Not to brag or anything, but a while back I made the best discovery ever. Most of you make your way to my blog thanks to Facebook, which means that most of you are my college-aged friends living off of the infamous “student budget.” Personally, I have eating habits a five-year-old could only fantasize about. I devour chocolate at an alarming rate, eat Oreos for dinner, and can down a pint of Ben & Jerry’s in one sitting. The good news is that my body is kind enough to keep my thighs and tummy in check with a decent metabolism, but the bad news is that there are some seriously dangerous side effects that result from eating habits like mine. Believe it or not, Ramen is about as good for you as a bucket of salt for dinner (yum) and even though it’s so much cheaper and easier, fast food presents the same problems.
I’m in college too. I get why you don’t cook. To research a recipe that sounds good, write down the ingredients, check whether you have said ingredients, fetch the remainders from the grocery store, and cook dinner would require lifting too many fingers. Not to mention the fact that for us, hunger sets in pretty quickly when we walk in the front door after a long day of work, and we don’t have the patience for all that crap. But behold…
A solution! Weeks ago, I discovered the most amazing website called My Fridge Food. Why is it amazing? Because it compiles a list of quick, easy recipes that use food you already have! All you have to do is fill out the elaborate checklist of products (they include literally everything edible) and click “search for recipes.” Then their database gives you a list of recipes to choose from. For each recipe, it tells you how many of the ingredients you have, what you’re missing (whether it’s an optional, mandatory, or nice-to-have ingredient), and how long it will take to make.
You can also browse by category: appetizers, breakfasts, lunches, dinners, dinners for two (ooh la la), desserts, and snacks! If you’re in a rush or just too starving to wait, you can browse by cook time too. I made a delicious tilapia with balsamic dressing in five minutes.
So instead of making a bee line for a box of Cheez-Its or a Hot Pocket, make an account with My Fridge Food and have something healthier to eat!