Easy healthy meals on a student budget
Lily Harvey
Sport, Exercise & Nutrition BSc(Hons) - First Year
Hi I’m Lily - I’m a first year Sport, Exercise and Nutrition student. I love running, going to the gym and I’m a bit of a foodie! I’m also a complete chatter box and enjoy meeting new people.
Before I moved to the University of Huddersfield as a Sport Exercise and Nutrition student, I had dreams of making sourdough toast with avocado and eggs every weekend, exotic fruit salads to nibble on whilst working and creamy king prawn pasta for tea - because healthy eating, it’s easy right? Well, now my first term is complete, I can confirm I have not once eaten any of the above meals...
It’s not all that easy planning, buying and cooking three balanced meals a day, especially on a student budget. Of course, the odd oven pizza or packet of instant noodles isn’t going to cause you any harm, although whilst it’s better to eat something than nothing at all, we can see enormous benefits from being a little conscious of our food choices. You’ll feel more energised, have a better immune system and lower your risk of developing diseases just to name a few benefits. I also find my mental health is 1000 times better when I’m feeding my body with the good stuff (and yes, that includes a little chocolate here and there!).
Whether you’ve moved away to university like me or you're living at home and commuting, here are some simple ideas to help you eat smarter, both physically and economically.
Vegetable & Chickpea Curry
First up, my favourite healthy evening meal - vegetable and chickpea curry. This one is also vegan, so great for everyone to enjoy. I usually make a huge pan of this, separate it into Tupperware to either freeze or eat throughout the week, for lunch or dinner. This makes it really cheap as it usually makes four meals and it means that I don’t have to cook every night that week.
I don’t like precise recipes (that’s not how I roll), I’m more of a “throw it all in and hope for the best” kind of girl - so here's a loose idea for a recipe, but feel free to customise it. You’ll need:
- 1 tin of Chickpeas
- 1 tin of Chopped Tomatoes
- 3 to 4 lots of veg - I like to use cauliflower, mushrooms, courgette and onion
- Curry powder and Cumin (once purchased, these last ages)
- Rice
- About 70ml of water
Chop and fry your onions and once they're browning, add the rest of your veg and fry for ten minutes. Add tomatoes, chickpeas and spices and simmer. Add water accordingly to make a sauce-like consistency. Simmer for twenty minutes whilst your rice is cooking, and just like that, you’ve got four lots of curry! I sometimes add some crushed chillies for a little more spice.
Mediterranean Stuffed Peppers
My next evening meal pick is Mediterranean stuffed peppers. This is ridiculously easy and pretty tasty considering the level of ease. Again, I make two lots of this as one pack of couscous makes me two whole peppers. You’ll need:
- 1 pepper
- 1 pack of flavoured couscous (I use half a pack per 2 halves of peppers)
- Feta cheese
- Jar/can of olives (If you love them as much as I do!)
- Salad - I use rocket and tomatoes
For this meal, chop your pepper in half (lengthways) and remove the seeds. Place it in the oven at two hundred degrees for ten to fifteen minutes. Meanwhile, boil the kettle and add water to your couscous as instructed on the packet. Add your cooked couscous, cubes of feta and olives to stuff the pepper halves and place them back in the oven for a further ten minutes. Whilst you’re waiting, prepare your salad and add some feta to that too. Remove the peppers from the oven and enjoy!
Homemade Grazing Box
In terms of lunches, I find a homemade grazing box really helpful. I know this sounds like a toddler lunch but hear me out!
Sometimes you only have a small amount of time in between lectures and need a quick nibble of something to keep you going. Or if you’re at the desk studying all day, snacks that you can easily graze on may be easier than a full meal - whilst still getting in all the nutrients. I find it useful to prepare this meal the night before so I’m not in a rush in the morning, otherwise, I’m more likely to reach for the crisps and biscuits! My box will typically include:
- Crackers or breadsticks
- Cheese slices
- A boiled egg
- Tomatoes/carrot sticks/cucumber
- An apple or a satsuma
- A row of chocolate to keep up morale
Rolled Oats
Finally, my absolute go-to breakfast staple is rolled oats. Hot or cold, this makes for a filling and balanced breakfast. Obviously, you can have them as porridge, but if you need to take them on the go, overnight oats in a jar are a great option.
To do this, fill your jar with one-third oats, two-thirds yoghurt or a soya option and leave it in the fridge overnight. The oats will absorb some of the yoghurt and soften them making a delicious meal - add some honey and fruit and you’re good to go. My favourite topping combinations are apple and cinnamon or banana and honey.
A recent discovery of mine is hot chocolate oats. Just add some Options hot chocolate (a healthier hot chocolate powder) to your porridge before cooking it and stir it in. It makes the most delicious chocolatey snack or a quick breakfast for you sweet-toothed individuals out there.
It's important to remember that not every day will look nutritionally 'perfect', but a little planning and prepping here and there can make eating healthily as a student just that little bit easier!
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