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

As college students, we are often too busy, or sometimes simply too lazy to cook. With all of the homework, papers, and exams, we often don’t have time to get home and prepare a meal. I have lived in an apartment where I have to cook for myself for some months now, so I’ve learned to master easy, quick meals to make for those days when I don’t feel like cooking, and I’m going to share them with you.

Breakfast: Healthy Waffles 

In my opinion, breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and I can’t start my day without it. Whenever I’m craving something delicious, but I’m in a hurry or don’t want to spend a lot of time cooking, waffles are my go-to. To make these waffles, you’ll need: 1 cup of oats, 1 egg, 1 tablespoon of stevia, 1 banana, a dash of cinnamon, one teaspoon of vanilla extract, and half a cup of almond milk (or the milk of your choice). You just blend all of these ingredients together, and cook them in a waffle-maker!

Sweet Snack: Yogurt Parfait

Whenever I’m hungry in-between meals and I want something sweet, I always reach for yogurt. I personally like Greek-yogurt for this recipe. What I do is I pour an amount of yogurt into a bowl (the amount depends on how hungry you are), and I mix it with granola and fruits – normally strawberries and blueberries. This is a very healthy snack that will keep you full and get you going until your next meal, and I highly encourage you to try it!

Savory Snack: Roasted Almonds

If you’re not really into sweet snacks, then this will be great for you. This is a very simple snack to make, as you only have to put the almonds in a tray and heat them in the oven at 350ºF for about 10 minutes. Roasting them really does give them a better taste, and you’ll be able to enjoy a tasty snack without having to do much!

Lunch: Salmon With Veggies 

This is by far my favorite lunch to make, because it is delicious and requires very little effort. First, you need to grab a tray where you’ll put your salmon and aluminum foil to wrap your salmon. You can season it with salt, lemon, and pepper, and put it in the oven at 350ºF for 20 minutes. As for the veggies, I almost always accompany my salmon with red peppers and broccoli. To grill the veggies, all you’ll have to do is get a pan and cook your veggies, adding a little olive oil, salt, and pepper, and stir them to your liking. This is seriously one of the easiest meals to make, and it won’t disappoint you!

Dinner: Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Cheese Pizza

This is probably cheating, because it’s not a recipe, but I wanted to add it because it is one of my favorite dinners, and it requires no effort at all. There are probably hundreds of recipes online on how to make this pizza, but honestly, the one they sell at Trader Joe’s is very good. All you have to do is put it in the oven at 350ºF for 15 minutes and you’re done! How easier can it get? For those days when I get home late from class and have a lot of homework to do, this pizza is a lifesaver, as it is healthy and a perfect choice for dinner. I usually split it in half with my sister as it is quite big, but if you live alone, you could eat half and save the rest for the next day!

I hope these gave you ideas on what to eat and how to cook delicious meals on those days when you’re too busy to cook! 

I’m a current junior majoring in Journalism and French at Penn State. My dream is to work in publishing after college and go to law school to study corporate law. 
Allie Bausinger is a Penn State University graduate who majored in Print/Digital Journalism with a minor in English. She is from "outside Philadelphia," which in her case is Yardley, Pennsylvania. Allie is looking for full-time employment in writing, editing, fact-checking, podcasting, and other areas of the journalism and writing fields.