Think being swamped with schoolwork, low on cash, and possibly without a kitchen means Cup-O-Noodles and chips for all your snacks and meals? Think again. When life gets hectic, your body needs healthful foods to keep going - yet this is usually the time we head to the snack machine or skip meals. Be it a between-class sustenance or the late-night snacks that you desire, the foods on our 'Grocery Basics' list can easily be assembled into quick, tasty, and nutritious mini-meals and snacks. Stock up on these items and you'll have what you need to start the semester out right. Oh, and the total price of the items on the list is less than $25, too!
Grocery Basics:
- Six-ounce cups non-fat fruit flavored and plain yogurt
- Part-skim milk string cheese
- Soft taco-sized tortillas
- Peanut butter
- Apples
- Bananas
- Whole grain cereal (such as Cheerios, raisin bran, Chex, or Puffins)
- Black beans
- Baby carrots
Basic Combinations:
1. Tortilla spread with peanut butter and rolled around a banana
2. Banana and a piece of string cheese
3. Non fat yogurt with sliced banana
4. Non fat yogurt mixed with cereal
5. One piece of string cheese melted in a tortilla
6. Beans and cheese in a tortilla
7. Baby carrots dipped in peanut butter
8. Sliced apple dipped in non fat yogurt
9. Apple and a piece of string cheese
10. Black beans with melted cheese and a dollop of plain yogurt
11. Baby carrots and a piece of string cheese
12. Non fat yogurt mixed with cereal and sliced banana
13. Tortilla rolled up with peanut butter and sliced apple
14. Apple halves spread with peanut butter
15. Baggie of cereal and a piece of string cheese
16. Baby carrots dipped in plain yogurt
Jarosh is a registered dietitian majoring in Nutrition Communication at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. She has a BS in Human Nutrition and Dietetics from the University of New Mexico.
