Healthy and Budget Food for College Students

Everyone who has ever been in college knows that money and students don’t go hand in hand. That means everything in college either has to be cheap or you can do without it. However, meals aren’t things you can do without. Everyone has to eat and college students are no exception. But where do you find cheap and healthy meals in college if the dining hall doesn’t call your name? Well, you will have to do it yourself. Luckily this article is here to let you in on some budget food for you.

1.  Good old rice and beans

Rice and beans aren’t necessarily pretty but a plate of it can do the job just fine. The good thing is that it’s very easy and cheap to make this delicious meal. All you need is a functioning stove or a crockpot if you can get your hands on one. With the little money you have, buy some brown or white rice and store more of it for future use. Even if cooking is difficult (for any reason), you can find ready-made rice and beans in form of minute-made rice and canned beans – you’ll still have to slightly cook the rice, but the flavor is already added for you.

2.  Smoothies are easy to work with

Students shouldn’t really struggle to get healthy meals when some can easily be made at home (in the dorm). Smoothies are easy and cheap. You just need some milk, plenty of fruits, and a mixer and you are good to go. Don’t go for frozen fruits, those can be pretty expensive and defeats the purpose of eating on a budget. Some students like to add protein powder to the smoothie for a complete breakfast or snack. If you can’t get hold of protein powder (those aren’t cheap), you can find peanut butter powder instead.

3.  Sandwiches offer help for students with writing

Writing an essay can take a significant toll on the mind of an essay writer and the body as well. There’s hardly enough time to put your ideas on paper (or screen) let alone prepare a healthy meal. How about a cheap sandwich? Before you can sit down to write, you can find cheap bread and some deli meat – it could be bologna, turkey, or roasted beef. Tortillas can also replace bread in case you are tired of the latter. Find mayo, mustard, and some veggies – don’t go for luxurious vegies and avocadoes unless you are trying to stretch your budget. Tomatoes and cucumbers will do the trick.

The ingredients for a sandwich will not cost you a lot of money and are very healthy if you can identify them well. For most writers, a snack in the middle of churning out hundreds of words in an essay goes a long way in defining their success. But an essay is only as good as its writer. That’s why some students would rather get help online from experts. This will help you save time and improve your grades.

4.  What about canned meals?

We’ve already talked about how canned beans can be a great cheap option for many college students, but what other canned foods are there? Well, there’s canned chili, pork, and a variety of soups. The good thing about canned food is that they cost just a dollar or two and can serve as full meals. For canned soup, try finding the ones with higher calories – they are usually thicker. These can also act as full meals.

5.  Burritos make a good budget meal

Burritos aren’t expensive, unless you want to go overboard with the ingredients. Remember the canned beans that you bought earlier? Well, you can prepare a burrito using those if you have some cheese. Refried beans and some rice are good ingredients for a burrito. If you have some chicken you can cook and add to the ingredients. What about veggies? Well, the tomatoes and cucumbers are cheap options.

6.  PB&J sandwiches are cheap delicious meals

Did you really think we were going to leave PB&J out of our list? This may not be a long list, but PB&J has to feature. That is because peanut butter is cheap – there are several options that are even cheaper. Peanut butter is also a great protein source. There is also plenty of fat and energy to keep your brain sharp and your body healthy for the tough life in college. You can use jelly or honey to sweeten the deal.

Conclusion

These are just some of the options students in college have when it comes to making a healthy cheap meal. Sometimes all it takes is ten bucks and a bit of homework to find a solution to your food conundrum.

Author Bio

James Collins is a student freelance writer who loves writing cheap recipes for his blog. He makes some of the recipes himself. James loves reading comic books and loves to visit libraries when doing research for his essays.