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In the spirit of collaboration, I have gotten to know Jules; a great, vegan US college student who lives an incredibly different life from mine. Here is how she navigates eating as a vegan at college in a time where healthy eating is hard to come by – especially at college! She has been a pleasure to work with and I’ve really enjoyed this little insight into her daily life. Over to Jules…

*Guest Post*

Hello, lovely readers of TheMummyToolBox!  My name is Jules, and I blog over at Thoughts, Opinions, and Everything In Between.

Thanks to all of you and to Charlotte for having me!

As a relatively traditional US college student, there’s a general consensus that my diet should consist of unhealthy amounts of Ramen, EasyMac, and late-night pizza and wings runs.  As a vegan, I’m a step ahead of the crowd on that front, but I take a few extra precautions to maintain a collegiate diet far healthier than Hollywood would ever dare to portray.

I have a partial meal plan (a requirement on my residential campus), but fend for myself many times as well.  The occasional meal out with friends sneaks in, but only as the budget will allow, of course! 🙂 By making healthy choices in these various settings, I’ve not only managed to avoid the infamous “Freshman Fifteen” and everything after, but I’ve actually created a healthier lifestyle since coming to school.

Here’s a sneak peek into two days of meals for me!

Day One

apple breakfast
Good old fashioned apple!

Breakfast: 

Each year, the neighboring town of Biglerville, Pennsylvania takes the country by storm (well, to a point) with the National Apple Harvest Festival.  Needless to say, we’re big on apples here in East-Central PA, so they’re a go-to healthy snack or breakfast!

Lunch:

Vegan Burger - lunch day 1
Bullet’s Veggie Burger

I was recently introduced to one of our school’s employees at the Subway-like eatery, the Bullet Hole.  Noticing that there weren’t many veggie options for the outliers like me, he had created the wonder that is Bullet’s veggie burger.  Many the week goes by that this makes up nearly all of my meals— I can switch up the toppings as I like, and it never gets old!

Dinner:

In need of some sustenance before my Broadway-style Jazz dance class (I’m a Jules of all trades, I tell you!), I headed back to Bullet with some friends.  In our travels, I picked up a traditional PB&J sandwich (on wheat bread, with gelatin-free jelly!), complete with a delicious side of fresh raspberries.  Who says college food is untasty and unhealthy?

Vegan PB &J with raspberries
Vegan PB & J with raspberries

Day Two

Breakfast

Graze Snack Pack
Graze Snack Pack

For breakfast on the second day, I indulged in one of my favourite things:  a Graze snack!  This is a subscription service that sends specially tailored snack packs to you for one monthly cost.  I only get eight snacks per month, so I try to make them last, although it’s always tempting to enjoy them all as soon as I get them! If you’re interested, feel free to check out my “friend code” here and try them for yourself!

 

 

 

 

 

Lunch

buffet type
Stir Fry, Fresh vegetables, Panini, Pineapple and mango topped with flax a chia seeds

Joining a friend for lunch in our dining hall, the buffet-style plethora drew me in— I’m probably one of few students throughout the world who can say that the dining hall was a positive factor in choosing a school!  I choose a green bean/shiitake/tofu stir-fry with a teriyaki glaze, some fresh vegetables, half a “turkey” and “cheese” (veggie substitutes, have to love them!) panini, and a bowl of pineapple and mango topped with flax and chia seeds.  Paired with some raspberry iced tea, this was more than worth a meal swipe!

Dinner

Dinner on day two was my true indulgence, as a friend and I went on a shopping excursion (our Halloween costumes weren’t going to find themselves!) and stopped by Panera Bread.  Though not one of my most frequented eateries, Panera’s one of my favourites for their delicious foods and top-of-the-line service.  A Greek salad (sans-feta), everything bagel, and mango iced tea were plenty to make my night

day2 dinner
Vegan Greek Salad
Everything Bagel
Everything Bagel
Mango Iced Tea
Mango Iced Tea

So there you have it, folks, it’s truly possible to eat healthfully (and vegan-ly!) while in a college/university setting.  While I certainly indulge in some potato chips or french fries now and then, the good choices abound!

Thanks again for having me, and feel free to check out my site and social media if you’re interested in hearing more of my TO&E!

Where can you find more of TO&E?

Click through to Jules’:

Blog

Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest

Google+

Bloglovin’

For more collaborations checkout the “Guest posts on The Mummy Toolbox” or “The Mummy Toolbox posts around the web” page to see who else I have worked with

For more healthy food or collaborations, why not find us on Pinterest?

I have linkied this post with:

Mami 2 Five

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