After a long day of classes the idea of cooking for yourself often seems like the most daunting task ever. Often, this task seems so daunting that you turn to a quick fix like Chipotle or Shake Shack. Although getting a burrito is an easy solution to your problem, it adds up cost-wise and isn’t good for you either! But fear not, here are some easy tips and tricks to help you get in the habit of cooking for yourself. Your wallet will thank you and you might even find out you are the next iron chef.
Buy a Roast Chicken
It is amazing what you can do with a roast chicken. Simply shred some up and add it to premade tortilla soup, to a salad, to some pesto pasta or on top of a frozen cheese pizza and you instantly have a revamped meal. If you are feeling a little more adventurous, chop some chicken and mix it with mayonnaise, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, sliced grapes and chopped walnuts for an easy chicken salad sandwich. Even more delicious, try this recipe for chicken tacos, and simply skip the part that requires you to cook a chicken, because let’s be honest, you’ll buy it from the store.
Frozen meatballs
Frozen meatballs are great for so many different meals. Microwave or sauté a few frozen meatballs and you can have delicious spaghetti and meatballs. You can even crumble the meatballs for a Bolognese style sauce. Don’t feel like pasta? Make a meatball Parmigiano sandwich or slice turkey meatballs and put them on a toasted baguette with pesto and arugula. One bag of meatballs will last you forever and the possibilities are endless.
Always have eggs
While scrambled eggs are great, you can do so much more with this versatile ingredient! For example, crack an egg into a small ramekin and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Microwave for a minute or until the egg white isn’t runny. Scoop out of the dish and spread it on a piece of toast with avocado. If you are looking for something a little fancier, try this yummy grilled cheese and fried egg sandwich.
Pita
For an impromptu pita pizza, spread any pasta sauce you have laying around onto the pita, sprinkle with cheese and any other topping you want, and bake at 350 until the cheese is melted and the pita is crisp. You can also cut of the pita into triangles and bake with olive oil for pita chips and hummus, or make a quick turkey pita sandwich.
Have Frozen Chicken and Shrimp in Stock
Buy a bag of frozen chicken breasts so you can pull out only one piece for dinner or lunch every day. I never can cook all the chicken when I buy fresh! Also, a bag of frozen shrimp is a great investment because they are so easy to cook. Throw some over a box of instant couscous or sautéed spinach for a quick meal.
Mug Cakes for Dessert
S’mores mug cake. Enough said.
Get this pan
This pan can serve to all your cooking for one needs. Forget about cooking one egg, now you can cook up an entire breakfast feast and only dirty one pan! Hey, maybe this doesn’t make your desire to cook any stronger, but at least you have a great conversation starter.