As students, we all know that whether you try to eat healthy or not, sometimes it just doesn't happen that way. Many times you're lucky if you find the time to get a meal! This past semester I tried making meals ahead of time to freeze and use later in the semester when I didn't have time to cook. Let me tell you, it was worth it. I have eaten better and more often than usual during the semester and done so with no stress and minimal preparation. I would recommend trying it out to anyone with a busy schedule.
1. Soups
An all time favorite, soups are good plain or with a sandwich. However, homemade soup can be difficult and messy. Lucky for you there are a lot of quick, easy, and freezer safe soup recipes out there; all I takes is some digging! This soup recipe was easy to make and has been a hit at my house and with my family. It is super easy to separate into portion sized bags and freeze until ready to eat. Thaw overnight and throw in a thermos in the morning to take with you. Freezer soups are great for anyone constantly on the go who wants to stay away from fast food at lunch.
2. Breakfast Cups
I say it all the time but it’s true; breakfast really is the most important meal of the day! There are a ton of recipes out there for breakfast “cups” that are easy, healthy, no-mess breakfasts that can be made in a muffin tin and individually wrapped to freeze for later. Most recipes pack a lot of protein, vegetables, and dairy that will help kick start your day and your metabolism. These are easy to make in bulk with relatively cheap ingredients. Here is one of my favorite recipes.
3. Crockpot Meals
Sometimes you need a meal in your life that didn’t come out of a drive through or a microwave, but that takes a lot of time and effort that’s hard to spare during the semester. Crock pots are relatively cheap and come in all shapes and sizes. There are plenty of options out there great for cooking family meals or cooking in a dorm room for one. Many meals can be cooked all together in a crock pot with very minimal preparation. Gather ingredients, toss in a bag, and freeze to be used in the crock pot later. These are a life saver because they are quick and easy and make enough that you will typically have leftovers for a couple days. Here are a few of my favorite recipes.
4. Smoothies
Smoothies can be great, well-balanced meals if you’ve got the right stuff, and they’re great on the go too! Making up bags of smoothie ingredients to freeze for later can save a lot of time. Also, try checking your local grocery store for when they mark down produce and buy your fruits and vegetables in bulk to pre-make some smoothies. Cut up all ingredients, throw in a labeled bag, and freeze. That’s it! These ingredients can be pulled out at any time and thrown in the blender with a little yogurt to make a great meal that it easy to take to work or class. These are the best recipes I have tried so far.
5. Snacks
Affordable snacks are unhealthy, and healthy snacks are expensive. This is the sad story of every college student ever. Luckily, there are a lot of no-mess make-ahead snack recipes that are easy to make on an easy day and take to class and work during long periods when you know you won't have a break. This is my favorite so far.
Let me know what you thought and feel free to leave any recipes you have in the comments!
