Three Easy, Healthy, & Cheap Dinner Ideas
Cooking for yourself can be fun. But it can also be scary, intimidating, and for a college student, expensive. In the past year and a half of cooking for myself at school, I've learned to find staple meals that are quick and easy to cook and that you can switch up. It can be so tempting to grab a more unhealthy yet convenient meal when you don't have the time or motivation to get creative in the kitchen.I have said "so long" to throwing together boring salads for dinner and hello to the world of pasta with veggies, cauliflower rice, and prepped homemade veggie burgers. I have a few dinners that I keep on rotation that are delicious, healthy, quick, and honestly pretty cheap.
Dinner Option #1:
Lentil Pasta + Veggies + Sauce (+optional extra source of protein)
I grew up in an Italian family–we love pasta. I love pasta. What I don't love is the bloat that comes after eating a big bowl of pasta. But because I am all about not restricting your cravings, I allow myself pasta multiple nights a week. While this isn't typical pasta and may take some getting used to, it's still pasta. I have been loving lentil pasta. Not only is it gluten free, but it also contains a ton of protein. My favorites are from Tolerant, Ancient Harvest, and Trader Joe's.The options with pasta are endless. Sometimes I will roast some tomatoes and sauté zucchini and throw it with the pasta. Sometimes I will just add spinach. Seriously, any vegetable is a good vegetable. Most nights, I'll just mix the pasta and veggies with some olive oil and lemon juice. Other nights I will thin some Trader Joe's Roasted Red Pepper with Garlic and Eggplant spread with some water and use that as a sauce. When I am really feeling fancy, I will make a quick homemade tomato sauce (my Italian ancestors are rolling around in their grave for this recipe, but it does the job).[recipe][recipe title= "10 Minute Homemade Tomato Sauce" servings="2" time="10 minutes" difficulty="easy" description="Short on time, ingredients, or money? Look no further for this easy and healthy tomato sauce recipe.”/][recipe-ingredients]- 1 can pureed tomatoes (I like San Marzano)- 2 cubes fresh or frozen basil (Trader Joe's has little frozen cubes that are amazing for this!)- 1-2 cloves fresh garlic- Salt and Pepper, to taste- Water, as needed- Olive Oil- Red Pepper Flakes, optional[/recipe-ingredients] [recipe-directions]1. Drizzle a couple of tablespoons of Olive Oil on the bottom of a skillet or sauce pan. Once heated, add in the chopped garlic.2. Sauté until fragrant (about 30 seconds), add in pureed tomatoes and basil.3. Stir until well combined, add in the spices and some water to thin it out.4. Let simmer for 5-10 minutes. At this point, you can add more water if it tastes too tomatoey (is that a word?!). The sauce will get thicker as it simmers so if it is too thin, cook longer!5. Enjoy!PS - A pinch of sugar has always been my mom's secret ingredient, so feel free to add that in too.[/recipe-directions][/recipe]
Dinner Option #2
Cauliflower Rice + Veggies + Protien
I use cauliflower rice interchangeably with pasta so this recipe is the same idea as the one above. Cauliflower rice is amazing. Absolutely revolutionary. I like to dupe fried rice by sautéing cauliflower rice in some low-sodium soy sauce and adding in veggies like broccoli, edamame, and red peppers. Then I crack an egg right in the pan and scramble it just like you would with fried rice. If you eat chicken, that would be the perfect addition to this low-carb meal.
Dinner Option #3
Buddha Bowl
There's a lot of flexibility with this dinner idea. But it starts with a base of either rice, cauliflower rice, or greens. Then add whatever toppings you want. SO hard, right?! To help you out, here are some of my favorite combos!Thai Peanut Buddha BowlBrown or cauliflower rice, Edamame, Roasted Broccoli, Chicken or Tofu, Shaved Carrots, Peanut/Almond Butter dressing (1 tbsp nut butter, 1-2 tbsp soy sauce, garlic, splash of honey and Sriracha, add water to thin)Fall Roasted Veggie BowlDinosaur Kale Base (optional: quinoa), Roasted brussel sprouts and cubed sweet potatoes, Sliced Apples, Roasted, crispy chickpeas, Lemon tahini dressing (I buy mine or you can buy tahini and just add lemon juice to it)
Sooo...Basically as long as you have a protein, LOTS of veggies, and healthy carbs, you will be good to go.
Honestly, I hate using recipes. This combo of protein, veggies, and healthy carbs is fool proof and can be customized in so many ways. I love getting meal inspiration ideas from Instagram, Pinterest, and watching the Food Network/Cooking Channel. The beauty of cooking is the amount of freedom there is to be creative. While some of my meals may look super complex and intimidating, I promise they aren't! I almost never make a meal that takes longer than 30 minutes and the majority of the time, it just involved me roasted and sautéing different foods then throwing them together.I hope that this has sparked your creative cooking juices! If you want to see more meal ideas/recipes, let me know!XO,Nikki