This year has marked the beginning of feeling like an adult. I moved out of the dorms last May and have since lived in an apartment with two of my friends. We never decided who would be the cook of the house, but since one roommate can’t cook much more than pasta without something going wrong and the other is happy eating said pasta every night, it was quickly decided that I would take on the role. I don’t claim to be a chef in the making, but I think I’ve gotten the role down.
When it came time to learn how to feed myself, I relied on online recipes. I watched TikToks, found inspiration on Pinterest, and used Google quite a bit to research proportions and what spices to have in my cabinet. Now, my roommate is by far the pickiest eater I know, so our diet consists of chicken, chicken, and more chicken, but I think I’ve got the chicken thing down. Turns out cooking is pretty easy, and we have even elevated to shrimp or salmon once a week!
So much about living on your own is hard, and there isn’t always much else to do other than to figure it out on your own. Cooking is one thing that can be easy, so here are a few tips for a decent diet on a budget and some simple meals that my roommates and I love, even my picky-eater roommate!
Cooking TIPS
1. Aldi is your best friend!
Aldi has been a lifesaver for my household. At first, Aldi scared me a little bit because I didn’t think food that cheap could be any good, but I got over that fear pretty quickly. Since we eat all the same food, we also split the price for groceries. We only pay about thirty dollars for groceries every week, the price of maybe four things at a ‘regular’ grocery store.
2. Plan and overlap
When planning meals for the week, try to overlap ingredients. Before grocery shopping, my roommates and I sit down and discuss what we want for dinner that week. From there, I think of ideas that have overlapping ingredients and make a list that keeps to one page. So instead of buying ingredients for seven different dinners, I only have to buy three or four. At first, I had to look up recipes where I could substitute ingredients in each, but now I can improvise pretty well.
3. Spices 101
Spices also scared me at first. There are so many of them, and there doesn’t seem to be a difference, but trust me, there is. When it comes to essentials, everyone should have salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder (if you don’t like onions), paprika, and cumin. Except cumin, which I like to use for fish, I put the other five spices in just about everything I cook. Make sure you go easy on the garlic and onion powder though!
4. Kitchen Tools
When it comes to kitchen tools, you don’t need much. I would say every kitchen needs good knives, a set of pots and pans, and a cutting board or two. You can do a lot with those few things. If there is one thing to spend money on in an apartment, it should be knives that don’t dull or melt like ours did. For now, at least, all the fancy kitchen appliances aren’t necessary.
5. Get a fun apron.
If you are anywhere close to as messy and clumsy as me, you’ll need an apron. I wear mine every time I cook and usually when I eat the food too. In addition to convenience, aprons can be so fun. They really jazz up the chef role. Get your patrons (or your roommates) to get you a fun apron that you can laugh about every time you put it on. Mine has a picture of my friends kissing my cheeks with the caption “kiss the cook” above it. I love it.
Meal ideas
There are four categories of meals in my house. Every week, we choose at least one from each category and go from there. This way, ingredients can overlap very easily without it feeling like dinners are the same. We get a good variety of meals every week using these categories, and every dish can be as easy or hard as you want it to be.
1. Bowls
Bowls are my favorite category of the four. These usually have a rice base and are topped with a protein and a veggie or two. You can really get creative in this category and top your bowl with whatever floats your boat. Here are some ideas we love:
– Salmon bowl- Rice, salmon, avocado, cucumber, corn, edamame, honey, spicy mayo, teriyaki, and sesame seeds
– Teriyaki bowl- rice, chicken or steak, broccoli, teriyaki sauce, sesame seeds, and red pepper flakes
– Greek bowl- rice, chicken, avocado, cucumber, corn, onions, feta, honey, and tzatziki
2. Sandwiches
Sandwiches are another common dinner in our house. Sometimes the sandwich is enough food on its own, but other times we love to cook up some homemade fries to eat with them. Slicing some potatoes and dropping them in boiling vegetable oil for fifteen minutes makes the perfect side to any sandwich. These are some of our favorite sandwiches:
– Chicken sandwich- grilled chicken, brioche bun, lettuce, pickle, and chipotle aioli
– Sausage sandwich- Italian sausage, Italian roll, peppers and onions, tomato basil sauce, and parmesan cheese
– Tacos- taco shell of choice, refried beans, ground beef, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, and salsa
– Shrimp tacos- flour tortilla, grilled shrimp, lettuce, avocado, feta, chipotle aioli
3. Pasta
Pasta is the most common college dinner, but it doesn’t have to be basic! Pasta with some store-bought sauce is always good, but nothing beats a pasta dinner with a homemade sauce. These are our favorite homemade pasta dishes:
– Chicken alfredo- fettucine, alfredo sauce, chicken, broccoli, and parsley
– Pasta al vodka- Any pasta, vodka sauce, chicken, and red pepper flakes
– Pasta and meatballs- pasta, chicken meatballs, spinach, and creamy tomato basil sauce
– Lemon orzo- Orzo, chicken, creamy lemon sauce
4. A protein, a carb, and a vegetable
If you aren’t feeling fancy, the simplest dinner to make is a protein, a carb, and a vegetable. You can change up the spices or the carb or throw them in a bowl to jazz it up, but any way you do it, this category is probably the easiest of the four to make. Here are some combinations we like:
– Steak with a pesto sauce, fries, and green beans
– Steak, egg noodles, and broccoli
– Grilled chicken, potatoes, mushrooms, and green beans
– Grilled chicken, Mexican fiesta rice, and broccoli
I’ll be the first to admit cooking can be really intimidating at first, but it doesn’t have to be. I have come to love putting on some fun music and cooking for my friends every night. Plus, I love to show off when I go home and cook for my family. Don’t be afraid to take on the role, you might love it!