Living in a dorm can definitely be a transition. You go from having food readily available in your family’s kitchen to waiting until the dining hall is open and then walk across campus for breakfast.
You have to put a lot more work into planning meals in between academic classes, dance classes, and rehearsals, fueling yourself enough to get through the day.
Whether you’re living in a dorm full time as you pursue dance in college or adjusting to dorm living for a supper intensive, here are some tips for snacks you can keep in your dorm.
- Stock up on non-perishable items
Before you start your semester, do a Target/Walmart/Grocery store run. Get everything non-perishable that you think you’ll need this semester.
When my brother went off to his first semester of college, I gave him 10 jars of peanut butter (half as a joke, half for real because he loves peanut butter) to get him through the semester. He never had to buy any peanut butter that semester.
Stock up on your bar of choice (RX bars, Larabars, Go Raw bars), granola , trail mix, cereal etc. For all of these snacks, look for varieties without added sugar or hidden sugar ingredients. You’ll thank yourself for not having to worry about getting these essentials during a crazy rehearsal week.
- Use your fridge
If you have a fridge, use it! Don’t let it just take up very valuable space in your dorm room. If you’re not a morning person, keep breakfast essentials such as milk in your room for cereal or coffee. Keep fruits and veggies fresh so they don’t go bad sitting on your desk.
- Keep fresh fruits and veggies as much as possible
When running to the dining hall for a meal, grab an extra fruit or veggie on your way out to have in your dance bag or dorm room for later. When you need an extra snack and the dining hall is closed you’ll be glad you have something healthy!
- Don’t stock up on empty carbs like chips, crackers, and pretzels
It’s easy to grab snacks like chips, crackers, and pretzels for late night study sessions. But those can leave you feeling sluggish in rehearsal the next day. If you want a study snack, opt for popcorn instead. TWD Founder, Jess likes adding nutritional yeast to her popcorn to for extra protein + B Vitamins and a cheesy flavor.
- Have several refillable water bottles in your dorm room
Keep multiple refill water bottles in your room so you stay hydrated in and out of the studio. If you feel that the water from you bathroom sink isn’t great drinking water, get a Britta water bottle (the filter is in the top of the water bottle), or a Britta pitcher to keep in your fridge.
- Use every dollar of your meal plan
Budgeting your meal plan can be hard to navigate your first semester. There are lots of different meal plans at different schools, so it’s definitely possible to find the meal plan that works for you.
You don’t want to run out of money half way through the week or half way through the semester. On the other hand, you don’t want to have $100 extra that goes to waste at the end of the semester or year. Use any left over money for snacks to throw in your bag or that occasional treat-yo-self coffee.
For ideas for snacking in between rehearsals, check out this video on “The Keys to Snacking”
Photo credit: AmazingAlmonds via Visualhunt / CC BY-NC-SA
