Food Necessities

                With all the downtime of college life comes a lot of snacking. If you’re lucky, your school has a ton of eating options and cafeterias. If you’re like me, you go to a school with 2 options. That’s it. And neither of them is too great. So here is a list of some things to stock up on next time you run to the grocery store.

·         Mac & Cheese. Utilize your dorm kitchen (if you have one). Marissa and I make dinner at least once a week. Cafeteria food gets old, fast.

·         Pasta and sauce. Again, when you crave mom’s home cooking, make yourself and easy pasta dinner. It’s quick and it’s cheap. And it’s delicious!

·         Bread. Sounds kind of lame, but it’s easy to make a snack out of. Just add some cheese or peanut butter and you have something to hold you over until your next meal.

·         Tuna. It’s quick, it’s easy, it’s healthy, and it’s yummy. I eat tuna for the majority of my lunches. Make sure you have a couple cans around. Quick fix for any meal.

·         Peanut butter. Goes on everything. Crackers, cookies, a spoon….

·         Power Bars/Meal Bars. College life gets a little hectic from time to time and you might not always have the time to sit down and eat. Having some meal bars around will keep your tummy full when you’re on the go.

·         WATER. We have a Brita filter in our fridge. It was the best thing we ever bought. Not only are we saving the environment, but we’re saving our meal swipes. Instead of paying $1.50 per bottle, pick up a filter for about $15. You’ll save a ton.

·         Microwave dinners. We don’t have a freezer, but we keep some “just add water” dinners at hand. There are all different kinds, from pasta to Chinese. When you’re hungry and the café is closed, you’ll be thankful you have some of these easy dinners around.

·         Your favorites! Marissa loves dried fruit. I practically live on rice crackers. The problem? We can’t buy either of those things in my school’s café. Stock up on your favorite snacks, especially the ones that aren’t so easily found.

Whether or not your school has great food, it’s always good to keep some snacks on hand. I can’t tell you how many times I was too lazy to walk to the cafeteria in the rain or how often I’ve slept through dinner. It happens to all of us. And if your school’s food isn’t so great, you can beat the system with this shopping list.