What I Eat in a Week: College Midterms

In the spirit of October and all things Halloween, I've decided to let things get a little "creepy." I mean, how creepy is it that 96% of you voted on Instagram that you wanted to see what I eat everyday for a whole week? Very. It's very creepy.

But what can I say, I'm a giver; and with that, I give to you my favorite quick and nutritious meals to consume on those busy days on campus or in the office. Most of these meals are meal-prep friendly and easily packable for on-the-go.

Monday:

Breakfast: Rolled Oats & Fruit w/ Coconut Milk Yogurt

Oats are my go-to breakfast ingredient. Heat them up with some water or nutmilk and top with your favorite fruits and sweetener. I cook my fruit right in the pot with my oats and top everything with some coconut yogurt and a drizzle of honey. This breakfast is filled with unrefined, complex carbohydrates that are high in fiber and keep me fuller for longer.

*Pro Tip: Add half of a frozen banana to the pot while cooking your oats for a creamy taste and consistency.

Lunch: Chili & Cornbread Muffin

I prep this recipe (or another soup recipe), at the beginning of the week and alternate it with one other prepped lunch. Making muffin-style cornbread makes it easy to grab-and-go. I top my chili with a Tbsp of sour cream and a sprinkle (or 4) of shredded cheddar. This lunch is packed with protein and fiber to keep me fueled and satisfied until my next meal. Keep an eye out for my 3 Bean Chili recipe in a later post!

Dinner: Salmon & Veggies

I've eaten salmon every Monday night for about two years now. I'm not really sure why, Monday night is just salmon night. Eat more omega-3's, they said. This meal takes 30 minutes to make from prep-to-plate. Preheat your ovens to the high broil setting. I season my salmon with S&P and a few dashes of garlic and onion powder, then place in a cast iron skillet. For veggies, I usually go for a green along the lines of green beans, asparagus or brussels sprouts. Arrange them on a baking sheet and drizzle some olive oil over them. Place both the salmon and veggies in the oven and set a timer for 25 minutes. In the meantime, cook about 1/2 cup of rice according to box directions. I often use parboiled rice for a faster cooking time.

Snacks:

On this day, I kept it simple. I included a few pieces of fruit, and pb rice cakes.

Tuesday:

Breakfast: Rolled Oats & Fruit w/ Coconut Yogurt

I have to be honest with you guys. I'm a creature of habit, especially during the semester. I eat oats for breakfast almost every single morning. So you guessed it, I had oats for breakfast on this day. I topped them with the usual coconut yogurt and honey drizzle, and added a handful of bluebs.

Lunch: Chickpea "Tuna" Salad on Whole Grain

For lunch, I enjoyed a sandwich, but not just any sandwich... a "tuna" one. By "tuna," I mean not tuna. Not even a little. I made a vegan alternative to classic lunchbox staple.

To make this sandwich, you'll need:

1/2 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed, refrigerated if eating immediately

1/4 Red Onion

1-2 Tbsp Vegan Mayo

1/2 tsp Dill

S&P

Directions:

Blitz all ingredients in a food processor, until combined. Be careful not to over-process in order to keep some texture that resembles the mouthfeel of tuna salad. Spread on a slice of bread, or tortilla and garnish with lettuce and tomato.

Dinner: Chicken and Rice w/ Roasted Autumnal Veggies

For dinner on Tuesday, I went with chicken breasts with brown rice and roasted veggies. This meal is one of my favorites due to the fact that I prep most of the ingredients in the beginning of the week. (Meal prep post coming soon!) I prepped about 3 chicken breasts in the crock pot, and roasted an assortment of veggies. I love cooking chicken in the crock pot because it always comes out so juicy and tender. It's nice having these ingredients prepped, and ready to go in the fridge, it makes your life easier when it's 9pm and you're starving. My prepped veggies for this week were beets, sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts and red onion. I just roughly chop everything up, and spread it out on a baking sheet, drizzle some olive oil over the veggies and toss them to be sure they're coated with oil. Place them in the oven at 400 degrees F for about 25 mins.

Snacks:

I spent most of this day on campus, so I was sure to pack my favorite snacks. I brought a few of my Peanut Butter Power Bites, apple slices, and veggie sticks and hummus. I'd be lying if I didn't include a few squares of dark chocolate. Everything in moderation, folks.

Wednesday:

Breakfast: Rolled Oats & Fruit w/ Coconut Yogurt

Oats are life. Amiright?

Lunch: Cup of Chili and 1/2 Sandwich

As I mentioned in Monday's meals, I usually alternate between a soup and sandwich, or have 1/2 and 1/2. Today, I had both! I packed a cup of chili and half of a chickpea "tuna" sandwich.

Dinner: Tacos

For dinner on Wednesday, I had tacos! I love making tacos on weeknights. I find this meal to be so easy to make, yet so satisfying to eat. I usually swap out the ground beef for some ground turkey, and use whole wheat tortillas. Top them off with your favorite veggies and dig in! I like to top mine with avocado, cilantro, black beans, tomato, lettuce, etc.

Snacks:

I didn't snack much on Wednesday! My meals throughout the day were fiber-rich, which kept me fuller for longer. I did snack on a few blueberries earlier in the day, and I enjoyed pretzel chips with hummus as a late night snack.

Thursday:

Breakfast: Green Smoothie

To my surprise, I didn't have oats for breakfast on Thursday! I opted for a green smoothie. I blitzed a few handfuls of spinach, a frozen banana, 1/4 cup coconut yogurt, and a splash of almond milk in a blender until smooth. It was delicious.

Lunch: Chickpea "Tuna" Salad Whole Wheat Wrap

I used the leftover chickpea "tuna" and made a veggie wrap with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber slices and bell peppers. The recipe listed above only calls for 1/2 can, but I usually double it and store it in a container for an easy lunch.

Dinner: Whole Grain Veggie Pasta w/ Basil Pesto

Dinner this night was so good, and I just whipped it up with whatever I already had in my pantry and fridge. I made a veggie pasta with basil pesto. For this meal, you can use virtually any vegetable you have in your kitchen. For fresh veggies, I used zucchini and avocado. In addition to those, I also added some sundried tomatoes! These added a sweet and tangy to pasta. The combination of the creamy avocado and the tangy tomatoes mimicked the flavor of cheese, which was a delightful surprise. To add some more veggies to my plate, I used up the rest of my prepped roasted veggies.

Snacks:

I snacked on some fruit during the day, and some popcorn later that night.

Friday:

Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs and Toast

For breakfast on Friday, I toasted some whole grain bread, and topped it with peanut butter and fresh fruit. Toast is like oatmeal, in that you can literally top it with anything and it will taste bomb. I used banana slices and blueberries on Friday. I enjoyed my toast slices with 2 scrambled eggs, for a boost of protein.

Lunch: Chicken and Veggie Pasta

For lunch on Friday, I paired the rest of my prepped chicken with some leftover veggie pasta. Friday lunches are always random, as they're usually my biggest effort to use up any leftovers from meals I ate during that week.

Dinner: Pizza

I generally do some kind of takeout on Friday nights. We ordered a pizza from our favorite local spot and enjoyed that with a glass of wine.