I once read, “You are what you eat so don’t be fast, easy, cheap, or fake.” It makes sense to eat healthy because your skin, nails, teeth, hair and everything else about you all are made of what we put in our body (there’s more science behind that but I respect your time). Not to mention your mood and energy levels are greatly affected by your diet, hence why HANGER (hungry + anger) exists. Although I can totally get behind the idea of not eating fake foods, being a college student something fast, easy and cheap is exactly what I need. So I’ve rounded up a list of my three go to meals that take less than 15 minutes to make.
1. Peanut Butter and Fruit Sandwich. Peanut butter is one of my top 5 favorite foods; I love to eat it straight from the jar with a spoon, on toast, in smoothies, on celery, to be completely honest I feel like it goes with almost everything. Peanut butter and jelly was one of my favorite meals as a kid but now that I’m older I thought it was time to sophisticate the sandwich (and reduce the sugar) by replacing the jelly with whole fruit. Simply spread peanut butter on both slices of bread (preferably whole wheat, sprouted, or gluten free) and add your favorite berries to one side. Smash together and enjoy! For extra sophistication toast your bread before assembling the sandwich. This meal gives you fiber, protein, healthy carbs and will satisfy your sweet tooth.
2. Teriyaki Veggie Bowl. We all need to eat more vegetables so why not make them delicious? Although I’m a much bigger fan of sautéing or steaming I understand time, space and equipment can all be hurdles when cooking, so a microwave friendly recipe is a must. For this meal, I suggest a stir fry blend of vegetables. A bag of frozen vegetables costs no more than $3 and has multiple servings. Simply pour a servings worth of vegetables into a microwave safe bowl, add a little water, and heat in the microwave until slightly tender (about 4 minutes, depending on the microwave). Pour a little teriyaki sauce on top, stir and enjoy. For even more yumminess add plain leftover rice, quinoa, or pasta. Pro tip: add a lean protein like chicken, salmon, tofu or beans!
3. Easy Tacos. I’ve never met a person who doesn’t like tacos and really what is there not to like? There is a time and place to take your time on tacos but they can also be made super-fast. Simply lay out the desired number of corn tortillas, add a spoonful of cooked beans or meat to each, sprinkle with diced vegetables (peppers, onions, corn, lettuce, etc.), and top with salsa. Fold each in half and enjoy. There are so many different combinations that it will take a while for you to become bored of it. Note, spicy foods are said to raise endorphins (and “endorphins make you happy and happy people don’t just kill their husbands”) so try and use the spiciest salsa you can handle.
Just because you’re short on time doesn’t mean you can throw nutrition out the window. So the next time you’re hangry skip the fake food and chow down on one of these meals. No more Hangry-ness for you! Happy eating!