A Broke College Student's Guide To Cheap And Easy Meals | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Lifestyle

A Broke College Student's Guide To Cheap And Easy Meals

Because all the other money is going to booze.

2154
A Broke College Student's Guide To Cheap And Easy Meals

We all know stuntin' ain't easy, college ain't easy, and adult-ing definitely ain't easy, either. So in case anyone is like me and Pinterests meals they know aren't possible at 20-years-old, (between classes, studying, parties and napping), I've found cheap, easy, yummy, and nutritious meals, perfect for busy and broke college students.

BREAKFAST

Always known as the most important meal of the day, but to college students, it's often known as the most skipped meal of the day. If you have easy recipes in your arsenal, your morning only needs 15 extra minutes to hold you over until lunch.

1. Avocado Toast


Ingredients: - Whole Wheat bread

-1 avocado (2 optional if you want more)

-Olive Oil

-Sea salt

-Crushed red pepper (optional)

How To: Place bread in the toaster and while it is browning, cut the avocado(s) around the sides and twist to open. Take a spoon and scoop the sides to remove the avocado from the skin. After the toast is done, grab the avocado center and spread it over the toast. Add a light drizzle of olive oil, sea salt, and crushed red pepper.

2. Scrambled Eggs With Feta and Spinach

Ingredients: -3 to 4 Eggs

-Milk

-Feta cheese

-4 to 5 leaves of spinach

How To: Start by cracking the eggs into a bowl and adding enough milk to cover them. A well known secret is adding milk to make scrambled eggs fluffier. Whisk together the eggs and milk until fully mixed. Add as much feta as desired, and pull apart to get small chunks of spinach, and throw it into the mixture. Cook the eggs in your favorite pan until all is fluffy and the cheese is slightly melted. Enjoy!

3. Overnight Oats

Ingredients: -1/2 cup rolled oats

-1/2 unsweetened almond milk

-1/2 cup nonfat Greek yogurt

-1 teaspoon honey

-1/2 cup blueberries

How To: Mix all these ingredients until fully combined, store in airtight container, and put in the refrigerator for 6 to 24 hours. Wake up in the morning, swirl around, and enjoy! Also, the best part is there's no double clean-up because your breakfast is always in a bowl!

LUNCH

Not everyone gets the time to eat lunch, but with some of these, they have the ability to take on the go, or are easy enough to make that a couple of minutes for lunch are all you need!

1. Burrito Bowl

Ingredients: -1 cup salsa (homemade or bought)

-3 cups Romaine lettuce, chopped

-1 cup uncooked rice

-1 can whole kernel corn, drained

-1 can black beans rinsed and drained

-2 small tomatoes diced up

-1 avocado, peeled and diced

-2 tbs chopped cilantro leaves

How To: In a large pan, cook rice with 1 1/2 cups of water. Let that cool and stir in salsa, set aside. To put together the bowls, divide the rice into serving bowls, top that with lettuce, corn, black beans, tomatoes, avocado and cilantro! Very little cooking time, and the most filling meal ever!

2. Mason Jar Salad

Ingredients: -A mason jar with a closable lid

-Salad mix (either spring or lettuce)

-Any fresh vegetables you desire

-Cheese

-Favorite salad dressing (although I suggest something more liquid-y like a vinaigrette or balsamic vinegar and olive oil)

How To: You're going to layer the ingredients in the mason jar, which makes this lunch amazing for taking to class. First you want to put the salad dressing on the bottom so you're lettuce doesn't get gross and soggy; then the heavier vegetables, whichever you choose to put in your mason car, topped with your lettuce and cheese! Flip over a couple of times to coat the salad and go at it!

3. A Caprese Salad

Ingredients: -1 ball of mozzarella

-4-5 leaves of basil

-1-2 tomatoes

-Balsamic vinegar

How To: Cut both the mozzarella and tomatoes into quarter-inch slices and stack, leaning against one another with basil in between. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and eat one of the easiest to make and low-calorie salads.

DINNER

Dinner is easily my favorite meal of the day. It's the meal you get the most time to cook, and the most indulgent ingredients to cook with. Although, there are options that are easier to cook and require less time and supplies!

1. Greek Yogurt Mac & Cheese

Ingredients: -2 cups of any small pasta

-2 cups of shredded cheese

-1/2 cup milk

-1/4 tsp salt

-1/2 cup unsweetened Greek yogurt

How To: Cook the macaroni in water until prepared the way you like it. Drain the noodles but don't rinse water over them. In another pot, stir together the milk, cheese, and salt until the cheese melts. Then add the greek yogurt and heat on low until the sauce is warm. Stir in the macaroni and dive in!

2. White Spinach Pizza

Ingredients: -1 ball prepared pizza dough

-1 tbsp olive oil

-1/2 lb frozen pizza

-1/4 tsp garlic powder

-1/4 tsp salt

-Crushed red pepper (to taste)

-1 cup shredded mozzarella

-1/8 medium red onion

-2 oz. goat cheese

How To: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Thaw out the spinach and add the garlic powder, salt, and crushed red pepper until evenly distributed, along with the mozzarella, and stir to combine. Spray a pizza pan with non-stick spray and stretch the pizza dough evenly in a circle around the pan. Take the olive oil and brush it onto the dough. Spread the spinach mixture evenly on the dough. Slice the onions in thin pieces and distribute, along with crumbles of the goat cheese. Bake for 10 minutes or until browned.

3. Red Hot Chicken Tacos

Ingredients: -Frank's Hot Sauce

-Small flour tortillas

-2 chicken breasts

-Lighthouse ranch dressing

-Choice of toppings (i.e tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, sour cream)

How To: Just FYI, these tacos pack a punch in the spicy department! First, cube all the chicken in small to medium pieces. Heat a medium sized pan in olive oil and begin cooking the chicken. While the chicken is cooking, begin taking the Frank's sauce and putting it in a pan with the ranch and simmering it in low heat. There is really no rhyme or reason to how much, just equal parts, and enough for all the chicken. You would rather have more than less. When the chicken is done, combine the chicken in the sauce pan until completely covered. Serve on the tortillas and add the perfect toppings!

SNACKS

Because who doesn't need a good snack.

1. Edamame - easy to eat, cheap to buy, and extremely addicting.


2. Apple with peanut butter - it has peanut butter...enough said.

3. Banana with peanut butter and chocolate chips - shout out to my homegirls in Nebraska for showing me the best meal on campus.




Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Entertainment

Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

These powerful lyrics remind us how much good is inside each of us and that sometimes we are too blinded by our imperfections to see the other side of the coin, to see all of that good.

546865
Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

The song was sent to me late in the middle of the night. I was still awake enough to plug in my headphones and listen to it immediately. I always did this when my best friend sent me songs, never wasting a moment. She had sent a message with this one too, telling me it reminded her so much of both of us and what we have each been through in the past couple of months.

Keep Reading...Show less
Zodiac wheel with signs and symbols surrounding a central sun against a starry sky.

What's your sign? It's one of the first questions some of us are asked when approached by someone in a bar, at a party or even when having lunch with some of our friends. Astrology, for centuries, has been one of the largest phenomenons out there. There's a reason why many magazines and newspapers have a horoscope page, and there's also a reason why almost every bookstore or library has a section dedicated completely to astrology. Many of us could just be curious about why some of us act differently than others and whom we will get along with best, and others may just want to see if their sign does, in fact, match their personality.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

20 Song Lyrics To Put A Spring Into Your Instagram Captions

"On an island in the sun, We'll be playing and having fun"

431597
Person in front of neon musical instruments; glowing red and white lights.
Photo by Spencer Imbrock on Unsplash

Whenever I post a picture to Instagram, it takes me so long to come up with a caption. I want to be funny, clever, cute and direct all at the same time. It can be frustrating! So I just look for some online. I really like to find a song lyric that goes with my picture, I just feel like it gives the picture a certain vibe.

Here's a list of song lyrics that can go with any picture you want to post!

Keep Reading...Show less
Chalk drawing of scales weighing "good" and "bad" on a blackboard.
WP content

Being a good person does not depend on your religion or status in life, your race or skin color, political views or culture. It depends on how good you treat others.

We are all born to do something great. Whether that be to grow up and become a doctor and save the lives of thousands of people, run a marathon, win the Noble Peace Prize, or be the greatest mother or father for your own future children one day. Regardless, we are all born with a purpose. But in between birth and death lies a path that life paves for us; a path that we must fill with something that gives our lives meaning.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments