Judging by the aisles of puppy folders, Justin Beiber backpacks and 50 cent crayons….it’s Back to School season :)

Supplies for dorm life include a lot more than paper and pencils though! 2 weeks into campus dining, you’ll be ready to stock your dorm with some snacks and healthier alternatives to on-campus dining. Particularly if you’re a health-conscious student (like moi!)

As a student-athlete, I learned pretty quickly that the all-you-can-eat pasta buffet in the dining halls wasn’t going to be practical long-term for my daily fuel. When it comes to nutrition – quality over quantity. 

The giant undertaking of packing my entire room into 10 rubbermaid bins has begun. Saturday I will move back to school, in a new upper-classman suite-style residence hall. It’s been no easy task consolidating my favorite clothes and shoes, but one thing that HAS been fun was packing my “grocery” and “kitchen” bins….I love finding healthy alternatives and planning out my meals and snacks to make sure I set myself up for success – and avoiding that Freshman 15. 

No, my suite does not have its own kitchen. I’m confined to a shared bedroom, bathroom, and a connecting shared bedroom. But each residence hall does have a communal kitchen, and I am coming prepared with my coffee pot, blender, pots and pans, baking sheets, and kitchen tools!

The Freshman 15 is not a myth; I’ve seen it happen more than once. Yes, there’s a lot of stress in college, totally different schedules and an all-you-can-eat buffet. But ultimately the choice to eat crappy or healthy is all yours!

Biggest mistake = forgoing nutrients for convenience.

So if you want to avoid falling into these traps, set yourself up for success by stocking up your room with plenty of HEALTHY choices and planning on cooking for yourself at least a couple of times a week.

I use the term “cooking” loosely here to cover anything from sprucing up a basic frozen entree or grabbing a bagged salad to add your own protein and toppings too.

Once I am back on campus I’ll finish stocking my “dorm room pantry” with fresh fruits and veggies. My typical grocery list looks something like this:

Yes this list is lacking major vegetables and common ingredients – that’s because it’s just meant to complement my other meals that I enjoy on campus. I still enjoy about 10 meals per week in the cafeteria, making healthy choices with the options I’m given.

In lieu of this new chapter, I am introducing the new page: Healthy Habits in the home page bar up top! Here is where I will post recipes made on a budget, time crunch and limited kitchen that any college kid can make. As well as healthy options from on-campus dining and other healthy snacks for keeping away the Freshman/Sophomore/Junior/Senior 15 :)

P.S. Strong Like My Coffee is now on Instagram!

Follow here —> Strong Like My Coffee

* * * As of July 29th, a new College Girl’s Grocery Guide 2.0 (apartment-edition) has been created. New school year, new list, right? :) * * *

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