Faith’s Findings // Dorm Food

Hey friends,

I’m back with another installment of Faith’s Findings. As I sat down to write this blog, I thought about the past few weeks and what I have discovered. To be completely honest, I was stumped. I’m not sure how, but it seems like I have just been living in a cycle, trying to make it to Thanksgiving Break. 

It’s that time of the school year when homework is piling up, the sky is starting to look different shades of gray every day and there seems to be an exam or essay due every other class. But for me personally, the one time of day when I can do my own thing, not stress about school and relax, is when I’m grabbing food. 

My meals are extremely important to me. I wouldn’t say I’m someone who is always thinking about food, but I often find myself planning my day around my meal schedule. So, when it came time to pack my things for college into a tiny dorm with no sink, stove or kitchen appliances, I was quite upset. Even this year, my roommate and I share a bathroom and bedroom in a pretty small-sized dorm. So not being able to make my own food really bothered me.

Yet, even with a meal plan, I have learned tips and tricks to stay relatively healthy on a budget with virtually no kitchen. In the past few weeks, I have discovered some new snacks, but this edition will be more of an overall picture of what I have learned while being a college student. 

Last year, as a first-year student, I had an unlimited meal plan for the dining halls on campus. Now, this wasn’t the best option for me, because I am someone who only really eats one big meal a day. Usually, I eat something small for breakfast and end up getting a coffee sometime in between my classes. This is great because with the meal plan I chose this year, I get one meal swipe a day plus a lot of dining dollars per semester. I often use these dining dollars to mobile order a coffee at Saxby’s before heading to get some work done. 

For lunch, I usually pack something in a lunchbox while I’m on lower campus and then use my meal swipe at the Perch before I go back to my dorm for the night. Now here’s where the advice comes in — I learned the best thing you can eat for breakfast that is easy and cheap is yogurt. I buy the large containers from Trader Joe’s and then spice it up with different types of granola and fruit. This is super easy to make in a dorm because all you need is a mini fridge — no extra appliances required. 

My roommate and I have a small Keurig for coffee, but it can also brew hot water. This comes in handy for oatmeal in the mornings. Or, you could always use milk and microwave it, with the only downside being you need another appliance. However, Pitt sometimes supplies students using on-campus housing with both a microwave and a minifridge. 

When I don’t feel like making something for breakfast, or I’m generally in a rush, I always keep bananas from the dining hall and granola bars handy. These are both easy to grab on the go, and you don’t need an ice pack or anything additional. They can just be thrown into your backpack on the way to class.

Even though I eat breakfast every morning, I’m not the biggest fan of eating early. My lunch is much more important to me. My favorite easy meal to pack is hummus and carrots. I buy a large tub of Sabra hummus from Target for around $5 and it lasts me about two weeks. The good thing about hummus is that if you get sick of one kind, they have many other flavors. My second favorite to the classic kind is the roasted red pepper hummus, but I’ve seen garlic, white bean, pine nut and so many more.

If you’re not a fan of carrots, any type of veggie is pretty good and relatively cheap at Trader Joe’s. There are also different types of bread and wraps you can make with hummus, all ingredients just require refrigeration. 

Another easy lunch option for dorm students is the cups of noodles you pour hot water into. If you’re looking for something similar but a little bit healthier, the brand Dr. McDougall’s makes a yummy pad thai noodle soup. It’s super easy and has zero preservatives. 

I also always like to keep different snacks on hand. Apples with cinnamon are really good in the fall, but cheese sticks are also a great source of protein and relatively inexpensive. Sometimes I like to snack on cheese and crackers, so I buy a block of cheese from the store and cut it into small pieces. This usually lasts me a while and has a fairly long expiration date as long as you store it tightly wrapped in the fridge. Pretzels, veggie straws, tortilla chips and salsa — all of these are easy to store and a very filling snack.

One of my favorite desserts is the Power Cake Cups by Kodiak. They pack 12 grams of protein per cup, and you can use water or milk to make them. These are quick, easy and hot, ready in a minute or less. I like to sprinkle chocolate chips on top and let them melt a little. It really satisfies my sweet tooth late at night.

Another one of my favorites that only requires one appliance is microwavable popcorn. This is such a fun snack to have, especially on a night staying in. My roommate and I did this all the time last year, especially around Halloween when we binged the “Scream” movie series together. 

It sometimes feels impossible to stay healthy while living in a dorm room, but it’s all about finding easy snacks that fuel your body for the day. I’m not perfect. I still eat Chick-fil-A and pizza. I sometimes find myself having bad days where I eat too much junk food, just like everyone else. But in college, it’s important to have balance. Sometimes it’s a fun challenge to find new dorm recipes. And I know that in a year or so, I’ll have a kitchen of my own with multiple appliances, yet still be struggling to come up with creative healthy meals. 

I hope you all took some new ideas away from this edition, and with less than a week until break, I can confidently say — happy Thanksgiving, everyone.