The Meals That Helped Me Survive College (Long Blog Example 600-700 Words)

If you ask absolutely anyone, I am no Michelin star chef. When I graduated high school my cooking skills were subpar at best. I guess I didn’t necessarily get sat down and told that moving into an apartment in college meant that the kitchen was now your domain to master. Here’s some recipes that seem abysmal on paper but actually led me to survive my undergraduate years. 

1| Italian Pasta Salad

The easiest and most refreshing meal that can be made ahead of time and enjoyed for a few days after. This pasta salad is so customizable and always left me feeling satisfied.

1) Boil your pasta of choice. I recommend using tricolor rotini as the sauce seeps into the spirals so well. You want the pasta to be pretty soft, but if you prefer your noodles firmer, know that they soften after the dressing is added. Oh, and salt your water if you’re not boring.

2) Prepare your toppings. I liked to use cucumbers, bell peppers, and mozzarella balls (hack if you’re on a budget: use chopped up cheese sticks). If I needed protein I would add some sliced salami or pepperoni but that’s not necessary. Others may choose to add tomatoes or olives but I think those are absolutely repulsive, so I refrain. Onions also sound like a delicious option for this dish. 

3) Run your pasta under cold water. It feels wrong, but trust me you don’t want this salad to be warm. 

4) Add your toppings and dressings. For this part I throw in my prepared toppings, a little bit of Italian seasoning, and then give a first coat of Italian dressing. This is just to activate some initial flavors. If you add it all at once the flavors will fade to the elements of the plastic Tupperware and fridge. I recommend when you have a portion of it top it off with some of that Italian dressing then enjoy. 

2| Assorted Rich Bowls

The holy grail. Easy to toss together, so versatile, here’s some tips and tricks to making your very own college style rice bowls. 

1) Premake your rice and freeze it. This is a game changer. Minute rice simply doesn’t hit the same, and please do not refrigerate your rich. It dries out and loses all its flavor and can even grow bacteria. Choose a day to make a large batch of rich either on the stove or in a rice cooker and then throw it in some pre-portioned out ziplock bags and freeze. When you're ready to use it, put it in a bowl and microwave for just two minutes. Voila, fresh bowl of rice any time. 

2) Have assorted toppings on the ready. Things like cucumbers, green onions, pickled red onions, sauces, seasonings, proteins, and more can make dishes interesting. 

3) Sauce collection. Speaking of sauces, this is where the bowls really shine. Hoisin sauce, kewpie mayo, sriracha, gochujang, Thai peanut sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, etc. All these sauces can make for delicious and unique rice bowls. 

4) Here’s some combination ideas I frequented for simple recipes. All have a base of white rice. 

- Crispy chicken. Chicken patty/nuggets, hard boiled egg, green onion, hoisin sauce, sriracha, mayo, eaten in a piece of sea weed. 

- Thai Peanut. Chicken skewers, cucumber, red onion, maybe bell pepper, sesame seeds, thai peanut sauce. 

-Warm scramble bowl. Cook bell peppers and onions in a jar-lic (jar-garlic), soy sauce, brown sugar, sriracha sauce. Scramble 1-2 eggs, top with a little shredded cheese and green onions.

3| Protein Bites

These easy breakfast balls were a game changer when I had early classes. A measure with your heart style recipe. Mash two bananas, combine rolled oats, peanut butter, a little honey, protein powder if you have it, chia seeds, and mini semi sweet chocolate chips. Let chill in the drive then roll into balls and now you have breakfast/snack on the go.

Conclusion

A lot of these meals seem a bit unconventional but I swear they were a great way for me to get nutritious foods in a busy schedule. Many people online have an unrealistic expectation of what college students eat on a daily basis, but I can assure you once you crack the code it really isn’t so hard.