How to survive college without a meal plan: Smart cooking tips to last you the entire semester


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Sari Castro | Daily Trojan

Sari Castro | Daily Trojan

Step Two: The Cooking Process

One of the most annoying things of having to cook is figuring out what to cook. Whether you’re an experienced cook or a beginner, this is something that is always a hassle.

To begin with, here are some terms you should learn: casseroles, one-pot meals and freezer meals. Type them in Google or Pinterest, and various recipes will pop up. To make your search easier, here are several helpful links that will supply you with amazing cooking ideas. 

Go ahead and check out the links. Most of them classify food by breakfast, lunch and dinner. Try to dedicate some time during the week or over the weekend to schedule your foods for the week; don’t underestimate the power or being organized! This way, if you know you’re going to cook meat the next day, take the food out of the freezer and into the fridge to defrost the night before. If you know you want to have a certain meal for the next day’s lunch, then make it at night and prepare your airtight container.

QUICK TIPS

Breakfast – I have 8 a.m. class Tuesdays and Thursdays. Since it’s so early and I barely have time to get ready and eat (learned from experience), I prepare overnight oats Monday and Wednesday night and take it with me the next morning. They are super simple, delicious and nutritious. Plus, you can add whatever you want. If you want my recipe, check out my blog at https://bakeandread.wordpress.com/about/blog-entries/overnight-oatmeal/.

Lunch – If you can’t go back home for lunch, bring your container and heat it up. There’s a microwave in the food court of the Ronald Tutor Campus Center.

Dinner – I know it’s hard and most of us make this our biggest meal of the day, but try your best to eat something light as you won’t be able to burn those calories while sleeping!

One of the most popular dishes among college students is pasta, and I’m no exception.Here’s a super easy recipe for lasagna, my all-time favorite dish. If you read my previous post, “Back to Basics,” you’ll remember how I said that I don’t eat steak unless it’s cooked in a certain way. But even though I don’t really eat it, I do eat burgers and you know what regular burgers are made out of? Ground beef. And do you know what lasagna is made out of? That’s right, whatever on earth you want it to make it out of. But this one has ground beef.

INGREDIENTS

  • Ground beef (or ground turkey)
    • ¼ tsp of cumin
    • ¼ tsp of oregano
    • 1 tsp cayenne pepper (I like to spice it up)
    • ¼ tsp salt
    • ½ tsp TJ’s 21 seasoning salute
  • Lasagna noodles (enough for a three-layer lasagna
  • Tomato sauce (I usually use vodka sauce)
  • Provolone cheese
  • Mozzarella cheese
  • Ricotta/cottage cheese
  • Parmesan cheese

PROCESS

  1. Season the meat the night before or the morning of the day you’ll cook it.
  2. Cook on medium-high heat until done. You’ll know it’s done when all the pieces turn brown (or grayish).
  3. Meanwhile, cook the lasagna noodles following the steps on the package. You usually just need to boil some water and let it cook until tender.
  4. FUN PART. Pour some sauce at the bottom of your baking dish and start layering: noodles, sauce, meat, provolone, mozzarella, ricotta/cottage, parmesan cheese. Repeat this process until you complete the three layers.
  5. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
  6. Let it cool for about 10 -15 minutes.
  7. Enjoy!