Listen to Tara’s blog here.

When entering the college lifestyle, there are many things to adjust to. Making new friends, finding your way around campus, and living in a new environment can all be daunting. However, the biggest adjustment for many students is learning how to cook or finding the best way to prepare meals.

Back at my home in New Jersey, I was eating home-cooked meals every night. I was spoiled with sautéed vegetables – with all the seasonings – and a variety of meats. Now, as a college student on a budget, I do not have too many options or seasonings to choose from. 

But in my off-campus home in Narragansett, my three roommates and I found a way to tackle our weekly menus.. At the start of each week, we gather at our kitchen table to discuss what we want to eat for dinner throughout the week. This is something we do to not only prepare meals for the week, but to stay within our budget for grocery shopping. Once we write down our ideas for meals, we head to the store to pick up all the ingredients for the week. Read along for some tips and tricks for easy recipes for college students! 

The House Favorite: 

One of our favorite meals to cook is so simple and easy: create your own bowl. This is a perfect way to incorporate many food groups into your meal. It also leaves us with leftovers for the next day! To start, we decide what type of protein we want to use. Usually, for us, this would be chicken. Next, we pull out all of the vegetables in our fridge, and if needed, we buy more from the store. Sometimes we buy in bulk, leaving us with vegetables that need to be used from the week before. This is another great way to use food before it goes bad! The vegetables we find ourselves buying the most are zucchini, peppers, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, and corn. The final ingredient to our bowl is rice. Once the final product is complete, your bowl should be filled with protein, vegetables, and carbohydrates. And, if you are like me, I love to add a variety of condiments. Hot sauce or soy sauce usually does the trick! Read below for ingredients and instructions for The House Favorite!

Ingredients:

• One pack of chicken (or protein of your choice)
• Variety of vegetables 
  • Zucchini 
  • Peppers
  • Onions 
  • Mushrooms 
  • Corn 
• White rice (or rice of your choice)

Instructions:

• Start with the protein. Whichever protein you decide to use for your meal, begin cutting into small, bite sized pieces. Season to your liking, then place in your oven or airfryer. 
• Next, chop your vegetables into small pieces. Once all of the vegetables are chopped, begin sautéing in a pan with olive oil on medium heat. Add some seasonings and stir occasionally. 
• Once the chicken and vegetables are almost done, begin boiling water for your rice. Follow the instructions on the box: some have different instructions for whichever rice you choose. 
• The final step is to put together a bowl! Why go to Chipotle or Moe’s when you make a bowl at home? Grab your favorite bowl and start with the rice. Make the base as little or as big as you want. Next, add the vegetables on top of the rice and finally place the chicken on top. 
• Add any other seasonings or condiments that you would like and enjoy! 

Comfort Soup: 

This next meal is one that will keep you warm in the coming months. My roommates and I call it Comfort Soup! We make this soup at least once a week on our busiest days, and again, this leaves us with large amounts of leftovers. It is a great way to use up food, let it cook all day, and come home to a warm meal after a busy day of classes. For this soup, you will need a few ingredients, some that I am sure students already have. To start, you will need some sort of pasta. I would recommend tortellini for that extra warm bite. You will also need as many vegetables that you can find. If you have leftovers or unused vegetables from the previous meal, this works perfectly! Finally, you will need your choice of broth. Cooking this meal is extremely easy and is a great meal to have on busy, cold days. Follow along for ingredients and instructions! 

Ingredients: 

• One bag of tortellini (or your choice of pasta)
• Vegetables 
  • Spinach 
  • Tomatoes 
  • Onions 
  • Zucchini (we love this one!)
• One box chicken broth (or broth of your choice)

Instructions: 

• The best thing about soup is that you can cook it throughout the day! Another great thing about soup is that you can cook everything at the same time. Put your broth and cut up vegetables into a large pot. Season to your liking, cover and let it simmer. Keeping it on low heat throughout the day, or for a few hours would be the perfect amount of time to get assignments and classes done. 
• The final step is to add in your tortellini. Because it doesn’t take long to cook, you should do this last. 
• Serve yourself a bowl of Comfort Soup and enjoy! 

These are just two examples of easy college meals. They are delicious and easy to make when staying on a budget. Comment below if you are going to try one of these meals and let me know what you think! For other resources at URI for meal ideas, go to https://web.uri.edu/dining/crashculinary/#videos and https://web.uri.edu/community-nutrition/recipes/ for even more recipes!

Stay tuned for my next blog, Preparing for Studying Abroad. Thanks for reading! 

 

Hi friends! My name is Tara Roumes and I am a junior here at URI. With a double major in journalism and English, you can always find me writing! When a pen isn’t in my hand, a fresh cup of coffee and a book often replace it. My love for books can be found on Instagram, @taras_littlelibrary, where I post reviews and connect with other avid readers. If I am not reading or writing, I am definitely claiming a front-row seat at any athletic event on campus, playing with my two dogs, or listening to Harry Styles. This is my first semester blogging for Inside Rec and I am so excited to share my experiences, thoughts, and opinions with you!