Cooking can be overwhelming. You see so many videos online about what a ‘good’ meal is supposed to look like but as college students, who has the time to cook for 2-3 hours every night? Since moving out of the dorms, I’ve had to navigate the world of cooking and find my favorite recipes to last me through the week. Luckily, since Davis is so small, there are only so many grocery stores you can shop at…which actually makes this ordeal easier! I’ll give you a list of a couple of my favorite weeknight dishes that taste good and don’t break the bank.
Starting out strong with a Trader Joe’s classic — orange chicken. Trader Joe’s is a great place to buy frozen food that’s ready to be cooked and takes minimal effort. First, I turn on my rice cooker and make 2 cups of rice (I love Jasmine rice but any rice works). As that’s going, I prepare my vegetables. I prefer mushrooms or bok choy but any vegetable works. After I’m done cutting up my mushrooms I set my pan to medium heat and add some olive oil and the mushrooms. The key to getting perfect mushrooms is to let them simmer for 10-15 minutes before you add any seasoning (including salt and pepper). Once 10-15 minutes have passed I add teriyaki sauce, pepper, and garlic powder and continue to let it simmer. As the mushrooms are still cooking, pull out the orange chicken and set your oven to 400º. The chicken takes 18-20 minutes to cook so plan accordingly. When the mushrooms are done, take them off to let them cool and wait for the chicken and rice to be done. Adding the sauce is easy, microwave it for 1 minute and it should be ready to go! With the orange chicken, mushrooms, and rice done, add it to a bowl and you have a healthy meal (with some leftovers too!)
Next is a TikTok-inspired meal, spicy salmon bites. Everyone has their own recipe for this but I use garlic powder, sriracha, oyster sauce and soy sauce. I like the Trader Joe’s Alaskan salmon but if you’re trying to make enough to last you a while, the Costco salmon is just as good! Slice the skin off your salmon and cut it into cubes and add your seasonings. Depending on how spicy you want the salmon you can add less sriracha (or more, up to you). Let it sit in the sauce for 30 minutes and set your air fryer to 375º. Once the salmon bites are in, let it cook for 7 minutes on one side and flip it for another 7 minutes. Everyone’s air fryer is different so be sure to check on them regularly. Once they’re golden brown they’re ready to eat! I like to eat it with rice and avocado, but if you’re looking for something more complex, add the rice and avocado to rice paper with the salmon and cook it on the pan until the paper gets crispy.
I hope these easy meals have inspired you at least a little bit to start cooking and exploring different seasonings and foods. Trader Joe’s and Costco are great places to buy ready-to-eat foods at a low price. Share your orange chicken and spicy salmon bites with your roommate, partner, or friend! Happy cooking!