Easy Lunches for College Students

100% honesty: What I pack for lunch now is what my mom packed for me when I was little because those lunches are easy to make and don't take up too much space. I'm sharing two of my favorite pinwheel wraps and some of the snacks I take to class because let me be honest, I take A LOT of snacks to class.

Note: Lighting in my kitchen is horrible so I apologize for the picture quality. This post also contains affiliate links. 

My go-to lunch: Pinwheel Wraps

Turkey + Veggie Dip + Shredded Cheese

Turkey + Dijonaise + Shredded Lettuce + Shredded Cheese

These are my favorite wraps, but you can seriously make them with anything. I buy cheese by the block from the deli and shred it at home and I also buy the turkey from the deli. I really try to avoid prepackaged deli meats and cheeses. The veggie dip I use is a family recipe, but you can use any kind of condiment that you want. 

Roll the wrap and then roll it into the Press n' Seal. 

Refrigerate overnight and cut into pinwheels the next morning.

Breakfast + Lunch today: 

muffin, clementines, pinwheels, grapes, applesauce, and SkinnyPop (Sea Salt and Pepper)

Lastly, don't forget to clean up the counter. 

I also pack peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and leftovers are also a great idea. The IU Union has a microwave in the eating area so that students can heat up food, so I'll take leftovers when I want something more than wrap or a sandwich. If you're not sure if your school has microwave for student use, try to look around your union eating hall because most schools should try to accommodate students that live off campus and that do not have meal points anymore. 

My go-to snacks:

SkinnyPop

Grapes

Trail mix 

Veggies + Dip 

Fruit (Clementines + Bananas)

Hummus + Crackers

Brie spread + Crackers 

Applesauce

Although I have braces back on, I love to pack SkinnyPop in my lunch as a quick, salty snack that also isn't as messy has other salty snacks. I switch between purchasing the Sea Salt and Pepper flavor (which is also my favorite kettle chip seasoning) and the Original. While I was shopping the other day I noticed that SkinnyPop now has Popcorn Cakes and microwave popcorn. I think the popcorn cakes would be a good snack to bring on campus because they're more compact and you could maybe even top with hummus or whatever spread to want. I'm also interested in trying their sea salt microwavable popcorn for a snack at home. I normally eat butter popcorn, but lately I've been wanting to switch it up without eating kettle corn. 

My go-to fruit choices for campus: grapes. Super easy to throw into a Ziplock bag and into my lunch bag.  I was so excited to see Cotton Candy grapes at the store today when I went to get groceries. They are so good and the season is close to its end, which also means that there are less grapes in the bag than usual. *Cue tears*. I also love to grab clementines and bananas because they're easy to peel and then just throw away instead of having to bring the trash back home. 

My favorite trail mix has white chocolate chips, Craisins, and peanuts. My nana started making this for me this summer and I made some for myself for a quick snack. Just add each ingredient to your liking and save it however you would like.

I've attached a general shopping list of things that I purchase to make lunches that can be taken to campus. All of these items can be used for dinner as well. Don't forget that you can make extra grains or pasta for dinner and use it for lunch the next day!

Shop my picks for lunch boxes and lunch storage: 


                   

        

Why You Should Stay on Campus for the Summer

Just two weeks before the spring semester was ending, I decided that I needed to stay in Bloomington for the summer to take some courses. Even after I found a sub lease for the summer and signed for classes, I was apprehensive about being in Bloomington for the summer. Previous to this decision, I had plans to work at home, shadow doctors, and relax.

However, after spending eight weeks living with four sorority sisters in a dingy, college rental,  I know that I made the right decision. Here are some reasons why you should stay on campus for the summer and take a few classes:

Smaller class size:

Two of the classes were relatively small compared to what the class size would have been during the fall or spring semesters. My Organic Chem class, which is usually 300 people during the regular year, only had 60 people enrolled. My Abnormal Psych class only had about 30 enrolled and because my lectures usually have 100 or more people in them, I really enjoyed having a smaller class.

 

Get you know your professors:

I had already taken two other classes with one of my professors for the summer, so I was really excited to take a third with her. After going to her office hours a few times, she was able to help me with my test anxiety, and was someone I could talk to about what was going on with my other classes. As a result, I ended up getting one of my best grades of my college career.  Go to your professor's office hours to get to know them, you never know how they will help you!

Get to know the town:

I used the summer to explore Bloomington a little bit. I ended up spending time at local parks playing tennis there with friends and exploring the local hiking options around the lakes. I didn't have time to do these during my first two years of college, so I'm glad that I was able to explore this summer during my free time!

Fewer distractions:

There are less people on campus in the summer, meaning that there are less distractions in public studying places. Also, because your course load is probably much smaller than during the regular year, you can focus solely on one class without being distracted by other assignments. 

Improve your GPA:

Summer classes are easier than classes during the regular school year because you have more time to study and have the ability to focus solely on the one or two classes that you're taking.  Summer classes are also the perfect time to retake classes that you want to improve your grade in. At IU, you can retake and replace grades that are included in your GPA for up to 10 credit hours. I retook a class this summer and I am currently in the process of 'X-ing' out the first grade from my GPA so only the newest, better grade for the course is counted. All of the studying is definitely worth it!