Spanish rice is one of my absolute favorite quick meals — you can cram tons of veggies and whole grains into your diet with one spicy dish. It’s also super easy to add some chicken or tilapia for some extra protein. Either way, my recipe for Spanish rice will rapidly become one of your most-made dishes. I promise.

I really strongly encourage you to use brown rice in this recipe. If you hate the taste, you can of course use white rice — but brown rice is, hands down, much healthier for you. The more whole grains you have in your diet, the healthier you’ll be. With the addition of fresh tomatoes, peppers, and spinach, this recipe will give you plenty of servings of veggies and much-needed vitamins.

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I really think my best moments during Intro to Cooking come when I’m trying to think up something to eat after getting home from work at 11 pm. Nothing inspires creativity quite like not going grocery shopping for two weeks and coming home to a house stocked with peanut butter, ramen noodles and leftover chicken of questionable date.

Let’s review some of Intro to Cooking’s best recipes — the ones I’m most proud of saying that I cooked! Read More »

If you haven’t been reading our Intro To Cooking series, you’ve seriously been missing out. Every Sunday, Intro To Cooking talks you through simple and delicious recipes that even the worst cook can master. You don’t need to resort to Easy Mac or Ramen anymore. Most of the recipes are healthy, and they’re all affordable. Why settle for subpar dining hall food when you can make something yummy and filling?

We’ve sifted through all of these recipes and picked our favorites for you to try out! Read More »

This is another recipe adapted from the I Love Trader Joe’s College Cookbook. I love focaccia bread… I mean, who doesn’t? If I have the opportunity to make focaccia a little healthier to snack on, I go for it.

The original recipe from the I Love Trader Joe’s College Cookbook only had tomatoes and olive tapenade. it’s a delicious recipe, which I highly recommend, but after I made it, I wondered what other items I could add to make it healthier, but also more delicious. I settled on the idea that if you pile a salad on top of something, you are allowed to call it healthy. Even if that thing is a deep-fried hamburger or something.

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What’s more relaxing than spending a cozy evening with your boyfriend (or your best girlfriends) enjoying homemade Mexican food and your favorite movies? After a long week, sometimes it’s nice to spend a Friday night in. And you can enjoy tasty, comforting food without completely sabotaging your mission to eat healthy.

Having a Mexican Food Friday is one of the best ways to through a party for friends. Rent a few Redbox movies, pick up a few basic supplies, invite that gorgeous boyfriend (or new fling) of yours over, and you have all the ingredients for a great night.

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This is another recipe from Andrea Lynn’s the I Love Trader Joe’s College Cookbook, which I still absolutely love. Ravioli is one of my favorite dishes, because it is comforting and warm. However, I’m not even going to pretend that this is a healthy recipe: several tablespoons of butter per serving, cheese stuffed inside delicious carbohydrates. That being said, this is a comforting, easy to make dish, so don’t discount it just because of the butter.

Not only that, this can be easily made while living in dorms or with limited cookware. All you need is a small soup pot (for the ravioli) and a small saucepan, plus a small strainer, and freezer space. I love frozen ravioli because you can take them out as you need them and they won’t go bad. (You will have to boil them a little longer than usual!)

Instead of ravioli from Trader Joe’s, I used a standard pre-made ravioli that you can purchase anywhere, usually in the fresh pasta or deli section of the grocery store. Prepackaged gnocchi would also be delicious with this.

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Some days, nothing tastes better than a slice of watermelon, a big salad and a cheese biscuit.

This recipe is one of my favorites. I like to make these biscuits for family gatherings or to give as gifts. They are flaky and completely decadent, the perfect addition to a family meal or even your favorite salad.

Cheddar cheese has a bad rap out there in the world. It gets knocked down as high-fat, high-calorie, and unnecessary. But ladies, there is nothing wrong with enjoying a little bit of cheddar every once in a while, you know? Okay, maybe not everyday. And maybe you shouldn’t eat four of these biscuits a day (I totally do, but it’s up to you). But don’t let the naysayers persuade you to turn your back on cheddar. Even though cheddar cheese is high in fat and calories, it is also high in calcium and can be very low in preservatives and additives if you buy from the right companies (I’m a big fan of Tillamook cheese).

If you’re ready to give cheddar one more chance, try out these biscuits.

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When I started college, I didn’t cook. I had never really had to. I was one of those lucky kids who always came home to a homeade family dinner every single night. I was also one of those kids who was shaken back into reality by college meal plans and the reality that food is kind of expensive.

So when I was lucky enough to get Andrea Lynn’s cookbook, the I Love Trader Joe’s College Cookbook: 150 Cheap-and-easy Gourmet Recipes, sent to me for free (yay, for being a cheap student!), I was excited. Through college, I taught myself how to cook and found recipes I could reasonably enjoy with my limited means, both monetary and equipment wise. But I wish I had had a sweet cookbook to guide me through the process.

Trader Joe’s is a chain of grocery stores primarily on the West Coast, so unfortunately, a lot of  college students won’t have access to the specific products mentioned in the book. That being said, I toured through a few chain grocery stores in my area and found really similar products. SO that doesn’t devalue this cookbook.

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Canned beans are a college girls secret weapon to eating healthy. Okay, admittedly, sometimes they can be loaded with sodium and MSG, but as long as you rinse them thoroughly in a strainer, they are one of the healthiest cheap, quick foods out there. Chickpeas in particular are famous for being high in fiber and protein, two very necessary nutrients, as well as iron and phosphorus. They are well known for their use in hummus and falafel, but have a multitude of other uses that are just as delicious and easy.

Making burgers out of beans certainly isn’t new. However, I’m proud that these chickpea burgers have minimal ingredients for the college girl. Plus, once they are made and cooked, they can be kept in the fridge for a quick snack – cut in half and rolled up in a tortilla with some tzatziki sauce, cut in pieces and tossed over a salad. And, well, they’re delicious and vegetarian, so really, it’s a win-win situation.

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It sounds complicated, but I promise it’s not. Chicken and gnocchi soup is one of my favorites to make when I don’t have much time and I’m craving something that tastes homemade. Plus, this is a great soup to impress your friends with and it makes for great leftovers.

Did you know that people who eat soup for lunch tend to eat healthier for the rest of the day? They are less likely to snack or compulsively eat, and more likely to choose fruits and veggies over junk food. I think that’s pretty awesome, personally. And while this might not seem like a very summer-y recipe, it is great for a late supper during a summer thunder storm.

Gnocchi are small potato dumplings typically used in Italian cooking. They’re great with tomato sauce, or just plain butter and parmesan cheese. But I absolutely love chicken soup with gnocchi. It’s comforting without being heavy. Read More »