College is a stressful time. Between classes, projects, work, and having a social life,some of the more basic aspects of life can slip through the cracks. To many people, a typical college dinner is Top Ramen made in a teapot or weeks-old leftovers that were found in the back of a fridge.
In fact, most of the dinners I made my freshman year were not the most nutritional, and I’m not lying when I say that scurvy was a real thing I worried about. Getting the right nutrients from food is really important, especially when you’re under a lot of stress.
Understandably, eating well in college is hard because cooking takes time and costs money. Thankfully, I dedicated half of my college career to figuring out how to eat well without destroying my weekly budget. So,here are some recipes that I’ve tried that taste good, are good for you, and won’t break the bank.
1. Turkey Chili in a Crock Pot
a. I don’t actually know what quinoa is or why people keep putting it in things but it’s good and it’s supposed to be healthy or something. Also, sweet potatoes are really cheap and they keep you full for a long time.
b. Turkey Chili In a Crock Pot
2. Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Soup
a. If squash were a person, I would dedicate sonnets to it. For this recipe, you have to get a handheld blender—but they aren’t very expensive and you can use it for other recipes!
b. Slow Cooker Butternut Squash Soup
3. Bowties and Broccoli
a. I honestly only made this because “bowties and broccoli” sounded a bit like a Christian pop punk band but this recipe is really good, really easy, and really cheap (which are basically the three principals I live my life by).
4. Fall Flavored Casserole.
a. When I made this, I kept saying, “I made a salad with Craisins” (even though there are no Craisins in this recipe) because I had just watched Kid Gorgeousfor the twentieth time and I think my roommate wanted to murder me. But this casserole is good and tasty, and you feel fancy after you make it, or at least I did.
5. Vegetarian Chili
a. “Another chili recipe” you ask? Of course! Chili is easy to make and you can reheat it or freeze it or do whatever you want to it and it lasts forever. You are not bound by the laws of reality when it comes to chili.
6. Super Easy Burritos
a. Listen, burritos are truly a blessing. They’re basically the culinary equivalent of Mary Poppins’s bag; they can seemingly hold way more than their physical form should allow them to. What I’m trying to say is that burritos are awesome, cheap and truly a lifesaver on the days when you have no time to do anything except stress out.
7. Easy Chicken Fiesta
a. This recipe is so easy to make, doesn’t make a huge amount of mess, and makes a lot of food. It also has a lot of nutrients in it and everything is super cheap to buy, so it’s pretty much a quintuple threat of college healthy eating.