10 Super Simple Meals To Make For Your Fast Paced Life In College
HEY! You! Are you in college?! Are you hungry?! I already know the answer to that question because you are in college. College is a whirlwind of activities. It is a STRUGGLE to make meals with everything going on. Believe me, I was the driver of the struggle bus when I lived in an apartment. I was eating snacks and random food I would find in my cabinets for days, not having an actual dank meal. I am going to drop some knowledge on you that will fill your head (and your stomach) with awesome information on different types of simple meals. You will be able to make yummy food that will keep you trucking along with money in your pocket.
Here is what you will need (I will refer this list as the toolbox) : HELLA motivation, copious amounts of Tupperware, fruits, vegetables, ground turkey, ground beef, chicken, any type of pasta your heart desires and sauce, bread, rice, eggs, and spices.
There are two important things to keep in mind in order to make these simple meals. The reason they are simple is because they are prepped ahead of time! This way when you are ready to head out the door that morning you can grab your meal and go! My fav kind of fast food! Also, making these foods in large quantities will ensure you will have enough meals for the week and will keep you from stressing about what your next meal will be!
1. Salads
There are ways to make salads delicious I swear. You can start off with romaine, mixed greens, or spinach just for kicks. You could make a vegetable salad or a fruit salad. A fruit salad with poppy seed dressing with really knock your socks off I swear. If you have a salad from a restaurant you really enjoy, make it at home! There are Asian, (another personal favorite), Cesar, southwest, etc the choices are endless with the ingredients you have in your toolbox. Here are some yummy and easy salad recipes for ya.
2. Soups
Just in time as the weather starts to cool down! Soups are super simple meals that leave your stomach and soul feeling warm. There are many different kinds of soups to make with the food in your toolbox. Vegetable soups are my personal favorite, but we cannot forget the OG classic, chicken noodle. Add some rice or pasta in there because why not!
3. Taco Bowls
Move over Chiptole, because a new burrito bowl is in town. YOURS. This is great of taking tacos on the go. Add some ground beef or chicken (or go wild and do both), lettuce, salsa, tomatoes, avocados, whatever you are feeling to make your perfect taco.
4. Pizza Bagels
All you need is a bagel, pasta sauce, cheese and whatever toppings you please. Pop them in the oven and you will be enjoying your own personal pan pizza. Simple meals city.
5. Skillets
Skillets = delicious mixtures of goodness. Skillets are fabulous to make as a meal for breakfast, lunch or dinner. For breakfast, for example, you can make a simple skillet of potatoes, eggs, and sausage. That will add some pep into your step for the morning. For lunch and dinner, you could add any type of meat and vegetables to make your own skillet goodness. My personal favorite is steak, peppers, onions, and avocados! What will yours be?!
6. Casseroles
This is the definition of a simple meal. All you need to do for casseroles is have a base (chicken), a type of sauce such as chicken broth or pasta sauce, and vegetables to top it off. After you do that, all you need to do is throw it in the oven and wait to enjoy your tasty creation.
7. Rice
Rice is a college student’s salvation. I used to make a dish complied with just different kinds of cooked vegetables and rice. That meal would last me the whole week because I made so much of it. SUCH A SIMPLE MEAL. You could also add pasta and vegetables to the rice. There are multiple meals you can do with rice and the other foods in your toolbox. It is really easy to experiment with rice because most likely rice will make the food you were already making better!
8. Chicken
YUM YUM YUM. There are many ways to make chicken. You can fry or bake it. In my experience I have found baking it to be a lot easier and less chance of me blowing up the entire kitchen. You can put your spices and toppings on your chicken before or after you cook it. I really like putting them on before so they are able to be baked into the chicken. For example, I loved putting honey and sea salt on my chicken before baking it because I like the salty and sweet combo. There are many different types of spices you can use. Let’s get cooking!
9. Pasta
SIMPLE MEAL CENTRAL HERE. Take any type of noodle, meat, vegetables, sauce and put it together and boom, you have a pasta dish that will last you for days. You can ever take your Ramen noodles, throw that seasoning package out and add other foods from the tool box to make your own delectable pasta concoction that could even get you a high five from Gordon Ramsey for creativity.
10. Goo
Last but not least! GOO! Goo was created by a dear friend of mine, a master cook and an ingenious woman. Goo is comprised of ground turkey and beef, tomato sauce and a plethora of vegetables. It is then cooked on the stovetop for about 15-20 minutes. It is SO yummy. I am giddy for goo and I hope you will be too. Game changer for simple meals.
