One of the biggest adjustments of college life is figuring out how to feed yourself. Many choose to purchase meal plans that limit their options, deliver sub-par quality and tend to be more expensive than cooking for themselves. Though taking care of your own cooking is daunting (especially if you've never cooked before college, but don't worry, I hadn't either), it is usually the best route to go.
What to eat and when
I stick to a general guideline with what I eat throughout the day. Starting with breakfast, definitely, do not skip it. On average days, it is not necessary to go over-the-top with what you eat, just make sure you eat something.
What works best for me are quick and easy foods such as toast or cereal. Essentially, I'm making sure that I don't go hungry throughout the day without dedicating too much time and money to that meal.
What to eat for lunch and dinner depends on what you have and what you feel like doing. Choose one meal to have a "mid-tier" meal and one meal to be "high-tier." For the mid-tier, have something like a sandwich or wrap that should be easy to put together but should still have some form of protein and vegetables.
For the high-tier, it is always something substantial and often requires some work. Think stir-fry, chicken parmesan, spaghetti and homemade meatballs, and other items along those lines. The order I usually do this in is lunch for mid-tier and dinner for high-tier mostly because that is what fits in my class schedule.
The beauty of bulk
Everyone has heard about the hype around buying in bulk at one point, but let me be the first to say that all the hype is real. I started off shopping at places like Publix and Trader Joe's for all of my grocery needs, but then I ran into a friend that has a membership to Sam's Club. Mostly out of curiosity, I tagged along with him and needless to say, I was blown away.
Five pounds of cheese for eight dollars. Five pounds of chicken breast for fifteen dollars. I didn't know these kinds of prices were possible, but it doesn't matter to me because it makes a huge difference in the long run for us. When buying in bulk, have some kind of plan of what you're going to get because if you get too much of something, you can end up with wasted or spoiled goods, which defeats the purpose of saving that money by buying in bulk.
While on the topic of bulk, also do your cooking in bulk too. Batch recipes such as chili, casseroles, and macaroni are great because you can potentially get meals ready for a week at a time (just make sure you have enough Tupperware for all of that).
