If you did not already know, dining hall food often lacks flavor and/or health benefits. Many times, I would waste a meal swipe on a dinner that was predominantly fried food. So, here are a few of my mini fridge, dorm room friendly snacks and meals that won’t break your budget!

PRO TIP: A lot of times you can save money on fruit and protein by taking it to go from your dining hall!

Smoothie Bowls

Smoothie bowls make the best filling snack or breakfast!I love blending up a frozen banana, a frozen avocado (so it’s super creamy) some peanut butter, greens, honey + almond milk as my base.Then top with whatever you are craving! I usually do some Made Good granola bites + Dang Foods coconut chips, with a sprinkle of hemp seeds for omega 3!

One-Bite Charcuterie

Goat cheese is the best easy and fancy splurge. It stores well and makes everything more rich. Top some butter crackers with goat cheese, then add a slice of cured meat or fruit, and drizzle some honey + fresh cracked black pepper. I also love doing this with Kitehill dairy free cream cheese or ricotta.

Leftovers Salad

At the end of my week, I make a huge salad with everything left in my fridge. I love the “super foods” salad mix with Swiss chard, baby spinach, and arugula! (It blends really nicely into smoothies too). This salad is topped with crumbled goat cheese, avocado, cucumber, cured meat + coconut chips with a drizzle of a lemon basil dressing.

One-Pot Pasta

This pasta is a game-changer + so easy. All you do is cook some bow tie pasta (you can do it in the microwave with chicken broth instead of water) then fold in cream cheese + any creamy cheese. Then I add some roasted chicken cut up into pieces, some spinach, and squeeze in some lemon.