Help me brainstorm dorm food ideas for DS18

[Ginevra]

He begins college this fall. He signed up for the 14-meal-per-week meal plan of his own volition. (I probably would have chosen 19pw for him personally.) (We can increase to the next level at any time, but there are only certain windows for reducing the meal plan, so that was the main logic behind picking the least number; he feels we can increase it if it is not enough, but I have some othe concerns about that plan I will mention in a minute.)

He is a tall and very lean guy with a low motivation to eat. I totally relate to this because I was the same way when I was his age, but I think it matters more in his case because he’s a tall, active male. I am a little worried that if he doesn’t have readily-available foods in his dorm, he will just not eat; in fact, I think the likelihood of that scenario is high. I think he will default to not eating until lunch, so: two meals per day = 14 meals per week. I don’t want him to do this. But I expect that he will if I don’t help him keep stocked on some quick, easy and healthy things in his dorm that he can eat before first class, or as a snack in the afternoon. 

So - ideas. He is not very picky and has no food allergies or intolerence. He will have a micro and a fridge with a tiny freezer. The only great protein option he hates is eggs, so hard-boiled eggs or such is out. If it is something like a salad or sandwich he literally will not make the effort, sadly; he will just not eat. 

Oh; lastly, he is not very far from home, so it isn’t impossible for me to bring him or for him to come get new stock for a week, so not everything needs to last for a long time. I could probably supply him with a half-gallon of milk and a box of cereal, so that may be Idea #1. Beef jerkey packages? That might be #2. Other ideas? 

[itsheresomewhere]

Beef jerky, protein bars, organic microwave ramen, popcorn.  Any favorite cereals that he could have for late night snacks? While cereal is not the best it does fit the need when at 11pm while studying you realize you didn’t eat and just want something small.

Just a few of the top of my head that might work and require no refrigeration so he can have more room.  

[cjzimmer1]

string cheese, yogurt, my DS likes the nut bars from Costco (kind of like a Kind bar but no flavor choices), trail mix, individual fruit cups or applesauce pouches, individual containers of cottage cheese.

Would he take the time to heat something up?  I'm thinking something like a breakfast burrito made with sausage/bacon, cheese and hashbrowns (mine hates eggs too so we use this variation for him).

[Guest]

20 minutes ago, cjzimmer1 said:

string cheese, yogurt, my DS likes the nut bars from Costco (kind of like a Kind bar but no flavor choices), trail mix, individual fruit cups or applesauce pouches, individual containers of cottage cheese.

Would he take the time to heat something up?  I'm thinking something like a breakfast burrito made with sausage/bacon, cheese and hashbrowns (mine hates eggs too so we use this variation for him).

Yes, I think he will take the time to microwave something, just not chop/spread/assemble things like tuna salad. 

[Kassia]

One of my sons always had low motivation to eat.  He had an unlimited meal plan in college but never went to eat more than 1-2x/day. I could see on my computer when he would swipe in and it would worry me when he would go long periods without eating (technology isn't always so great!) but that's the way he eats - he's a natural intermittent faster.  He did have food in his room - IIRC mostly nuts, individual applesauce cups, pouches of tuna and salmon  - but he didn't like to have a lot in his room because he's also a minimalist and too many food containers just made him stressed (I wanted him to stock up!).  He didn't want to use his fridge or microwave - stubborn.  

 

[Annie G]

Snacks on hand are good, but he really might gravitate to two meals a day and then grab a snack while out w friends. Also, food is usually quite available at college events. That's often how they draw people to lectures and events...offer free food. Plus he’ll have friends and they’ll order pizza for late night study sessions or hang out at a cafe/coffee shop to study and eat there.

The most our college age kids ate for breakfast was fruit or a bagel. When away at school they gravitated towards staying up later and just didn’t eat breakfast. 

Is the meal plan an all you can eat kind of thing? Dd’s was but you couldn;t take food out. Ds’s Was but you COULD take food to go and he always came out w fruit or a bagel or a few cookies or something. 

[DawnM]

My son loves trail mix.  Target has several types of trail mix and we get a variety and a small (8-10 ounce) Rubbermaid container he fills and sticks in his backpack.

Ramen and a microwave ramen cooker (https://www.amazon.com/Rapid-Ramen-Cooker-Microwave-Dishwasher/dp/B00H8BFGPI/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1531237893&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=ramen+cooker&psc=1)

Shelf stable snacks like these:  https://www.amazon.com/Bumble-Bee-Snack-Chicken-Crackers/dp/B018BCOB4E/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1531237929&sr=8-1&keywords=chicken+salad+with+crackers

 

[Guest]

40 minutes ago, Annie G said:

Snacks on hand are good, but he really might gravitate to two meals a day and then grab a snack while out w friends. Also, food is usually quite available at college events. That's often how they draw people to lectures and events...offer free food. Plus he’ll have friends and they’ll order pizza for late night study sessions or hang out at a cafe/coffee shop to study and eat there.

The most our college age kids ate for breakfast was fruit or a bagel. When away at school they gravitated towards staying up later and just didn’t eat breakfast. 

Is the meal plan an all you can eat kind of thing? Dd’s was but you couldn;t take food out. Ds’s Was but you COULD take food to go and he always came out w fruit or a bagel or a few cookies or something. 

I don’t know if he is allowed to carry food out or not. I do believe they can eat anything they want/as much as they want once they have swiped in a meal. But I’m not sure about carrying food out. They might not permit that. They might allow a small thing like a banana or a muffin, in which case, that would be a good way for him to have something handy the next morning. 

[Annie G]

My obligatory rant on meal plans: Youngest dd’s school had meal plans or you could buy meals individually. Her first term she got a meal plan, 14 meals a week.  We did the math and buying the meal plan cost MORE than buying two meals a day there. Lunch and dinner were the two most expensive meals and 7 lunches and 7 dinners bought with cash were less than the meal plan. And they weren’t allowed to walk out with a half eaten apple or anything.  

 

[gardenmom5]

dudeling is super picky. some of these he'll eat.  protein is always the hardest, but essential for am.

 

instant oatmeal for breakfast

one of those 'precooked' hams. . . he can cut it up into slices or "sticks".  I can get dudeling to eat them with maple syrup.

cheese sticks.

burritos.

eta;  - if he's willing to make a muesli.   berries, raw oats, and plain greek yogurt. (greek yogurt has more protein than other commercial yogurt.) 

other things he can add to plain yogurt.  honey.   shredded coconut and pureed pineapple. any kind of fruit.  -with or without raw oats.

[Amira]

Instant noodles have become my favorite quick meal.  Not the stuff at regular US grocery stores, but the noodles at Asian markets.  There are lots of flavors and it’s easy to add in plenty of vegetables or some protein if you like.  I usually add a cup of greens before cooking and three chopped cucumbers at the end, along with some vinegar. Shredded carrots or squash are really good too.  Tofu or cooked shredded chicken is easy to add. I also like to drain the cooking liquid before adding any seasonings so it’s a plate of noodles rather than a bowl of soup, especially when it’s warm.  I try to get the kinds with four or five flavoring packets so I can choose what to add to my noodles.  

[Pippen]

Just sent my 3rd kid off to college last year and all would have opted for a 2/day meal plan if they could have. Often there wasn't time in their schedules to make all three meals, so it was a lot of wasted money. Two regular meals, plus having the third be flexible would have been ideal. Eating back in the dorm is an option, plus depending on the size of the campus grabbing something out may be an option (and actually cheaper than the meal plan). My kids were on good sized campuses with plenty of eating out options, including some healthy options. 

What was important with my thin, picky, frugal eater was for me to convey--repeatedly--that good food was a priority I was willing to pay for. I made sure to leave them with some gift cards for carry out or delivery, plus money in their accounts specifically for food. I also let that one know that I wasn't going to be monitoring their food choices, because I was concerned about push back. 

One of mine didn't buy the meal plan his last year in the dorm so I got him this convertible freezer/fridge to use in addition to his fridge. Having a usable freezer opened up a lot of options. 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OBSIDHO/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Breakfast is by far the easiest meal to do in the dorm-- cereal, bagels, instant oatmeal etc. Toast if a toaster is allowed. Shelf stable milk--such as almond milk can be kept on hand to use in a pinch if a grocery store isn't available. 

Lunch - Single serving cups of Annie's mac and cheese was the default when they wanted something simple and fast int he dorm. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D7D1YAW/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Carry around snacks: Cliff bars, snack mix heavy on nuts, string cheese, and fruit from the cafeteria were popular and easy. Dd preferred Cliff bars over others because they filled her up. (FYI - those items did seem pricey for kids on tight budgets). 

Amazon Prime is great if you'll be shipping food. Also there's a grocery store near one of the campuses that delivers for a reasonable fee.

Also, be sure to look into the details of the food plan. One of mine allowed students to take out one piece of fresh fruit or one desert item with each meal, so dd would take a piece  of fruit to have on hand for a snack later. Another had a take-out box option, so instead of dining in the cafeteria they could fill a take out box with whatever they wanted. It works great for times when they would miss regular meal time, but also that option can stretch one meal swipe into two convenient meals for lighter eaters. (My nephew told me he fit most of a pizza into one once!) Be sure and check these options out in advance, so your guy knows them beforehand. They throw a ton of into at them at the start.  
 

 

[Guest]

@Indigo Blue, he is in on-campus housing for this year and cannot have any “real” cooking appliances. I don’t even think he would be allowed a blender. They don’t permit them to have a hot plate, a camp stove, an Instant Pot, etc. No appliances that heat up. Not even a toaster oven. So he is limited to things that can be nuked in the tiny microwave or eaten uncooked. You aren’t even *allowed* to live on-campus in dorms and not have a meal plan. 

My older child, dd, will have no meal plan this year for her senior year of college, but she is in a townhouse-style housing unit. The kitchen is small but standard. I’m really happy about it because I believe she will be able to shop and prepare food for much less than the meal plan of the past three years (which was mandatory as long as she was in a regular dorm). 

[Guest]

Quote

What was important with my thin, picky, frugal eater was for me to convey--repeatedly--that good food was a priority I was willing to pay for. I made sure to leave them with some gift cards for carry out or delivery, plus money in their accounts specifically for food. I also let that one know that I wasn't going to be monitoring their food choices, because I was concerned about push back

This is a really good idea, especially with the gift cards. You just described DS perfectly (except he isn’t really picky) - he is thin and frugal. He worries about food costing too much. Even when I have been talking to him about what he needs and wants for his dorm, he thinks he doesn’t need anything, and says things like, “don’t worry about it; I don’t need all that.” I totally get this about him because I was exactly the same way; I didn’t want to be a bother to anyone and I had this “excuse me for living” aspect to myself when I was young and I see him being the same way. It is maddening! Lol! 

 

[Lori D.]

DS#1 did have plenty of meals with his meal plan, and that worked well for him, as he did not want to have to do more than open a box and microwave it. The only things I can think of to get protein into a student who won't do much prep -- other than things like nuts, granola, yogurts, and ready-to-eat cheese -- are things like frozen dinners (mini-fridge freezers don't hold more than 2-3, though), and canned soup/chili/etc., and shelf box meals. None of those are that healthy, because they are processed foods with preservatives, but at least it helps keep up the student's calorie content, which is important for energy, brain function, and helping them fight off germs.

I found some Hormel Compleat Meals at the grocery store (like a frozen dinner, but stores on a shelf at room temperature and you just microwave. Here are some more of those types of meals, from a search at Walmart.

Good luck in finding healthy options that your DS will stir himself to eat! Warmest regards, Lori D.

[Annie G]

The problem w only having a microwave is that it really limits what he can fix. And that can lead to unhealthy stuff like ramen or hot pockets and the like.  A few terms dd couldn’t make it to the dining hall for dinner and ended up eating late at night. I made food and froze it in individual servings, and also took things for her to eat the week I visited (things that last several days in the fridge). That helped her transition from dining hall food to cooking for herself, but it would work for your son, too, if he had enough space.  Mason jars w plastic lids are great for storing and microwaving food in. 

But if you’re looking for something he can use for snacks and fillers....burritos are easy to make and freeze well. Breakfast burritos, bean burritos, meat filled ones....those are always a hit. 

[Selkie]

Amy's is one of the healthier brands and has plenty of foods that are easy to heat up in a microwave - soups, chili, burritos, pizza snacks.

Other ideas: Oatmeal with nuts and frozen berries, hummus, peanut or almond butter sandwiches.

I second the recommendation of Kind bars. The Nuts and Spices varieties are the ones with 5g or less of sugar.

[Bootsie]

I think many college students find that 14 meal plans work well; one day they don't get up for breakfast, another day they have class through lunch time and grab something quick to eat, their friends want to go out for pizza one night, they go home for the weekend.  Often, extra meals to fill in can be purchased for less than a larger meal plan and allows for more flexibility.

What does he typically eat for breakfast now?  Oatmeal, nuts, and trail mix can easily be stored and quickly eaten.  Yogurt, cheese, and salami can be stored in the fridge.  Peanut butter and jelly--if bread will go stale before it is used, put PB&J on crackers.  

 

[Liz CA]

I also like KIND bars. You can order them by the box and have them shipped to his place. They keep in the fridge for a while. Larabars are another option but not everyone likes those.

Bananas are easy snack food as well. 

[Mom22ns]

3 hours ago, Quill said:

I don’t know if he is allowed to carry food out or not. I do believe they can eat anything they want/as much as they want once they have swiped in a meal. But I’m not sure about carrying food out. They might not permit that. They might allow a small thing like a banana or a muffin, in which case, that would be a good way for him to have something handy the next morning. 

 

One of mine was allowed to carry out one piece of fruit with each meal. He would take a banana and make a smoothie for breakfast or sometimes an orange as a snack. Smoothies, protein bars (cliff & luna are my kids faves), protein shakes (svelte), and bagels are about the only things I was ever able to get my ds to fix for himself in the dorm. He got better when he moved into an apartment.

[solascriptura]

If he has low motivation to eat, I would probably make it as simple as possible.  Protein bars, cereal and milk, trail mix, or yogurts.  I loved to eat, but college dorms are a challenge.

[Pippen]

1 hour ago, Quill said:

This is a really good idea, especially with the gift cards. You just described DS perfectly (except he isn’t really picky) - he is thin and frugal. He worries about food costing too much. Even when I have been talking to him about what he needs and wants for his dorm, he thinks he doesn’t need anything, and says things like, “don’t worry about it; I don’t need all that.” I totally get this about him because I was exactly the same way; I didn’t want to be a bother to anyone and I had this “excuse me for living” aspect to myself when I was young and I see him being the same way. It is maddening! Lol! 

 

Maddening indeed! Mine is a minimalist on top of it, and that makes it harder if you're wanting to be the mom and PLAN ahead!  The gift cards did get used--sent a few along at the start of the year then later I'd buy one now and then and text the code so he could do an online order. Of course, along with a message saying "Enjoy a pizza on me this weekend. ? 

[Ali in OR]

I think my experience in college was typical--I started with the 19 meal plan and then dropped to 14 the second quarter and stayed at that the rest of my time there. Very few people were breakfast eaters because they were still asleep! We survived just fine and could eat as much as we wanted and take away a snack for later from the dining hall.

[DawnM]

Oh, also, I found a lot of stuff he can stick in the microwave:

https://www.amazon.com/Duncan-Hines-Perfect-Size-Brownie/dp/B06XHXHVFV/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1531261589&sr=8-3&keywords=brownie%2Bin%2Ba%2Bmug&th=1

Scroll down and there are all sorts of options for the cake/muffin in a mug, just add water and microwave.

 

And a bunch of options for things like this:

 

https://www.amazon.com/Kraft-Triple-Cheese-2-05-Ounce-Microwavable/dp/B000E1FXQ6/ref=sr_1_4_s_it?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1531261651&sr=1-4&keywords=instant%2Bmac%2Band%2Bcheese&th=1

 

Again, scroll down for all sorts of soups, pastas, mashed potatoes, etc....

[Amber in SJ]

I stocked both my dds freezers at the beginning of the semester.  I would have loved for them to be close enough to re-stock.

Things I would stock in her little freezer:

Individually wrapped burritos - Beans, rice, salsa, grilled chicken sometimes.   Brush the inside of the tortillas with taco sauce to keep them moist.  Flash freeze and then individually wrap in parchment paper & pack into freezer bags.  For the not lactose intolerant I'd add cheese.  Warm in microwave.  A jar of salsa for dipping.

Stuffed pasta shells - Italian seasoned ground turkey, diced veggies, pasta sauce, cottage cheese & mozzarella & parmesan.  Use a freezer bag with the corner cut off to stuff shells with filling.  Flash freeze. Pack into freezer bag.  Take out what is needed a few at a time.  When cooking in microwave, top with a few spoonfuls of pasta sauce.

Veggie fried rice:  Cold rice, bag of frozen "asian style" veggies, 2 scrambled eggs, cubed protein like cooked chicken, ham, tofu, or whatever you like.  Mix all ingredients cold on a parchment lined rimmed pan.  In a small bowl I mix soy sauce, a splash of sesame oil, crushed or paste style garlic & ginger.  I sprinkle this over the top of the rice mixture.  I put the whole pan into the freezer.  Once it is frozen I break it up into a freezer bag.  Student can shake out what he needs onto a plate or in a mug & microwave.

Stuffed breadsticks:  Make or purchase pizza dough.  Roll it out into a large rectangle.  Cut into fat rectangles.  For pizza breadsticks put a row of pepperoni & some pizza cheese down the center of each breadstick.  For BBQ chicken breadsticks put a strip of BBQ shredded chicken & shredded cheddar down the center.  Fold the dough over the filling.  Pinch to enclose completely.  Flip to place seam side down.  Brush with olive oil or egg wash.  Bake & freeze.  These can be warmed in the microwave & dipped into pizza sauce or BBQ sauce or packed in a lunch and eaten cold later.

Amber in SJ

[Amber in SJ]

Oops.  I missed that you wanted breakfasts.  OK

Breakfast burritos made similarly to the other burritos.  Slightly undercook the scrambled eggs & add in veggies, cheese, shredded baked potatoes.  Freeze & pack the same way as regular burritos.

Breakfast sandwiches - Toast however many english muffins, torta rolls, or sandwich thins.  Lightly butter or spread with a thin layer or cream cheese or those laughing cow cheeses.  This will keep the filling from making the bread soggy when re-heating.  I use these for the eggs, and I scramble them up with chopped veggies and a pinch of salt & pepper :  https://www.amazon.com/Nordic-Ware-Microwave-Cavity-Poacher/dp/B00004W4UR/ref=sr_1_7?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1531266532&sr=1-7&keywords=microwave+egg+cooker

I make a dozen at a time.  I cook turkey sausage patties or use Canadian bacon.  When everything is cooled I assemble with one egg patty, a slice of cheese and whatever breakfast meat we are using that day on each english muffin & wrap individually in parchment and pack into freezer bags.  Easily grabbed & microwaved.

Muffin tin frittatas-  I take whatever leftover veggies & breakfast meat sounds good and saute them together.  I always saute onions, garlic and peppers and then I add something green like shredded zucchini, chopped spinach or finely chopped steamed broccoli.  I scramble up 1 egg per muffin cup +2 (don't ask why, I don't know)  use a splash of milk to scramble.  Add salt & pepper or any seasoning mix you like.  I use the aluminum foil muffin cup liners for these.  They come with a foil liner & a paper liner.  Put both the foil liner and the paper liner into each muffin cup.  Put 1T of egg into each muffin cup, divide meat & veggie mix between cups.  Add 1T shredded cheese.  Divide the remaining egg mixture into the muffin cups.  Top with more cheese if desired.  Bake until done.  When cooled freeze in both foil liner & paper liner.  When ready to eat, remove 1-2 egg muffins, remove foil liner (keep on paper liner) and microwave.  These can also be packed frozen & eaten cold.

Amber in SJ

[ktgrok]

Sandwich meat, bread, peanut butter, jelly, pretzels, cheese sticks, granola bars (Kind Bars are good), trail mix, cereal, milk, a couple frozen dinners, a bag of apples, peanuts or other nuts, etc. 

[Pen]

Bread, peanut butter unless he is allergic, cheese, salami or similar (sliceable already cooked)  sausage, storable milk if he likes any (almond, coconut etc), instant coffee or tea if he drinks those, granola bars and/oror trail mix, sunflower seeds, a few fruits, what you think would be enough for two weeks grab and go breakfasts. Then after end of week one reasses. 

[Upennmama]

What’s the problem with him eating 2 meals a day? Can’t he decide for himself? I’d say gently that it’s time to cut the strings and let him decide how he wants to eat. I’m sure you raised hiM with common sense enough to eat if he’s in danger. 

[PurpleHeart]

I think most college kids tend to figure this stuff out on there own eventually. One interesting thing to consider might be meal replacement drinks such as Soylent. They seem to be picking up popularity on college campuses and it would require less effort for him to actually 'eat', while still satisfying all his nutritional needs.

[Tsuga]

Based on my experience with single men aged 18-25, as well as my own college experience, lots of microwave popcorn, Top Ramen, and snack food will somehow suffice. I am 100% certain most people won't die of Top Ramen exposure for even 2 straight years, although they may develop cravings for Emergen-C.

If you're worried, take him to Costco when you're in town and let him decide. I was always jealous of people whose parents mysteriously wanted to "just see the local supermarket to see if it's the same" when they came into town. It seemed really weird and yet convenient that they'd buy all this food and then not have room for it in their cars... just saying...

[vmsurbat1]

Having gotten 5 kids through university, they all, without exception, preferred the 14-meal a week plan.  Like others have said, it is often inconvenient to make it back to the dorm for a meal anyway so none of them ever could have made it for all 21 meals.  

It is absolutely true that there can be tons of events scattered throughout the day/week with free food.  One son could count on free pizza and burgers (two different days of the week) with groups he was involved with.....  Enough so that when he was able to NOT get a meal-plan, he didn't....

Also, one thing to find out is whether some portion of their meal plan can be "food dollars" to be spent elsewhere on campus....   For some of my kiddos, up to $XX amount could be swiped (per week/semester? can't remember) into other eateries/small convenience store on campus, so if they were stuck far from the dorm during normal meal hours, they weren't forced to starve....

I personally would wait before implementing "strategies" until he/you all see what actually develops (unless medically necessary).

[Guest]

1 hour ago, vmsurbat1 said:

Having gotten 5 kids through university, they all, without exception, preferred the 14-meal a week plan.  Like others have said, it is often inconvenient to make it back to the dorm for a meal anyway so none of them ever could have made it for all 21 meals.  

It is absolutely true that there can be tons of events scattered throughout the day/week with free food.  One son could count on free pizza and burgers (two different days of the week) with groups he was involved with.....  Enough so that when he was able to NOT get a meal-plan, he didn't....

Also, one thing to find out is whether some portion of their meal plan can be "food dollars" to be spent elsewhere on campus....   For some of my kiddos, up to $XX amount could be swiped (per week/semester? can't remember) into other eateries/small convenience store on campus, so if they were stuck far from the dorm during normal meal hours, they weren't forced to starve....

I personally would wait before implementing "strategies" until he/you all see what actually develops (unless medically necessary).

Yes, he does have Dining Dollars or whatever they are called for non-campus food. I think they can also use those at the little grocery mart on campus, though I doubt those are frugally priced. 

[Guest]

7 hours ago, Upennmama said:

What’s the problem with him eating 2 meals a day? Can’t he decide for himself? I’d say gently that it’s time to cut the strings and let him decide how he wants to eat. I’m sure you raised hiM with common sense enough to eat if he’s in danger. 

Sometimes even big kids need help. 

[Hilltopmom]

Ds signed up for the 19 meals a week plan but he’s not a morning person so I think he will miss most of the breakfasts unless he winds up with early classes (no schedule till after orientation).

i was going to suggest switching it to save money  but just looked it up and it’s only a $50 difference between 14 meals and 19 meals a week, so he’ll stick with 19 first semester and see how it goes.

the 14 meal plan comes with more “dining dollar points” than the 19 though.

[Pippen]

31 minutes ago, Kinsa said:

 

This is my sentiment too. Has he asked for help with this issue? I don't mean to be snarky about it, but I really think you need to step back and let him grow through this. I say that in the most gentle way possible. 

When we're responding to questions here we never know the full information. The reality is that some kids are totally ready to fly when they head off to college, while others need a higher level of support in some areas to successfully make the transition. 

[Pen]

Another helpful thing might be to try out breakfast options this summer if he is home and see what seems like it would be easy enough and with good enough energy and nutrition to get him through to lunch. 

Consider the clean up needed also  

 

[alisoncooks]

I'd buy him an initial stock of granola bars and cheese sticks (or whatever) and then set him loose. Will he have a car on campus?  Make sure he knows how to get to the closet Walmart/grocery store, and encourage him to buy & eat breakfasts or snacks. Make sure he has cash to purchase them.

If, after a certain time span, you feel he's not managing his own food intake and health well, offer more support. 

[elegantlion]

4 hours ago, Quill said:

Yes, he does have Dining Dollars or whatever they are called for non-campus food. I think they can also use those at the little grocery mart on campus, though I doubt those are frugally priced. 

Ds is frugal and thin and will also avoid eating. Since we lived off campus, he did not have a meal plan, and the nearest option in the morning was not the dining hall. He's also not a morning person, so at 8:30 he was not awake, didn't want to spend money on food, and never got up early enough to make something at home. He learned. Some days I would buy him something, some days he would buy a hot breakfast. It only took a few weeks to figure out he needed to eat something at some point in the day before 2pm in order to function. He did end up with a lot of options that he would bring, fruit cups, applesauce, nuts, etc. We found the hot breakfast and lunch to not be too awfully expensive if you didn't fill your plate (they charge by weight).  

I would look at what other places are on campus and buy some gift cards to those places, maybe even some delivery places. 

 

[Guest]

4 hours ago, Kinsa said:

 

This is my sentiment too. Has he asked for help with this issue? I don't mean to be snarky about it, but I really think you need to step back and let him grow through this. I say that in the most gentle way possible. 

As Pippen said, he needs more support in this area than another kid might. He has literally said, very recently, “I notice that if it takes too much effort to make something, I just won’t eat.” And I totally get that, because I was the same way until I had a family to feed. 

I won’t be texting him in the morning, telling him to eat a KIND bar before class; don’t worry. It’s more like I want to make it easy for him to eat something, preferably something with some protein and nutrients, because if it is not easy, if he can’t just grab this thing and eat it or, at most, nuke it for three minutes and then eat it, he will skip it. 

Also, I have always sent care packages to my DD in college -and that was despite her having an unlimited meal plan, which all underclassmen have. So I will definitely do the same thing for DS so he will feel loved and thought about, but I doubt I will fill his with fuzzy socks and nail polish, so probably more food items. ? 

[Pen]

I think for food, putting in support at the start makes sense. 

If at a reassessment you learn that he doesn’t need it, you can stop. 

[katilac]

18 hours ago, Upennmama said:

What’s the problem with him eating 2 meals a day? Can’t he decide for himself? I’d say gently that it’s time to cut the strings and let him decide how he wants to eat. I’m sure you raised hiM with common sense enough to eat if he’s in danger. 

 

idk, my dd was raised with common sense but she keeps forgetting to pack it and take it to college 

[alisoncooks]

This thread has made me think back to my freshman year. I packed a 12-pack of Countrytime Lemonade (cans) and some animal crackers. I was too timid/shy to find the cafeteria for like the first week of classes. I lived off of those cookies and lemonade until I ran out and was forced to exert myself and find sustenance. :p

[Upennmama]

On 7/11/2018 at 5:05 PM, katilac said:

 

idk, my dd was raised with common sense but she keeps forgetting to pack it and take it to college 

I know, my kids do silly stuff all the time, but honestly, will the OP's son die? Unless there are some sort of special needs involved, generally I think that if you're old enough/mature enough to go to college, you are capable of eating when hungry, or dealing with the consequences of not eating.