You are now officially a student! Congratulations. However, this means budgeting, shopping and cooking, yikes! You can’t live on pot noodles pizza and fast foods, not only do these work out expensive they are not healthy and they don’t fill you up! Not sure where to start? Markets are a great starting point for fresh fruit and vegetables. Most markets sell bowls for a small cost there filled with a variety of different colours and nutrition. Mushrooms, onions, peppers, potatoes, garlic carrots cauliflower and herbs don’t be afraid to handle the ingredients for freshness you want them to last longer than one day! There are quick and easy meals on a student budget!
These few ingredients can be used in many recipes for meat eaters and vegetarians. Go to your local supermarket where you can source own brand items! These are exactly the same as brands just without the cost and label. Look in the freezers for cooked chicken strips for salads stirfrys and Curry’s. Minced beef in bulk for pasta and Shepard’s pies. Frozen bacon is far cheaper and you get more for your money! Which brings me to eggs, again most supermarkets do there own deals too. Just by shopping around and grabbing these few ingredients will be enough for balanced and nutritional meals throughout the week.
I recommend you do a weekly meal plan before you embark on a shopping trip! You do not want to come back with a whole load of ingredients and no meal plan. Staples Like bread rice pasta and potatoes are a must. Canned goods and cheap sauces can change any food into a interesting delicious meal. I have tried and tested these ten meals on a budget myself! Most meals you cook will do two dinners. So, if you are splitting costs or trying to impress a girl or boy! You got this..
Defrost some of those cooked chicken strips. Add onion, a few mushrooms, a garlic clove half a pepper and a stirfry sauce.
Fry all these ingredients together soak some noodles in boiling water throw the sauce in then the noodles.
Now you have chicken chow mein.
Chop onion mushrooms peppers some cauliflower potatoes and whatever else you like into a pan with a supermarket own brand curry sauce boil some rice cook til hot then serve you have chicken curry if your vegetarian omit the chicken strips.
You can buy small bags of walnuts poppy seeds and sachets of salad dressings again in supermarkets at a small price.
Wash and chop your salad ingredients chuck them in a bowl with some defrosted cooked chicken add seeds nuts and dressing.
Now you have a cheap easy go to meal that’s healthy.
Defrost a small amount of mince add onion garlic mushrooms and fry. You can make your own sauce using tinned tomatoes fresh herbs or you can buy the sauce already done cook pasta drain and serve!
You have successfully cooked spag bowl again. This is probably enough for two meals.
So, you have some spag sauce and pasta left make a lasagna or pasta bake as I bet you cooked way too much pasta! Add some cheese sauce and grated cheese you have lasagna!
Want to impress someone make or by garlic bread as a side.
You can now find frozen jacket potatoes in supermarkets which you can quickly cook in the microwave add any filling you like. Tuna, beans, cheese yummy!
You have been in lessons all day and you don’t feel like cooking?
Make a omelette whisk eggs and milk season with salt and pepper add cheese add a side salad super easy quick and filling!
Got some time to prepare a meal for later.
Fry some mince onions carrots and peas add gravy or a mix.
You can’t be bothered to peel potatoes and make mash go look in the freezers you can buy ready made mash in that aisle now!
Place the mince and vegetables in a dish put mash potatoes on top you have Shepard’s pie for later just pop into the microwave done!
You have Bacon mushrooms onion garlic cheese and pasta make a carbonara.
Fry the ingredients cook the pasta add sauce and grated cheese. Voila! You have made carbonara. Talk about being one of the quick and easy meals on a student budget.
So you have veg and pasta left put some oil in a pan and roast your tomatoes peppers mushrooms onions garlic and herbs Cook some pasta.
Mix all the ingredients together you have made a lovely healthy nutritional pasta dish!
Your mum will be proud of you! You are bound to have eggs and some other ingredients left after these recipes, don’t forget to include them into your next meal plan, so you don’t waste money. Stuck for ideas? There are plenty cheap and easy recipes online for you to browse and tweek for your budget so, you don’t waste money. Remember you don’t need to buy takeaways or fast foods for that craving you have you can cook these from scratch for a lot less money. Last but not least, remember to have fun share recipes with other students and enjoy your creations!
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