Budget and time-friendly meal ideas to get you through student life
As students, it’s easy to get swept up in studying, socializing, or lying around on your laptop for so long that you forget to feed yourself. Now, despite how common this practice is, we all know it isn’t all that healthy. One of the best ways to prepare yourself for success this semester is to make a balanced diet a priority. Now, that in no way means sad diet foods and avoiding Tim’s on the way to class. Instead, making sure your arsenal is stocked with nutritious and budget-friendly recipes is a great way to make sure you aren’t surviving on instant ramen alone. Here are some fast and easy recipes to help you nail this school year.
Summer Rolls
Vietnamese summer rolls sustained my withered body during this summer’s heat wave, but this cool, refreshing dish is also a fast and simple lunch or dinner all year round. All you need are: rice paper sheets, vermicelli noodles, a protein of your choice (I use baked tofu, but shrimp is most authentic), and any veggies you have lying around your fridge chopped into thin sticks (I like a bed of lettuce with carrots, cucumbers and peppers). Wet your rice paper sheets in warm water until they reach a pliable and gummy texture, fill with whatever your heart desires, and then roll into a burrito-like shape. A few shakes of fish sauce inside the roll really makes it, if you have a bottle lying around (which you definitely should). This is the perfect dish for cleaning out your fridge, so don’t be too precious with it. Make sure to dip your rolls in a peanut sauce for a well-rounded but light meal.
Oven Fajitas
One great way to save time cooking as a student is a “set it and forget it” meal, where you throw everything in the oven in one swoop and just wait. My go-to is Budget Bytes’ chicken fajitas. Throw some oiled and seasoned sliced chicken breast, peppers, onions (and whatever else you’d like) into an oven at 400 F for 35-40 minutes and then boom — dinner. You can eat it over rice on the go, or my preference, in a tortilla with some salsa, sour cream, and guacamole. These one pan recipes are perfect for students living in packed apartments, where too many dishes clogging up the sink can lead to some unsavoury altercations. I’d also recommend Budget Bytes in general as a great resource for other simple, cash-saving recipes — I know I’ve relied on them for the past four years.
Veggie-Packed Quiche
Now, I can imagine many reading this are perplexed at the concept of making a quiche as being an easy, student-friendly recipe, but I promise it’s simpler than you think. Quiche is truly the perfect meal-prepping food, as it works for lunch or dinner with just the accompaniment of maybe a side salad or soup. One recipe I love to batch-prep on weekends is a veggie quiche, packed full of whatever produce is in season. The mix of fibre from the veggies, protein from the eggs, and carbs from the cheese and crust (premade of course, we’re not Nigella Lawson here) makes quiche a super nutritious quick meal idea that will last in the fridge and keep you energized throughout the school day.
Big Boy Salad
I am of the firm belief that salad can be fun if you’re willing to put in a little bit of effort. And the salads I make are not diet-y, basically-just-eating-water bowls of sadness. The key to a salad (or “bowl” as bougie establishments have begun to dub them) is balancing the ratio of grains to vegetables to fun add-ons. So, as the weather turns, I like to make a fall salad with kale as the base, adding in farro, and topping with roasted sweet potato, thinly sliced apples, a bit of goat cheese, and some nuts like walnuts or pecans. Now, while I think that sounds delish, this formula can be adapted to any taste. Just keep in mind: base (kale, spinach, lettuce, arugula…), grain (rice, farro, quinoa, couscous…), and protein-filled add ons (meat/tofu, nuts, seeds, cheeses, hemp/flax/chia seeds…).
Sweep the Fridge Shakshuka
Shakshuka is another recipe that can be simple or made fancier depending on your time and the ingredients you have on hand. In its most basic form, Shakshuka is a stewy tomato dish with eggs poached inside. Start by frying up some onions and garlic. Once fragrant, dump in a can of diced tomatoes (obviously fresh chopped tomatoes are ideal, but we live in Quebec so we make do). Season with salt, pepper, cumin, cayenne, and other spices to your liking. Once the sauce is reduced and the flavours have melded nicely, create divots in the sauce with a spoon and crack in a few eggs and cover until cooked through, but with a nice, jammy yolk. Top with herbs and/or feta to your liking. This dish can be made entirely out of inexpensive pantry staples, and is a warm, comforting and filling dish easily paired with some nice crusty bread for dipping.
Graphic by James Fay
