Healthy Cooking in College
Learning to cook for yourself is a great skill to have before you leave for college. It is useful when you have guests over, when you throw parties, or even just to make yourself a nice meal! Not only is it gratifying to learn to cook, it also saves a ton of money, and is healthy! Cooking with fresh ingredients can give your body the fuel it needs for college life, and you’ll save yourself from eating too much ramen or sodium filled freezer meals. While there’s nothing wrong with those in moderation, your body will thank you for cooking! Here are some healthy, simple meals, that you can make quickly, and with only a few ingredients:
Sweet Potatoes and Sausage Sheet Pan
1 medium sweet potato, cut into 1″ cubes
2 links chicken apple sausage, cooked and sliced in 1/2 thick slices
1 cup asparagus (chopped) or broccoli florets
Onion, chopped into 1″ sections
Olive Oil, Parmesan, salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease small pan (can use toaster oven or regular oven). Mix all ingredients together in a bowl, and drizzle with olive oil. Add salt and pepper, and roast for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. Sprinkle with parmesan and serve!
Pesto Pasta with Spinach
2 cups cooked pasta
1/4 cup pre-made or homemade pesto
1 cup fresh spinach
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes
Parmesan cheese
Optional: Italian sausage, cooked and crumbled
Cook pasta as directed on package. Drain and set aside. In pan, warm pesto, thinned out with olive oil if you want. Add tomatoes and spinach, cook until spinach is wilted and tomatoes are warmed through. Pour pesto sauce over cooked pasta and combine. Sprinkle with parmesan. Add warmed sausage, if desired.
As you can see, these recipes require very little cooking, not a ton of strange ingredients, and are both packed with vegetables! In addition, they can be made with a toaster oven or a hot plate, which most dorm rooms can accommodate. They can even be served to guests once you get the hang of cooking them 🙂 Stay tuned for more college life tips!
