This year, I moved into a new apartment with my best friends. I have always known how to cook easy meals like quesadillas, Mac and Cheese, etc. By not choosing to have a meal plan this year, I was forced to learn how to put different kinds of meals together, whether it included chicken, fish, or neither! After being at school for one month, I have mastered a few recipes that are super filling and healthy at the same time!
The first recipe I have enjoyed making is grilled chicken with sautéed peppers and yellow squash, over pasta with marinara sauce. This takes only a few pans and is easy clean up! First, I cut up the chicken breasts and put them in a pan with oil, and basic spices. I make sure all of that is cooked through and then add the sliced peppers and squash. Once everything is cooked down, I make the pasta and drain it, put some jarred sauce on top, and heat it all up in the pot. I then combine the chicken and peppers and squash with the pasta and sauce and plate it with air fried Brussel sprouts on the side! This is a nice healthy dish that includes all of the food groups and can be packed into left over containers for the next day!
The second meal I have been loving recently is a stir fry with pasta and potatoes! I sliced up the rest of the vegetables I had left in my fridge, so this recipe is very flexible. I sliced up green bell peppers, mushrooms, green beans, and zucchini, and three them in a pan with some oil and salt and pepper. I turned the oven on to medium to let the vegetables sauté. At the same time, I washed and quartered a few small red potatoes, put oil and spices on them, and put them in the air fryer for 10 minutes until they were crispy. When they came out of the fryer, I put some lemon juice on them and let them sit for a little while. After all that was done, I made penne pasta and put the same jarred sauce on top and heated it all up for a few minutes. I plated all the food and it was another full plate with lots of different flavors! I highly recommend this one!
The third recipe I love has been a simple avocado toast that I cannot live without! I toast up a piece of bread, and fry an egg with spices such as parsley, salt, pepper, garlic, and paprika. I cut up the avocado and spread it on the piece of toast. I then put the egg on top, put on a drizzle of siracha and that’s it! Sometimes I will put some Everything but the Bagel seasoning on but it is such a staple recipe to have under your belt for a quick breakfast!
Just the thought of having to cook for yourself can be a daunting thought, but 99.9% of the time, its as easy as taking different vegetables from the fridge and putting them together and seeing what amazing recipe you can come up with!