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Life

Busy Week Recipes: Cheap, Easy, and Lots of Leftovers

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UW Stout chapter.

As a college students, there’s nothing we love more than a home cooked meal. The problem is that there’s not always enough time to cook during the week, so we have to resort to the typical ramen packets, frozen pizza, or instant mac and cheese. Let’s just say this gets old fast (and pretty unhealthy). The key is finding recipes that not only make enough food, but also food that freezes well and reheats easily for later. If you’re running around trying to get to every class, meeting, and work shift, just pop any of these recipes in the microwave and you’ll have a home cooked meal ready to go in minutes.

1. Asian-Inspired Vegetables

From the first time I tried this, I was obsessed. It’s healthy, freezes incredibly well, and is so easy to make. Just mix up the sauce while the vegetables are cooking, pour it over, and you’re done! These vegetables go with a lot of different main dishes- not just Asian foods. Pair it with rice, noodles, or one of the following two recipes. It also goes well with burgers, sandwiches, or chicken as a vegetable side dish.

2. Honey Sriracha Glazed Meatballs

This is another healthy recipe that neither I, nor the people I’ve shared it with, can get enough of. I typically half this recipe because the original makes 40 meatballs, and it still leaves me with plenty of leftovers for a few meals. Just freeze any of your leftovers and pop them in the microwave when it’s time to reheat, cook up some rice, and you have an entire meal in minutes.

3. Honey Garlic Chicken and Cauliflower Rice

This recipe is definitely a staple for me because it’s so easy and the chicken is amazing. While the cauliflower rice is a great way to get some extra vegetables in your diet, you can always substitute rice if that’s what you have in the pantry. 

4. Mom’s Spaghetti Sauce and Meatballs

This recipe is an old family favorite. The sauce recipe is so easy to make and tastes way better than anything you can find at the store! (Bonus tip: the sauce can also be used as pizza sauce) Store the leftovers in the freezer and reheat whenever you’re in the pasta mood- which is basically every day if we’re being honest.

5. Parmesan Crusted Chicken

If you’re getting sick of chicken nuggets every night and are looking for something similar, but with a little more flavor, this is the recipe for you. It freezes well and when you’re ready, pop it in the oven for about 10 minutes.

6. Creamy Asiago Cheese Garlic Tortellini 

This recipe is great on its own and it’s way more filling than you’d think, so a little bit goes a long way. It also goes well with the previous parmesan crusted chicken recipe.

If you know you have a busy week coming up and know you won’t have a lot of time to cook, make one of these recipes and reheat whenever you’re hungry.

Kendra Lamer

UW Stout '19

Kendra Lamer is the Campus Correspondent for Her Campus at UW-Stout. She is a professional communication and emerging media major with a concentration in applied journalism at the University of Wisconsin-Stout. When she's not doing school work or writing for Her Campus, you can find her dancing at the studio, going for a run, drinking coffee or decorating for holidays way too early. After graduating, she plans on pursuing a career in public relations or journalism and adopting lots of dogs.
Her Campus at UW-Stout