Healthy Eating: Dining Hall Edition

This post goes out to all my fellow college students out there. Plain and simple: eating healthy is HARD. And it gets a million times harder when you have to eat food that you have no control over, all while having to stare at buffet lines filled with mashed potatoes, greasy pizzas, fried foods galore, and ice cream sundae bars at the same time. It's taken me a long time to try and figure out how to eat healthfully in the dining halls all while still keeping in mind that moderation is key and that treating myself from time to time is important.

Here I've decided to include some of what my meals look like when I'm in the dining hall. No they are not 100% "clean" but they balance a mix of foods I enjoy with foods that are good for me.

Breakfast: Unlike most college students, this isn't my first meal of the day since I'm on the crew team and we practice at 5:20 a.m. six days a week. So usually on my way to the boathouse, I'll have a piece of fruit or a granola or protein bar of some sort. Then I'll get breakfast with my team. I mix it up either by having some plain greek yogurt mixed with cinnamon and some fruit, usually an apple or a banana, and some good old peanut butter of course. Other times I'll have some oatmeal; sometimes it's made already and other times the dining hall puts out instant packets of it. Again, with peanut butter. Lastly, I'll have cereal with soymilk (not because I'm a vegan but because I just really like the taste of it!) I mix up a bunch of cereals since I love them and douse it in milk. I don't eat this too often since I have a tendency to go a little overboard but it's definitely a favorite. Unpictured favorite meals of mine also include a bagel with some peanut butter or some toast.

Lunch: I won't lie, this meal tends to be the one I rarely eat in the dining hall. I'm just always pretty busy during the middle of the day and it's kind of a hassle to leave my dorm to go get some food so I tend to stick to eating whatever I have in my room. However, when I do venture into public, I love to go to my school's vegan/vegetarian dining hall since I'm a vegetarian and they have the BEST stuff. The second picture shows a favorite meal from that dining hall which is a Gardein chik'n cutlet, penne with spinach, some broccoli, mushrooms, and a few thick cut fries. Super delicious. The first picture includes a meal from one of the traditional dining halls where I filled up my plate with spinach and swiss chard, then topped it with a bit of pasta and pink sauce, and a small square of spanikopita.

Dinner: My school tends to have a variety of dinner options which I love. This meal also tends to be my smallest of the day since I'm less hungry as I work out in the mornings. I try and stick to having a meal mostly comprised of veggies since that's something I don't have in my room, and a few other sources of some healthy carbohydrates and proteins. Pictured first is a plate of spinach topped with a marinated zucchini and squash mix, as well as some black bean chili. On the side is a huge sweet potato; it's a great day when the dining hall has these. The second picture is some barbecued tofu, brussell sprouts, and some pasta salad/cole slaw mix. Also had some tomato soup with chips on the side.

**Note: This is NOT all I eat, not even close. I am always snacking on fruit or Quest bars or other random things. And I always, always, always, make sure to drink plenty of water. I aim for four 32oz. bottles of water a day as well as some glasses of green tea along the way.

Let me know what other posts you'd like to see from me! I'll be heading back home in just two weeks so the food I eat will definitely be changing a bit; keep your eyes peeled!

The Most Important Meal of the Day

Alright, alright, alright (insert Matthew Mcconaughey joke here). If you had to know one thing about me then that would be that I am in LOVE with breakfast. It can be sweet, savory, or both, you can include all your veggies and fruits into one meal, and it's a meal that happens first thing in the morning which I love because I am an extreme early bird; that's right, I'm talking waking with the sunrise kind of early bird over here.

Now while I'm home I love to experiment with all types of breakfast ideas: pancakes, yogurt, waffles, omelettes, and oatmeal flavors galore but since I spend the majority of my time at school in a dorm room, I have to get a little more creative. I typically shift between two different types of breakfasts and I find that both of these pack a ton of carbs, fats, and proteins to keep me energized and ready for my whole day. *Shamless plug alert* - I typically post almost all of my breakfasts on my Instagram so follow me @theroadtobalance to see what I eat daily!

Greek yogurt - chock full of protein and low in carbohydrates, this is definitely a winner in my book. I love taking a cup of yogurt and mixing it with cinnamon and stevia as a base. Next, I'll top it with chia seeds, and go crazy with the fruit (my favorites are fresh and frozen berries as well as bananas). Then I'll usually add some type of cereal or granola for added crunch. Last but not least I'll add a tablespoon of nut butter to get those healthy fats in. Quick, easy, and crazy delicious.

Oatmeal, by far the most underrated breakfast dish. I remember growing up absolutely dreading oatmeal. It was one of those bland and mushy substances my parents would throw into a bowl from a packet, microwave with too much water, and make me eat it before "imporant" events like the SAT. Ugh. Once I got to college I started to appreciate the warm and comforting taste of oatmeal though. It was a pleasant and relaxing way to start the day and once I discovered all the ways to change oatmeal with various protein powders, pudding mixes, extracts, and flavorings, the rest was history. I typically make overnight oats and take them to go or quickly scarf them down in the mornings since it's so quick and easy but when I have a little extra time, I love to make new concoctions.

Lastly, my favorite yogurt + cottage cheese bowl. This keeps me so so full and packs a ton of volume for not a lot of calories. I take an individual greek yogurt container, my favorite being the Dannon Light and Fit greek tubs, and mix it with either a 1/3 or a 1/2 cup of cottage cheese. I then top it with fruit, granola/cereal, and nut butter and it is crazy delicious. Packs a ton of protein as well as some healthy carbs and fats.


And that's it! When I'm home in my own kitchen I love to experiment more but in terms of what's easy to cook up in a dorm, that's what I've got. Let me know if you also love any or all of these breakfast ideas or if you think there's some out there I should try!