Hi guys! I haven’t seen many posts about recipes to make for school, so I decided to make one.
We all know food is important, especially when you need your brain to be active and at its full potential. There are a few general tips I’d like to share before going into the actual recipes:
the most important nutrients we should be consuming are carbs, proteins and calcium
the British Nutrition Foundation recommends “ a diet rich in a variety of fruit and vegetables, include moderate amounts of low-fat dairy products, moderate amounts of lean meat and fish and other non-dairy protein sources and limited amounts of foods containing fat or sugars.”
how to eat healthy on a small budget
always compare branded products to generic brands: look at the nutrients because most of the time they’re either the same, or better.
also I’ve found that many times I like the generic brand products better. For example, I don’t like the Lipton iced tea (1,49€), but I actually love the generic brand iced tea from the major grocery stores over here (around 0,50€)
in order to save money, limit the amount of times you’re allowed to eat out each month/week
What you should be eating
Firstly, I’d like to address how important it is to drink a lot of water. It genuinely is good for every single thing: it helps with your skin, with detoxing, with weight loss, with muscle growth, etc.
Here are a few example meals you should eat at different times of day:
Wholegrain cereal with milk and glass of orange juice
Wholemeal bread toasted with chopped banana and glass of milk
Bowl of vegetable soup and wholemeal bread with an apple and yoghurt
Chicken / tuna salad wrap and pure fruit smoothie
Baked beans on whole-grain toast
Baked potato topped with tinned tuna, baked beans or grated cheese
Scrambled egg on toast with grilled tomato
TOP-TIP! A ‘baked’ potato can be easily prepared in a microwave in about 5 minutes
Chicken or beef stir fry with noodles
Egg omelette with cheese and baked potato
Pasta with tinned tuna topped with cheese
TOP TIP! Frozen vegetables are packed with nutrients and are great when you are pressed for time.
Source: Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute
What to keep in your kitchen
Low-salt stock cubes: for chicken, beef and/or pork (Knorr makes good ones, but there are always the generic brands if you want a cheaper option)
Tomato and Pesto sauces (for a quick pasta sauce)
Pasta, rice, noodles and couscous (choose wholegrain ones if possible)
Plain flour (for baking and thickening sauces)
Canned fruit (in fruit juice not syrup)
Canned pulses such as chickpeas, lentils and kidney beans (not in salted water)
Canned fish e.g. tuna, mackerel, salmon, sardines (try and make sure these are sustainable and canned in water or unsaturated fats)
Fresh fruit (fruits of the season are cheaper)
Water bottles (just a couple, you can refill them)
When you’re going to study, whether it’s at the library or at home, it’s important to snack on something nutritious in order to keep your brain working. There are lots of different things you can just pick up, or wash (maybe slice too) and throw in a Tupperware box
tea: green and black tea are highly energetic (here’s an article about different kinds of tea)
various nuts: walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds, cashews, peanuts, etc
fruits: apple, banana, blueberry, avocado and orange are good ones
I also love to snack on watermelon. It may not be super nutritious, but it’s fresh, it fills you up and is low calorie
vegetables: carrots, broccoli, string beans and pea pods can (and should) all be eaten raw
greek yogurt: you can literally throw anything in there and it will taste good, or you can just eat it plain, because it tastes good and the consistency is great
17 power snacks for studying
10 ways to boost your brain power
another studyblr food masterpost
by time of cooking/preparation
granola: either plain in a bowl with a little bit of milk, or mixed with whatever you want, granola is a great snack (also low to no-sugar, and high in fiber, so if your intestines tend to give you a hard time, this will help)
salads: any kind will take you less than 10 minutes (unless you have to boil any ingredients, like pasta or eggs); they mostly consist of healthy ingredients, and are customizable to your liking
3 ingredient banana cookies
chipotle avocado sandwich
apple peanut butter sandwiches (super yummy; if you can, get organic peanut/almond butter because it’s a bit healthier)
wraps are extremely simple to make, and not very time-consuming at all (unless, again, you have to boil any ingredients) - 1, 2, 3 and 4
Jamie Oliver’s “quick fixes” (some take 10 minutes, others take longer)
green cheese & avocado sandwich
pasta salads in a jar (doesn’t have to be in a jar)
healthy lunches and snacks by Bethany Mota
Jamie Oliver’s wraps take a little longer to make but they look delicious
27 healthy high-protein snacks
stir-fried beef with hoisin sauce
88 cheap and healthy recipes (includes vegetarian dishes)
34 healthy breakfasts for busy mornings
My own recipe: Tuna Pasta
(IG picture from like 2013; remember when Aria was into that guy Jake lol I think we were all into him tbh)
If you don’t know me too well: Hello I’m Vanessa and I eat pasta like there’s no tomorrow. Also, tuna is one of my favorite things. Nice to meet ya!
I make this all the time, it’s super easy and quick (if you don’t count the time it takes to boil pasta, which is the boring part). Here are the ingredients:
pasta (any kind; however much you want to eat)
a can of tuna (or more, depends on how many people you’re cooking for)
boil water for the pasta; add salt before putting the pasta in the pot
while the pasta is boiling, open the can of tuna just a little and set it on the sink upside down so the oil/water (whatever the tuna is conserved in) comes out
when the pasta is done, put a bit of olive oil in a pan and chop up a clove of garlic in little squares
turn on the stove and wait until the oil starts to sizzle a little bit before putting the tuna in
stir the tuna around for a minute or so, and then add a bit of tomato sauce/pulp
after the tuna is covered in the sauce, you can add the pasta and a pinch of salt
stir everything around for a bit so you can see how much more sauce you need to add (no need for useless extra calories), and then add it
stir everything again, to “spread” the sauce
turn the stove off, put your dish on a plate, and sprinkle some oregano on top
I found a similar, fancier version of this recipe on BBC Good Food.
Note: most (if not all) of these recipes are easily portable, all you need is a couple tupperware boxes and your knife and fork. Throw them in your bag before heading out the door and you’re all set!
If your school doesn’t have microwaves (which it probably does), focus on making the cool recipes, like salads, wraps, quesadillas, etc.
Allrecipes Dinner Spinner (also available for Windows Phones)
BigOven (available for all devices, including iPad): also has website
That’s all folks! Hope you enjoyed my post, and that it actually helps you.
Feel free to request any posts you would like me to do, and I’ll gladly do them if I’m qualified to.
Check out my lastest back to school 2016 post if you’d like some scholarly advice :)
Note: header graphics via freepik.com