Vegetarianism at college..

1256 Views 12 Replies 12 Participants Last post by theskyexplodes, Jan 17, 2008

heatherann027

Discussion Starter · Jan 15, 2008

I decided on New Years to go vegetarian, and have started moving away from meat products since then. I'd like to transition fully to a vegetarian when next semester starts. My problem is when I go back to college I don't have access to a stove, just a fridge and a microwave. There's cafeteria food but it's all mass produced super processed crap. We do have wraps and stuff, and they offer one vegetarian meal a day but I've heard it's less then appetizing.

Does anyone have any suggestions of what I could do to keep my vegetarian diet? Thanks!

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starling

· #2 · Jan 15, 2008

You could stock up on brown rice, frozen veggies, and tofu, and make microwave stir-frys. It would be easy to whip up some peanut sauce to top it with, too!

If you eat eggs, you could microwave them with salsa for an egg scramble type thing.

Good luck!

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Ilurvebroccoli

· #3 · Jan 15, 2008

Do you have a mini fridge, like one with the little freezer thing at the top?? Cause you could prob make some meals before you go back to put in the freezer and heat up, just as a starter. Other than that, I have heard of microwave cookbooks before...

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kineticpsi

· #4 · Jan 16, 2008

You might also be able to find an electric burner, I know some stores have them. There are ones powered by gas or propane too. The only bad thing is that it might be too dangerous according to your dorm supervisors.

Sorry, I'm not much help.

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Jepawsbo

· #5 · Jan 16, 2008

You can microwave most frozen foods.

Including fake meats.

Oh Naturals has a great fake-meat substitute that I ate when I was vegetarian (last week-- lol, I'm vegan now)

But yeah. I live in my college residence and am vegan. We do have a stove, however.

But I haven't had a chance to cook anything yet. Still eating healthy though. You don't have to cook veggies to eat them... and if you want to cook them you can microwave them with margarine/water in a dish.

Yeah, good luck on transitioning to vegetarianism.

It makes you feel great. PMme if you need any advice on anything

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etnavibes

· #6 · Jan 16, 2008

In my college there wasn't a lot of good options for veggies either. Does your college have a grocery store near by? "Fantastic foods" has a lot of veggie ramen-like soups you just pour water in and heat up in the microwave. Also, if your budget permits and you live in a college town and get the late night munchies, there probably are places where you can get vegetarian cuisine delivered and it will satisfy you.

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GhostUser

· #7 · Jan 16, 2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by heatherann027

I decided on New Years to go vegetarian, and have started moving away from meat products since then. I'd like to transition fully to a vegetarian when next semester starts. My problem is when I go back to college I don't have access to a stove, just a fridge and a microwave. There's cafeteria food but it's all mass produced super processed crap. We do have wraps and stuff, and they offer one vegetarian meal a day but I've heard it's less then appetizing.

Does anyone have any suggestions of what I could do to keep my vegetarian diet? Thanks!

when my daughter lived in the dorms, we kept her stocked with peanut butter & jelly, canned soups, whole wheat crackers, graham crackers, energy bars, mixed nuts, and other easy-to-store foods. she wasn't completely vegetarian at the time (she has a stomach ulcer that acts up when she eats anything greasy - like meat or dairy/cheese

) - but most of what we sent to school with her fit that description. it's do-able, even if you have to rely a lot on 'pantry' foods. meh. but you're a college student - it's still better than living off ramen noodle soup ;-)

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TSUsororityGIRL

· #8 · Jan 16, 2008

I know at my school, some dorms do have kitchens with stoves/ovens, they might not be available in your room but mine was down stairs, you might want to check into that with your school and see if they offer any dorms with kitchens that you can use, and see if you are able to use those. I know most nights my friends in my hall and I would have "supper club" where we would make dinner one night a week and watch our fave tv show at the time. So if thats available I would deff. put it to use!

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heatherann027

Discussion Starter · #9 · Jan 16, 2008

Hey thanks for all the help!

I looked on happycow.net and found some organic grocery stores/vegetarian restaurants around my college that the public buses can take me too. Major relief!

Unfortunatly there is no stoves in my building, only in upperclassmen dorms. But I might get one of those hot plates and just hide it. haha

Thanks again!

(and if any other college students have advice let me know.)

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rabid_child

· #10 · Jan 16, 2008

I was fortunate that my college had a vegetarian/vegan dining hall, and always had veg options at all the dining halls. Do they have a salad bar or a pasta bar where you could sort of assemble your own meals? I've seen college students mix things from different caf stations and make some pretty interesting meals!

You can steam veggies in the microwave easy enough, and make grain mixes in the microwave, and use canned beans, and you could have INFINITE possibilities there. Potatoes/sweet potatoes also microwave well.

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vegan.dreams

· #11 · Jan 16, 2008

Fresh fruit throughout the day.. smoothies, juices, etc. Invest in a couple items like a blender and a juicer. Maybe a freezer, so that you can freeze some of the fruit to make smoothies. Also, have a huge salad once a day, mix it up with nuts and yummy things that have lots of vitamins and minerals.

I'm a full-time student too. I own a blender, a little hand juicer, and I try to mainly buy fresh fruits and veggies every three days. Also, keep nuts and seeds handy for those times when you get hungry and have no time to prepare food.. it will curb your hunger until you find a fresh vegan meal.

Good luck, you can do it!

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TheKiwi

· #12 · Jan 17, 2008

I'm a college student vegetarian as well. My college is actually quite vegetarian-friendly though. We have a Vegetarian/Vegan station that serves lunch and dinner Monday-Friday. I usually eat some things from there for lunch and dinner M-F and on Saturday and Sunday I eat salads, peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, cereal with soymilk, etc.

College's are usually very willing to help out vegetarians who ask for more options. If they don't serve soymilk, maybe they will let you buy your own and store it in one of their fridges so you can drink it while you're there. It's worth asking for stuff like this!

Most college dining halls have salad bars. Take advantage of them!

Also, check out the soup everyday - sometimes they'll have vegetarian options like vegetable soup, lentil soup, etc. Just be sure they're not made with chicken or beef broth!

As for things that are easy to store in your room (you'll need a fridge for some), here are my staples (items with * require a microwave - does your building have a community microwave? Most do):

peanut butter/almond butter

jam

Amy's vegetable pot pies *

Amy's burritos *

ready-to-eat salad packs

instant brown rice *

seasoning

salad dressing

fresh fruit

fresh veggies

dried fruit

nuts and seeds

milk/almond milk/soy milk/etc

cereal

Good luck!

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theskyexplodes

· #13 · Jan 17, 2008

Last semester was my first college semester as a vegetarian as well. My cafeteria doesn't offer a specific vegetarian meal each day, but there's always some option for me at least. ie: salad bar, fruit, cereal, pasta, eggplant parm, pizza, french fries. Unfortunately they don't have much of a rotation with veg foods, so I get sick of them quickly.

I keep a lot of food in my room just in case too. There's a couple Lean Cuisine dinners that are delicious that you can microwave. Also, Pizza Lean Pockets are a good snack. Keep things like yogurt, fruit snacks, crackers, pb+j, bread, bagels, etc- for a quick snack.

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