Drool-worthy recipes for the broke college student

So you FINALLY got out of that cramped dorm and live in an apartment with a fully functioning kitchen.

"Wahoo," you say to yourself. "The possibilities are endless, I'm going to cook so many healthy AF meals in here, I'm going to pin so many açaí bowl recipes to my Pinterest board, blah blah blah."

Then, reality hits. Instead of flipping through recipes, you find yourself drooling over another pan of Annie's mac & cheese trying to convince yourself that this isn't the third time this week you've made easy-mac while you wait for those tiny pasta shells to cook.

In an attempt to give your diet some variability and to save you from swearing off Annie's mac & cheese altogether, here are a couple recipes you can make yourself that don't actually suck!!

Mozzarella sticks

Ingredients

1. Mozzarella Cheese Sticks

2. Eggs

3. Bread Crumbs

4. Grated Parmesan Cheese

5. Salt & Pepper

6. Canola Oil / Any preferred cooking oil

Tools

1. Mixing Bowls (2)

2. Saucepan

3. Slotted Serving Spoon

How To

Start by filling your saucepan with a decent amount of oil, enough for the mozzarella sticks to be fully submerged, place on your stove top (Medium/Medium High) and leave it to heat. Then, unwrap all your individual mozzarella sticks and cut them in half. Set them to the side.

In a mixing bowl, combine the bread crumbs (amount varies on how many mozzarella sticks you will be breading), salt, pepper, and grated cheese to your liking. In another mixing bowl, crack a couple eggs and whisk together with a fork.

To bread your mozzarella sticks, dip in the egg first, roll in your bread crumb seasoned mixture then repeat. Once your sticks are double breaded, check to make sure your oil is hot enough for cooking. To check this, sprinkle a SMALL amount of bread crumbs into the oil, if it sizzles, you're good to go! Fry your mozzarella sticks in the hot oil, making sure they are fully submerged, for 1-2 minutes, or until golden brown. Take out carefully with your slotted spoon, making sure to dry them with a paper towel to remove excess oil.

Serve warm with marinara sauce and most importantly, ENJOY!

"Rainbow" chicken + rice bowl

Ingredients

1. Chicken Breast (1)

2. Veggies you love (Pictured: Baby Carrots, Vine-Riped Tomato, Yellow Bell Pepper, Red Onion + Lime)

3. Brown Rice

4. Olive Oil

5. Salt & Pepper + Italian Seasoning Blend

Tools

1. Cutting Board

2. Chef Knife

3. Saucepan

4. Frying Pan

5. Tongs

How To

To begin, wash all your veggies and dice on your cutting board. Mix together and set aside. Next, cut your chicken breast in cubes and toss in a little olive oil with Italian blend seasoning, salt, and pepper to taste.

Cook your rice according to its directions. Lightly coat your saucepan with olive oil and grill your seasoned chicken over medium heat. Use your tongs to rotate the chicken cubes, making sure each side is cooked. Your chicken is FULLY COOKED when it is no longer pink. (Check this by slicing into each cube slightly, do not eat pink chicken!!)

Lower the heat of your stove to low, and toss in all your veggies with your chicken. Sauté for 1-2 minutes or until your veggies are slightly soft and warm.

Plate this dish by covering the bottom with a bed of rice and place chicken and veggies over the top. Mix together, drizzle with lime, and EAT!

Chili lime steak tacos

Ingredients

Pico De Gallo

1. Vine-Ripened Tomatos

2. Red Onion

3. 1/2 Lime (Juiced)

4. Salt + Pepper

Steak Tacos

1. Beef Tenderloin

2. Chili Powder

3. Red Pepper Flakes

4. Italian Blend seasoning

5. Salt + Pepper

6. Lime (Juiced)

7. Minced Garlic

8. Corn Tortillas

9. Cheddar Cheese (Shredded)

Tools

1. Cutting Board

2. Chef Knife

3. Frying Pan

4. 2 Mixing Bowls

5. Teaspoon

How To

Let's begin with making the homemade pico de gallo, that way the flavors have time to sit in a bowl together and fuse together while the rest of the meal is cooking. To make this fresh salsa, start by dicing your tomatoes and red onion and throwing them into a bowl. Squeeze 1/2 of your lime into the bowl, and top with salt, pepper, and green onion. Mix together and set aside.

For the steak, start with combining your spices to create a chili lime rub that will be used to marinate the steak. To do this, take 1/2 of a tsp of salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and italian blend seasoning. Combine 1 tsp of chili powder (more if you like things EXTRA SPICY!) and 1 tsp of minced garlic. Squeeze your lime over all the spices and mix together.

After creating this, rub your piece of steak with this marinade making sure to really push the flavors into the meat. Once complete, cut your steak into strips and toss into a frying pan to cook for 3-4 minutes on medium heat with a little olive oil. (Use this time frame for steak that is cooked medium, adjust the time depending on how your prefer your steak either, medium rare, medium, medium well, or well done).

Once the steak is cooked, place 2 corn tortillas on a plate and create your tacos using the steak, homemade pico de gallo & cheese! Feel free to add other toppings like sour cream, brown rice, gucamole, or whatever your heart desires! Before you eat, be warned, this dish is a spicy one!

Teriyaki chicken pineapple boat

Ingredients

1. Whole Pineapple

2. Chicken Breast (1)

3. Brown Rice

4. Soy Sauce

5. Brown Sugar

6. Honey

7. Brown Rice

8. Olive Oil

9. Seasame Seeds

Tools

1. Cutting Board

2. Frying Pan

3. Measuring Cups

4. Chef Knife

How to

To make this recipe, start by preparing your favorite rice according its its directions and put it off to the side for later.

Next, you'll have to slice your whole pineapple directly down the middle (Be careful with this, go slow and slice ALL THE WAY THROUGH the pineapple to make sure you cut the pineapple evenly in half). Using one half, scoop out the insides and drain the juice. When scooping out the inards of the pinapple, don't go too far down or too close to the sides so your pineapple remains sturdy enough to hold the food you place inside it.

Next, chop your chicken breast into 1 inch cubes and cook in a frying pan with a little olive oil over Medium-High heat until fully cooked (3-4 minutes approximately). Next, combine 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup soy sauce, and 1/2 cup honey into the pan with the chicken, mix together, and bring the contents to a boil. For extra flavor, toss in some pineapple chucks and some pineapple juice from the insides you scooped out! Once boiling, reduce the heat to Medium-Low and let simmer for around 10-12 minutes until the sauce is thick.

To finish this one off, scoop your cooked rice into one side of your pineapple, chicken on the other, and top with seasame seeds.

Don't forget to post a pic of this one on your Instagram because your cooking skills are on point!!

Garlic & herbs pasta

Ingredients

1. Pasta (Of your choice)

2. Butter

3. Olive Oil

4. Green Onions

5. Minced Garlic

6. Grated Cheese

7. Assorted Spices (Garlic Powder, Red Pepper Flakes, Italian Blend)

Tools

1. Sauce Pan

2. Small Frying Pan

3. Cutting Board

4. Chef Knife

5. Wooden Spoon (For stirring & serving)

How to

To start, throw some water on the stove in your saucepan and let in boil. While you are waiting for the water to boil, finely chop your green onions into small slivers and set aside.

Once the water is boiling, throw in the pasta of your choice and cook according to the directions (usually 8-10 minutes).

Once your pasta is almost fionished cooking, sauteè your minced garlic in a small frying pan (DO NOT BURN THE GARLIC (It tastes bad, trust me)). In that same pan, throw in your green onion, cheese, and assorted spices.

By this time, your pasta should be finished cooking! Strain it, toss it back into the same pan and then drop in your melted butter, garlic, and herb "sauce."

Mix together, spoon into bowls, and you're done!!