For Lunch, Anything Goes!

The verdict has been made: international students here shall not be provided lunch at their home stay. Snacks are optional, but otherwise no.

No lunch leaves international students at Veritas to use creative devices. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches first entered our minds. Then the flashbacks of homemade lunches smothered with love from our parents: crust-cut sandwiches, finger food, cut up  fruit and veggies, pouch drinks. We had to do better than that, we are growing adults. We want to eat healthier and smarter. We walk 3 to 4 miles everyday in San Jose, and are still doing extra-curriculars like yoga, martial arts, and dance. Our meals had to be sufficient and satisfying enough to push us through our busy days.

Almuerzo a Veritas

So we got creative and sought out alternatives to our former elementary lunch diets.

For lunch, anything goes!!

Chopped fruit salad with tuna and lettuce

Peanut butter and honey sandwiches

Rice and beans with a little hot sauce

Tortilla sandwich with chicken and rice

In Costa Rica, fresh fruit and vegetables are abundant and muy barato. Which is perfect for students in our predicament. Finding fruits and vegetables also makes for a cultural adventure in itself. One can buy them at an outdoor market (Mercado Central), a grocery store (Palí), or at a vendor on the street. The quality almost never disappoints, and you save money that you can use later to travel on the weekends.

Farmer´s Markets in Costa Rica

kitchen

Other options for students to eat healthy and cheap include:

Eat Out

Usually this option is not recommended in the United States due to the lack of variety in healthy foods, but here in Costa Rica I will make an exception to the rule. Sodas here offer a balanced diet meal with starch, meat, and vegetables called a casado.

More on a casado

Fruit and salads are also offered at decent prices, which trumps what a student can afford in the United States.

Foodies Guide to Costa Rican Sodas

carrots

At Subway you would pay $5 for a footlong that might not even have the best choice of vegetables and meats. Iceburg lettuce only has so much nutritional value.

More on Iceburg Lettuce here and here.

Search online for recipes

Easy Meat-Free Burrito

Sometimes you don’t have time or money to go shopping and you have to use what is in your drawer at the time. That’s fine, there are plenty of people who have been in your shoes. Take advantage of their ideas and creativity!

fruit

Stock up on Supplies for Lunch

It’s best to go shopping in the beginning of the week, after you have gotten back from your excursions. Pali, Pequeño Mundo, and Auto Mercado are great sources for buying in bulk, buying a variety of snacks, and getting into the store and getting out in a timely manner. Also, check out the outdoor markets here in San Jose. They operate on specific days throughout the week, so it’s best to plan your shopping trip before you step out the door.

Stocking Up on Bread for the Week