Chicken With Green Beans And Sugar Snap Pea Amandine
Time for some Chicken with Green Beans and Sugar Snap Pea Amandine. Now thats a mouthful.
What exactly is an Amandine, you ask? Well, its a French cooking term for a dish that is garnished or prepared with almonds.
This dish looks fancy and it tastes fancy too. Your mom would never guess that you made it.
The chicken is juicy and flavorful. Thats because youre sauteing it in 9 different spices.
So, be sure to pull out your measuring spoons. These ones here are so durable theyll last you way beyond your college years.
Once youre done sauteing your chicken, add some cherry tomatoes. And cook until they burst.
While youre doing that, toast your almonds in a dry pan. Remove them once they become fragrant and lightly browned.
Finally, saute your veggies. After all, we got to have some veggies, right?
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Chicken is delicious and all. But sometimes, you need a little break from it.
This Mexican Lentil Soup provides a welcome change.
Its creamy, tasty, and really satisfying. You wont be reaching for a burger after.
Whats more: it tastes like its been simmering all day. But it hasnt.
In fact, it takes all of 15 minutes to make. So, its healthy food fast.
The reason for this magic, you ask? Why its the fact that youre using an Instant Pot.
Instant Pots are great for cooking food fast. So, they can come in quite handy when you need to cook food in a pinch.
Dont have an Instant Pot on hand? You can get one at a great price here.
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Oven Meals Because Whos Got The Time To Watch The Food
Quick recipes are great and all, but have you thought about letting the oven do all the work? It might take more than an hour, but you dont need to be present most of the time. Use that spare time to mix a salad, get a juicer running, or both!
- Baked chicken breast, simple and healthy: its super cheap to make, fuss-free, and packed with lean proteins a perfect option if youre hitting the gym.
- Easy, umami chicken and rice casserole: I adore casseroles whenever I want a wholesome meal, just put ingredients in a baking dish and let the oven do all the cooking. Its effortless, really.
- Meatloaf with caramelized glaze: if you find yourself reminiscing about mommas favorite meatloaf, try this easy meatloaf recipe. It might not taste as good as hers, but it just fits the college life easy, storable, nutritious, delicious.
- Quick broiled salmon with a fragrant glaze: I just had to fit this recipe into this list. It doesnt give you spare time, but it comes together in just 15 minutes and is super flavorful!
Easy Healthy College Meals That Cook In One Pot
When there isnt much time on your hands, the last thing you want is a sink full of dirty dishes. These one-pot meals can be a brilliant solution.
Whats better is that while the foods simmering, you can just set the timer and do something else.
- Chicken sausage gumbo, with thickened, flavorful sauce: its got sausages, chicken strips, pepper, okra, all simmered in a flavorful broth. Serve it over cooked rice for a wholesome meal.
- Stuffed pepper soup, a Mexican delight: Have you got a soft spot for Mexican food? Try this one-pot take on stuffed pepper. Youll be amazed by its flavor as well as its nutritional profile.
- Kung Pao chicken, perfect over hot rice: if you often get take-outs because you fancy Kung Pao chicken, you dont have to anymore. Our recipe will help you recreate this Chinese staple, with simple ingredients and original flavors.
- Basic, wholesome omelet BBC Good Food: omelet is the king of easy, healthy meals its customizable, cheap, and nutritious. Serve yourself an omelet with a salad on the side, and you can call it a full meal.
- Salisbury steak, a steak-meatball hybrid: the meat is actually meatballs but shaped into thick steaks and reduced in a savory mushroom sauce. If youre a fan of mushrooms and pasta, this is perfect for your weeks meals.
Read Also: Best Recipes For Low Cholesterol
Healthy Crack Chicken Aka Creamy Salsa Chicken
This healthier crack chicken recipe is easily made in your instant pot or slow cooker! Loaded with better for you ingredients, but still packs a ton of flavor. This recipe is great in tacos, sandwiches, quesadillas, enchiladas, salads or by itself for a low carb meal.
A bodacious quesadilla bursting with caramelized peppers and onions, filled with tender chicken and a mixture of parmesan, goat, sharp cheddar and cream cheeses.
So easy you can make this in your dorm room!
This Cherry Clementine Protein Smoothie tastes like a cherry version of an Orange Julius, but with healthy, keep you full, nutrient rich ingredients!
This Easy Homemade Blender Salsa recipe is quick and easy and comes together in minutes! A restaurant style salsa that is fresh, flavorful and healthy.
You will want to try this hearty, simple to make Cobb Salad, this is no side salad, this is a hearty and filling, loaded with meats, cheese and veggies! The perfect no cook meal.
Healthy College Meals That Are So Easy To Make
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Eating healthy in college especially on a budget can be difficult. Thats why Im sharing some of my favorite healthy college meals that are easy to make as well as stores that will help you find affordable groceries that are healthy.
I remember my times in college and how intimidated I was with cooking. Thankfully, I had roommates to learn from and were patient with me when whipping up meals. The transition from moms cooking to dorm cooking was rough in the beginning especially when it came to budgeting for myself.
So, Im going to help you cut down on the junk food, like the classic potato chips, cookies and crackers you snatch up at your campus convenient stores. Youll be whipping up healthy college meals from your dorm in no time.
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How To Start Eating Right
Often times, just the act of starting something new can be the hardest part.
This where an article with more guidance can be helpful.
So Ive included some informative ones below
A healthy diet with on just $20 a week
Frugal Farm Girl shares how you can do it.
Straight from the source
In this guide, Sarah from The Olden Chapters shares how all the details about how she eats healthy in college on a budget.
Feeding yourself with a meal plan at college?
Life et Moi by Sofia has tips thatll help you eat right at the dining hall.
And if you arent
Samathability has you covered with tips on how to survive without a meal plan.
Finally:
Another good place to start
is with my guide to eating healthy in college on a budget. In the post, Ive simplified it by breaking it down into 10 actionable steps.
Set A Budget + Make A Plan
I am so thankful that I learned how to budget at a young age . I know it doesnt always come naturally to some people, but the more you practice the easier it is!
Figure out how much you can afford to spend on groceries, make a budget, and try and stick to your budget. I would budget $40 a week for groceries knowing that I would meal prep meals for the whole week.
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So How Do You Eat Healthy On A Budget
Think about it:
Crackers, heat & eat meals, chips, candy, and other snacks tend to be the most expensive stuff are the store. Its because theyre convenience foods.
They save you time and effort to bring you quicker hunger satiating satisfaction. Those benefits come at a price, though.
Now:
On a per item basis, they dont seem that pricey. But $3.50 for a box of crackers here, $3.99 for a bag of fries there, plus $5.29 for a 12 pack of cola
Well, it adds up quickly! Living heavily off of packaged foods is the quickest and easiest way to burn through your college food budget.
What to do instead
Learning how to eat healthy on a budget is a straightforward concept. Simply narrow down your grocery list to include more whole foods like vegetables, fruits, protein sources & grains.
Produce is relatively inexpensive, but you can further reduce your expenses by buying only what you know youll consume before it goes bad. Or, opt for longer lasting frozen veggies and fruit.
When you do this, it becomes realistic and affordable to feed yourself good shit as a student.
Youll need to be a little more creative and spend more time cooking, but it is a 100% attainable goal for even busy college students to eat healthy. Especially when meal prepping is utilized.
Instant Pot Fried Rice
Are you craving Chinese takeout? Have this Instant Pot Fried Rice instead.
The texture of the fried rice is surprisingly spot-on. And its full of yummy flavors, from rice, eggs, chicken, carrots, and peas.
So it tastes just as good as takeout but is healthier too.
To prevent the rice from being sticky, make sure you rinse your rice very well. Youll want to rinse your rice until the water is clear, even when you swirl it.
Also, use good quality jasmine rice. If you use generic long-grain rice, your rice will turn out mushy.
Besides being yummy, this rice is nutritious too. It has a ton of Vitamin A which boosts your immune system.
And it even contains potassium which is vital for healthy blood pressure.
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Read Also: Healthy Low Calorie Smoothie Recipes For Weight Loss
Healthy College Meals On A Budget
Some of my favorite healthy college meals on a budget. You can enjoy these as a snack and theyre very filling.
26. Avocado Turkey Hummus Wrap
Move over avocado toast because this avocado and turkey hummus wrap makes for the perfect lunch or snack. With just a few simple ingredients, you can whip this up in a breeze! It takes less than 5 minutes to put together so you can meal prep this the night before making it easy for grab and go when heading to school the next morning. Another one of my favorite healthy college meals!
27. Banana Peanut Butter Wrap
This vegan wrap is the perfect on-the-go snack option. One of my favorite healthy college snacks on this list. You can easily save time in the kitchen putting together this wrap and its super healthy. You dont have to be vegan to enjoy this!
28. Sweet Potato Bagel Chips
Another cool snack idea thats gluten free, paleo and healthy! Made from sweet potatoes, these baked bagel chips are the ultimate crunchy snack. Takes 20 minutes to bake in the oven.
Chicken Vegetable Quinoa Bowl
This dinner meal may take some more effort than the other ones on this list, but its worth it and its super healthy!
- Ingredients: 1/2 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into cubes, cut up pieces of broccoli, 1 tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper, 2 ounces precooked grilled chicken breast, 1/4 cup of cooked quinoa, tahini, and lemon juice
- Directions: Preheat your oven to 400°F. Place your cubed sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and cover with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, add the broccoli pieces to the same baking sheet, add some more olive oil, salt and pepper and bake for another 20 minutes.
While thats cooking, take some tahini, lemon juice, and some water to mix up together to create a salad dressing. In a serving bowl, add the pre-cooked quinoa, roasted vegetables, and the precooked chicken. Drizzle on the the tahini dressing and youre done!
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Curried Chickpeas With Spinach
Curried Chickpeas with Spinach When the autumn nights start to get a chilly bite, warm up with a hot bowl of these hearty curried chickpeas with spinach. Packed with flavor, this vegan dish is delicious and filling enough to finally bring vegetarians and carnivores together over one meal.
Bonus: Easy Recipes That Will Give You Leftovers
Alright, thats more than 50 easy, single serving meals for college students! But hey, every once in a while you might want to cook something for your whole apartment, or make a meal that will give you leftovers for the week. So here are some of our favorite meals that are easy enough to make in a college kitchen and dont require lots of ingredients:
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Rice With Sausage And Peppers
I believe this to truly be the completely balanced dinner because you have your grain, your protein, and your vegetable. You cook all of them separately, you can maybe cook the sausage and peppers together, and then combine them when done. The juice from the peppers and sausage will give the rice some flavor too!
Prepare Your Own Meals
Preparing your own meals at home is not only much less expensive, but also much healthier.
Getting take-out on a regular basis will not only hurt your pocket book but also your waistline. Take-out foods are often made with more oils and fats then you would use at home. This increases the calories, without the nutritional value.
When you prepare your own meals at home, youll end up making more for less, and also have complete control over what goes into your food.
You can reduce the amount of oil, add more fresh vegetables, etc. Youll also likely end up with leftovers that you can enjoy for lunch the next day!
Read Also: Costco Com Quick & Easy Recipes
+ Easy Recipes For College Students
With the help of some fabulous food bloggers, Ive assembled this collection of simple recipes for college students that all have some very important things in common. They involve simple ingredients, no fancy kitchen tools or appliances are required, and each one is quick and easy enough to prepare in a small dorm or off-campus housing kitchen.
Cooking in college is the beginning of what we parents hope will be a life-long interest in preparing healthy food for themselves and one day, for their own families.
Within the first few months of living away from home, most college kids find that splitting their meals between the campus dining halls and local fast food joints is not going to cut it for the next four years. This will be very apparent on their visits home.Whats for dinner, Mom takes on a whole new meaning for them once theyve had to fend for themselves for a few months.
I guarantee they will return home for visits with a new level of appreciation for your efforts in the kitchen and may start taking notice so they can attempt to duplicate some of those meals on their own.
Even if your kids have shown zero interest in cooking while living in the luxury and comfort of your home, the college experience will most likely bring them into the kitchen.
BREAKFAST
Its easy for college kids to get in the bad habit of skipping breakfast as they rush off to class each day. Here are some healthy, hearty options to keep them on track.
Easy Ham Mac & Cheese Soup
An easy recipe for ham, mac & cheese soup that is part creamy mac n cheese, part delicious pasta soup! Use leftover ham to make this soup even easier, plus the ingredients are all real food ingredients, no canned cheese soup here!
Make ahead ham and swiss sandwiches that never fail to please. Delicious!
Healthy gluten free breakfast cookies are so delicious! A 1 bowl recipe loaded with good for you ingredients like banana, pumpkin, oats, almond butter, nuts, cranberries and dark chocolate chips.
Also Check: Recipe For Hand Sanitizer Spray
What To Buy To Prepare Healthy Easy College Meals
- Seasonal vegetables and fruits: When creating your weekly meal plan, consider what is on sale or in season at the grocery store, and base your meals off of those.
- Inexpensive protein: Beans, lentils, Greek yogurt, and eggs are all excellent sources of protein that are also inexpensive. They can also be prepared quickly, and are full of vitamins and nutrients.
- Whole Grains: In order to create a well balanced meal, youll also need to incorporate whole grains into your meals. This can include whole grain bread, brown rice, quinoa, and whole wheat pasta to name a few.
Brussel Sprouts With Bacon
Talking about veggies: Did your mom make you eat your Brussels Sprouts as a kid? Then theres a good chance youve sworn off them.
But could I convince you to give them another try? I think youll be pleasantly surprised.
My Brussel Sprouts with Bacon are packed with flavor and not the wrong kind of flavors.
First of all, youll be sauteeing your Brussels Sprouts in bacon grease. This adds a yummy savory flavor to the Brussels Sprouts.
Second of all, youll be tossing your Brussels Sprouts in a date syrup mixture. This adds a pleasant caramel flavor to your Brussels Sprouts.
And last but not least, youre adding bacon. Doesnt bacon make everything taste that much better?
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Easy Creamy Gnocchi Sauce
Here’s a gooey comfort food that you can make in just 15 minutes! Gnocchi are dumpling style pasta, and combined with a savory cheese sauce, it’s a like a fancy mac and cheese. The cheese you’ll use is Pecorino Romano, a stronger version of Parmesan: you can find it at most grocery stores! It’s like boxed mac and cheese but way better: and just as easy!
Gear required: Large pot, strainer, grater