Hungry Horns

It’s summertime, Horns! With this change of environment, let’s go over a great way to plan out your meals in a cost and time effective manner!

Benefits of Meal Prepping 🍲 🥘 🍱

1. Keeps living space organized and manageable ✨
2. Saves time during the week ⏰
3. More affordable way to manage groceries 🥕 🥦
4. Helps you track your nutrition goals food 🍽️
5. Reduces stress while in a rush!🏃‍♂️

Tips for easier meal prepping 🥒🍎🍞 that also saves money 💴
1. Plan meals around foods on sale
2. Plan for plant 🌱 based meals for cheaper sources of protein like tofu and legumes (beans, dried peas, and lentils)
3. Incorporate grains more 🌾
4. Use seasonal fruits and vegetables 🍇🫛
5. If you make more than enough for a week, freeze it and save it for another week or a snack later on 🧊😋

Here's a greatly detailed infographic showing the difference in cost and nutritional content for three different meals: two are homemade, and one is from fast food takeout. The difference in cost is astonishing! While most people associate fast food with cheapness, we can see from this graphic that it can actually be quite expensive.

Even when considering cooking time, the homecooked meals are likely still cheaper (and definitely healthier) than getting fast food. If you consider the amount of time spent travelling to/from the restaurant and waiting for your food, the time investment may be very similar!

Although this graphic was made in 2011, the information and comparisons are still applicable today. We hope you learned something new or helpful from our post :)

Here's a greatly detailed cost and nutritional analysis of three different meals: fast food burgers versus two homecooked meals. The difference in cost and healthiness is astonishing!

Even when factoring in the time it takes to cook the homecooked meals, they likely still save money in the long run due to their health benefits and low ingredient cost. In fact, if you consider how long it can take to travel to a fast food chain and wait for your food, the amount of time it takes could very well be the same.

Although this graphic was made in 2011,the differences are still quite applicable to today! We hope you learn something helpful or new from this post :)

Do you ever get tired of eating processed, canned, or other preserved foods? Consider incorporating some fresh elements into your meals! Oftentimes, food banks can only provide non-perishables, which can definitely lose appeal over time. Trying to find places which provide fresh or frozen produce can help you have more variety and nutrients in your diet. Luckily, some of the resources that we have collected sometimes offer fresh foods! Hopefully you can take a look and find things that work for you.

Cheap recipes for:
meal prepping
roommate dinners
taking care of your family
friendsgiving
girls night
etc!!!!

60 Family Dinner Ideas for Under $10 Family meals don't have to be bland if you're on a budget.

We know that not everyone is on campus this semester due to remote learning. Here are some resources for students/families/anyone all over TX!

Saatvik Ahluwalia on TikTok in is real. These orgs can help.

If you or someone you know is suffering from food insecurity, know you are not alone! Before the pandemic, estimates of food insecurity at universities across the country varied from 20-35%. During these difficult times, there are probably even more students experiencing the same thing. Please do not hesitate to use the resources that are meant for you, and if you need any help finding different opportunities please shoot us a message!

Attached to this post is an article explaining how to buy cheap healthy food and explains the benefits of the food. Try to keep this in mind when you grocery shop to get more nutrients for less money!

44 Healthy Foods Under $1 Broke as a joke? No worries. These delish and healthy options work for every budget.

When you think college meals I'm sure Ramen comes to mind. Ramen noodles may be cheap, but they are also high in sodium and low in fiber.
Try these tips to boost the nutritional content of your typical Ramen:
1. Most of the sodium comes from the salt packet, so try adding only half or a fourth of the package to reduce the sodium content
2. Add a handful of greens to your bowl of ramen to provide some veggie action
3. Pair your noodles with a protein source such as a boiled egg, tofu, or chicken to up the protein content and keep you full for a longer amount of time

Affordable and nutritious foods to stock your pantry with! Buying things that you can make a meal with when you are short on time will help feed you in the long run.

examples without refrigeration:
- dried pasta/rice (can also buy protein pasta and/or whole grain pasta)
- dried beans
- canned/jarred pasta sauce
- canned tuna/salmon/chicken
- vegetable or other stock
- shelf stable milk or milk-substitutes
- salt, pepper, and your favorite spices

Are you in the Austin area and looking for food, or do you know somebody who needs some help? The Central Texas Food Bank has a great map with various places to receive food in Austin. The locations are listed and the website shows whether they offer groceries or hot meals. Especially during the holiday season, many places may have food for those in need. Stay safe, and happy holidays!

Central Texas Food Bank