Sick of eating cereal and ramen for lunch and dinner? Want to spend less money eating out and finally start cooking for yourself? Put down that frozen pizza, because HC’s Health Editor, Sammie Levin, is here to share her daily eats so you can get ideas for healthy, satisfying meals that are easy enough for any time-strapped collegiette to make. After you read Collegiette Eats, your taste buds, wallet and waistline will thank you.
Sometimes it can be hard to think of what to make for breakfast, lunch or dinner. You get bored of your standard turkey sandwich, but you can't think of what else to make. That's where Instagram comes in! There's a whole world of healthy food accounts on Instagram filled with pretty pictures of exciting new food ideas. I love scrolling through healthy foodstagrams to get inspired, so I'm featuring five of my favorite accounts to share the love. Beware: side effects include hunger pangs, drooling and extreme envy.
1. @lolacooks
Lola is a 17-year-old (!) vegan living in Miami. She makes eating vegan look so good, even the most dedicated carnivore would salivate at her posts. From desserts like mango cheesecake and red velvet brownies to creative dishes like wheatgrass falafel and mexican kale wraps, her feed is a nonstop flow of meal ideas that are free of animal products and full of delicious nutrients.
Jen, the mastermind behind @livegreenhealthy, posts healthy meal ideas that she compiles from around Instagram and the blogosphere as well as her own creations. She links to the pages that she gets ideas from, so by following her you'll discover new accounts all of the time! It's a gold mine for healthy alternatives to your favorite foods, such as quinoa pizza, sweet potato nachos and zucchini noodles.
Saskia is a food blogger and ballet dancer with some serious cooking and photography skills. Her feed is full of nourishing smoothie ideas that look and sound amazing, such as strawberry cheesecake, chocolate almond butter swirl and plenty of green smoothies. She also posts great healthy desserts, such as sugar-free and gluten-free cupcakes and homemade vegan oreos. As if all that wasn't enough, she features lunch and dinner dishes, too.
4. @saladpride
If you're stuck in a salad rut, it's time to follow @saladpride to get tons of ideas for how to switch it up. David posts a new salad daily, which he prepares and eats at his desk in his office - a habit he has maintained for three years! The salads vary from regular leaf-based salads to fruit salads and grain salads, and you can guarantee that each one is beautifully presented. With the range of ingredients he incorporates, you'll be inspired to finally trade that plain, same-old-same-old salad in for something new and improved.
An account after my own heart, @collegecookin features simple, healthy meals that are affordable and easy to make. While some of the other accounts feature more elaborate dishes, these posts are geared specifically toward collegiettes, so no need to fear if you have minimal cooking skills or a limited cash flow. You'll find fun ideas for on-the-go meals, like layering a salad in a mason jar.
By following a few of these accounts, you'll be sure to get new healthy meal ideas every time you check your Instagram feed. Just make sure to not drool on your phone screen!