This article will provide some healthy food ideas for college students who are low on budget, lack kitchen skills, and struggle to manage time. Stick to the guide, as we have also provided detailed recipes.
When students start college, they often have to manage a lot of things independently. They maintain themselves perfectly until it comes to preparing food. Their kitchen skills often leave a lot to be desired. This lack of kitchen skills leads 1/10 of students to indulge in a takeaway every week.
It becomes difficult to manage as the average student gets only £2.50 a day to spend on food. After conducting this research, we decided to compile a comprehensive guide on the “best food for college students” to help them satisfy their food needs and cravings in affordable ways while making it less time-consuming.
List of 6 Best Foods for College Students
The best food for college students can be defined as food that is healthy, affordable, easy to make, and less time-consuming so they can focus on their studies without sacrificing nutrition. If a food fulfils this criterion, it would be considered the best food for college students. That being stated, the experts at The Academic Papers UK have compiled some top healthy food options for college students that they can prepare effortlessly.
So, let’s explore recipes for some delicious and incredible foods.
1. Bean and Cheese Burrito
The bean and cheese burrito are a healthy and easy-to-make food for college students. This easy recipe has many health benefits, such as improving digestive health and meeting muscle strength and repair goals. It is high in protein, fibre, carbs, vitamins, and various minerals to keep the students healthy and fit while being budget-friendly and low on pocket.
Recipe:
Take a tortilla, spread a layer of refried beans on it, and top it with grated cheddar cheese or taco sauce. Microwave it for a short 30-second interval until the cheese melts and the beans are hot. When it seems like cooking, you can wrap it up and eat it.
However, if you like to eat a quesadilla, you can grab another tortilla, top it with the other one, and grill it in a skillet. To make it more delicious, sprinkling chopped onions before the cheese is a tasty optional add-on.
2. Soft Tacos
When made with fresh ingredients, tacos have various health benefits, such as being a good source of nutrients like fibre, vitamins, minerals, calcium, and iron. Tacos can provide 28% of the daily value required for B12 and 24% of the routine value for Vitamin C. Tacos also have some great benefits for heart health and diet flexibility.
Recipe:
To make amazing soft tacos, you should take 1 pound of ground beef and mix it well in taco seasoning and water (preferably using the directions provided on the seasoning packet). Next, you can layer ground beef with salsa, cheese, and lettuce or a mix of salad in a tortilla. You can also save the remaining taco meat from this serving for the next time you crave soft tacos.
3. Chicken and Cheese Quesadilla
Chicken and cheese quesadilla is another easy-to-prepare and healthy meal option for college students. This easy recipe is a great source of micronutrients such as carbs, fibre, and proteins. However, adding meat, onions, and white paper makes it a good source of iron and vitamins A and C. They can also provide a good number of plant-based proteins from beans.
Recipe:
To make a delicious chicken and cheese quesadilla, spread a thin layer of dressing on the tortilla and sprinkle it with cumin, chilli powder, and taco seasoning. Next, top it with grated cheese and cooked chicken. You can top it with another tortilla, fold it around, and grill it over a skillet until the meat gets hot and the cheese gets melted.
4. Chicken Ranch Wrap
For college students who want to eat healthy and easy-to-process food, chicken ranch wrap is a great option. It contains a significant amount of fibre and protein. Plus, this can be customised with different ingredients and veggies or different types of cheese and dressings. For example, you can make them gluten-free and dairy-free by utilising almond flour and dairy-free cheese and ranch.
Recipe:
To make this delicious recipe, you can take a tortilla and spread all the ingredients on it, such as cooked chicken with a topping of iceberg salad mix or lettuce, sliced tomato, carrot, or cucumber (as per taste). When you shred the cheese on the tortilla, it will be ready to grill until the cheese melts. After that, you add the ranch dressing before rolling it up and eating it.
5. Egg Burrito
What if you can have a protein powerhouse that is delicious and easy to make at the same time? The egg burrito has them all. It is a major source of protein, containing all types of amino acids which are good for muscle repair and mass. The fibre available in this meal can improve your metabolism and remove toxins from the body. These are also good sources of antioxidants, energy, vitamins, and minerals.
This meal is great specifically for students because they are more into fitness but do not have enough time to make detailed meals.
Recipe:
Take a hash brown patty and cook it in the microwave, or heat it in the skillet as per the directions provided on the packaging. Take a sliced sausage link and add a couple of scrambled eggs to it. Take the Chopped ham or cooked bacon. The next step is preparing the dish. In this step, you will combine the hash brown patty with meat, eggs, and cheese in the tortilla and add some salsa if desired to make it more delicious and healthier.
6. Single Serve French Toast
If you are short on time and need instant breakfast food, you should definitely try single-serve French toast. It is not only easier to make but also has great physical and mental health benefits.
This meal is significantly high in protein, vitamins, and fibre due to whole-grain bread. Its healthiness can be further enhanced when made with different customised options, such as eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, etc.
Recipe:
Making great French toast should be easy for college students. It has an easy recipe, a few ingredients, and very little time is required. To make it properly, crack an egg and add it to a small bowl, where you will splash some milk into it. Next, you will add a small pinch of vanilla ⅛ teaspoons) and a sprinkle of cinnamon, whisking it until it gets smoother.
Next, transfer the egg mixture into a wider container and dip two slices of bread into this mixture. Then, cook these breads on a skillet for 3 minutes per side. Serve this dish with yoghurt and sliced banana.
What Is the Most Popular Food for College Students?
Chicken Ranch Wrap is the most popular and healthier food for college-going students. This meal is easy to prepare, tasty, and has great nutritional value. Students, especially those with part-time jobs to cover tuition, often struggle to find time to prepare and eat nutritious meals. Many rely on coursework writing services in the UK to manage their assignments, yet still feel overwhelmed with other responsibilities, leaving little time to cook or eat properly.
Conclusion
To wrap up this guide, we would say that college students often struggle with healthy food options. They either have to eat restaurant food, which is not safe and is expensive as well, or they tend to manage snacks or unhealthy food options. College students struggle a lot with managing their healthy food while catering to the affordability factor and managing their time effectively.
This article is written with the sole purpose of providing you with healthy food ideas and the easiest recipes to prepare them. After reading this blog, you will be able to make a healthier, affordable, and quickly-made meal while managing time all of your commitments.
