I was wondering if ayone has any ideas for meals on the go. I work full time during the day and go to school full time most nights and most fo the weekend. This makes it difficult to make dinner/lunch at home so I am increasingly relying on fast/restaurant food or vending machine snacks while at school or studying out of the house. Has anyone else had the same difficulties? I try to make stuff at home and take it with me but I have no access to a microwave and so it is hard. Sandwiches tend to get soggy and in all honesty I am a little sick of them.

Thank you!!!!

Amber (Frustrated in East Bay)

Hi Amber,
I have the same problem, I have such a spread out class schedule that I'm usually on campus from 8-4 so there's breakfast and lunch for sure. I try and bring snacks, a bag of carrots, yogurt for breakfast, some granola bars, fruit, things that don't tend to get that soggy or bruised from being in my bag all day.
When I get home I'm not dying to eat and I can make a good solid meal without worrying I'll binge when I get home. Also I'm lucky that our campus sells some pretty good food, salads, fruit, and things like hard boiled eggs and carrots so I don't always have to relay on my snacks. Hope that helps!

Kels

i used to take lots of snacks with me...i had sliced apples w/ laughing cow cheese wedges, LF yogurt w/ a baggie of cereal, keep a bag of rice cakes in your bag, a banana w/ peanut butter or celery stick w/PB or a little container of ranch. The options are endless. It doesn't necessarily have to be a "meal" to keep you going until you can get something healthy. At home have things ready. Already cooked chicken or taco meat, sliced veggies, cooked rice or pasta w/ marinara. All easy low fat things you can heat up quickly between work and school. I have definitely been there. LF tuna salad or bean salad are easy to grab too. FF refried beans in a WW tortilla makes an easy burrito and healthy too!

Hey Amber! I have this same problem too but I'm not a college student. I commute about an hour each way to work so by the time that I get home to make dinner it's already 6pm and my husband is ready for bet at like 8:30pm since he goes to work very early!
One thing I have found that's very easy is these frozen chicken breasts by Pilgrims Pride. They are in a green bag and say EatWellStayHealthy. They have all different flavors (my favorite is Italian flavored) and they are precooked so you just zap in the microwave along with some veggies.

I look forward to seeing everyone else's suggestions also

I'm definitely in the same boat...and I'm an awful cook. I usually keep a handful of almonds or a protein bar in my gym bag so I have a snack for when I workout between classes. I eat as many meals as I can at home (usually breakfast and dinner) and make my lunch to bring with me if I'm going to be at work or school all day. I've been getting these hundred calorie packs of organic, multigrain crackers that are handy to have. I grab an apple too in the mornings. I think more than anything my problem is when I come home exhausted from the day and don't feel like making anything. I get these grilled, pre-cut, frozen chicken breasts and just heat them in a pan with Montreal Chicken Spice. They work great in salads, wraps, with a side of whole grain rice...

I also (or my mum does when I come home for the weekend ) prepare chicken in bulk and then freeze it. Heating something up in a pan is a lot less time consuming than having to make it from scratch. I cook my quinoa in bulk too and keep it in the fridge. It lasts a few days.

my bad i answered a completly different question

I usually make a bento at night/early morning so i can bring it with me to eat at lunch. It does take a bit to prepare if you're not use to it, but you will make it faster as you're more use to it.
http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Bento
You don't have to use rice if you're afraid of cal. You can switch it with bread or noodle kind (pasta) instead. Just play with it abit. The key is stick with ratio so you know you eat enough veggie.
With a bento, you don't need to heat them. Room temperature is perfectly fine. Some questions that can be answered in this website: http://www.cookingcute.com/faq.htm

Thanks soo much for all of the ideas they are all so different and totally doable. I especially like the bento idea. I am in the process of revamping my menu before school starts.

I have also been a student while teaching and tutoring...long days! I bring along (not all at once!):


Almonds (I count out 7)
Multiple baggies of cut veggies
A small tupperware of hummus (portioned out)
soy crisps
tiny sized raisins (like MINI)
100 calorie popcorn bags or 100 calorie packs in general

Good luck!

Slow cookers are great, you could prep the night before, turn it on in the morning before you leave, and have hot food ready when you get home and plenty of leftovers to freeze as individual portions to reheat at a later date.

A nice wide-mouthed thermos can easily keep soup, stew, or a casserole warm from morning until lunch time.

Salad will keep really well in an insulated lunch bag, just put everything you want on your salad except the dressing. Keep the dressing in a zip lock bag or a small container to add to your salad just before eating.

Wraps travel much better than sandwiches as far as the soggy factor goes...just don't put mayo, oil, or any other condiments on ahead of time and keep the tomato on the inside (eg. not touching the wrap).

To keep things cool, use a bottle of frozen water or tea, and when you're ready to eat, you also have a cold drink (keep the drink on top of the items you want to keep cold, cold air falls).

I used to do the same thing as a lot of the others when I had to bring lunch or dinner (or both, often!!) to school... bring a bunch of little things that added up into a meal. Luckily I like some stuff cold that others don't... leftover pasta, baked beans (the vegetarian kind from a can), cooked veggies. I actually had access to a microwave most times, but it was several floors away, or in another building, and they were public ones near the vending machines that I think get cleaned once a year. So I ate things cold most of the time!!!

I have an insulated bag... two, actually, a smaller one if I'm only bringing one meal and a larger one for bringing two meals. Then I bought some nice plastic containers to hold food -- I like the Rubbermaid Premier ones, they stack nicely and are impossible to stain.

For simple snacks, I recommend bananas-high in potassium, reasonable amount of calories, high in fiber, and the perfect portable food! Also-does your school have a microwave available? If so, you can heat up frozen dinners (if you pack them in an insulated bag with an icepack) or leftovers or all sorts of things!

peanut and jelly with bananas on toast are realy good and will hold you over for a long time,or micro. oatmeal flavored only takes a 1min.