Quick & Healthy Meals for the Busy College Student

Being a senior that lives off campus has taught me a lot of things, but, most importantly, I have learned how to cook quick, easy, and healthy meals with my roommate. Below are the ingredients and step-by-step processes to cook our top 3 favorite dishes! 

(Olive oil, salt, and pepper are needed for all 3 recipes)

1. Shrimp Rice Bowls (Total cook time = 25-30 minutes)

Ingredients: shrimp, white rice, cucumbers, avocado, soy sauce, sriracha mayo (and you can always add any other vegetables that you like!)

Step 1: In a pot, cook your rice. I usually buy plain white rice and follow the instructions on the bag/box. You should start with this because it takes the longest to cook. (Approximately 20-25 minutes depending on the type of rice you choose).

Step 2: Cook your shrimp. I usually buy the refrigerated, cooked shrimp and either throw 6-8 shrimps in an air fryer or a pan. Because I buy cooked shrimp, I just heat them up with some olive oil, salt, and pepper, so they’re warm when I add them to my bowl. I also wait until the rice is basically done cooking because heating up the shrimp only takes about 5-8 minutes.

Step 3: While the shrimp are heating up and the rice is cooking, start chopping! I usually dice up avocado and cucumbers, but you can add any other ingredients that you like.

Step 4: Throw it all into a bowl. I start by scooping my rice and then adding my avocado, cucumbers, and shrimp over the rice. Then, I add the amount of soy sauce and sriracha mayo that I like. 

2. Chicken Quinoa Bowls (Total cook time = 25-30 minutes)

Ingredients: 1 chicken breast, quinoa, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, goat cheese (optional)

Step 1: Turn on your oven to 400 degrees. Put your broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots on a baking pan and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Add salt and pepper. When your oven is ready, put the baking pan in. Bake until vegetables are slightly crispy and brown. (Approximately 20 minutes).

Step 2: Cook your quinoa. I usually just buy whatever quinoa is available at the grocery store and follow the directions on the bag/box. 

Step 3: Cook your chicken. In a pan, add some olive oil and saute chicken. Depending on the thickness of your chicken breast, cook each side for 5-7 minutes. I also add salt and pepper to both sides of the chicken as I cook it. When chicken is done, chop it up into bite sized pieces.

Step 4: Add all of your ingredients to a bowl. I usually put the quinoa on the bottom and top it with the chopped chicken, broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots. Depending on my mood, I also add some goat cheese. 

3. Avocado Toast with Eggs (Total cook time = 10-15 minutes)

Ingredients: 2 eggs, ½-1 avocado, arugula, 2 pieces of bread (Dave’s is my personal favorite)

Step 1: Throw 2 pieces of bread into the toaster to get to your desirable level of toastiness.

Step 2: Cook 2 eggs to your liking. Add salt and pepper.

Step 3: While your toast and eggs are cooking, mash up an avocado. I usually add salt and pepper (and sometimes lemon) to my mashed avocado. Depending on the size, you may only need half of an avocado.

Step 4: Spread mashed up avocado on your pieces of toast. Then, take a handful of arugula and place on each piece of bread. Add your eggs to each piece of toast. Top with red pepper flakes/salt/pepper to your liking. 

Hope you enjoy these meals as much as we do!

• Busy
• health
• healthy food