Being a college student is one thing but living off campus and cooking meals is another, so bargain shopping is essential to eating nutritious.
Although off-campus dining can be difficult at times, three words sum up the goal — be creative with food choices, buy cheaper products and strive to eat nutritiously.
"One of the most important things for a student who lives on or off campus is to remember that even though they are very busy, they still need to make sure they are eating nutritious meals," Lucas Miller, Ball State University Dining menu development manager, said.
Ball State student Kristy Moneysmith lives off campus and agrees. A self-described "health freak," she buys cheap products such as canned tuna.
"If it's a cheap product I will buy five or 10 of it," she said. "More is better."
Pack in the pasta
Due to several hours spent studying, students tend to eat foods that are easy to prepare such as ramen noodles, frozen burritos and canned soup. Miller said not all of these are bad, but they do have large amounts of sodium in them.
Pasta is also a cheap dish and comes in many different varieties, including spaghetti, whole grain, penne and fettuccine. Adding other ingredients like broccoli, green peppers or Italian sausage can make it tastier while still being healthy.
"Pizza is something that you can easily customize to what you like," Miller said.
He also suggests using a sauce other than tomato to mix it up.
"Try alfredo sauce and add pre-cooked chicken strips, cut up broccoli into small pieces and top with shredded mozzarella, Parmesan and red pepper flakes to make a chicken broccoli pizza," he said.
Moneysmith suggests another alternative for students who don't want to go through the trouble of making their own pizza .
"Try Hamburger Helper," she said. "It's easy and doesn't take a lot of time."
Beverages to avoid
Besides food, Miller warns of beverages that students should try their best to avoid.
"Coke and beer add a lot of calories that students do not account for," Miller said. "These along with the in-between meal snack can be the main cause of weight gain for a lot of college students."
Coupons
As an off-campus student, Moneysmith is all about the coupons. She receives coupons from Marsh, Meijer, and Kroger weekly and says Walmart will match their prices. But when coupons aren't enough and grocery shopping isn't an option, Moneysmith suggests taking food from home. When she goes home, she brings food back with her so she doesn't have to buy so much herself, she said.
Recipes
College Student's Gourmet Pasta
Ingredients
* 16 ounces pasta
* 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
* 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
* 1/4 cup milk
* 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
Directions
1. Cook pasta in boiling salted water until tender. Drain.
2. To a saucepan, add butter or margarine, salt, milk and Parmesan cheese. Cook over low heat until combined. Pour mixture over pasta, and serve.
Slightly Healthier College Ramen Soup
Ingredients
* 2 1/2 cups water
* 1 carrot, sliced
* 4 fresh mushrooms, sliced
* 1 (3 ounce) package ramen noodle pasta with flavor packet
* 1 egg, lightly beaten
* 1/4 cup milk (optional)
Directions
1. In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil over high heat. Stir in the carrot and mushrooms and boil for about 7 minutes. Add the noodles and the flavoring packet. Stir to break up the noodles. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 3 minutes. Slowly pour in the egg and stir for 30 seconds until the egg has cooked. Stir in the milk.
Easy Pasta Chicken
Ingredients
* 4 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
* 1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed cream of mushroom soup
* 2 1/4 cups water
* 1 (16 ounce) package frozen mixed vegetables, thawed
* 2 cups rotini pasta
Directions
1. In a large skillet, brown the chicken in oil over medium low heat until cooked through and juices run clear. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside. Add the soup, water and vegetables. Heat to a boil.
2. Add uncooked pasta to soup mixture in skillet (the pasta cooks right in the soup!). Stir all together and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring often. Add cooked chicken and cook another 5 minutes or until pasta is done, stirring often.
Easy Vegetarian Pasta
Ingredients
* 1 (16 ounce) package uncooked whole wheat spaghetti
* 3 tablespoons olive oil
* 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
* 3 large tomatoes, diced
* 1 red onion, chopped
* 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
* 1 red bell pepper, chopped
* 1 cup zucchini, chopped
* 1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
* 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
* 2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
Directions
1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
2. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat, and sauté the garlic until lightly browned. Mix in the tomatoes, onion, yellow bell pepper, red bell pepper, zucchini and mushrooms. Cook and stir until tender.
3. Mix the balsamic vinegar into the skillet. Toss with the cooked spaghetti, and sprinkle with feta cheese to serve.
Source: allrecipes.com
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