Being in college has led me to become very flexible with my meals. By flexible, I mean creative. You kind of have to be creative when it comes to diets if you want to balance maintaining health, low costs, and working meals into busy schedules. Here are 5 of my favorites that have become a must with my budget:

1. Polenta With Red Sauce

This one is super easy! All you need is a package of instant polenta which can normally be found at any grocery store for around $5 and a jar of your favorite marinara/red sauce. It's also quite filling so a few servings go a long way. Adding a bit of fresh basil or even mozzarella cheese can dazzle this dish up nicely.

2. Hummus Toast With Veggies

This is a go to for a quick and hearty lunch. It can be whatever you want it to be by adding whatever combo of veggies you prefer. You'll need toasted bread slices, your favorite flavored hummus, and sliced vegetables. My personal favorite is mediterranean hummus with cucumbers, grape tomatoes, spinach, onions, and a drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette!

3. Lemon Pasta

This is great for a quick dinner entrée! All you'll need is a box of pasta (it's the best with penne), lemon, garlic, crushed red pepper, chopped basil, and any kind of vegetables you want to add. A tasty match to this are sautéed mushrooms! It's so simple, but so savory.

4. Pita With Falafel

For this option, you'll need pita bread, hummus, falafels, and cucumber salad (or you can just chop up your own!) All fresh, and the best part is no cooking time needed except to heat up the falafels! This is awesome for when you feel like you're sick of everything and want a unique, yet easy meal.

5. Make-Your-Own Pizza

At home pizza is a classic option and it's always fun to make! You can pretty much create whatever you want with this one. If you have flour, olive oil, and some salt you can even through together a homemade crust. Otherwise, a pre-made crust will do! Now all you need are your favorite health toppings which you may have laying around already.

Another great thing about some of these meals is that the leftover ingredients can be used for almost any other quick snacks. Additionally, for students who want to save more money, many of the veggie toppings and even pasta and sauce jars can even be bought at most University salad bars and convenient stores using your meal plan.

and...voilá! Enjoy this diverse variety of both healthy and low cost entrée options. It's the best of both worlds with these.