The Ultimate Student Meal Prep Guide for Uni Life

Eating healthy can be tough when you’re a student. With busy classes and stressful assignments, you might find yourself ordering unhealthy and expensive takeaway food.

That’s where meal prep comes in. In this guide, we’ll show you some easy student meal prep tips that are healthy and tasty, while also saving you time and money.

 

Why Bother with Student Meal Prep? The Benefits for Your Time, Wallet, and Health

When you prepare meals ahead of time, you can improve your uni success, eat healthier and save more money. If you meal prep, you’ll have a better idea of what you’re eating, allowing you to make informed and healthy choices.

Eating healthier helps you function better. You’ll have more energy to complete all your assignments and fuel your late-night study sessions. With better meal planning, you can also save money by eating out less and refining your shopping list.

 

Step 1: Planning Your Weekly Meals Like a Pro

Set Clear Goals for Your Student Meal Plan

By setting clearly defined goals, you can give yourself direction on your meal prep journey. You could have a financial goal, such as saving $50 a week on food. Or, you could have a health goal (like eating more veggies every day). Whatever your aims, being specific can help keep you motivated and your meal prepping consistent.

Create Your Weekly Student Meal Planner

When meal prepping, it’s important to plan your breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and occasional snacks. You can map out your meal plan with a pen and paper notebook, or use digital documents or meal planning apps to keep track of your meals.

Build a Smart Shopping List from Your Plan

A shopping list is a crucial tool for successful meal prep. Once you have your meal prep ideas mapped out, you can build your shopping list from it. A list can help prevent you from buying unhealthy foods. It can also avoid food waste, and may save you money with fewer impulse buys.

 

Step 2: The Art of Budget-Friendly Grocery Shopping

Master Bulk Buying & Find Cheap Ingredients

When you bulk buy base ingredients, you can save money. Plus, you’ll always have something on hand to help you create a delicious meal. Some basic staples you can keep in your kitchen include: 

• Rice
• Pasta
• Oats
• Beans
• Potatoes
• Frozen vegetables

Combining these items with a protein source and other ingredients helps you create a variety of tasty meals, ensuring you always have the building blocks for a delicious meal on hand.

Choose Budget-Friendly Proteins for Your Uni Meals

Protein can be an important part of any meal plan. But you don’t always have to spend a lot to hit your protein goals.

We recommend you look at the protein you can get for the price you pay per 100 grams. For example, 100 grams of lean chicken breast has more protein than 100 grams of many expensive cuts of beef. You can also save some cash with protein-rich vegetarian options.

Protein Density & Price Comparison

The most useful metric, particularly for college students trying to maximise their food budget, is the cost per gram of protein. Here’s a quick look at how much bang for your buck you can get from different protein sources:

 

 

Step 3: Efficient Batch Cooking and Smart Storage

Essential Kitchen & Pantry Staples You Should Always Have

Outside of staples and protein sources, a few other ingredients can form the basis of many tasty meal prep recipes. Keeping these ingredients in your kitchen can help easily manage your meal prep. Some of the best ingredients to include in your cupboard are: 

• Salt and pepper
• Paprika
• Cumin
• Dried herbs (such as oregano and basil)
• Garlic
• Olive oil
• Soy sauce
• Stock cubes

Master Batch Cooking and Freezable Meals

One of the easiest ways to meal prep is to batch cook meal bases. Then, you can use them throughout the week in your recipes. By making bulk quantities of quinoa, vegetables, and chicken, you can easily add them to a range of meals.

You can also make multiple complete meals and freeze them in containers to be heated up whenever it's time to eat. Great choices for meals include soups, stir fries and even roast dinners that will keep you filled for the entire week.

Choosing and Using the Right Meal Prep Containers

Sealable glass or plastic meal prep containers help make meal prep easy, especially if they are microwave and freezer-safe. High-quality resealable containers can keep food fresher for longer. 

Glass meal prep containers can be less likely to become discoloured from food and are easier to clean than plastic containers. For this reason, they’re a go-to choice for experienced meal preppers.

Food Storage 101: Keep Your Meals Fresh and Safe

• Cool food before refrigeration or freezing: Putting food in your fridge while it’s still warm can affect the temperature of other food in your fridge or freezer. It can also overwork your appliance as it tries to maintain the correct temperature. It’s much better to wait for your food to cool before storing it in your fridge or freezer. 
• Label your meals: By writing the meal and date on your food containers, you’ll know what they contain without opening them. Labelling will also help you keep track of when your food has been made, so you can eat it well before it spoils.
• Eat refrigerated foods within 3 days: It’s best to consume any cooked meals within 3 days of refrigeration. Doing so can help prevent food poisoning. Some frozen meals can be kept for up to six months. However, it’s important to label their freezing date to prevent spoilage.

 

Pro Tips to Make Meal Prep Enjoyable (and Actually Stick to It)

Keep It Simple & Use Free Online Recipes

Meal prepping can be incredibly easy and rewarding. Keeping a few simple recipes on hand is one of the best ways to stick to your meal prep goals.

You can find a variety of recipes online with different cooking methods that are incredibly easy and will save time. Find some healthy recipes and enjoy your tasty meal-prepped foods.

Share the Load

Is cooking all your meals a bit much? Ask a friend or roommate for help. By taking turns cooking, you can discover new recipes and enjoy eating together, while cutting down food waste.

 

Too Busy to Prep? There’s an Even Easier Way

Struggling to stick to your meal prep plans? Cooking can be time-consuming, and with grocery store prices climbing, it’s not always cheap either. MACROS can take the guesswork out. Our meals are ideal if you’re a busy student who wants to eat healthy and hit your goals.

Just check out our meal plans, order your favourites and get healthy and tasty meals delivered to your door. With recurring weekly or fortnightly deliveries, it’s even easier to eat right without stretching your budget.

👉 Students can save even more — check out our student discounts here.

Explore our full menu today and find an easier way to manage your meals.