Talk NERDY To Me Blog

Meals to get you through college

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Morning rush

Berkeley is always hectic and running, 8 AM classes are the worst and they can make you miss breakfast, but these meals will help you have something ready in 5 minutes. 

Some quick, but healthy meals for mornings are: 

• Oatmeal: Add raisins or frozen berries, nuts, sugar or honey, milk or water. Oatmeal is the most versatile breakfast food out there – buy instant oatmeal at Costco and you are set for the rest of the semester. 

• Avocado toast: Add salt, lemon, maybe fresh cilantro leaves on top. No Californian can survive without it!

• Peanut Butter and Honey Toast: Another fast and easy breakfast is toast with peanut butter, drizzled with honey. Can be paired with sliced bananas, sliced almonds, and other types of fruits/nuts

• Fruit shakes: It can be any fruit, but try to stick to one flavor or it can become too bland or too overpowering. I usually do either a tropical mix or a berry mix; I add bananas and some form of probiotic. Probiotics are an essential part of our gut health. You can buy probiotic juice from Berkeley Bowl for less than $4 and use it in your shakes to spice things up. If not, adding yogurt and oat milk works just fine.

Lunch time

Be ready to be on campus all day, even if you were not planning to. Coming home after classes will take hours out of your day and stop your flow of productivity. Plan ahead! 

• Sandwich and fruit: Instead of buying a $15 sandwich that will not fill you up and is mostly bread, pack your own. It can be as simple as having leftover salad and throwing some cheese and protein on top. Pair it with at least one piece of fruit. I usually buy one type of dressing or sauce, such as sriracha mayo, to add spark into your sandwiches. 

• Leftovers: Having leftovers for lunch is underestimated. Lunch is the perfect time to digest heavy meals, so don’t shy away from eating your dinner leftovers for lunch. 

•  Omelets: You can put most vegetables into an omelet and it will be delicious. If you don’t know how to make one there are 5 minute videos on youtube!   

• Quesadillas & salad: Nothing easier to cook than throwing a tortilla and some cheese together. It will taste good even if you forget it in your backpack and heat it again in a microwave. While that’s warming, grab some lettuce, veggies (tomatoes, strawberries, celery, corn, cucumber, avocado, any cold veggies can be added to a salad!)

Dinner

Whether you are eating alone after a long day of work or you are eating with friends before a study session, dinner is an important part of your day. It represents closure and in American diets, it’s the biggest meal of your day. Therefore it’s worth spending time making something to ensure your body will keep going day after day. As a STEM student I skipped plenty of dinners before only filling myself with snacks. This led to me getting seriously sick freshman year. Hopefully these meal ideas will help you prepare something to get your nutrients:

• Stir fry: Tofu and spam stir fries are college students’ best friends. Throw some rice in the rice cooker, cook your protein choice with some veggies (onion, bell pepper, carrots, broccoli, 

• Pasta and salad: Nothing wrong with boiling some pasta, throwing your favorite sauce in it (marinara, pesto, alfredo) and calling it a day. You can make endless combinations of cheese and types of pasta. I recommend adding ground beef, ground turkey, or chicken breast (plant based chicken if you are vegetarian) and fresh herbs to add some nutritional value. For the side salad you can keep it simple or go all out loud, just make sure to keep the dressing at a minimum since pasta can be high in carbohydrates by itself.

• Soups or ramen: If you are low on energy I recommend having premade soup from the grocery store or having a package of instant noodles at hand can save you. 

• Frozen food: It might not sound like the most nutritious alternative, but it is better than starving yourself and there are some healthy alternatives. Search for frozen foods that have vegetables on them, stay away from deep fried foods unless you are going to pair it with a source of fiber. Suggestions are: gyoza, samosas, taquitos or frozen stir fry.

Last, don’t forget to drink water!! It is key to staying healthy and energized. Especially if you have consumed some form of caffeine.