1. Keep the Staples in Your Kitchen

There are some things that need to be in every kitchen, no matter how small. When you're shopping, make sure you always have enough of these or you'll regret it!

• Bread
• Milk or milk substitute
• Peanut Butter
• Rice
• Eggs
• Oatmeal or whole grain cereal
• Canned Beans
• Frozen Fruits & Veggies
• Chicken Stock
• Your Favorite Canned Soup (for when you're sick and just need something comforting)

2. Plan Your Meals & Recipes Weeks in Advance

Not only will this help you schedule your cooking sessions, but your wallet will thank you. Making lists of recipes before heading to the grocery will cut your expenses like nobody's business since you won't be buying extraneous supplies.

3. The More Simple & Nutritious, the Better

You don't need to make a fancy Poké Bowl or avocado toast at every meal (in fact, you really shouldn't) -- sometimes the most simple and nutritious recipes are the best! Take 'one pot / one pan' recipes for example; these involve some chopping and prep, but in the end, everything ends up in one pan or pot to be cooked easily.

4. Jarred Pasta Sauce is Your Enemy

If you're walking past those jars of Ragu in the grocery aisle, just give them the stink eye and keep moving. Those things are PACKED with sugar; one-half cup serving of Newman's Own Marinara has 11 grams of processed sugar. If you're wondering where your Freshman 15 is coming from, this is probably a major factor. Instead of buying jars of sauce for $6 that go bad within a week and a half, spend the same amount and make a massive vat of your own! I'd recommend Ina Garten's recipe that tastes amazing and (HERE'S THE CLINCHER) has no added sugar. Tripling or quadrupling the recipe will last you months and months!

(P.S. The trick to a great marinara is to let it simmer longer than needed to intensify the flavor and always use San Marzano tomatoes!)

5. Actually Use Your Freezer for More than Midterm Ice Cream

How are you going to use that massive vat of sauce, you might be asking yourself? Well, put that stuff right in the freezer. It'll keep for practically years and always taste freshly made. You can do the same with tons of other sauces, fresh pasta, morning breakfast sandwiches, the works. Better yet, make all these sauces at home and bring them to your apartment building when school starts -- you'll be ten steps ahead of the game and already have some of your meals ready to go so you can hit the ground running rather than spending a few days scrambling to find ingredients for your meals.

6. Make On-the-Go Breakfasts the Night Before

I've gotten into the awful habit of skipping breakfast altogether since I rarely have the time or patience to make myself real food in the morning, which is exactly why pre-made breakfasts are the best thing there is. Buzzfeed put together a surprisingly wonderful article that I would highly recommend giving a read.

7. Eat Three REAL MEALS

Rather than having some leftover take-out from the night before or snacking your way through the day, make a conscious effort to sit down and enjoy and appreciate your meals! The more you do that, the more you'll care about what is going into your body and how full you are rather than mindlessly eating while watching a movie or going through the motions.

8. If You’re Craving Salt, Skip the Chips

Salt is a killer craving to have, I know that on a personal level. There are ways around it, though, that don't involve bingeing potato chips and other crappy foods. Go for a bowl of unbuttered microwavable popcorn kernels or make your own veggie/fruit chips. They're way healthier and fill you up way more than any Lay's or Pringles would.

9. Be Realistic, But Have Fun!

You don't have to be Julia Child or Ina Garten in the kitchen; as long as you're having fun and feel good doing it, that's all that matters!