Order now: The Plant-Powered Plan to Beat Diabetes

Top 3 Tips for Healthy Easy College Meals

Sharon Palmer

Looking to fit more healthy, plant-based meals into your college life, given your limited kitchen access and busy life? Check out these Top 3 Tips for Healthy Easy College Meals to head to the top of the class.

With a tight budget, busy school schedule, a pile of assignments and projects, as well as a limited kitchen prep area and equipment, it can be hard to fit in well-balanced plant-based meals, let alone cook one! But cooking for yourself can save a lot of money and, with the right ingredients, can be tastier and healthier compared to what is offered at the cafeteria and fast food joints in town. But what about time? With a few ideas for easy meals for college students, it can take you only 20 minutes to prepare a simple wholesome meal without much fuss, and you can even meal prep your easy college meals days in advance, then grab and go from your refrigerator on your way out the door.

Check out these Top 3 Tips for Healthy Easy College Meals to fit more healthy, plant-based meals into your diet and take charge of your health while living a fast-paced college life.

Top 3 Tips for Healthy Easy College Meals

Try to stock these basic ingredients to make easy meals at any time.

1. Get Yourself Some Basic Kitchen Tools

In order to cook healthy plant-based meals, your first goal is to get essential kitchen equipment. Whether you are going to cook in a tiny college apartment kitchen or down the hall in a community kitchen in your dorm, you can’t cook without the very basics. Throughout the school year, make note of what equipment you lack and add new items deliberately. Here are our top 10 kitchen gadget must-haves.

  • 10-inch, nonstick pan
  • Oven-safe small pot with a lid
  • Can opener
  • Knife set (including a sparing knife and chef’s knife)
  • Large bowl (for mixing and serving)
  • Plastic cutting board
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Wooden spoon
  • Baking sheet
  • Dishtowels

Once you have these basic items, try some of these easy recipes that you can make in one pan:

 
Try some easy healthy college recipes, like this one for Easy Vegan Tacos with Refried Beans and Corn Salsa

2. Get the Key Ingredients

Staple plant foods are food items you should always have in your kitchen—even if it’s really small—because you can use them in a wide variety of recipes. These staple foods are all fairly inexpensive and most can be stored in a small cabinet for a long period of time, so they don’t take up space in your tiny fridge. Here is a list of food staples to have in your kitchen.

  • Whole grain breads (i.e., bread, English muffins, tortilla, pita—may need to store in fridge)
  • Whole grains (i.e., brown rice, oats, couscous, quinoa)
  • Pasta and pasta sauce
  • Canned or dried beans and lentils
  • Fruits and vegetables (canned, fresh in fridge, frozen if you have a freezer)
  • Nut butters (i.e., sunflower seed, almond, peanut)
  • Olive oil (for cooking, salads, pasta)
  • Vinegar (for cooking, salads)
  • Dried spices and herbs (try some seasoning blends, such as Italian, Herbs de Provence, or Cajun)
  • Shelf stable plant-based milks (i.e., fortified soy or almond)
  • Soyfoods (i.e., tofu, seitan, tofu burgers—store in fridge)

Turn these foods into easy recipes, such as:

3. Get Some Essential Healthy Recipes

Having easy, minimal ingredient recipes on hand can really help when figuring out what to cook. The best recipes can be altered to fit the ingredients you have on hand. These recipes should involve simple ingredients, no fancy kitchen tools or appliances, and be quick and easy to prepare. Change up the herbs, vegetables, and protein, and you’ll barely notice the repetition. We’ve rounded up our all-time classics that everyone should know how to make.

Mediterranean Bowl with Edamame and Quinoa

Grain Bowls. These delicious and filling bowls, such as this Mediterranean Bowl with Edamame and Quinoa, are the answer when you only have a couple of ingredients in your fridge and can’t handle the thought of going to the store. Grain bowls consist of a grain of your choice, fresh or canned vegetables, canned low-sodium beans, and a sauce to add some zing. If you don’t have time to make steamed grains, you can purchase ready-to-eat grains from the store. And what’s so fun about bowls is that you can swap out the ingredients to fit your mood!

Vegan Bolognese with Lentils and Walnuts

Pasta. Pasta is easy to prepare, either in the microwave or on the stove, and there are lots of ways to serve it. You can dress it up with a basic red sauce or pesto sauce from a jar, or toss it with veggies to make a heartier meal. This Vegan Bolognese with Lentils and Walnuts is worth trying, for starters.

Mason Jar Kale Barley Salad with Turmeric Vinaigrette

Mason Jar Salads. For a fast lunch you can eat between classes, try a mason jar salad. First, mix up a simple vinaigrette dressing and pour it into the bottom of a mason jar. Then add layers of your favorite ingredients like lettuce, veggies, fruits, nuts, or beans. Put heavy ingredients like beans toward the bottom and greens on top, so they don’t get soggy. Make this the night before and stash it in the fridge ready to go in the morning. In between classes when you have time to eat, give the covered jar a quick shake to coat everything with the dressing, grab a fork, and enjoy! Add any salads, such as this Cucumber Tomato Onion Salad, to mason jars and you’ll have a healthy meal on campus.

Arugula Salad Pizza from Plant-Powered for Life

Pizza. Here’s an easy pizza for one you can whip up in the toaster oven: Just top a stored bought pizza dough, whole-wheat pita, or English muffin with canned tomato sauce and your favorite vegetable toppings, slide it into your toaster oven, and bake it until golden. If you feel a little adventurous, try out this Arugula Salad Pizza!

For more easy, plant-based recipes, check out the following:

Written by Jenny Nguyen, Dietetic Intern with Sharon Palmer, MSFS, RDN

Image: Chipotle Tomato Rice Power Bowl

This post may contain affiliate links. For more information click here.

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *