Easy Recipes for New Apartment Owners

Now that I am a sophomore, I am finally able to live in an apartment and have my own kitchen. I chose not to have a meal plan, hoping to encourage myself to cook more and eat better. I personally love the freedom of being able to cook for myself and buy ingredients, and the ability to meal prep really helps keep me on track with my busy schedule. A good amount of these ingredients are versatile and help provide variety without costing too much. I think these recipes are perfect because they’re easy to make, they’re relatively healthy, and they also make great leftovers that you can just heat up quickly.

Here are some quick and easy recipes I have found that are perfect if you’re getting busy and just starting to cook for yourself:

(I buy all my groceries at Trader Joe’s because it is most convenient for me, but you can definitely find these items at any grocery store).

Ground Meat and Vegetables

Ingredients:

• Ground meat of your choice (I personally prefer ground beef or ground turkey)

• Salt

• Pepper

• Olive Oil

(Optional)

• Broccoli

• Bell pepper

• Red onion

• Lettuce

• Spinach

• Tomatoes (Can be vine-grown or cherry)

Directions:

1. Dice all vegetables. (This part is really up to you because you could use any vegetables you want, these are the ones I just normally purchase.)

2. Heat up a pan on medium heat. Drizzle with olive oil. 

3. Place your ground meat on the pan, season with salt and pepper to taste. With a wooden spoon, start breaking up the meat on the pan into smaller pieces.

4. Continue to break up the meat with a spoon and let it cook until browned. 

5. Pour your ground meat into a separate bowl and let it rest.

6. Drizzle more olive oil and place all your vegetables onto the pan.

7. Stir until cooked on medium heat, and add salt and pepper to taste.

8. Once all the components are cooked, enjoy! This recipe is good for meal preppers because it can be divided into smaller portions and eaten throughout the week, on-the-go.

Pasta with Spinach and Tomato

Ingredients:

• Pasta (any type of noodles you like)

• Spinach leaves

• Cherry tomatoes

• Tomato sauce

Directions:

1. Cook your pasta according to its specific directions (usually found on the box).

2. Once cooked, drain the water out of pasta and let it sit.

3. Cut tomatoes in half.

4. Place spinach leaves and cherry tomato halves on a medium-sized pan on medium heat with a drizzle of olive oil. Stir until the spinach leaves are dark green and smaller.

5. Pour a cup of tomato sauce on the pan and stir with the vegetables.

6. Finally, add your pasta noodles and stir for a minute.

7. Pour onto a dish and serve! This recipe is good for an easy heat-up dinner at the end of the day.

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