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- Hey Munchies.
Welcome to the channel if you're new.
I'm Alyssia and I am so excited you're here.
Many of you found me through meal prep videos.
And one video I've had requests for for years
but haven't tackled specifically is a college meal prep.
So today is a dorm room meal prep requiring
no oven or stove.
A microwave will do and all of the recipes
are super easy and healthy.
I use my meal prepping night system to plan out this prep.
My meal prepping night course
teaches you how to go from blank pages to a completely
planned out prep for the week in an efficient way
that saves time, money, and food.
The course is not currently open
but the link in the description will give you
all of the info and you can sign up to be notified
the next time we open enrollment.
With this college meal prep,
I'm making food for four days a week.
Now I don't recommend prepping weekends,
especially for beginners,
but if you're in college you might want the flexibility
to go out or be more relaxed with food options
for a few days.
So you do you but this allows variability for me
or at least the me when I was in college.
I'm starting out by making some quinoa.
Making a large batch of quinoa for the week
is a great way to keep meals versatile
and I can use this for multiple meals including breakfast.
But wait, how will I cook quinoa?
No stove?
No Instapot?
How about the microwave.
Seriously, it's easier than you think.
Rinse your quinoa if needed, depending on the brand.
Place water and quinoa
in a microwave safe bowl or container.
Cover with a lid or plate and cook for about six minutes.
Remove and stir.
About half of the water should be absorbed.
Return to the microwave for a few more minutes
and then let it sit covered for eight to 10 minutes
until all of the water is completely absorbed.
Then you can store that for later.
I'll be using it for my breakfast quinoa
but I'll also use it later in the day.
When I'm ready to make breakfast I simply add quinoa,
a splash of almond milk,
some honey or maple syrup,
cinnamon and salt.
Then for extra texture, flavor, and nutrition,
I add sliced banana.
Now you could use berries for even more nutrients
but bananas are cheap and part of what we're going for
with a college meal prep is affordable.
Tip: buy quinoa in bulk bins at your grocery store
and only get what you need.
It's actually pretty affordable when you aren't buying huge
quantities or pre-packaged variations.
For breakfast, I'm also keeping cottage cheese on hand
for an easy breakfast paired with honey
or maple syrup for sweetness, fresh berries, and again,
you could use banana to keep it cheaper,
and instead of nuts, I'm using sunflower seeds
which generally cost less.
And that is breakfast.
So easy.
Prepped items to make meals less of a hassle
throughout the week.
For lunch, I'm making a chicken salad.
I used canned chicken to keep it affordable and cut down
on dorm room cooking.
But you could cook the chicken yourself
if you prefer or have access.
You could also use a rotisserie chicken and pull the meat.
That way you don't have to cook it in the dorm
or not in the dorm.
I use this tip all the time
and I'm not even in college anymore.
For the chicken salad, I add celery, grapes.
Now, you could halve your grapes
but if you can find smaller grapes,
you won't need to slice them
and they'll last longer in the salad for meal prep.
Slivered almonds, plain yogurt, Greek yogurt,
or you could use mayo but heads up, mayo is not as lasting
for meal prep.
Lemon juice, and salt and pep.
Mix it together, coating completely, and store.
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To serve, I like to use avocado halves
as chicken salad boats or maybe you prefer it on greens.
Kale is actually a super affordable green
that's also obviously nutritious.
And to make it more palatable,
I use baby kale and massage the leaves in a little olive oil
and then toss them with lemon juice and a pinch of salt.
I am not a kale fan and this makes it edible for me.
So there's your chicken salad two ways.
Feel free to add some of your bulk quinoa if you'd like.
Serve with baby carrots and salsa as dip
which is very affordable
and you get a snack and some veggies in.
Lunch is done.
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For dinner, we got southwestern stuffed sweet potatoes.
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I poke holes in the potatoes and microwave
for eight to 10 minutes until tender.
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I also mix together canned beans, corn,
and tomatoes which are all affordable.
Green onions, cilantro, lime juice,
cumin, chili powder, and salt.
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I'm also making a cold broccoli lime salad.
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I add broccoli florets to a bowl with a few tablespoons
of water and cover with a plate.
Let it go for about two minutes.
I want these to be more like blanched vegetables
than steamed so they're still tender and not soggy.
Don't overcook.
Let these cool completely.
Then I add olive oil, red wine vinegar,
lime zest and juice, minced shallot,
and salt and pep to a bowl and whisk.
That's the dressing.
And then I can add my cooled broccoli, tossing to coat.
Boom. Broccoli lime salad, delicious, cold,
and straight out of the fridge.
That's really all the dinner prep.
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To serve during the week, I cut the potato and load it up.
I can use some of that extra quinoa if I want
but I don't have to as well as the beans.
Top it with cheese and reheat in the microwave.
Top it off with sour cream really Greek yogurt.
Serve with a side of cold broccoli lime salad.
Oh man, this is like a gourmet meal in the dorm.
And it only took a few minutes to throw together.
Tip: most ceramic glass dishes are microwave safe.
But if you aren't sure or it doesn't say, try this out.
Place a cup of water in a dish and cook in the microwave
on high for one minute.
If the water gets hot but the dish is still cool,
the dish is safe.
If the dish gets hot, it may not be safe for the microwave,
containing lead or other metallic substances.
For snacks, I make sure I keep on the go fruit options
available as well as apple sauce packets.
I also love frozen edamame which can be heated up quickly
or just thawed out in the fridge and eaten cold.
I shared this in a previous meal prep video
if you wanna see how I do it.
It is linked in the description.
And since we're using the microwave today
I also wanted to share a mug cake
because sometimes that sweet craving hits and fruit
just doesn't cut it.
Today it's all about funfetti.
In a mug that's been sprayed with cooking spray,
I add oat flour.
And you can totally make your own by blending oats
to keep it cheap.
As well as sweetener of choice.
Anything granulated.
Baking powder and a pinch of salt.
Whisk to combine.
Then I add coconut oil, or you could use melted butter.
An egg yolk, almond milk, and vanilla extract.
Mix, stir in sprinkles if you want funfetti
but you can skip them and have a vanilla cake if you prefer.
Totally fine.
Into the microwave it goes for about one minute.
Remember, microwaves will vary.
Mine is 1,000 watts and set to 100% power but you may need
to adjust the timing for yours.
Essentially, you want it to be spongy
and spring back when touched.
Don't overcook as it will dry out.
It is so freaking tasty.
It's easy to keep those items on hand
and throw this together whenever but if you wanted,
you could meal prep the dry ingredients.
For me, it would be dangerous to have them pre-prepped.
A little too enticing but you do you.
And that is our college meal prep for today.
Microwave friendly, no oven or stove top required.
I hope you found it useful.
I do have a ton of other meal prep videos on my playlist
if you wanna check them out.
And be sure to sign up to be notified
about my Meal Prep Ignite course next time we go live
to at mealprepignite.com.
Also, I do have two free courses available in the meantime.
My conquer inflammation course which teaches you
all about what inflammation is and how to address it
through diet and lifestyle.
And my healthy staples guide course which shares information
to help you learn to make your own decisions
about which milks, bread, flour, pasta, oats,
and oils are best for you.
Those are linked in the description box as well
and completely free for you to access.
I hope you enjoyed this episode.
I will see you next week for a brand new episode.
And remember, it's all a matter of mind over munch.