Adulting is hard, and it’s even harder when your monthly budget is being eaten up (HA see what I did there?) by eating out because you feel like you don’t have the time, money, or know-how to cook at home. Cooking can seem pretty intimidating, especially when your Facebook feed is peppered with gourmet meals by Tasty. However, cooking doesn’t have to be hard or expensive. Following are 14 easy, quick, and cheap meals that anybody can make and feel good about.

1. Chicken Stir Fry

Coconut or olive oil

Chicken breast, cut into strips

2 parts soy sauce

1 part honey

Sprinkle of cornstarch

Ginger, garlic as desired

Frozen stir-fry veggies

Rice

Brown chicken in pan greased with either coconut or olive oil. Combine soy sauce, honey, cornstarch, and spices to make teriyaki sauce. Add sauce and veggies to chicken, cook until veggies are of desired consistency. Serve over rice.

2. Chicken Potato Bowls

Potato

Pre-cooked, frozen chicken breast

Favorite variety of frozen veggies

Butter

Salt, pepper as desired

Wash and stab potato. Microwave whole potato for 5-8 minutes, depending on size. Microwave chicken for 3-5 minutes. Mash potato, add butter. Top with chicken, frozen veggies, salt/pepper. Microwave another 1-2 minutes, until veggies are cooked. This is a current favorite because it’s super cheap and I can make it in my dorm-room microwave.

3. Fried Potatoes

Potatoes

Onion

Seasonings

Ketchup

Chop up potato and onion, mix with seasonings as desired. Fry in pan with olive oil and douse with ketchup.

4. Spaghetti & Garlic Bread

Spaghetti noodles

Ground beef

Jar of marinara sauce

Bread

Butter

Parmesan

Garlic powder

Cook spaghetti noodles according to the package. Brown ground beef, add marinara sauce. Combine with cooked noodles. Heat oven to broil. Butter bread, sprinkle with parmesan and garlic. Pop bread in the oven, cook until toasty. That’s basically French gourmet; now where’s my Michelin star?

5. Tacos

Ground beef or chicken

Taco seasoning

Taco shells or tortillas

Shredded cheese

Salsa

Sour Cream

Tomato

Avocado

Onion

Lettuce

Brown beef or chicken, add taco seasoning and water, if necessary. Fry tortillas in a skillet with olive oil. Top as desired. These are especially perfect if you’re planning a party because you can just whip up some taco meat and allow your guests to pile on toppings to their heart's content.

6. Nachos

Tortilla Chips

Shredded Cheese

Meat (ground beef, chicken, steak) - optional

Refried beans - optional

Salsa, sour cream

The trick to good nachos is layering. Too often, the top layer is nice and cheesy, but the succeeding layers are just dry chips. Layer chips, cheese, beans, and meat. Microwave for 2-3 minutes or bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes. Devour.

7. Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese

Canned tomato soup

Milk

Bread

Butter

Cheese

Cook tomato soup. The key to a nice, creamy tomato soup is adding milk instead of water to the tomato concentrate. Butter bread, add cheese and grill up.

8. Scrambled Eggs

Eggs

Milk

Shredded cheese

Seasonings, as desired

Whisk together eggs, a splash of milk, cheese, and seasonings. Milk makes the eggs nice and fluffy. Cook in pan, and eat with your favorite form of gluten. Eggs + toast. Eggs + tortilla + beans = breakfast burrito. Eggs + bagel/English muffin + ham = breakfast sandwich.

9. Beans & Rice

Rice

Black beans

Cook rice, heat beans, combine. It’s not the fanciest, but it’s filling and you’re getting protein and carbs. You could even add cheese or salsa and roll up in a tortilla for a #struggle version of a Chipotle burrito.

10. Pizza Quesadilla

Tortillas

Pizza sauce

Cheese

Pepperoni

Spread pizza sauce on one tortilla. Add cheese and pepperoni, top with another tortilla. Microwave for 1-2 minutes or fry in frying pan. This was one of my favorite meals as a kid and is a great substitute for when your wallet just can’t handle another Domino’s order.

11. One-Skillet Noodles

Ground beef

Jar of spaghetti sauce + jar of water

2 cups uncooked pasta (like bow-tie)

Cheese

Brown ground beef, add spaghetti sauce, jar of water, and pasta. Bring to a boil. Cover, simmer for 15-20 minutes, until pasta is cooked. Sprinkle with cheese, cover to melt. This was a staple in my house growing up, and still one of my favorite comfort foods. It’s super filling and the leftovers keep well.

12. “Fancy” Ramen

Top Ramen

Egg

Cheese

Cook ramen according to the package. Stir in egg and cheese. It’s basically (not really at all) Chinese takeout, but for a fraction of the cost.

13. Mug Cake

¼ cup flour

¼ cup sugar

2 tbsp cocoa powder

⅛ tsp baking soda

dash of salt

3 tbsp milk

2 tbsp oil

1 tbsp water

Splash of vanilla

Combine all together in a mug. Microwave for 1-2 minutes, until cake is desired consistency. Sometimes all you need is just a single serving of dessert, and mug cakes are the perfect solution, plus you shouldn’t need to go out and buy any ingredients if you keep your pantry stocked with the staples.

14. Boxed Brownies

Box of brownie mix

Water

Oil

Eggs

Can of frosting

Combine brownie mix with water, oil, and eggs and bake as according to package. Once cooled, top with frosting, and if you’re feeling really fancy, M&Ms. Sometimes you have an Event™ and you need to bring something, and brownies are the perfect solution. Nobody will know how little effort really went into them.

Hopefully, these ideas have been helpful and inspired you to use your kitchen. Any of these meals are perfect for a beginner to an experienced cook because they’re cheap, easy, and quick. What are some of your favorite cheap and easy recipes? Let me know in the comments below!