Living off-campus can be such a fun experience. You get to kind of live in your own little world away from school for the first time, which is both exciting and scary. There are plenty of perks of course: no RAs, you have control over your own living situation, no rules (within reason obvi), and much more space than a dorm. But, there are some difficulties, including cooking for yourself. You can’t eat take-out or pasta EVERY night. Luckily, I have found some delicious recipes that even the worst cook can make. Plus, they’re super quick to make and taste so yummy!
1. Honey Garlic Chicken
Ok, so I tried this the other night and O. M. G. was it amazing! It was so full of flavor that I think I annoyed my roommates with how much I talked about it. It almost tastes like sweet and sour chicken from a chinese restaurant, except with a more garlic taste. It’s absolutely delicious! (Check out the recipe here.)
2. Grilled Avocado Caprese Crostini
This may sound super impressive, but honestly it’s really easy to concoct. It’s pretty much a caprese salad in an avocado that is on some sourdough bread. It’s an easy and healthy alternative to the fast food that you may be thinking of getting. The best part is that it doesn’t take that long to make (about 25 minutes), so if you’re in a time crunch you can whip this up. (Check out the recipe here.)
3. Garlic Roasted Potatoes
Potatoes are the perfect side dish to add onto you main course because they’re easy to make and pretty difficult to mess up. Even if you do mess them up, they’re potatoes so they’ll probably still taste good. These potatoes just happen to be quite flavorful! This recipe does specify the use of an instant cooker, but I just like to throw mine in a pan on the stove and let them cook until they’re soft enough to eat. Enjoy! (Check out the recipe here.
4. Easy Baked Chicken Drumsticks
I’ve made this multiple times and it’s pretty quick and is very tasty. You do have to prepare it a bit before you actually cook it, so this is a great recipe to make if you know you’ll be busy the next day. All you have to do is create the marinade and store the drumsticks in a plastic bag in the marinade overnight. Then the next day, just pop the marinated drumsticks in the oven for about 15 minutes each side and voila! The perfect dinner. (Check out the recipe here.)
5. Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers
I absolutely love stuffed peppers. Not only do they taste amazing, but they are also such a colorful meal that I feel kind of artistic making them. What’s great about this meal is that it’s stuffed with lots of different food groups. You’ve got your veggies (peppers), dairy (cheese), meat (turkey), and grain (rice). There’s a bunch of flavor because of all these different elements, and by the end you’ll be the one that’s stuffed… full of delicious food! (Check out the recipe here.)
Even if you “can’t cook,” take some time to try out these recipes instead of ordering chinese food for the third night in a row. Even if they don’t come out perfectly, you’re still learning a great skill. Plus you can make it a fun activity rather than a chore by blasting some good music and chatting with your roomies.
Sources:
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