By: Shannon Clark

With summer now over and many people heading back to college to kick off another semester, you may be slightly fearful of what this may mean to your muscle-building program.

Over the summer months you may have had more time in your schedule to fit in all your workouts as well as plan, prepare, and eat six to eight meals a day with little to no problem.

Now you have classes three to five hours a day, studying, and your workouts to get in, which leaves little time for meal prep. Many professors also place restrictions on what they will allow in their class in terms of eating, which could mean you're going four or more hours in a row (depending on your schedule) without food.

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You May Be Slightly Fearful Of What This May
Mean To Your Muscle-Building Program.

Since you've made good progress over the summer by rigidly sticking to an eat-every-three-hours routine, this new schedule is going to put a serious twist in your diet.

Luckily, if you take the time to prepare some quick and easy snacks to take with you while you're at school, meeting your daily calorie requirements does not need to be all that challenging.

Always remember that the largest influence of progress will be your daily calorie intake, so even if you do place the greater amount of calories in your three squares a day (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) along with the pre and post workout meals, as long as you are meeting your needs you'll still see progress.

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Then you just need to add in some smaller snacks for in between or during classes to keep hunger under control and bump that calorie intake to exactly where it needs to be.

The following snack options are quick to make and usually can be taken right into class with you. If you are absolutely not allowed food in class, then you should be able to eat these in the walk between classes without any issues.

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Meeting Your Daily Calorie Requirements Does
Not Need To Be All That Challenging.

1. Trail Mix:

Trail mix is one of the most convenient snacks to take because all you'll need are the ingredients and a Tupperware container to store it in.

Another really nice thing about trail mix is you'll be able to have full control over the ingredients you're adding to it, making it easy to switch around the macronutrients until you arrive at something that fits your current dietary needs.

Some of the best ingredients to include in a trail mix include any variety of nuts, shelled sunflower seeds, pretzels, whole grain cereals (Shreddies, Chez, Wheaties), dried fruit, and even dried coconut if you like that taste.

Depending on the ingredients you include, this can get to be quite a high calorie snack, making it perfect for those who really struggle to put on the lean muscle mass.

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[ Click To Join The Thread. ] Homemade Trail Mix! Consisting of peanuts (low salt), rasins and M&M's, higher ratio of the first two, lesser of the M&M's. How would this rate just as a snack?	Started By: GluteusMaximus

2. Peanut Butter Protein Bars:

Another snack that will fill you up and really boost your calorie intake for the day is peanut butter protein bars. These you will have to prepare by yourself but can easily be made in ten to fifteen minutes over the weekend and will last for the week to come.

To prepare them, combine about one cup of natural peanut butter along with any finer cereal (rice crispies, puffed wheat, corn flakes, or raw oats), one scoop of protein powder, and enough honey or maple syrup to get it to stick together so you're easily able to form bars.

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Protein Bars Will Fill You Up And Really
Boost Your Calorie Intake For The Day.

Once mixed, press into a pan and then place in the fridge for thirty minutes to an hour until set. Cut into snack sized bars from there and wrap in tin foil or saran wrap to store.

3. Cheese And Whole Grain Crackers:

The third snack that's quick and easy to take with you to school is lower fat cheese and whole grain crackers. When you choose the lower fat varieties of cheese it is actually quite a good protein source and the calcium boost will work double time to make sure you're able to workout to full intensity.

The whole grain crackers will also provide a good source of carbohydrates to round out the snack. If you wish you could also have the cheese with pieces of a whole grain tortilla, pita, or with a sliced apple.

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[ Click here to learn more. ] Healthy Snacks! Next time you are hosting a barbeque, looking for a quick snack in the afternoon or are asked to bring a dish to a party, try one of these!	Author: Shannon Clark

Usually cheese can last in your bag at least four to five hours without refrigeration, which makes it a fairly easy snack to carry with you.

4. Home-Made Granola:

Finally, the last snack that you can prepare and take to school with you is home-made granola. Just like trail mix this is a nice option since you prepare it yourself so you know exactly what's going in it.

To prepare your own granola, start by preheating the oven to 325° F. Next place parchment paper over two large baking sheets and then set aside.

In a large bowl, combine 4 cups of rolled oats, 1 cup vanilla protein powder, 3/4 cup oat bran or wheat germ, 1/2 cup sunflower seeds, one and a half cups chopped nuts, one teaspoon of salt, and a 1/4 cup brown sugar. Combine and set aside.

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Over low heat in a saucepan stir together 1/8 cup maple syrup, 1/2 cup of honey, 1/2 cup of olive oil, 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract. Once it has reached a low boil pour over the dry ingredients and then stir until well coated.

Spread this final mixture over the baking sheets and then place in your oven until crispy, about 20 minutes, stirring at halftime. Once finished, let cool before breaking apart and storing.

Conclusion

As long as you take the time to pre-plan your snacks before you leave in the morning having a busy school schedule should not have any negative influence on your overall progress rate. It's the people who don't plan and then find themselves stuck between class with nothing but vending machine food that run into major problems and don't realize their goals.

Related School And College Articles:

• Staying Lean And Healthy In College! - By Anthony Lee
• High School Weight Training Program! - By Mauro Di Pasquale
• College Training: What You Need To Know! - By Mike Hajoway
• Other School And College Articles...

For additional protein sources don't overlook other easily transportable options such as beef jerky, pop top tuna, protein powder, and even lower sodium deli meat if you're really stuck for options.

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