Attending University has its challenges: making sure you get enough sleep, have time for yourself, and most importantly, the biggest factor in students’ success, eating enough food! Going to school and having to cook for yourself is a very big task coming straight out of high school and possibly living with other members in your household who took care of the cooking back home. I am here to help and give some advice on easy quick recipes for school if you have the same problem as I did. When I first moved away for school, I had a hard time cooking for myself as I hate doing the dishes and making a mess. Through some research and lots of trial and error, I have been able to organize myself to make sure I have about 3-4 good-sized meals throughout my day, to help keep up my energy and attitude. When I am in a pinch, Kraft Dinner or frozen pizza is a great substitute, but I always find myself still hungry.
Advice for staying organized and making sure you eat:
– Knowing and picking what you will eat for the week.
– Making a grocery list and only buying those items (can always add other items but make sure to stay on track and don’t get distracted!)
– Meal prep (pick a day in the week and cook about 5-6 meals for either dinner or lunch, making a mess all at once to avoid doing dishes, store meals in containers for easy re-heating)
– Don’t buy too much extra food! (Only buy enough so you do not waste any food, make sure you use or freeze any leftovers)
Following those 4 steps, I have been able to focus more on school and studying as I don’t have to worry about what I am going to have for dinner. I can just reheat anything I made beforehand, and I have more time to relax!
Some of my favorite quick recipes are:
5-6 ingredient Bean Burritos
Bean Burritos Recipe photo by Taste of Home, Link to the recipe
Ingredients:
– 1 can of refried beans
– 1 cup of salsa
– 1 cup cooked rice (your choice)
– 2 cups shredded cheese.
– 12 tortillas
– Shredded lettuce (as much as you like)
– A source of protein (chicken or fish)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°. (Heat up an additional source of protein beforehand until cooked, season to your liking) In a large bowl, combine beans, salsa, rice, and 1 cup of cheese (and a source of protein). Spoon about 1/3 cup mixture off-center on each tortilla. Fold the sides and ends over filling and roll up.
Arrange burritos in a greased 13×9-in. baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup of cheese. Cover and bake until heated through, 20-25 minutes. If desired, top with lettuce.
Stuffed Chicken Peppers
Recipe and photo by Erin Clarke on Well Plated by Erin
Ingredients:
– 2 peppers
– Carrot dices
– 1 cup cooked rice (your choice)
– 2 cups shredded cheese.
– Seasoned cooked chicken breast
– Half an onion
– Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°. (Heat up an additional source of protein beforehand until cooked, season to your liking) Cut peppers down the middle and remove any seeds. Put peppers in the oven for 10 minutes until they soften.
In a bowl add all ingredients except the cheese and mix, creating a filling. You can even add hot sauce for some more flavor.
Take peppers out of the oven and set them to cool for 5 minutes. Spoon filling into peppers to the top and top with cheese.
Put back into the oven and cook for another 15 minutes until peppers and cheese are sizzling. Enjoy!
Lettuce Wraps
Recipe and Photo by Jen on Yummy, Healthy, Easy
Ingredients:
– Head of iceberg lettuce
– Any source of cooked protein
– 1 cup of quinoa
– 2 chopped pan-seared carrots
– 1/2 onion diced, pan seared
– Dipping sauce
– Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Wash lettuce and separate the leaves of lettuce carefully. Mix all other ingredients together in a bowl, with some sauce of choice. Leave some of the same sauce on the side for dipping. Take a leaf and add filling into the middle and roll. Have some kind of dipping sauce on the side and enjoy!!
I hope these tips and recipes help you to get into a routine with cooking. Being able to plan and make food ahead of time will make your days go smoother and less stressful. Enjoy!
Future Student Ambassador, Karolina – Architectural & Engineering Technology, “Residence Life: Easy Quick Recipies”, 3 Mar. 2023
