Blog Archives
College Girl’s Meal Plan
Since my College Girl’s Grocery Guide became so popular on Pinterest I am continuing with a similar topic: meal plan.
I sincerely believe the best way to maintain a healthy diet is to pre-plan every day’s meal. Lots of times I do this the night before (after I’m full from dinner) on the post-it sticky notes on my laptop. I plan my breakfast, lunch and dinner plus snacks and sometimes dessert. But it only works if you commit to eat what you’ve planned, instead of impulse calorie-bombs like pizza or ice cream.
Now that it’s almost the start of a new year, and a new semester if you are in school, it seems like a good time to clean up some eating habits. And a lot of time, people eat junk food because they want something quick and available. Which is usually nothing super healthy. So here is a basic list of easy, healthy meals that are nutritious and affordable:
Another good reason to plan out each day’s meals ahead of time is to be able to make a grocery list and have every ingredient you need on hand. If you’ve got a meal plan and a grocery list, you won’t even need to walk down the ice cream aisle because it’s not on your list! ;)
I didn’t include snacks on this list, but I’ve got plenty of light snacks on my Healthy Study Snacks Page:
As for dessert: I definitely can’t say that I skip dessert every night. And that is also why there is not ice cream in our house! Because when there is, I will eat it.
- Some night’s at school, I’ll make a bowl of oatmeal after dinner.
- Other times at home, we’ll pop some light popcorn to go with a movie.
- I think sticking a fat-free yogurt in the freezer for half an hour is also a yummy treat :)
- And so is frozen banana slices with peanut butter!
- Lots of nights I’ll enjoy a decaf coffee with yummy creamer.
- But sometimes you just need chocolate….Dove dark chocolate squares are my favorite.
Basically, if you have the day’s meals all planned out you will be less tempted to reach for the candy bowl or order the pastry at the coffee shop because it isn’t on your agenda! And before you order anything from a restaurant, you should check out the calorie content first – you might just be shocked.
- Typical restuarant salad entree: Around 1,100 calories (Almost 2/3 your daily needs!)
- Typical coffee shop muffin: 550 calories (Add in the latte and that will take an hour on the treadmill to burn off)
- Typical restaurant pasta dish: 1,200 calories
Pin the meal plan here: 
You may also like:
The Healthy Study Snack List
For those of us lucky college kids, its Mid-term time again! Do your brain and body a favor and snack smart during those late-night study sessions, hours of Facebook homework and pages of papers. ;)
Stress really does make you hungry, but if you eat yourself into a Hot Cheeto food-coma, your grades and your waist-line will suffer. Here is my list of the top Healthy Study Snacks for whatever you are craving:
1. Popcorn – Great snack instead of chips! They now make 94% fat-free Whole Grain popcorn, which is just 20 calories per cup. Paired with a tart green apple, it’s a perfect salty/crunchy healthy alternative
2. Low-fat string cheese – I just learned today that Kraft makes string cheese in ‘Sweet BBQ,’ ‘Tomato Basil,’ and ‘Cracked Black Pepper’ flavor. For only 60 calories, I’d try all three! Portion control makes string cheese a great snack.
3. Steamed Edamame – the shelled soybeans will be the perfect replacement for nuts or trail mix. (Trail mix and nuts aren’t unhealthy but if you’re like me, it’s hard to stick to the 3 Tablespoon serving size.) These things are addicting but with only 60 calories per 1/4 Cup of edamame and a ton of protein, snack on!
4. Non-fat Yogurt – Add fresh fruit for extra credit : ) It’s a balance of protein, calcium, vitamins and minerals. Your body will thank you.
5. Something Caffeinated: Skinny Latte’s or Non-fat Cappuccino – the worst thing you can do to your body when it’s already in a heightened state of stress from school is chug an energy drink. Seriously – those things have more sugar than a regular soda, not to mention chemicals that are in no way natural or beneficial to your body. Skinny latte’s are the perfect non-fat, sugar-free pick-me-up.
6. Something Hot: Oatmeal – if it’s a cold night and you’re looking for something comforting to go with reading your textbook, don’t underestimate the power of a bowl of oats :P It’s not just for breakfast! I’ve made oatmeal for dessert plenty of nights, but go for a low-sugar variety.
7. Something cold: Popsicles! So many fruity flavors, even chocolate. The sugar-free kinds are just as delicious and usually under 50 calories. Have 2!
8. If you absolutely must go to the vending machine: Nature Valley Granola Bar – They do have a decent amount of sugar, which could leave you hungry again after an hour or two, but they are 382 times better than a King-Size candy bar or bag of cheese puffs (who wants orange dust all over your keyboard anyways?!).
If you are as big a fan of Pinterest as I am, Pin this Study Snack List here:
And I’m a college girl with mid-terms myself so share your own study tips/healthy snacks! :)
Pumpkin Whip Dip!
My roommate thinks I have a pumpkin obsession. Every time I come back from Target, I have a new can of pumpkin. I’ve made pumpkin cookies, pumpkin oatmeal, pumpkin spice creamer, and now pumpkin pie dip!
Last night, the ladies of Aspen Residence Hall had a ‘Girl’s Night In’ complete with chick flicks, nail polish, games, music, pajamas and snacks. Even though it was after dinner, I wanted to bring something healthy and light instead of dessert. So I made a Pumpkin Whip Dip with fruit dippers and it was a hit!
Pumpkin Whip Dip
1 1/4 Cups Tbs Lite Cool Whip (half of a container)
½ Can of Pumpkin
1 (6 oz.) Non-fat Plain Greek Yogurt
1 heaping Tbs cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp All-spice
Combine all of the ingredients, stir together and store in the freezer. It will get nice and solid!
Cut whatever fruit slices you like (I used Gala apples and De Ajou pears) into long strips for dipping. You could also use graham crackers or ginger snaps for an extra sweet treat ;)
It was the perfect balance next to the cookies and cupcakes!
After some ultra competitive but hilarious games, the feature presentation was What a Girl Wants. And naturally, we painted our nails Glow in the Dark…..
By keeping away from the dessert table and sticking to a healthy snack, I felt great at this morning’s workout! I hit the gym with a fellow cross country teammate to feel the burn with some weight training. Let the fun of a Girl’s Night be in the company you are with, not the junk food you mindlessly eat.
Pin this here! %20 "Pin It")
