Last year when I moved off campus, it was a huge relief to finally have my own space that I was completely responsible for and in control of. However, it was a huge transition when it came to having to cook my own food. At first, it seems like a great idea. In my brain, I was like, "Yes!! Okay, now I'll definitely eat healthier and cook organic! Maybe I'll become a vegetarian, I have so much motivation!" --- Let's just say things didn't go exactly according to my master health plan (shocking I know).

My "healthy eating" plan turned into me not planning far enough ahead and living off of cereal and the cheapest foods of the dining hall (which coincidentally aren't the healthiest). This year, now that I'm a seasoned veteran when it comes to having to provide for yourself, I've stepped up my game and rarely eat out. However, I also have managed to avoid cooking every day (because who legitimately has time for that, am I right?). Since I learned the hard way that living on your own isn't easy, I'm going to share some super easy and super cheap recipes with you hopes that you don't make the same mistakes I did! Here are three of my favorite ones:

Recipe #1. Quesadilla - (takes about 10 minutes to make, costs about $14)

This is one of my personal favorites because it seriously is so easy. First, you're going to want to make sure you have all of the ingredients, which if you're a minimalist might only include a tortilla shell and cheese. However, if you're looking to be a little fancy, here's the full ingredients list:

-Tortilla shell (1 if it's large, 2 is they're small)

-Cheese (just pick your favorite kind, I personally love pepper jack and mozzarella)

-Red pepper chopped up (tip: if you put the left over pepper in a tupperware container and store it in the fridge it lasts longer!!)

-Tomato diced (refer to previous tip)

-Sour cream

-Salsa

For this one, you'll want to butter the outside of the tortilla shells like you would for a grilled cheese. Once you do that, be sure your flame is on low otherwise it'll cook the shell too fast and burn it. Place the buttered side of the quesadilla on the pan and sprinkle a generous amount of cheese on it. Add your peppers and tomatoes. If you also have a meat you would like to add like chicken or steak, add that now. Top it off with another small layer of cheese (this helps the other tortilla to stick to it) and place the other tortilla shell on top, buttered side facing up. Wait 1-2 minutes or until golden brown/cheese is melted, then flip. When it's done toss it on a plate with the sour cream and salsa on the side to dip it, slice it like a pizza and enjoy!

Recipe #2. Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo and Broccoli - (takes about 20 minutes to make, costs about $16 but keep in mind, a lot of the ingredients can be frozen and saved for later/other recipes)

-Thawed chicken breast (cheapo hint: buy a bigger package of frozen chicken breast, it will last forever, you get more bang for your buck, and you don't have to use it all at once)

-Fettuccini noodles (or whatever noodles you prefer)

-Alfredo sauce

-Broccoli (cheapo hint: buy a bag of frozen broccoli, again it will last you longer and while it's not necessarily "organic" it'll keep long enough for you to actually eat it all instead of buying a head of it that you barely touch and have go bad in a week)

Once the chicken breast is thawed, start heating your pan on high. Once it's warmed, turn heat to low and add olive oil to pan (about the size of 2-3 quarters, butter works as well if you don't have olive oil) and place chicken breast on top. If you're like I am and love seasoning (which by the way is only like $1 at Aldi's), start adding them to taste. I like to add garlic powder, red pepper seasoning, pepper, a little salt, and a little cumin. Once you've added seasoning, cover your chicken for 5-8 minutes or until golden brown on the side that's facing down. Once one side is golden brown, flip and re-season. To check that the chicken is cooked all of the way through, I usually cut it through the thickest part to make sure there's no pink inside (food poisoning is not a game people).

Once your chicken is done, start two pots of boiling water. Once water is boiling, place a handful of noodles into one, and the desired amount of broccoli in the other and stir. While keeping an eye on those, begin to cut up or shred the chicken (however you prefer). To check that the noodles are done, my favorite way is to throw one noodle on the wall (I'm not crazy, I swear this is a real thing!). If it sticks, congratulations, your noodles are cooked to perfection. If it doesn't stick, just wait a few more minutes and try again. To check that your broccoli is done, stick a fork through one piece, if the fork comes out clean then you're good to go, if it comes with a piece of broccoli attached to it, then they probably aren't quite done yet.

After it's all done, drain the noodles and broccoli, put it on a plate, add the chicken and the sauce and BAM! You're basically a chef now.

Recipe #3. Fruit Smoothie - (takes about 5 minutes to make, costs about $10)

Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day and now you can stop making excuses for not eating it, or drinking it rather (ha haaaa, see what I did there??). One of the big parts of this is having some sort of blender. I got lucky and one of my roommates had a Bullet which for those of you who don't know is basically a mini blender that makes single serving sized smoothies, but if you don't, I'll toss a quick alternative in for you at the end!

-Vanilla yogurt (for this you'll want to buy in bulk if you plan on having these regularly otherwise you'll constantly be running out)

-Almond Milk (this is just a personal preference, normal milk, coconut milk, and soy milk all work well too!)

-Mixed berries (cheapo hint: if you buy a bag of frozen mixed berries it will last you forever and you won't have to add any ice to your smoothie to chill it, two birds = one stone)

Put a hand full of frozen berries into blender, add one scoop of yogurt, fill with about a cup and a half of almond milk, cover, blend and enjoy! (For those who don't have blenders, put some yogurt in a bowl and add some granola and fresh fruit, it tastes like a dessert, but it's super healthy and easy to make!)

I hope that my recipes helped some fellow broke college students out. Happy cooking!