College students all over the US must make do with minimal ingredients and tight budgets. This leads to unhealthy meals, which might fill your stomach but don’t taste as good and are worse for your health. But what other choice do most have? Well, budget cooking is always an option.
This post contains some budget friendly recipes to help you out when low on resources. Each of these recipes is healthy, tasty, and, most of all, affordable. With rising inflation and low income, we all have to make do with what we have. However, that doesn’t mean bland and unhealthy food. Let’s dive right in and make meals fun.
Struggles of cooking on a budget
Cooking on a budget is never a walk in the park. Fresh produce, lean meats, and specialty items often come at a high cost, and with inflation on the rise, that price is still getting higher. This doesn’t leave you with many options for healthy eating. This can lead to deteriorating health and other complications.
Likewise, balancing food costs with other expenses like rent, utilities, and transportation can further weigh you down. Being a college student and cooking in your dorm is tough, but it doesn’t leave you with many options to experiment. After all, you don’t want to waste your ingredients.
Before you start experimenting with the recipes that we will discuss shortly, make sure to prioritize your essentials. Focus spending on versatile and nutritious staples like rice, beans, and frozen vegetables. Likewise, plan meals ahead of time to avoid impulse purchases and reduce wastage all around.
If you have all that figured out, then let’s check some recipes you can try out in your dorm. They don’t cost much and are far healthier than the $2 burgers you can find in most fast-food joints.
Nutritious and budget friendly recipes to try
We will discuss some nutritious and budget friendly recipes you can try out today. All of these recipes are taken from Kara Allen’s fantastic book titled “You Can Cook: A guide to basic cooking skills and budget-friendly food.” In it, you will find a lot of recipes, cooking basics, and some great advice for budget meals.
Let’s explore some recipes that will help you out with minimal resources.
Making roasted chickpeas
Roasted chickpeas are a healthy snack that doesn’t take much time to cook, or much skill. Even if you’re new to the kitchen, you can easily whip up this recipe in no time at all. All you need is a can of chickpeas, 2 tablespoons of oil, half a tablespoon of cumin and paprika each, and some salt and pepper for flavor. Look out for these when shopping.
Once you have all the ingredients together, you can start preparing roasted chickpeas. Start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F. Combine the chickpeas, the oil, and the spices in a bowl and stir them. Season them to suit your tastes. Once you’re satisfied with the spices, then spread the chickpeas across a pan and bake for 30 minutes until crisp.
Roasted chickpeas are a healthy alternative to potato chips. They don’t contain as much fat, and you can customize the recipe to suit your tastes. If you want them crispier, you can bake them for longer, and if you want them spicier, then add more spices. You can even experiment with different sauces and sides like yogurt, onions, and more.
Making roux for pasta
Roux is a mixture of butter, milk, flour, and some flavorings that you can use in a variety of meals. It is also called cheese sauce since it is used heavily in mac and cheese. Since it is such a versatile and important meal, you need to know how to make it and use it. So, let’s start with the ingredients that you will need.
First and foremost, the exact quantity of ingredients can be varied to suit your tastes, however, for a safe bet. Get 2 tablespoons of butter and flour each, with 1 cup of milk. You should also use between 1 and 1.5 cups of shredded cheese too. Cheddar is a popular option, but mozzarella works just as well. Lastly, use salt and pepper to taste.
First, melt the butter in a pan over medium heat until it is foamy. Then, sprinkle in the flour and whisk to combine them. Cook for about 1-2 minutes until the mixture is golden. You should then slowly pour in the milk while whisking and add the cheese based on the desired thickness. Season the mixture according to your desire, and it’s done!
Crispy mashed potato cake
If you need a healthy and budget option for breakfast, then crispy mashed potato cakes might be perfect. To cook it, you will need about 3 cups of mashed potatoes. You will also need a cup of baking mix, cooked stuffing, and crushed fried onions for each. Apart from that, you will require 2 large eggs and ¾ cup of dry bread crumbs.
To start cooking, mix the potatoes, baking mix, stuffing, and eggs in a bowl until they are blended. Then, refrigerate them for 30 minutes, ensure they are covered, and preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
In another bowl, mix the onions and bread crumbs and shape the potatoes into thick patties. Dip those patties in the crumb mixture and pat them to coat them completely. Then, transfer these to a pan and bake for 35-40 minutes or until they turn golden brown. Let them stand for about 5 minutes before enjoying them.
Chicken salad
Salad is a go-to meal for people who are dieting, but contrary to popular belief, it is not supposed to be tasteless. For instance, try this filling, healthy, and affordable chicken salad. You will need 2 cans of drained chicken, ¼ cup of chopped red onions, and 1 celery rib also chopped. ½ cup of sliced red grapes or diced apples can add some sweetness.
You can even add some raisins if you prefer it. ¼ cup of mayonnaise, however, goes without saying. Lastly, add a splash of lemon juice for that tangy taste and salt and pepper for seasoning. To prepare it properly, combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir well. Season it with salt and pepper and keep tasting until the flavor is optimal.
The best thing about chicken salad is that you can prepare it however you want and eat it whenever you want. It can be spread on a sandwich or in a wrap and eaten on the go, too. Some people even add some extra ingredients such as mushrooms, walnuts, and more spices for added flavor. It is all up to you how you want to enjoy your chicken salad.
Amazing budget cooking at your fingertips
In this post, we talked about budget cooking and how to master it. Whether you have fallen on hard times or are a college student working with limited ingredients, we hope this article has helped you. Cooking on a budget is never easy, but with these handy recipes, we hope that mealtimes are fun and filling for everyone.
Also, be sure to check out “You Can Cook: A guide to basic cooking skills and budget-friendly food.” By Kara Allen. It contains a lot of budget friendly recipes that anyone can make and contains some helpful resources for food security. You can order it TODAY. With that said, why not cook up a meal and enjoy it while you wait for your book to arrive?
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