This post includes my college grocery staples- the things I typically have in my pantry or fridge that help me eat semi-healthy in college.
If you’re in college and wondering how on earth you’re supposed to balance a busy schedule and eating healthy on a budget (or in a dining hall), you are not alone.
My freshman year, I quickly learned that eating in the dining hall wasn’t cutting it for me. I needed to eat at different times than the typical “lunch” and “dinner” ours our dining hall had, and wasn’t getting enough nutrients from the meals I did have there.
Second semester, I started eating in the dining hall less and making meals in my dorm room more. It wasn’t always easy, and it certainly wasn’t glamorous😅, but I noticed a difference. Actually a lot of differences. My mood improved, I actually felt nourished after meals, I felt lighter, my skin cleared up. It was amazing the differences having a balanced diet had on my college experience.
Whether you’re in a dorm room, apartment, or a house, if you have access to a mini-fridge and a microwave, there are quite a few meals you can make!
Here is a list of things I like to keep in my pantry/fridge on a regular basis to use for healthy meals:
You can screenshot the list below and follow the simplyemmalaree Instagram for more.
Now here’s WHY you want to have these items ready to go and some dorm-friendly meal ideas:
FRESH FRUIT
I don’t know if this is just a universal college campus or thing, but my friends and I always struggled to find good fruit in the dining hall.
Consider going somewhere like Aldi, where produce is cheaper and comes in smaller packaging, and have a fruit of the week!
VEGETABLES
Same idea here- you may not be finding that many choices in the dining hall so it’s nice to keep some on-hand. Baby carrots are a go-to for me. Celery is another great option. You can dip them in hummus or any healthy dressing/dip.
PEANUT BUTTER
I could probably survive off of peanut butter alone.😂 I LOVE the smucker’s natural peanut butter (no seed oils). I use it on toast, on the side with an apple, or just have a spoonful for a quick high-protein snack!
BREAD
Toast and peanut butter makes for a great quick breakfast, and bread is always good to have on-hand for sandwiches!
DELI MEAT
Speaking of sandwiches, it’s always nice to have some lunch meat on hand! I liked getting turkey and/or pepperoni and using it on sandwiches or just as a simple snack.
KEVIN’S CHICKEN
These are the best! They’re healthy microwave meals- comes with chicken and sauce (There’s a few different flavors, they’re all great. The Korean BBQ one is my favorite).
They are a little pricier, but you can get 2-3 meals out it!
I like getting a microwave rice pouch or ramen to go with it.
RAMEN
I see why this is a college kid go-to. It’s cheap and usually pretty filling. But you don’t have to live off of just ramen noodles- there’s a couple ways to spruce up your ramen so it’s a meal that tastes amazing and is full of nutrients.
- Add olive oil. (More on this below)
- Ditch the packaged seasoning it comes with (chicken flavor, etc.) and add your favorite sauce instead! I either did pesto, soy sauce, or whatever sauce was in the Kevin’s chicken I had that week.
- Add protein! As mentioned above, I loved adding ramen or rice to my Kevin’s chicken meals. I would typically add that or add pre-cooked grilled chicken I got from Hy-Vee.
- If you want to be extra bougie, you can add some micro greens on top! You can get these at Sprouts, Trader Joe’s, or a local natural grocery store like Mama Jeans.
OLIVE OIL
Anytime you’re having ramen (or another kind of pasta) or salad, add some olive oil! A great, healthy fat! Click here to read more about the benefits of olive oil.
A HEALTHY SNACK OF SOME SORT
As someone that almost always craves salty snacks, it was helpful for me to keep Skinny Pop and some trail mix on-hand so I would snack on that before reaching for something that was probably going to make me feel gross and bloated.
If you’re going for popcorn, I recommend doing air popped popcorn and adding healthy seasonings. Skinny Pop is a good, easy, store-bought option.
And saving the best for last- my personal favorite grocery staple:
PESTO!
If you don’t know what pesto is, it’s basically a basil spread and the best thing ever. This was a staple for me because I put it on just about anything to make it “healthy”🤪
Pesto is primarily used on pasta, so anytime you’re making ramen, you can add it in. I also spread it on toast for breakfast or a snack, or put it on sandwiches as a healthy green. I could never keep lettuce, spinach, or other greens fresh long enough to get my money’s worth out of them, so pesto was a great alternative!
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That’s all for now! Bookmark this post so you can come back to it the next time you go grocery shopping, and check the instagram for lists to screenshot.
What about you?! What are some of your go-to grocery staples or meals you make often in college?