Being away from home is hard. Cooking a healthy meal between classes and work can be even harder. Finding clean dishes? Well, that you'll have to take up with your roommate.
According to Teri Tsang, associate food editor with Rachael Ray magazine, preparing healthy, low-fat meals quickly and cheaply can be, of all things, fun. Keeping pounds at bay and maintaining those lean, dance club worthy legs has never been so easy.
Breakfast
For a quick and easy breakfast on the go that won't disturb others during class, Tsang says to grab a piece of fruit or a container of yogurt and serve with honey, granola or Kashi cereal for an extra crunch.
"I'm a big fan of yogurt," Tsang said. "Honestly, I think yogurt is the fastest, easiest, most filling and nutritious meal you can have for breakfast."
Tsang said it is better to stay away from energy bars, which have higher calories and fat content and are less filling than other options.
For those with a bit more time in the morning, a breakfast burrito will definitely keep your insides full until lunch. Throw any of the following items into a wrap with scrambled eggs and enjoy: turkey, sausage or ham, veggies, salsa, refried beans or cheese.
If you don't have wraps on hand, pour eggs over meat and veggies in a pan and bake for 3 to 5 minutes to create a frittata. Add cooked pasta for a heartier appetite. Top with tomato slices and cheese.
Lunch
"The thing with lunch, if you want to eat healthy and inexpensively, I think the best thing to do is make food to go, " Tsang said. "If you have the challenge of working with a budget, your only option to eat well is to plan ahead."
She recommends buying a Tupperware container, a two dollar investment from any grocery store, and bringing leftovers to school to avoid expensive lunch selections on campus. It can double as a container for snacks that travel well, like granola mix and fruit, so you always have food on hand.
To make a wrap, tortilla or sandwich in minutes on the fly, stock up on lean meats, low fat refried beans and healthier cheeses. Wraps have fewer carbohydrates and can be filled with almost anything; Tsang says to try one with arugula, light olive oil and lemon juice.
Another great lunch option is salmon on a bagel. It is filling and has lots of good-for-you omega fatty acids. Have the leftovers the next day on a sandwich with eggs and cream cheese. You also can't go wrong with soup.
"Hot liquids have been known to help people feel like they're filling up faster," Tsang said. "It's good for the cold, especially way up in Buffalo."
For a healthy, low calorie beverage - sans the risk of potentially unhealthy low calorie sweeteners - dilute juice with sparkling mineral water to taste, and carry it around in an unbreakable Nalgene bottle. Tsang recommends using half of each. Adding lemon juice also works well.
Her personal favorite is combining cranberry juice with sparkling water.
"It kind of tastes like an Italian soda but it's not as expensive and it's definitely not as sugary," Tsang said.
Having healthy meal options comes down to being a savvy shopper. It may hurt to have a large bill on groceries once a week, but in the long run it is cheaper than eating out. If you're new to cooking, look for pre-made shopping menus online. Rachael Ray magazine also has a tear out menu planner.
When shopping, be sure to always have herbs and olive oil on hand, and double up on essentials. Buy fall squashes and potatoes while they are in season and freeze them to defrost or heat up later in the microwave.
"I think student's lives tend to be so hectic you never really know where you're going to be, you change plans at the last minute, that sort of thing, so it's great to have options that are quick and flexible," Tsang said.
Dinner
For large meals, Tsang recommends purchasing a fully cooked rotisserie chicken at the beginning of the week and making it last for three or four meals.
The first night, have the drumsticks and wings with a side of instant mashed potatoes or mixed salad greens. Some come with stuffing, which also makes for a great side. The next night, toss chunks of chicken with arugula or fennels, and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
The remaining chicken can be made into a chicken salad. Mix with mayonnaise, paragon and raisins, and serve with lettuce on whole wheat bread or whole-wheat crackers. Or toss it with cooked pasta; simply add freshly ground black pepper, salt and cheese cubes to taste for a classic Italian dish. Add frozen veggies and soy or teriyaki sauce for a fuss free stir-fry.
"Everything in moderation," Tsang said. The fat and calories in cheese and mayonnaise can add up quickly, so choose low fat versions when possible.
Quesadillas are an easy dinner option for those without a full kitchen. Make them in a microwave or toaster oven and dunk in salsa.
"Salsa is now America's number one condiment," Tsang said. "You can use it to dress up a lot of different things, and it's really healthy without all the sodium content."
Boil a pot of pasta - a short variety like corkscrew - at the beginning of the week and store in fridge for use in a variety of dinners. Toss leftovers with halved grapes, cherry tomatoes, olives, olive oil and basil leaves for a cold pasta salad.
For vegetarians, saut?(c) or grill really firm tofu, cubed, until golden brown and the insides are soft. Dip in hot pepper soy sauce or sriracha sauce.
"It ends up being kind of like a healthy french fry," Tsang said. "(Sriracha) is considered the new ketchup of Thailand and has one of the fastest growing rates of condiments in the US right now."
To transform a humdrum container of hummus, serve it with cucumber or endive leaves, or use it to line a wrap for extra protein.
Dessert
Grind sugar and freshly ground pepper together and coat over pineapple cubes to create a low-fat dessert that originated in France.
"They're great grilled, they're great fresh. It's one of those nice presentation things," Tsang said. "It really ends up highlighting the pineapple because they tend to be so sweet and tangy."
Smoothies are a great dessert option, and also good for you. Simply blend fruit with non-fat yogurt or sorbet. Avoid juices and ice cream, which are loaded with unnecessary calories.
Sorbets are a tasty low fat ending to any meal, and, best of all, require no cooking. Nobody says you can't eat it straight from the container.
"I love Haagen-Dazs line of sorbets, I think they're really healthy, clean, delicious and good for you, as well as palate cleansers," Tsang said. Her personal favorite is mango.
But if you're in the mood for something richer in taste, reach for a mug of real hot chocolate - nothing compares on a Saturday afternoon curled up under a blanket.
"It is definitely rich and high in calories, but less than your average chocolate dessert," Tsang said. "With winter coming up it's a great decadent treat."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
