![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/bns\/files\/2022\/02\/image.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nDon’t neglect your greens!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
A lot of students tend to learn the hard way after weeks of beige dinners and Greggs\u2019 sausage rolls, that this doesn\u2019t quite cut it nutrition wise. Brain fog, headaches, bloating and extreme tiredness (I say extreme just because we\u2019re Uni students so it\u2019s all relative\u2026) are just a few signs you\u2019re probably not getting your greens. Remember that plate we all saw in primary school split into the different food groups? Yeah, that\u2019s a real thing – and your plate should look like that as much as possible. You don\u2019t need me to tell you that eating your greens is going to save you a lot of health issues down the line, but it\u2019s also going to help your memory, improve your eye health and boost your immune system \u2013 which you\u2019re gonna want when that fresher\u2019s flu comes around. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/bns\/files\/2022\/02\/image-1.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nThe Powers of Protein<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re anything like me and are a frequent gym goer, vegetarian or you just check the amount of protein in everything for fun, then let me help you out. You may have thought chicken, beef, pork, etc when I mentioned protein, but come on, we can be more creative than that. Yoghurt, peas, lentils, peanut butter, milk, oats\u2026the list goes on\u2026are all super high protein foods and are very versatile. Eating around 1.2-2g of protein per kg of bodyweight is the sweet spot for most people, but people\u2019s protein needs will vary, this is not a rule. Protein is gonna help you build lean muscle mass and produce less ghrelin (the hunger hormone) keeping you fuller for longer\u2026 which also means spending less on late night Tesco runs when the ice cream cravings hit. But enough of me being a green queen, lets get to the good stuff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.ncl.ac.uk\/bns\/files\/2022\/02\/image-2.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nMeal plan, meal plan, meal plan!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
If I could give you 1 tip for eating as a student, it\u2019s to meal plan. I can\u2019t stress this enough. I know it can seem easier to just grab something on your way home from that 5pm lecture, but meal planning is gonna save you a hell of a lot of time and money. For some people, cooking is a real chore, if that\u2019s you then planning is a life saver. I personally spend 20 minutes on a Sunday deciding what I\u2019m gonna eat for the week, head to Tesco, and I\u2019m sorted for the week in less than an hour. Meal planning is totally personal though, all I recommend is that you do it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Breakfast & Snacks<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
For breakfast I\u2019m a stickler for protein oats, are we surprised? Or natural yoghurt and fruit, bagels, cereal\u2026whatever\u2019s gonna get you through that 9am. But my favourite part is the snacks. I don\u2019t tend to plan this; I just allow myself a fiver on snacks for the week and see what looks good when I get there. A current favourite is making homemade tortilla chips and hummus \u2013 super easy, just sprinkle a wrap with some salt, drizzle of oil, cut into 6 segments and pop in the oven for a few mins. You wanna watch until they go slightly golden, they\u2019re quite easily burnable so keep an eye on them! <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lunch<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
I then think about lunches. Depending on how many days I need a packed lunch for Uni, in which case my go-to is Nigella\u2019s peanut sesame noodles – no microwaaaaaveys necessary \u2013 I stick to the basics at lunch: eggs, soups, salads, sandwiches etc. https:\/\/www.nigella.com\/recipes\/sesame-peanut-noodles<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n Three dinners a week usually works for me, making 2 portions of each, and then just seeing what I fancy for dinner on Sunday \u2013 but this is completely personal preference. I’ve collated a list of all the meals I love cooking and chosen just a couple I think you’ll like. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This is a great veggie fajita recipe. Takes me about 20 minutes and I add chicken to mine too. I also make a guac on the side which requires an avocado, some oil, salt, pepper, little bit of lemon juice, garlic and coriander (if you\u2019re not one of those people who absolutely despise it with a passion). Mix that all together and I guarantee it\u2019s better than anything store-bought. You can even use the left-over wraps to make those tortilla chips!<\/span> https:\/\/itdoesnttastelikechicken.com\/mixed-vegetables-fajitas\/#recipe<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n This is a lemon and rocket linguine that needs 5 ingredients and even looks a little bit fancy if you sprinkle some rocket on top! A good one to make to impress! https:\/\/www.jamieoliver.com\/recipes\/pasta-recipes\/lemon-linguine\/<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n These Dan Dan noodles are an original Bosh! Recipe and are the best I\u2019ve had. This is another veggie one but you can swap the plant mince for normal mince if you like. https:\/\/www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk\/recipes\/spicy-vegan-dan-dan-noodles\/ <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n This is a great recipe for nailing a risotto, which is always good to have in the bag. I make this on a week when I know I\u2019ll use the ingredients for another dinner or I make quite a few portions. I don\u2019t buy a bottle of wine especially for this recipe\u2026although it is a good excuse\u2026so if I don\u2019t have it I just use more stock instead. Once you\u2019ve nailed a risotto you can get as creative as you like with it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n https:\/\/www.bbcgoodfood.com\/recipes\/chicken-mushroom-risotto<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n My 2nd<\/sup> top tip is getting a free loyalty card for your chosen supermarket. I\u2019m a proud Clubcard owner and I\u2019m never going back. Usually about 1\/3 of products have some sort of price reduction or deal \u2013 my flatmate basically does her shop with all Clubcard items, and I\u2019ve never seen a weeks-worth of food done so cheaply. This week for example, I saved \u00a35.40 with my Clubcard. Imagine that every 2 weeks or so. It really adds up. Not only can you save money, but you also get points with each shop that add up to vouchers. So when there\u2019s no way of beating the late-night ice cream craving, you can go and get that cookie dough with your Clubcard points and it\u2019s like it never happened!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here I’ve just added a website with loads of quick, easy recipes with macros, portions, top tips and even videos on some recipes. 100% recommend taking a look on here!<\/span> https:\/\/www.thegoodbite.co.uk\/<\/a> \u2013 <\/span> <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Elayna Hugh-Jones One of the most exciting, or perhaps daunting \u2013 depends on your perspective, parts of moving away from home, is that you can eat whatever, and whenever, you want. Now, I understand that the freedom to eat chicken dippers and potato waffles every day may be very appealing to you, however, with … <\/p>\n![\"Sesame](\"http:\/\/www.nigella.com\/assets\/uploads\/recipes\/sesame-peanut-noodles-563737bfc95f8.jpg\")
Dinners (or “tea”)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Fajitas<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.foodiecrush.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/Chicken-Fajitas-foodiecrush.com-008.jpg\")
Lemon and Rocket Linguine<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Lemon](\"https:\/\/img.jamieoliver.com\/jamieoliver\/recipe-database\/oldImages\/large\/314_1_1436805296.jpg?tr=w-800,h-1066\")
Dan Dan Noodles<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Spicy](\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/HqZMuJILS-M\/maxresdefault.jpg\")
Chicken & Mushroom Risotto <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"Chicken](\"https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/30\/2020\/08\/chicken-mushroom-risotto-5ed8f22.jpg?quality=90&resize=440,400\")
Be supermarket savvy!<\/h2>\n\n\n\n