AFFORDABLE & HEALTHY MEALS

from SLO Living 2020

THREE COOL STUDY SPOTS

FOR STUDENTS LIVING OFF CAMPUS | WRITTEN BY Sophia Lincoln

AS CONVENIENT AS CAL POLY’S MEAL PLANS ARE, not having one can be an equally efficient option if you know where and how to shop for groceries. Surrounding Cal Poly is a myriad of student-friendly grocery stores.

Regardless of where you shop for groceries or what your culinary experience entails, one of the best tips I’ve been given is to “meal-prep”. Meal prepping involves planning out your

meals in advance and then reusing the same ingredients for the rest of the week. For example, buying carbs like rice or pasta work well as you can make a big pot of it at the beginning of the week and reuse the same carb throughout the rest of the week but with different vegetables or other toppings incorporated. This saves both time and money as you can reuse the same ingredients rather than buying new ingredients for each meal or spending time cooking a whole new meal each night.

SLO LIVING 2020 24 While a healthy diet may seem difficult to maintain amid the many stresses and deadlines of college life, recording what you eat can be a great start. This can be very helpful for those who tend to miss a meal here and there or unintentionally exclude one or more of the essential food groups — like vegetables or protein — from their diet. Keeping an eating schedule can help you keep track of your diet and ensure you are getting the nutrients necessary to thrive at school.

In terms of where to shop for groceries, I find it useful to go to various different stores depending on what I am in need of, how much I am planning on actually cooking and how much money I am willing to spend.

Going to Costco every few months has saved me the time of making multiple trips to smaller grocery stores. Moreover, Costco sells products in bulk which is great for items that I know I will use and reuse which I may buy there for an affordable price.

During a busy week, on the other hand, I find it most efficient to go to Trader Joe’s for their plentitude of surprisingly tasty frozen meals which can be heated up in a matter of minutes amid studying.

Regardless of where you shop for groceries or what your culinary experience entails, one of the best tips I’ve been given is to “meal-prep”. Sophie Lincoln

Lastly, California Fresh Market is an extremely student-friendly option. Though it is a bit pricier than the two above stores, it’s great for fresh fruits and vegetables and even a quick grab-and-go lunch from the sushi bar or fresh deli inside. California Fresh is also close to campus, making it a great option for students without cars.

Also useful to students without cars are Campus Market and Village Market which sell groceries in addition to campus food.

For those who struggle more so with deciding what to make and knowing how to make it, programs like Hello Fresh can also be very useful. Hello Fresh is an online program popular among Cal Poly students wherein users pay a weekly fee to receive e a s y - t o - f o l l o w re c i p e s , a l o n g with fresh ingredients called for in the recipes all of which is delivered right to your door. Some similar programs include Blue Apron and Home Chef.

Food 4 Less and Grocery Outlet are also great options for college students as they are very affordable. Both of these stores provide a wide variety of products and are in close proximity to other stores that are popular among students like Trader Joes and Target so you may get all of your errands done at once.