by Sara Williams

Created on: August 08, 2009

One of the many new realities of college life is that, when living in a dorm, you cannot just go raid Mom and Dad's fridge (you could, but it might be a little out of the way, right?). Also, most campus dining facilities close pretty early, with perhaps one or two staying open until midnight or a bit later. During all the between hours, however, you are going to want to eat. That means ramen and sometimes ordering pizzas, but it can also mean a whole lot more. Not sure how? Read along and find out.

The Munchies Stash

Everyone needs to keep a munchies stash. This can be a box of crackers, some dry Cheerios, Cheetos, granola, or Chex mix. How healthy - or unhealthy - the munchies stash is depends on the person doing the shopping and picking the food. It is not a given that the munchies must be bad for you, though. Popcorn can be a great healthy choice, so long as 1) it is not smoothered in butter or other bad-for-you additives and 2) you have a place in the dorms that can cook it (many dorms ban microwaves, but also, many dorm buildings have student lounge areas with microwaves in them). Pretzels can also be good.

Quick Breakfast

Nothing starts the day better than a good breakfast, but it can be hard to always find time to hit the cafeteria before the first class of the day. If you like cereal, keep some, and it can also double as a snack or late-night meal. Once again, the "healthy" part depends on you (Fruit Loops might not be the best choice, in that case). Not into cereal? Granola bars or breakfast bars work, as well as a pack of bagels (they go well with peanut butter, another item that does not need refridgeration). Or, grab fruit from dinner the night before and take it home for a quick breakfast in the morning.

Dinner in the Dorm

Missed dinner? Too busy to go? Fine, then there's a bunch of choices. Ramen is one, but it does have tons of sodium, as well as a taste that is not exactly, er, gourmet. A good alternative to ramen is instant udon, a kind of thick noodles prepared just like ramen, but the noodles come vacuum sealed rather than fried. Toss out the seasonings packet and use something of your own to flavor it, which you can get the recipe for by looking up udon recipies online. Other cheap and easy food for in-dorm cooking includes the usual canned slop like Spaghetti-O's and canned ravioli, plus instant Mac 'n' Cheese. There are also instant noodle packages made by Lipton that taste a lot better and cost about a buck a pack. Mmmm, alfredo and broccoli noodles! Cook in a hot pot when lacking microwave access ($10 brand new at any store selling pots and pans, like Wal-Mart or Bed Bath & Beyond).

Efficient Use of Fridge Space

Dorm fridges are tiny, so think of keeping small amounts of absolute necessities that must be kept cold. Think milk and condiments like butter or cream cheese. Do not try to keep ice cream or popsicles in the freezer box overnight! They will melt. Do use the freezer box to make ice with that little tray, though. Remember that left-overs sometimes need to be refridgerated and try to keep a little room for them. Drinks go in the back, where things are the most likely to freeze. Candy bars taste awesome when kept in the freezer box, by the way.

Do not worry too much about eating in the dorms, though. Unless you want to roast a pig or cook up half a cow for some reason, you should be good. Just be sure to read the rules very carefully on what kinds of appliances (usually anything with an open heating element) are banned from your dorm.

Learn more about this author, Sara Williams.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.