The most dreaded part of living on a university campus is the on-campus food. While the university dining hall might offer a lot of food choices, it is often difficult to find the food according to your tastes and which offers the best nutritional value.
The solution? Well, how about cooking your own food? Below are some easy-to-follow cooking tips for university students who dare to cook their own food.
1. Invest in a Microwave Steamer
A microwave steamer is a must-have for cooking veggies as well as pasta. These zip lock containers are best for cooking without any hassle. The best part? You can also steam cook your fish in them. Thus, investing in them should be your first step towards cooking your own delectable food.
2. Collect the Free Condiments from the Dining Hall
Store all the free condiments you get from the dining hall to make quick recipes of your own. You can use peanut butter minis, honey packets, mini cheese packets as a topping for your late night snacks during night study. Peanut butter on apples or on crackers and honey on low-fat yogurt are some healthy eating options.
3. Make Your Ramen Better
Believe us, your ramen will taste a lot better with soya sauce and garlic powder instead of just using the included packet as a flavor. Don’t rely on just the usual flavor when you cook ramen. Add a pinch of differentiation from your normal cooked ramen by adding new flavors to it.
4. Make A Healthier Choice With Liquid Calories
Drink fewer calorie drinks and avoid booze intake. Alcohol has the most calorie content with no nutrients, therefore limiting its intake is the best and if you are focused towards weight management, choose low-calorie drinks like a light beer with no juice and soda.
5. Prefer Homemade Versions of What You Are Going to Order
For your late night excursions, prefer to cook yourself than getting the food delivered. Choose to eat healthy on Saturdays by not ending up ordering them but making them yourself. The homemade version of any of your dish will turn out to be healthier as they will be low on calorie content and fat.
6. Keep Sweet Potatoes in the Store
Sweet potatoes keep your tummy full for long and are easy to cook as well. It is thus highly recommended to eat sweet potatoes whenever you are hungry. All you need to do is microwave them after piercing their skin with a fork and finally add some brown sugar and you are good to go.
7. Learn to Make an Avocado Like Never Before
Avocado can be cooked in a range of ways as a quick snack. You can prep a meal by mashing an avocado with some salt and pepper and use this paste as a topping for your pita bread or normal sandwich bread. You can also choose to add some cheese and chopped tomatoes over it. It is actually quite tasty and easy to make.
8. Always Keep in Store a Lot of Readymade Snacks
Well, sometimes, the food served in the dining hall is absolutely gross and you will have to return to your room with an empty belly. For such sordid situations, it’s better to have a backup ready.
It is, therefore, one of the most important campus survival hacks to store a few essentials in your room so that you can quickly use them to make a quick recipe. Some of the essential things to keep in store should be eggs, cheese, and crackers, apples, rolls, veggies, yogurt, berries, peanut butter, stocking nuts, dried fruits, chips of sorts etc.
These are like true companions in times of need. Even if, at the end of the day, you don’t feel like cooking and you are super hungry, these can surely save your day.
9. Buy a Rice Cooker For Making Pot Meals
Not just rice, you can cook a lot of other veggies in a rice cooker. You can cook really healthy dishes by just adding some veggies and beans.
10. Cut Down Meat and Switch to Veggies
Switching down to veggies and cutting down on meat can save you a lot of money. Keep a store of frozen veggies. Buy the veggies and canned foods at the time of sale to buy them for less money. You can also invest in sauces as they are good for making dishes tasty.
11. Buy Some Generic Spices
You will be a good cook if you start using generic spices in your food. Investing in them is a good option. They are comparatively cheaper and save you money.
12. Always Have a Lot of Salad on Your Plate
Busy with university lectures and tuition? Make sure that you eat a lot of healthy stuff to cope up with the stress. It is thus highly recommended to eat a lot of salad to meet your body’s nutritional requirements.
13. Keep the Dining Hall Salad Items
Well, that’s a smart move! Packing up the salad for adding to your recipes is like finishing half of your cooking. You can use this salad pieces in your ramen to make it more delectable. This way you will end up with a healthier and tasty dish in no time.
14. Learn to Have a Speedy and Healthy Breakfast
You probably won’t wake up early just to prepare breakfast for you. Isn’t it? What you need is a 2-minute breakfast. Getting ready for an early lecture? Quickly take up a toast filled with cheesy cream and jam on your way. You can use peanut butter, avocado paste or yogurt as a topping too.
Wrapping Up
Thus, follow the tips mentioned above and keep your health in check no matter how busy you are! For any queries, write to us in the comments below.
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