Meal prepping has been one of the most beneficial concepts I've practiced as an adult. And why not? It saves you time, makes you eat much healthier and is cost-efficient. As a college student, I know what it’s like to be caught up with work, social life, working out and a million things to get done for school. Yet when I always hear students on campus talk about their addiction to ramen and the favorite fast food joints they go to daily I can't help but cringe.

Yes, fast food is as it applies, fast, yet spending $7 a day for five days a week means you spend $35 a week for one meal a day. Depending on how many lunches you eat out that's rough $130 a month. Meal prepping can be anywhere from $30-60 a month if done right.

If you dedicate just one to two hours a week you will have an awesome meal that you may have for more than one meal a day. Depending on your body’s metabolism you should plan accordingly to a prep system that benefits you most. Let's start with my own schedule.

With my extremely fast metabolism and my very active lifestyle, I have to go big with my prepping. Starting with my breakfast I have a cereal I make myself. I bulk buy almond cluster granola (use six cups), unsalted dry peanuts (two cups), almonds (one cup) and dried bananas (1cup). When I leave my house I just scoop up a coffee mug amount, throw some 2% milk in and head out for the day. However, I don’t recommend eating and driving like myself...

For lunch and dinner, I have two main go-to’s. My first is spaghetti. Using two whole boxes of whole wheat spaghetti, two Newman's Own sauce jars with a can of tomato paste, can of medium black olives and a pound or half-pound (your preference) of turkey. This gives me three to four days of leftovers. My other choice is a simple white or brown rice (2 cups) with two to three cans of black beans. Simply add any Mexican sauce or none at all. Dipping Doritos or tortilla chips with it isn’t a bad option either.

These are my primary options for during the school year. Another option with fewer carbs and protein is prepping salads. Using Tupperware or mason jars to separate the vegetables I use spring mix and spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, avocado, turkey, ham and cheese with balsamic vinaigrette. This is probably my favorite, but during the school year, I stay away from this one since it costs a little more and is much more likely to go bad if I’m not on top of it. However, I highly recommend you to try this out if you don’t need to “worry” about a high metabolism like myself.

Layer vegetables accordingly or your greens will get soggy.

Vegans can certainly meal prep as well. How about stuffed bell peppers with rice, yellow onions, tomatoes, black beans, garlic cloves and your preference in seasoning? I’m no vegan but I’d eat that any day. Another more extravagant dish is chickpea butternut squash fajitas or a black and red lentil chili.

Chickpea butternut squash fajita.

Since everyone doesn’t practice veganism or isn’t as basic as me in meal prepping here are some other more tasty options. Cilantro lime chicken and cauliflower rice has everything you would want. Ingredients include boneless/skinless, lime juice, cilantro, minced garlic, honey, cauliflower, black beans, red onion, garlic powder and ground cumin. I feel sorry for you if you don’t like any of those ingredients, but exchange any out for your preferred item(s).

Creamy tomato and spinach pasta is another tasty option. Just throw together penne pasta, a small onion, diced tomatoes, garlic cloves, dried oregano and basil, red pepper flakes, cream cheese, tomato paste, and spinach. Bulk buy the pasta and having seasonings readily available is obvious, but maybe buy the tomato(es) less frequently, depending on your eating schedule.

Creamy tomato and spinach pasta.

Snacks are certainly another option for munching in between meals. Some options are peanut butter butter protein cups, strawberry banana fruit leather or my personal favorite, garlic roasted kale chips.

Garlic kale chips are seriously addicting for me. I have never saved any for later when I’ve made them.

You can see options are endless if you do some simple research and add a little imagination to it. As a college student, I know this has been a great practice I’ll use even after I graduate. In the end, you’ll only be grateful for saving money and eating healthier. At the very least you’ll learn some new recipes to enjoy and brag to your ramen-eating friends about.