby carrots (which can be closed with a food clip or a hair tie), the Persian cucumbers with a seal already in place, and the little tomatoes in a tomato-shaped tin. For fruits, I cannot recommend the apple slices enough. If you know me, you know about these apple slices, as they are a staple in my fridge and, now, in all of my friends’ fridges. If you’re not into pre-cut fruit, they also have small bags of apples. Can you tell I love apples? I also highly recommend buying a box of green grapes, which are almost always perfectly crunchy and last around a week and a half in the fridge.
Breakfast Staples
Honestly, I would be doing everyone a disservice if I did not talk about the amazing and easy breakfast options that Trader Joe’s offers. My two most important recommendations, possibly of this entire list, are the following: the protein pancakes (20 g of protein) and the cheese, spinach & kale egg bites made with egg whites (12 g of protein). These two items are my most frequently purchased, and rightfully so. They are protein-packed and filling, make a quick bite in your dorm before class, take 1 minute in the microwave, and are very mini-fridge-friendly. I will buy 6–8 egg bites and 2–4 protein pancakes on my stock-up trips, and this amount can last me around two weeks for breakfasts. Additionally, they do not expire quickly and taste great as is!
Dairy
In the dairy section, there are a lot of great, long-lasting options. One staple in my fridge is cottage cheese – a controversial pick, I know, but you either love it or hate it. Lovers of cottage cheese know how versatile it is: it can be used for sweet or savory purposes and lasts a long time in the fridge. If you do decide to purchase it, I would go with the low-fat version for no other reason than its flavor and texture; it is less watery and less salty. I recommend cottage cheese with green grapes if you’re looking for a sweet pairing, and with cucumbers or carrots if you’re more into savory. Additionally, if you want to level up your savory experience, the Everything but the Bagel seasoning with cottage cheese and a carrot or cucumber is an unmatched combination.
You may be thinking that the fridge is starting to fill up, but trust me, there’s room for my final recommendations. One staple I find myself reaching for when I need a quick snack is cheese. There really is no way to go wrong here, but I personally love a block of Parmesan cheese, a package of string cheese, and the light blue Babybel cheese. These can fit perfectly in the small drawer of the fridge and last a long time! Another great choice if you are looking for a more elevated cheese-eating experience is the Wild Blueberry Vanilla Chevre (goat cheese), which goes great with whatever crackers you may already have in your snack bin.
Frozen
My final recommendations are for that tiny freezer atop your fridge. How can you narrow it down with all the amazing microwaveable choices in the frozen aisle? It’s difficult. But let me do my best to help. For savory and quick in-dorm dinner choices, I recommend the butternut squash mac and cheese and the veggie or chicken soup dumplings. Lastly, if you have a sweet tooth like me, my top two frozen treats are the mini lemon bars and the dairy-free mini ice cream cones.
And there you have it! You now have a nutritious and perfectly stocked mini fridge ready to help fuel your long school days.