When you don’t have time for a big dinner, the following foods can be really helpful, you can just toss it together in a bowl, or throw some nuts, veggies and fruit onto some lettuce and have yourself a decent meal.

These should-be-food-staples are always good to grab when you don't have a meal plan and have a busy, exam and essay-filled week and don't always have time to cook yourself a gourmet meal:

Apples and Peanut Butter

This is one of my go-to’s, it’s filling, peanut butter has a decent amount of protein, and it’s really filling, so it’s good for lunch on a busy day when you know you’re not going to be able to eat again for a while

Popcorn

This is a favorite snack in my house, we use an air popper, and just some oil and salt, so it’s not that bad for you. It’s salty and crunchy and so really satisfying when you’re up late studying and craving some junk food.

Zucchini/Squash/Sweet Potato Noodles

These are great for an easy dinner, especially if you have a spiralizer handy. You can sauté them with some other veggies and some soy sauce, or you can boil them and add a pesto or tomato sauce, and you can make enough in one sitting to feed a crowd or have some leftovers for later in the week.

Spaghetti Squash

You can make these in the oven or in about 15 minutes in the microwave, again you can do these with any kind of sauce you want, I’m partial to pesto (either fresh or from Trader Joe’s) or tomato sauce. These are another good thing for feeding a crowd or saving for later in the week

Sweet Potatoes

In a pinch, I cook these in the microwave and throw on some salt or cinnamon and have a good snack/part of a meal. They only take about five minutes and are really satisfying.

Frozen Veggie Burgers

These are really good when you’re in the need for a quick meal, they’re really easy to throw into a pan or the microwave and then put on a bagged salad from Trader Joe’s or a stir-fry or basically anything

Frozen Veggies

Frozen peas, carrots, or corn are all really good to have lying around for when you just need something to munch on or for when you need to supplement a meal and need your veggies for the day.

Canned beans

Canned beans are good for the same reason, they’re easy to sauté and cook up and throw into any meal and get some nutritional value fairly easily.

Bagged salads or lettuce from the grocery store