Easy, Cheap & Healthy College Meals

Eating healthy on a college budget isn't only possible, it can also be absolutely delicious. For those nights when the dining hall isn't calling your name try one of these healthy recipes you make in your dorm room. Find easy microwave recipes, no-cook meals, healthy snacks and even a mug cake to satisfy all your cravings—no kitchen required.
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Greek Salad Nachos

Start to finish: 15 mins
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This vegetarian nacho recipe is a fun combination of two favorites--nachos and Greek salad. It uses whole-grain pita chips instead of the tortilla chips used in traditional nacho recipes, and it's loaded with the classic fresh vegetables in Greek salad as well as creamy hummus and salty feta cheese. And it doesn't even need the oven! Easily doubled, this makes a great appetizer or light dinner.

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Classic House Salad with Chicken

Start to finish: 15 mins
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Leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken gets put to good use as a boost of protein in this healthy salad to pack for lunch. The classic chicken salad combines all the basics of a great house salad--greens, tomatoes, cucumbers and croutons--all tossed with a tangy red-wine vinaigrette.

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Creamy Blueberry-Pecan Overnight Oatmeal

Start to finish: 8 hrs 10 mins
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In this no-cook overnight oatmeal recipe, just quickly reheat the oats in the morning and top with berries, maple syrup and pecans for an easy, on-the-go breakfast.

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Salmon Salad-Stuffed Avocado

Start to finish: 10 mins
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Good-quality canned salmon is high in protein and brain-loving omega-3 fatty acids. Mix it with pesto-spiked yogurt and pile it old-school style into a halved avocado for a quick healthy lunch.

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Chocolate & Banana Sweet Potato Toast

Start to finish: 20 mins
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Don't skip the crispy cereal in this healthy sweet potato toast recipe--it may be only 1 teaspoon but it gives it the most delectable crunch.

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Cheesy Ham & Pickle Wraps

Start to finish: 25 mins
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For this no-cook game-day appetizer, tangy dill pickles are stuffed with a creamy filling that's peppered with sharp Cheddar and sweet pimientos, and then wrapped with ham. We cut back on the sodium by scraping out the pickle seeds and opting for reduced-sodium ham, which has 260 milligrams (or less) of sodium per 2-ounce serving.

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Italian Popcorn

Start to finish: 10 mins
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This healthy air-popped whole-grain snack gets jazzed up with a dash of herbs and cheese.

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Peanut Butter-Banana English Muffin

Start to finish: 5 mins
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Peanut butter and banana are the original power couple. Top a simple toasted English muffin with the duo, then sprinkle everything with a hit of ground cinnamon for a healthy breakfast of champions.

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Fruit & Cheese Bistro Lunch Box

Start to finish: 5 mins
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This fruit, cheese and cracker box inspired by Starbucks' bistro boxes is a fun and healthy alternative to your standard sandwich. It's the perfect personal-size cheese plate to pack for a work lunch or a picnic in the park.

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Mug Brownie

Start to finish: 15 mins
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You might want to keep a copy of this recipe in the pantry beside the cocoa for those moments when you crave a chocolaty treat. Cook this fudgy brownie in a mug in the microwave and it's ready in less than a minute!

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Hummus, Feta & Bell Pepper Cracker

Start to finish: 10 mins
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A savory topping of feta cheese, hummus, and sweet bell pepper make this super-easy, tasty crispbread snack a perfect munch for the long, warm days of summer.

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Apple “Donuts”

Start to finish: 5 mins
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This so-simple 3-ingredient recipe turns apple slices into “donuts.” Topped with nut butter and coconut, they make a satisfying no-added-sugar dessert or healthy snack.

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Greek Salad Wraps

Start to finish: 30 mins
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Zesty Greek salad packed with tomatoes, cucumber and olives--plus chickpeas for a protein punch--gets tucked into a whole-wheat wrap for a healthy vegan lunch that's easy to pack for work. It's so flavorful and satisfying, you won't miss the feta!

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Peanut Butter, Blueberry & Oat Energy Squares

Start to finish: 1 hr 10 mins
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These one-bowl, no-bake energy squares ensure a quick way to refuel during long meetings, tough workouts or that mid-afternoon energy slump. Feel free to swap the blueberries for your favorite dried fruit and the pistachios for your favorite nut--but keep the maple syrup as is; we found using less than 1/2 cup resulted in crumbly bars.

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Classic Cobb Mason Jar Salad

Start to finish: 20 mins
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Pack classic Cobb salad "upside down" in a mason jar for a healthy lunch that won't get soggy while sitting in the fridge all morning. Or pack it up the night before for an easy grab-and-go lunch in the morning.

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Pizza Roll-Up

Start to finish: 15 mins
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This easy pizza-inspired roll-up is a kid-pleaser.

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No-Bake Peanut Butter Cookies

Start to finish: 55 mins
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We gave no-bake cookies a healthy makeover, bumping up the peanut butter and cutting back on added sugar and butter. The result is a chewy, peanut buttery, oat-packed delicious cookie. It's easy to whip up a batch of these--only a few simple ingredients are needed to make these chewy peanut butter cookies and there's no baking required.

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Black Bean-Smothered Sweet Potatoes

Start to finish: 20 mins
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For a quick and satisfying last-minute supper, it's hard to beat a sweet potato zapped in the microwave. The fragrant filling of beans and tomato adds protein, making it a nutritionally complete entree. Be sure to eat the potato skin; it's full of fiber.

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Chocolate & Banana

Start to finish: 5 mins
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Satisfy that chocolate craving with a drizzle of melted chocolate chips over banana slices for an easy treat.

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Microwave Potato Chips

Start to finish: 30 mins
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You don't need a deep fryer to make crispy potato chips. We toss thinly sliced potatoes with just a touch of olive oil, pop them in the microwave and voilà! Crispy, crunchy homemade potato chips with 8 grams less fat per serving than regular chips.

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Apple Nachos

Start to finish: 25 mins
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In this healthy appetizer (or dessert) recipe, apples make the base for a cinnamon-honey yogurt sauce, chocolate chips, granola and blueberry topping. Feel free to swap out the toppings for whatever you have on hand-coconut, nuts and seeds all make delicious options.

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Coconut Overnight Oatmeal

Start to finish: 8 hrs
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Make mornings a little easier when you soak oats overnight for a quick and easy breakfast.

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Mason Jar Power Salad with Chickpeas & Tuna

Start to finish: 5 mins
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This power salad will keep you fueled for hours, thanks to 26 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber. Tossing the dressing and kale, and then letting it stand in the jar, softens it enough so you don't need to massage or cook it to make it tender.

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Honey-Peanut Popcorn

Start to finish: 5 mins
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This healthy snack recipe tosses together crunchy popcorn, salty peanuts and a touch of honey for the perfect sweet-salty snack to satisfy that afternoon, or evening, craving.

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Ham & Jam Crispbreads

Start to finish: 5 mins
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Smørrebrød is the Danish name for open-face sandwiches served on rye. Eating fiber-rich rye crisps (or rye bread) at breakfast (instead of white bread) may help you feel satisfied longer and help keep blood sugar levels steady. This version features lingonberry jam (yes, the kind you find at IKEA), ham and chives.

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Pesto, Mozzarella & Egg Breakfast Sandwich

Start to finish: 5 mins
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This healthy vegetarian breakfast egg-sandwich recipe is a delicious way to use up pesto and fresh mozzarella cheese and it's ready in just 5 minutes.

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Strawberry-Chocolate Greek Yogurt Bark

Start to finish: 3 hrs 10 mins
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Lightly sweetened Greek yogurt gets studded with fresh strawberries and chocolate chips then frozen so you can break it into chunks just like chocolate bark (but healthier!). This colorful snack or healthy dessert is perfect for kids and adults alike. Use full-fat yogurt to ensure the creamiest bark possible.

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