Cooking for the College Co-ed: Real Food That’s Quick!

Don’t get me wrong; there is absolutely nothing wrong with microwaving a frozen entrée/Hot Pocket for dinner in your dorm room. It is quick, easy and far tastier than the offerings downstairs in the cafeteria. And in terms of “cooking” in a dorm room, that is about as close as you are gonna get.

For those of you who have moved onto bigger and better things – mainly, an apartment or house on campus – a can of Spaghetti-O’s also makes quite a handy dinner. But, let’s be honest, there are only so many nights that you can handle the sound of the noodle/sauce combo loosening its grip on the inside of a Chef Boyardee can and plopping (still shaped like said can, mind you) into your microwave-safe bowl.

Not to mention the awful nutritional information.

Being that you are finally grown up enough to live in the college equivalent to a big girl bed (a house/apartment on your own!) it is time to step away from the microwavable meals of your past and move onto something far superior…without much extra work.

Below is a list of some super easy, super tasty and even super healthy alternatives to the microwavable meal. Step away from the Easy Mac, ladies; it is time to fire up the stove for a dinner your mother would be proud of, without cutting into your bar….er….study time. Just mix and match some of these tasty ideas and you have yourself a real dinner.

Steak – A nice juicy steak seems far more daunting then it really is. Just buy your favorite cut, marinate it in some teriyaki sauce for 30 minutes and throw it in a pan sprayed with cooking spray or with a bit of olive oil. Cook it on the stove on medium to high heat until it is ready for your liking. And don’t be afraid to cut it open to check; you aren’t Mario Batali, after all.

Italian Chicken: Put a chicken breast in a Ziploc baggie with some Italian dressing (I prefer the light kind) and let it marinate for 30 minutes. Then, put it on a baking sheet sprayed with some cooking spray and bake it at 375 for 12 minutes. Check it and if its not ready (or its still pink/gooey inside), put it back in for a few more minutes. Note: You can do this with any sauce or dressing.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes: Cut up a potato and put it in a pot of water on the stove. Cook until tender to touch, or about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, take half a cup of milk and boil it on the stove with a tablespoon (or more, if you like stuff garlic-y) of minced Garlic. Once the milk starts smelling like garlic, remove it from the heat and strain out the bits of garlic. Strain the potatoes, mash em with a fork, pour in the strained garlic milk and you have yourself some creamy garlic mash.

Grilled Vegetables: Cut up your favorite veggies and grill em on your trust George Forman. Don’t have a GF? Just put em on a baking sheet (again, sprayed with some cooking spray), throw a little salt on there and roast them in the oven at 400 degrees.

Stir Fry: Grab your favorite vegetables and protein (chicken, shrimp, tofu), cut them up and throw them in a pan with some olive oil. Once they are looking nice and done, throw a little soy/teriyaki sauce over top and let it heat up a little longer. You can even make some minute rice (instructions on the box) and throw it in the pan towards the end for a delicious and healthy version of your late-night takeout favorite.

Easy Chili: Get two cans of beans, two cans of diced tomatoes, a can of tomato juice, a chopped onion and a packet of taco seasoning. Dump it all in a pot. Add some beef crumbles (or the fake stuff if you are a vegetarian) and let it cook on the stove for 20 – 30 minutes. This will last you all week and is the perfect meal to get you through the winter.

Oven Baked Fries: Take a potato and cut it into thin slices. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray, lay the potato slices on there, spray the tops with cooking spray and dust with your favorite seasonings. Bake em for 10 minutes on 400 (or until crisp). The perfect side-dish for a nice steak.

Got any other easy recipes? Let us know!