Student meal prep in Montreal: eating high-protein on a small budget

Between classes at McGill, Concordia, UdeM, UQAM or CEGEP, a part-time job, group projects and sometimes the gym, cooking often comes last. The result: you skip breakfast, grab a convenience-store sandwich at lunch and order in at night because the fridge is empty.

The problem isn't only money. Those improvised meals are often low in protein, which leaves you hungry an hour later and doesn't help if you train. Eating well on little money is mostly about organization.

Canada's Food Guide recommends protein foods at every meal, choosing plant-based proteins more often. Good news: several of them are among the cheapest items at the grocery store.

• Eggs: versatile, fast and one of the cheapest proteins per serving.
• Legumes (lentils, chickpeas, beans), canned or dried: protein plus fibre.
• Milk, yogurt and cottage cheese: easy to add to any meal.
• Canned tuna and sardines: long shelf life, zero cooking.
• Family-pack chicken and tofu: cook in a big batch for several meals.
• Peanut butter: calorie-dense, handy if you're trying to gain weight.

To know how much to aim for, read our article on how much protein to eat to lose weight or, if you're trying to build muscle instead, the one on bulking when you hate cooking.

You don't need a different menu every night. Pick three or four base meals you like and know how to make, then rotate. Less variety in planning means fewer ingredients going to waste.

Batch-cook when you have a gap in your schedule: a big pot of rice, a sheet pan of chicken or tofu, roasted vegetables. With that, you can put together four or five meals in minutes during the week.

Keep a list of no-cook "emergency" meals too: Greek yogurt with fruit, a tuna sandwich, hard-boiled eggs with bread. Those are what keep you away from fast food on nights you have no energy left.

Even the best routines crack at the end of the semester. That's exactly when having meals ready makes the biggest difference: you eat at regular times, keep your energy for studying and don't spend more on midnight delivery.

That's why meal prep pays off all semester: with a 10- or 14-meal pack, your lunches and dinners are sorted and you keep your energy for studying. There's no required subscription, but subscribing means you never forget to order during exams — and gets you free juices every week.

To see whether meal prep fits your budget, compare it with what you actually spend, not your ideal grocery bill. For two weeks, write down everything you buy to eat outside the grocery store: coffees, convenience stores, cafeteria, delivery. It's often more than you expect.

At Protéine Express, a meal costs from $11.99 on the weight loss plan and from $13.49 on the bulking plan, and the price per meal drops as the pack gets bigger. If it replaces last-minute meals, the difference can be smaller than you think. Our article on meal prep costs in Montreal walks through the math.

Your budget goes further when your eating follows a clear goal:

• You're skinny and want to build muscle: the bulking plan gives about 930 kcal and 60 g of protein per meal.
• You want to lose weight during the semester: the weight loss plan lands around 550 kcal and 40 g of protein.
• You just want to stop skipping meals: take at least 10 meals to cover your weekday lunches and dinners.

The hardest part isn't starting the semester well, it's keeping it up until the end. Keep the same anchors every week: your 10- or 14-meal pack delivered on Sunday, a basic grocery run for breakfasts and snacks, and regular mealtimes. A subscription makes it automatic.

Meals are delivered on Sunday from 9 a.m., whether you live near a downtown campus, on the Plateau, in Laval near Collège Montmorency or in Longueuil near Cégep Édouard-Montpetit. Order by Friday noon, put everything in the fridge on Sunday, and your week starts sorted. Check this week's menu for the dishes and their macros.