Meal Planning

Have you ever heard this saying?

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. 

When it comes to eating a whole foods plant-based vegan diet, this is more true than ever. “I’ll just go get take out” can’t become a daily staple. In college, students subsist on caffeine, ramen noodles, and the free food that is supposed to attract you to events comes in the form of pizza, ice cream, and candy. 

The good news is that with some simple planning you can ameliorate this issue. Knowing your meals in advance helps you avoid situations where you don’t have anything healthy to eat. 

It doesn’t matter what system of organization you use, any will do. I have used notepads, paper planners, electronic planners, and notes next to my math homework. Pick what works for you. 

Currently, I use an Excel spreadsheet. I like the simplicity. My regular planner is on the next sheet, so I plan my weekly schedule and my meals together. This way I know what days I have more time to cook and when I need to make my meals portable. From my meal plans, I make a shopping list in a note on my phone so I’ll have it with me while I shop. 

Once you plan your meals and make your shopping list, find the best time to do some prepping and batch cooking. Preparing your most commonly eaten foods in advance helps make the week go much smoother. Sometimes I don’t get back from classes till late (by which time I am ravenous and exhausted) and the last thing I want to do is cook. 

Things to do in advance: 

Wash fruit and lettuces 

Wash and chop vegetables  

Cook rice, beans, potatoes, quinoa, lentils (if you make a whole bunch you can freeze them) 

Make smoothies, salad dressings, soups, desserts, energy bars, trail mix, date paste 

Slice and freeze ripe bananas 

While most of these things taste best fresh, in the interest of time, it’s very helpful to do them beforehand. 

You don’t have to do everything on this list. I suggest washing and chopping lettuces and vegetables, cooking rice or quinoa, freezing bananas, and making a green smoothie at the beginning of each week. 

Happy meal planning :)

Maneuvering the Dining Hall

Oh the dining hall… 

So…not your mom’s cooking…so…not helpful, delicious, and nutritious like they try to convince you. 

My first piece of advice: 

Don’t get a meal plan. Many places will let you out for health reasons. They will most likely ask for doctor’s note. It can be a bit of a pain trying to contact all the right people, but you’re body will thank you later. If you can’t get a doctor’s note, try talking to them about your diet and how they cannot accommodate it. Be nice, though. Be respectful and patient when explaining that their options do not provide you with the foods necessary to maintain your way of eating. A little patience and persistence really pays off. 

If, you cannot get out of your meal plan, I suggest using the minimum number of meals possible and use these tips: 

1. Get to know your dining hall. Some of them will have decent options, others will not. Explore your salad bar options for fruits and veggies. Check out the vegetarian and vegan options. Learn which dishes work and which ones don’t. Learn what times are best to get what you need. Even if they’re open all day, they might not have good options for you if you can’t make it for the regular meal times.  

2. Work with what you’ve got. Add rice to your soup or salad. Add vegetables. Add fruit. Take a plain potato and add vegetables. Don’t just look at everything as prepackaged. Sometimes it’s frustrating, but you can come up with decent meals with a little creativity. At my dining hall, we were allowed one take out meal a day, so I stuffed my box full of greens and fruits to make a green smoothie in my dorm.  

3. Work with the people. Don’t be afraid to ask. Ask them if they can make you something without the meat or other undesired ingredients. People are now becoming more aware and understanding of people with special diets due to food allergies or sensitivities. I haven’t tried this, but I have heard that some places will even order food for you. 

I started out with a meal plan at the beginning of my freshman year, but canceled it about a month into my second semester. My dining hall actually had a decent salad bar and some good vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options. 

Unfortunately, these options are not their main concern and receive little attention. Just because something does not meat or dairy does not make it inherently healthy. Most people simply don’t know how to cook without meat, dairy, excess oils or sugars, refined grains, etc. Many of the vegetarian and vegan dishes were heavy in oils, spices, and salt. I think they tried to compensate for the lack of meat with overzealous flavoring that left my taste buds feeling severely overstimulated. It’s difficult to know all that goes into the dining hall meals. 

At first I thought that these options would fulfill my needs nicely, but I think I was high on the new to college and living on my own-oh look isn’t it so nice not to have to cook! I was determined to immerse myself in a positive college experience, but my positive outlook could not overcome the decrease in my health that came from eating at the dining hall. I tried surviving on their salad bar, but I wasn’t able to get a good variety of nutrients from the limited selection of fruits and vegetables that sometimes didn’t taste like their respective fruit or vegetable. 

As soon as I stopped eating there, I felt better. All the oils, sugars, refined grains made me feel heavy and sick after meals. When I do not eat well, my face gets pale and pasty. I look ill. Immediately after I began cooking for myself, the color returned to face, and I regained energy and optimism. 

Don’t let the dining hall get in the way of maintaining a whole foods, plant based diet.  There are days when you will wonder if it is worth the effort. All your friends seem to be fine eating mystery meat dishes, pizza, and ice cream every night, but take a closer look. Chances are that they will get sick more often and have trouble focusing or sleeping. I promise that you will feel better, have more energy, sleep better, do better in your classes, and enjoy life more when you are feeding your body with nutrients it needs. 

Grocery Shopping List

The first time I went to the grocery store by myself in college, I was clueless. Sure, I had a list of the things I needed, but the second I walked in the door I felt like I was in foreign territory. I didn’t understand where things were, so, if I couldn’t find it in time to catch the next bus back to my dorm, I assumed the store did not sell it. I meandered around like a tourist looking for the restroom. (I don’t like asking workers for help- silly, I know, given that that’s what they are paid to do.) 

It took me a few months, but I finally feel like I’ve got the hang of this grocery shopping thing. Even if I don’t have specific recipes and ingredients in mind, I know what basic items I need. 

Here are some of my tips for grocery shopping: 

Get to know your local grocery stores. Know which ones have what you want. Acquaint yourself with the produce section especially. Don’t buy things just because they are on sale. Food that’s on sale likely expires soon. Make sure that you’ll eat it, and soon. Learn what prices are normal and reasonable. 

Sometimes people feel like they have the right to comment on the contents of your grocery cart. They think it’s funny that you have lots of greens or bananas. They ask you about your "rabbit food". Smile and move on. Make a quirky reply if you like. Just don’t be rude. 

Plan your meals in advance so you know what to buy. (I’ll be posting on that later.) 
Plan when you go. If you don't have a car, find a friend with a car or get to know your public transportation. Know what times are convenient for both you and your friend. Know your bus schedules. 

Warning: The hungrier you are, the more likely you’ll buy anything that catches your eye. (Based on personal experience, I advise not shopping at night when you haven’t eaten anything since lunch!) 

Here is what I base my grocery list on. 

Produce (replenish your supply weekly): 

greens- lettuces for salads and green smoothies

other vegetables- carrots, cucumbers, bell peppers, jicama, zucchini, etc.

fruit bananas, apples, pears, oranges, peaches, mangos, grapefruits, plums, grapes, berries, etc. Try to go for what's seasonal. Here is a good reference chart.

Bulk and cans (get a few each time you shop): 

beans and lentils- Cans can be more convenient, but dry is often healthier. Go for the no salt added cans. 
potatoes 

brown rice 

quinoa 
oats- try steel cut oats for oatmeal and rolled oats for baking 

canned fruit- convenient time and space wise, applesauce makes a great sweetener, just make sure they are in their own juices and not syrup or with added sugar 

nuts and seeds- check for added salt 

diced tomatoes and tomato sauce 

dried fruit- check for added sugars (Would someone please explain to me why people add sugar to an already concentrated form of sugar? Sugar sensory overload!) 

cans of soup- I love Amy’s Organic soups. They’re vegan, delicious, and healthy. Just make sure to get low sodium and, if possible, low fat. (I recently found them for a great price at Costco. They can be expensive at full price in most grocery stores.) 

salsa (Sprouts farmers’ market has great salsa. Mmm… tastes so fresh.) 

Frozen (get a few each time you shop): 

vegetables 

fruit 

Others (purchase as needed): 

non-dairy milks 
juices (not quite as good as real fruit, use more for recipes than an every day staple) 
nut butters 
low sodium broth 

spices- basil, cumin, rosemary, parsley, thyme, oregano, sage, cinnamon, etc. 
cocoa powder 

vanilla 

bars- Larabars, Luna Bars, Odwalla bars, Clif bars,  etc. (Except for the Larabars made of just fruit and nuts, I don't necessarily count these as whole foods, but they're so convenient for long days and times when you can't bring or get to a real meal soon.)

I hope this helps! Add or subtract from this list based on your needs. If you're stumped the first time, just print out this list as a guide. I wish I had had a how to guide when I first went grocery shopping. It would have saved me A LOT of time and money.

I can usually pick out the college students at the grocery store with their ramen noodles and Hot Pockets. Let's change that stereotype and buy REAL food!