Just Add Water

After working for Starbucks for more years than I'd care to mention, sometimes I've encountered the dilemma of what to bring for lunch when the store I was at did not have a microwave. You might be saying, "What, haven't you ever heard of a sandwich?" Well, yes I have, but sometimes at 3 a.m., assembling a sandwich just is not feasible, especially when you're more concerned about putting your shirt on right-side out in a sleepy daze. This is where instant oatmeal and soup come in.

All I do is bring a couple of packets of instant oatmeal or a Cup Noodles ramen soup, and just add hot water from the hot water tap on the coffee brewers. Now my taste is more refined, and instead of the Cup Noodles, I bring Nile Spice soup or Safeway's Eating Right brand. Most of the instant soups are pretty good, and they vary from traditional chicken noodle soups and soups made of couscous or beans. A word to the wise, though, I would not suggest the potato leek soup, because it does not taste so good, and it smelled like spoiled milk.

These just-add-water meals are something that can be done on campus, because there are at least five Java City's on campus that I know of, and I'm sure they would give you a cup of hot water or fill up your cup of soup. They are also great for when you need something to keep you going between classes, because they only take about five minutes to prepare, and they are small enough to fit into a back pack or purse.

Instant oatmeal and instant soup really will keep you going, too, because both contain plenty of fiber and protein. One packet of instant oatmeal contains one and a half gram of fat, three grams of fiber, which is important in aiding digestion and keeping your cholesterol low and four grams of protein, for energy. One cup of Eating Right's Black Bean Soup has one gram of fat, with 14 grams of fiber and (which is 56 percent of your daily recommended intake of fiber) 10 grams of protein.

For a complete meal, all you have to do is bring a piece of fruit to go with your oatmeal, and some carrots or celery and crackers to go with your soup, and it turns out to be a pretty balanced meal.
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Three Quick Meals With Things Kept On Hand

There are some days where I run out of the house like a bat out of hell, most likely because I've hit the snooze button too many times or my short attention span led me to distraction.  So here are two quick meals (or snacks) that I'm able to make quickly with things that are ALWAYS in my fridge or pantry. 

For breakfast, I'll take a container of yogurt (usually nonfat and of some fruit variety) and throw some Cheerios or other cereal on top, and chow it down.  This can be portable if you are walking to class, but doesn't work so well in the car.

For lunch, another quick and portable meal is a grilled cheese sandwich or even quesadilla.  These can be made on the stove-top in a pan, but the broiler works pretty well too. I recently moved into a house that has a decent broiler (I'm talking flames, not the lame-o broiler that electric ovens have), and had a broiled quesadilla today.  This saves time and there is less fat because you don't have to butter the bread or tortilla.   Continue Reading>>