Living on your own without a dorm cafeteria or your mom is weird. Learn these easy recipes, and you won't starve or go broke eating out. All 10 recipes are are easy, thoroughly explained, and healthy. It seems as though every recipe I come across is meant for a family of four, not for a girl living on her own. No worries, make the entire batch and freeze into individual portions for later. What's better than having homemade and wholesome frozen meals on hand after a long day?
1. Perfect Chicken Breast
Learn how to make perfect chicken breast every time. This method from the Kitchn is so easy, and perfect for making two or three breasts at time. Freeze the rest in individual baggies along with some marinade. Serve sliced chicken over pasta, over salads, in tacos, over rice or quinoa, the possibilities are endless. Here's an easy spicy Indian marinade and here's a customizable Italian marinade.
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2. Fluffy Brown Rice
It's a healthy staple. Here's how to make it fluffy and tender every time. This method from Food 52 is a lot like making pasta, just fill a large pot with water and wait for it to boil, then add your washed rice. After 30 minutes, strain the water and let the rice cook in its own steam. |
| How to Cook Perfect Brown Rice |
3. Meaty Marinara
This delicious meaty spaghetti sauce from the gorgeous Pioneer Woman is perfect to keep in the fridge. I put two serving portions in sandwich baggies and then put them in one big labeled freezer bag in the fridge. All you have to do is boil some pasta or zucchini noodles and stick a packet in the microwave for two days worth of dinner or lunch. Her secret ingredient is a jar of store bought pasta sauce. Sometimes I take this even further and use just two jars of store bought sauce and ground turkey instead of beef. Perfect to have on hand when I have serious pasta cravings. |
| Spaghetti Sauce |
4. Versatile Turkey Meatballs
Ground turkey is one of the few healthy foods that is actually cheap. Ask your butcher to ground up organic turkey breast and thigh for you instead of buying the prepackaged kind. The kind that comes in those puffed air pouches can have dangerous bacteria in them. Go ahead and make a pound of turkey into meatballs and then freeze them. Add them to pasta, Thai red curry, crumble them up for tacos or eggs, the possibilities are endless. |
| Baked Turkey Meatballs |
5. Healthy Vegetable Soup
Always know how to make a good, healthy soup. Soups are filling and perfect for cold nights when the thermostat breaks. Add tons of veggies and lemon and you've got a cure for colds and hangovers and broken hearts. This one from Ellie Krieger has zucchini and spinach and will probably taste a lot like Olive Garden's if you throw in a can of cannelloni beans. |
| Tuscan Vegetable Soup |
6. Spicy Channa Masala
Spicy, vegan, and easily freezable, this chickpea curry is a great recipe to have in your arsenal. I like to add a cup of frozen organic spinach at the end for extra healthiness. I mean what's easier and more inexpensive than a can of chickpeas and some frozen spinach? The recipe from Cookie+Kate calls for fresh garlic and ginger, but I usually just use 1/2 each of the ground version. Making the time to take the bus to the grocery store is hard between classes and work. Or maybe I'm just lazy. Regardless it's still delicious. |
| Quick Vegan Chana Masala |
7. Colorful Quinoa Salad
Make a big bowl of colorful and protein rich quinoa salad. You can pack it for lunch since it's supposed to be eaten cold or as a snack between classes. This Whole Foods copycat from Damn Delicious tastes just like the ridiculously priced version. I replace the raisins with avocados because nobody likes raisins and everybody loves avocados. |
| California Quinoa Salad |
8. Fried Eggs
Breakfast is the best kind of food. I'm a night owl and early mornings are hard for me, but I try to never skip breakfast. Eggs are an amazing source of protein and nutrients, not to mention delicious. There's just something about toasty bread dipped in a perfectly runny yolk. Here's how to fry up perfect sunny side up eggs from The Kitchn. |
| How To Fry an Egg |
9. Customizable Frittata
Have I mentioned how much I like eggs? Okay most mornings I don't actually have enough time to fry an egg. That's where frittatas come in play. You can make a large one full of veggies in a skillet and cut it into slices for a whole week of breakfasts. My favorite combo is spinach, mushrooms, and white cheddar cheese. Warm it up in the microwave for a healthy and delicious breakfast in seconds.
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| How To Make a Frittata |
10. Chia Seed Pudding
Another easy make ahead breakfast is chia seed pudding. Prepare it the night before and let it sit in your fridge overnight in a glass bowl or one of those trendy mason jars. Actually I think that trend might be over already, never mind, just put it in any type of container. When soaked in your choice of milk, chia seeds turn plump and chewy, almost like tapioca. Unlike tapioca (which are pure carbs by the way), chia seeds are high in protein and calcium. I love using low fat coconut milk and placing sliced nectarines on top.
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| Chia Seed Pudding |
