10 Healthy Meals On A College Budget
Cheap meals are your best friend when you are living on a small budget, but healthy meals are sometimes har to get on a small budget. The only thing that is better is free food. But who says that cheap meals can’t be healthy? We’ve outlined 10 healthy meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!
1. Yogurt Parfait
Yogurt parfaits are a super easy and simple healthy meal to make. These are great breakfast options for anyone on the go and can even be made ahead of time and then refrigerated until you are ready to eat them.
One of the best things about parfaits are that they can be customized to your personal preference. You can choose the yogurt of your choice, add some oats and any fruits you want and then you are done! It’s so simple and if you put it in a mason jar or Tupperware container they are an easy breakfast to take with you if you are in a hurry.
2. Potato Hash and a Fried Egg
This healthy meal is also super simple. You only need potato hash and an egg. Another cool thing about this recipe is that it does serve one person but you can use whatever type of potato has you want. This recipe does involve onions in it also but you basically just caramelize the onions add the potatoes and some cayenne pepper, before cooking an egg and then placing it all on a plate with the egg on top.
3. Veggie Omelet
A veggie omelet is a great cheap and healthy meal you can make yourself for breakfast. An omelet is also fairly simple and straight forward to make as well. Then you can add whatever vegetables you like or have in your pantry to create a tasty and healthy start to your day.
A veggie omelet is also something that can be made for 1 person or multiple people easily by doubling of tripling the number of eggs you use.
4. Egg Muffin Cups
The last healthy meal for breakfast is egg muffin cups. This is another healthy meal that can be taken on the go for breakfast if you are in a hurry in the mornings. All you need are eggs and vegetables. This is also a great way to use up vegetables that are running out of time before they go bad. This particular healthy meal adds a little bit of coconut milk to make their egg muffins light and fluffy.
5. Spaghetti Squash Noodles with Spicy Peanut Sauce
If you want to change up your pasta game, then try spaghetti squash noodles in this healthy meal option. A great thing about this recipe is that not only is it gluten-free but it is also vegan. There are also so many different variations on spicy peanut sauce, so if you do not like this one, you can always find another one. Squash is a great source for vitamin A, B6, and C, as well as a good source of fiber also.
6. Slow Cooker Crock Pot Beef and Broccoli
Crockpot meals are super simple and easy to make add in healthy options and why wouldn’t you make them. This is one of the healthy meals that require little upkeep. If you want it for dinner then put everything in the pot in the morning and let it cook all day while you are in class or at work. Ta-da! When you get home you will have a delicious and simple healthy meal.
Again, do not pay extra money for Chinese take out that you can easily make at home and probably a lot healthier too!
7. Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole
This is one of the healthy meals that you can easily double and have leftovers throughout the week. It is super simple and does not need a lot of ingredients to make, bringing down your cost too! This is also a quick recipe so it is great to make on nights when you are pressed for time. You can also use whatever chicken you like the best whether that be rotisserie chicken or a chicken breast.
8. Chicken Lo Mein
Instead of ordering take out and spending a lot of money, make your own healthy meal at home! This chicken lo mein is loaded with vegetables, including carrots, onions, broccoli, mushrooms, and peas. This recipe has around 6-8 servings but this recipe is super simple and can easily be doubled if you want to make some for the week!
You do not even have to use any special noodles, all this recipe requires is angel hair pasta.
9. Homemade Pizzas
This healthy meal shows you how to make homemade pizza dough so you can make your own pizzas at home, saving you both time and money. You can put whatever you want on your pizza. Are you a vegetarian? Then load it with your favorite vegetables. Do you like meat but need to add a healthy vegetable to your diet? Then add whatever vegetables you have.
You can even cut the vegetables up super small so it’s like they are not even there if you are not crazy about vegetables.
10. White Chicken Enchiladas
This is another great dinner option if you need cheap and healthy meals. The key to this recipe is the sauce. Its base is sour cream which adds a tanginess to it that adds a great balance to the dish. Like most meals, you can customize this to your own personal preferences. This particular person adds corn and scallions to their filling so there is more inside than the chicken.
However, you can use whatever veggies you like just make sure you dice them so they aren’t too big. You can even make these ahead of time and have them later in the week by keeping them in the freezer. Just make sure to keep the enchiladas separate from the sauce until it is time to eat!
