Cost Breakdown

Recipe Making Process

Gather ingredients and mix in a large bowl. Make sure everything is combined evenly.

Using a 2 Tbsp cookie scoop, scoop balls, roll, and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.

Place balls in fridge for 30 minutes to allow them to set. ENJOY!

Nutrition Facts

Many factors contribute to the lack of dietary needs being met in the college student population. These include; lack of resources (cooking utensils), time available to prepare healthier foods, increase in cost of higher quality foods (produce, fresh, etc), and the fear of wasting fresh products compared to shelf stable ones. To combat most of these concerns, this is a recipe that is easy to replace fresh produce with frozen vegetables -a cheaper and more shelf-stable alternative. It requires minimum effort and time. As well, the recipe is easily able to be modified without causing stress to busy college students!

We recommend sprinkling cheese on top of the potatoes before baking to enhance the flavor and texture. You can also substitute ground beef with lentils and the butter with oil or plant butter to fulfill your diet needs.

To sum it up, We want to provide a fulfilling meal that provides all the macros we need and still makes it inexpensive and delicious. We hope you love this recipe just as much as we did. Enjoy!

Cost Breakdown

Recipe Making Process

1. The first thing we did was get out all of our utensils and ingredients. This helped us stay organized and on track. This also gives the vegetables time to thaw.
2. Don’t forget to preheat the oven! If you don’t, that will add unnecessary time to the cooking process.

3. Next, you’ll want to wash, peel, and dice cut your potatoes. We used a large dice cut which is about a one-inch cube. This makes sure that the potatoes cook quickly and evenly. Add enough water to a pot to just cover the potatoes, and bring the water to a boil. This part also takes a lot longer than you might think! Check the doneness of the potatoes by poking them with a fork.

4. Then, add 1-3 Tbsp of butter to a tall, but not large, pot and melt. After just melting, add only the chopped onion and sauté for approximately 10 minutes. The first time we made this, we added 4 tbsp of butter which was way too much for sauteing onions. This also took butter that we should have put in the mashed potatoes. Sauteing onions only need a little fat on medium-high heat until they turn clear. This process will be faster if you do not overcrowd the pan or use a bigger pan than we did.

5. We then added the raw beef to the pan with the onions. When no more pink remains in the ground beef, add the remainder of your chopped vegetables as well as the Worcestershire sauce (or ketchup), salt & pepper, and broth, and bring to a simmer. Simmering is when you bring the temperature of the mixture to a low bubble without boiling it.

6. While the meat mixture simmered (we did add a little more broth to keep the meat from drying out), we drained the water out of the pot of potatoes. We added 4 Tbsp of butter to the potatoes and mashed them until a smooth consistency. It would have been more creamy if we added more butter. Using a potato masher or even a beater would have helped us get a better texture than the fork that we used.

7. We added the meat and vegetable mixture to the bottom of a casserole dish (such as 9×13). Make sure that you grease the pan! Next, we carefully placed and spread spoonfuls of mashed potatoes across the top. Consider adding shredded cheese on top of the potato mixture for variation.

8. After that, we placed the entire dish in the oven and baked it for approximately 30 minutes, or until the top was slightly browned. You may want to broil the last couple of minutes to brown the potatoes. If we had done this the top would have had a better color and crispness.

9. We then used a straight-edge spatula to create a nice square portion to serve. It will most likely be crumbly, but should taste amazing! We loved the final flavor, it was filling and enjoyable to eat. You could add things like ketchup on the side, butter top, or simply enjoy as is!

Autumn Harvest Chili

Author: Wednesday Group 1 Cooking Method:Simmering, convection heat transfer Cuisine:American Courses:Lunch, Dinner Recipe Keys: F Flexible Dairy Free

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 20 minutesCook time: 30 minutesRest time: minutesTotal time: 50 minutesServings:4 servingsCalories:249 kcal Best Season:Fall

Description

Everyone loves this no-bean Autumn Harvest Chili. It’s a smoky/sweet combo of ground turkey, spices, and fall veggies like pumpkin and sweet potato.

Ingredients

• 1  tbsp olive oil or canola oil
• 1  lb. lean ground turkey
• 1  small onion, diced about ½ cup 
• 1  large carrot, grated about ¾ cup 
• 1  large, sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1″ cube
• 1  (15 oz) can corn, drained and rinsed 
• 1  cup canned pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie mix) 
• 2  (14.5 oz) cans diced tomatoes; no salt added – undrained 
• 1  tbsp chili powder 
• 2  tsp ground cumin 
• 1  tsp sea salt or to taste
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper optional 

Instructions

1. Add 1 tbsp of oil to a large soup pot or saucepan (2 qt or 3 qt) and heat over medium-high heat. Add the ground turkey and cook until no longer pink, breaking up large chunks as you go. Add the diced onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes, until onions are translucent. 
2. Add the carrots, sweet potato, corn, pumpkin, and diced tomatoes and mix well. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, salt, and cayenne (if using). 
3. Continue cooking on medium-high until mixture starts to bubble. Lower heat to low-medium, cover, and allow to simmer for 30 minutes. 
4. Serve hot topped with any combination of plain yogurt, sour cream, ripe avocado, lime juice, hot sauce, and/or sharp cheddar. 

Video

Keywords:Dairy free, Gluten Free, Healthy

School is back again and that means it’s the start of fall semester. School can cause a lot of added stress to college students’ everyday lives. From expensive textbooks to tuition and rent, it can be an added stress to go to the grocery store, wandering the aisles trying to stay within budget and make meals that you know will keep you satisfied. You shouldn’t have to break the bank to be able to make nutritious and delicious meals. This Autumn Harvest Chili recipe by Juggling with Julia will help you prevent that. No more breaking the bank or worrying about finding the time in between classes and homework to cook. This recipe uses ingredients that are in season for the fall and easy to find, but most importantly the ingredients are inexpensive. Most ingredients are basic household ingredients you probably already have in your pantry. 

When you think of college your mind probably goes directly to studying, taking notes, and spending long hours finishing homework and writing papers. Our brains are constantly using energy throughout the day to keep us going, even more so when so much information is being thrown at you from all different directions. Our bodies can use many things for energy but our main sources are protein and carbs. This recipe is packed with protein and good carbs to keep you going throughout your busy day. It is veggie dense, to help boost your daily intake of those necessary vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fiber. You can even meal prep this recipe at the beginning of the week and take it on the go. It tastes just as good heated up, as it does straight out of the pot.

We hope you love this recipe as we have. We hope it takes stress off your budget, and we hope that it gets you into the cozy fall mood! 

Putting it Together

If you are new to cooking or experienced, this is a fun recipe to try. Because of it’s seasonal veggies, it could be a new recipe to try. Have you ever cooked with pumpkins? The first thing to do when beginning to make this recipe is to gather everything together and measure ingredients. This is a process often called mise en place. As many of the experienced cooks and chefs know, mise en place can help in preparation to ensure you have everything you need while also setting you up to create a higher quality dish by having everything ready to add at the moment it’s needed.

After you gather everything, you will saute the meat and onions together. Sauteing is a form of cooking where you add a little oil and use high heats to cook things. To achieve the best results, make sure to cut the onion to uniform sized pieces as shown in the video above. After ensuring all the meat is no longer pink and the onions have reached that opaque (almost clear) look, you can proceed. Refer to the picture below for a good representation!

Now that the meat is up to the right temperature (155 degrees F for beef or 165 degrees for poultry) and the onions are soft, we will add the carrots, sweet potato, corn, pumpkin, and diced tomatoes and seasonings. Part of food literacy is the ability to understand how cooking process can influence your final product. We added the onions first to ensure they become soft and release flavor to interact with all the other ingredients. Consider adding the ingredients in reverse order that you want firmness. In other words, add the ingredients that you want to softest first, while the firmer ingredients later.

Allow everything to boil and become soft. During this time pectin, a polysaccharide that provides an excellent source of soluble fiber, will break down in heat. To ensure everything has weakened to your desired texture, occasionally pull out little samples of the soup and bite into the contents to check for a soft, but firm texture. We found that the time this takes slightly differs each time, so make sure to check occasionally as you cook. When all the ingredients are combined, it may appear that additional liquid is needed; however, note that the tomatoes will release their juices during simmering.

Serve in a bowl and garnish with plain yogurt, sour cream, ripe avocado, lime juice, hot sauce, and/or sharp cheddar according to your preference. We would also recommend this dish to be prepared with bread or rolls at your preference. Once put together this dish is unique and healthy!

Recipe Tips 

• Substitute vegan crumbles, ground beef, or ground pork for the turkey, or try a combination of these! 

• Try raw, cubed winter squash (like butternut or acorn) in place of the sweet potato. Also, cooked winter squash is a nice substitute for canned pumpkins. 

• For more intense heat from the spice, add 1/4-1/2 teaspoon of cayenne. In my family, anything over 1/8 or so is too much! You do you. 

Toppings

Don’t forget the toppings! There are endless ways to dress up this recipe, its customizable and completely up to you. We recommend sliced avocado, for extra healthy fats. Cilantro, for extra flavor and antioxidants. Sour cream, to add more probiotics into your diet. Fritos or your favorite chips, because not everything has to be healthy. Anything you love, its your bowl of soup! 

Budget Friendly Tips!

Making this recipe “in season” with its ingredients will lower the overall ingredient cost. This is an important skill in food literacy. It’s using your knowledge of nutrition and food production when cooking for yourself and others. When you eat seasonal vegetables, you can eat a more diverse diet while saving money. So not only does it allow opportunities for you to stretch your cooking experience, but can also lead to health benefits. These are important aspects of developing food literacy. Our chili is called “Autumn Harvest Chili” because tis the season for the autumn vegetable harvest!

Cost Breakdown

Expand your culinary creations by trying out a Thai flavored dish that is sure to impress your friends with its yummy flavors. Making new or foreign flavored foods can feel intimidating but we have split this recipe into easy steps to follow and you are sure to succeed! Only two cooking techniques are needed and if you want a simpler dish you can simply forgo sautéing the chicken or even adding some precooked shredded chicken if you are worried about cooking raw meat. We take a piece of chicken out of the pan in our video below and cut it open to show you what fully cooked chicken looks like to help. The other technique used is boiling, and while salt isn’t called for in the recipe adding salt to water helps the water boil and also adds a little flavor to the noodles.

When you are making the sauce don’t be worried if you feel like the ingredients aren’t fully combining and it looks lumpy. When you add the sauce to freshly drained noodles in the warm pot the leftover heat will help to smooth out the sauce. If it still stays lumpy feel free to turn the heat on to low to help smooth out the sauce and remove the lumps. At first the sauce will be fairly thin, if you would like it to be thicker you can keep it on the low heat or let it sit for a few minutes before you serve it to thicken it up. Use the toppings we provided or feel free to add any of your own that sound good to you! See the video below for each step in the cooking process.

Cost Breakdown

No one wants to pay an arm and a leg for a yummy meal. We have broken down all of the costs needed for the ingredients. Feel free to substitute with whatever form of the ingredient you already own, no need to buy a specific kind or specifically fresh garlic, lime or ginger. For a single serving you could also simply make a pack of ramen noodles and then add a 1/4 of the sauce to it for some tasty Thai flavored noodles!

Thai Peanut Noodles

Author: Thursday Group 3 Cooking Method:Boiling, Sautéing Cuisine:Thai Courses:Lunch, Dinner Recipe Keys: T Thai Y Yummy I International

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 10 minutesCook time: 25 minutesRest time: 5 minutesTotal time: 40 minutesServings:4 servingsCalories:405 kcal Best Season:Suitable throughout the year

Description

A delicious and simple Thai dish that will add some fun variety to your weekly meals and add a new dish to your weekly staples. Warm flavors blend together with the nutty flavor of the peanut butter to create a satisfying meal.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup Chicken Broth
• 3 Tbsp Peanut Butter
• 1-2 tsp Sriracha Chili Sauce
• 1 1/2 Tbsp Minced Ginger
• 3 Tbsp Soy Sauce
• 1 1/2 Tbsp Honey
• 2-3 Cloves of Garlic
• 8 oz Linguine Noodles
• Green Onions (to taste)
• Cilantro (to taste)
• Peanuts (to taste)
• 1 Lime
• 1 Chicken Breast

Instructions

1. Gather the ingredients and grab a pot, bowl, and pan.
2. Add water a little salt and bring to a boil. Once boiling add noodles.
3. Heat pan with oil for chicken and while it’s heating cut chicken into bit size cubes.
4. Once pan is hot add chicken and season to taste ex: salt, pepper, garlic, or onion.
5. While the chicken is cooking combine the chicken broth, peanut butter, chili sauce, honey, soy sauce, ginger and garlic in a bowl and stir with a fork until mostly combined. It will still be a little lumpy don’t worry!
6. Drain water from noodles and while in the pot add sauce and chicken and stir.
7. Chop green onions, quarter lime, and chop peanuts for toppings
8. Serve into bowls and top with green onions, cilantro, lime, and peanuts.
9. Eat and Enjoy!

Video

Notes

• – Ingredients like garlic, lime, and ginger can be from any kind.
• – Proteins are interchangeable, substitute chicken for tofu, shrimp, pork etc.
• -Feel free to use whichever kind of noodles you prefer.

Keywords:easy, international, nutritious, yummy, noodles

There is a lot of beauty in simplicity, and this recipe is exactly that. The few cooking techniques that are needed for this is breading (which is explained in the recipe below) and baking. Since the cooking technique used here is a dry technique, we have included helpful tips and reminders for anyone of any level of skill: preheat the oven BEFORE you begin the recipe, set a timer that is split up into two times in order to flip it halfway through, and how to tell when the chicken is cooked thoroughly. This last tip is particularly important because no one wants to bite into half-cooked chicken! From our own procedure, we agree that the best way to gauge its readiness is to examine the outer crust of the chicken, which should be a deep golden brown, not pale or soggy. And if you want further proof, cut open the thickest part of the chicken in the MIDDLE of the pan, and see if there is any pinkness left. If not, you are good! If you don’t want to ruin the look of the chicken, poke a thermometer into the meat and make sure it reaches at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

These may seem like tedious details, but it is incredibly important in order to create a safe, crispy product. We hope that this recipe can teach you proper roasting techniques, so that you can become a pro for other recipes in the future!

When experimenting with our recipe, it became clear some things which may seem like a good idea at first are not as effective as one might hope. In the original experiment we decided to double coat our chicken with the butter milk and dry mixture, this ended up creating a semi-soggy coating even after cooking thoroughly; in this case more is not always more.

When it comes to serving the chicken after cooking, it’s best to decide some dishes to serve with it beforehand if you aren’t in a rush or are cooking for more than one. Since the chicken provides the bulk of protein in the meal it’s good to pair it with some roasted veggie or in the summer maybe some fresh cut fruit to add variety to the palette. A classic addition would be any sort of grain like rice or pasta.

Additionally, another option would be fried potatoes or coleslaw! This would be best served as a backyard barbecue treat, or a nice meal on a snowy day to deter the winter scaries.

One of the best parts of these muffins is their versatility. If zucchini is not your preferred vegetable, or you want to make these into a sweet fall treat, you can use apples instead. If you want to make these muffins a little sweeter, you can add your choice of chocolate chips into the batter before baking. Even sprinkling a little granulated sugar on top will add a perfect tasty crunch!  There are so many options to make these muffins your own, so get creative, and I promise you will never get bored of them!

The baking process is super simple, so even if you are new to the kitchen, or just don’t have any fancy tools, this recipe is for you! All you need are mixing bowls, a spatula, a whisk or fork, muffin tins, and an oven. After preheating the oven, the first step is mixing the dry ingredients. Next, you mix the wet ingredients. Once mixed, you combine the wet ingredients with the dry. Finally, you add in the zucchini and mix lightly. Divide evenly into muffin tins and then cook for about 17-22 minutes until light and fluffy. 

If you are concerned about the cost of these ingredients, we have a cost breakdown provided for you. If you want to make it even cheaper you can visit the SNAC pantry on campus. Additionally, a lot of people have an excess of fresh zucchini from their gardens and give it away to food banks and neighbors. Splitting the cost of baking ingredients with a friend or roommate can also relieve some financial stress. 

Overall, we love these muffins. They allow college students to make healthier choices for themselves by choosing whole grains and zucchini. Zucchini is low in calories, high in fiber, and is a good source of Vitamin C which makes it a great way to add nutrients to a not-as-nutritious food like muffins. Not only do you get to incorporate more healthful foods into your diet, but you will also build confidence in your abilities in the kitchen. And most importantly, these zucchini muffins are delicious! Bon Appetit!

Cost Breakdown

As shown above, this recipe is budget friendly (and gives you your veg for the day) because even the brokest of us need and deserve a delicious treat to get us through the day (or even to start our day).

First Things First

When making this recipe it is important to remember that you are incorporating a wet vegetable into the batter, which affects consistency. When we made this recipe, our batter was running dry even after mixing in the oil and eggs. We ended up using an extra teaspoon of oil and not squeezing all the water out of the zucchini to get our batter to the right consistency and it made the end result moist and delicious! You could hold back on extra oil and instead not squeeze your zucchini dry, this could also help retain the water soluble vitamins and minerals.

The other thing to keep in mind is what you desire out of your muffin. Do you want it to be a sweet treat or feel like it hits the healthy spot. This can determine how much sugar you use, what kind of chocolate chips you use, and the type of flour. We wanted a mix of both when we made ours so we did 3/4 cup of sugar, with semi sweet/dark chocolate chips.

When mixing, you don’t want to over mix it because then you can find yourself with a dense mess of a muffin. It can also make your muffins not look as appealing (which doesn’t matter if you’re eating them yourself but can be a pain if trying to make an impression) because they will cook differently and won’t rise up to perfection. You want it to be just barely incorporated, which leads to fluffy, melt in your mouth finished product.

You’ll want to use a scoop to divide your mix into the muffin tins, or if you don’t have one you can spoon the portions in. But a scoop is preferable because it gives you even portions in each tin to ensure even baking. Another thing to consider when cooking is that the oven should be preheated and you want to clean up any spillage on your muffin tin, otherwise it can lead to burning or weird looking muffins. Use an oven light if you can, which is preferred to opening the oven too soon, as this could also deflate your muffins. We didn’t have an oven light and so we waited for the 20 minutes before we opened the oven up and stuck the muffins with a toothpick. Ours came out clean but you can adjust your time based off of how the muffin top looks and if your toothpick comes out clean.

Nutrition information (per Serving)

Serving: 1 muffin

Calories: 186 kcal

Carbohydrates: 26g,

Protein: 3g, Fat:9g,

Saturated Fat: 2g,

Cholesterol: 29 mg,

Sodium:206 mg,

Fiber: 2g,

Sugar: 16g

With only five ingredients and a total cooking time under half an hour, this snack is a great option for those of us who need a quick way to boost our nutrition. Each ingredient is cheap and readily available at the grocery store. They all contribute to a healthy diet as well! The real star of this recipe, though, is the zucchini. Read on to learn more about why zucchini is a great option for these tasty pizza bites by Liz at I Heart Vegetables!

Zucchini is a fantastic vegetable for several reasons. First, it’s good for you! Zucchini contains many vitamins and minerals: in one serving, you can get a healthy dose of potassium, vitamin C, manganese, magnesium, and phosphorus. All of these nutrients are essential for a healthy body to function. Zucchini is also a food that is low on the glycemic index. Regular pizza bites include a crust that tends to be much higher on the glycemic index. This does not always cause an issue, but if you are on the lookout to regulate your blood sugar, zucchini is a great alternative for some cheesy goodness. If you are not quite convinced, it’s also rich in antioxidants and high in fiber. Antioxidants protect your body from oxidative stress, and fiber will aid in digestion.¹ In summation: zucchini rocks as far as your health goes.

Another reason you should love zucchini is that it is highly abundant in the late summer/early fall. If you happen to be making this recipe sometime between August and October², you’re in luck! It should be even cheaper than normal in your local grocery store. You can also check out a farmers market in your area to see if they have some fresh-picked zucchini for purchase. Shopping seasonally benefits you and your environment. Let’s discuss your personal gain first. With seasonal shopping, you receive different nutritional benefits from trying out a variety of fruits and vegetables. You will also be purchasing the best possible quality of your selected produce, as it will be more ripe and flavorful than ever. To top it off, your budget will thank you when it sees the low prices seasonal produce has to offer! Now, let’s talk about the environment. In a world with dwindling resources, it’s important to be mindful of sustainability. If you shop with the season, you are supporting more sustainable practices in your community. Because you are likely purchasing local produce, less transportation emissions will be put out into the environment. In addition, by eating what is abundantly available, you dim the likelihood of that item ending up in the landfill. It’s really a win-win situation.

Hopefully by now you are convinced that pizza zucchini bites are the snack for you. Follow along to make them for yourself!

Ingredient selection is not a make or break on this recipe, but it can affect how much you love it! Because this recipe is simple, you can customize it to meet your preferences without worrying about how the finished product will mesh together. For example, as a group, we love zucchini, so it was the perfect option for the base of our pizza bites! Others may opt for various squash varieties such as winter or butternut. You could even switch your zucchini out for eggplant.

The base isn’t the only thing up for variation: try your favorite pizza sauce! It could be pesto, alfredo, barbecue sauce, or whatever else your pizza-loving heart desires. We chose Rao’s tomato basil sauce because it has that sweet tomato flavor with a nice punch of basil. 

A third ingredient you might consider options for is the cheese. In our kitchen, we freshly grated a block of mozzarella. This gave us a soft, moist, and mild cheese. To get a stronger flavor, you might opt for a cheese such as sharp cheddar, or maybe even feta!

Be sure to add some favorite toppings to really make it yours. Ours were topped with basil, but the possibilities are endless! Pop some pepperoni, sausage, chicken, green peppers, mushrooms, onions, or olives on there. If you’re feeling controversial, slip a little pineapple into the mix.

To prepare these delicious zucchini pizza bites, start by prepping the zucchini. Wash your zucchini and pat it dry. Next, carefully slice the zucchini into about ¼ to a ½ inch thick slices. The thicker the slice of zucchini the longer it will take to cook. After you make the recipe a few times, you will find what cut size you like best. 

After slicing the zucchini, pat the slices dry with a paper towel to draw out some moisture. Sprinkle the slices with salt to help with this as well. Drying the zucchini slices will help the little pizza bites become more crisp in the oven. Zucchini that is too wet will come out of the oven soggy and mushy.

Once you have dried the zucchini slices, arrange them a few inches apart on a greased baking sheet and spoon about a teaspoon of your favorite marinara sauce onto each slice. You can use more or less sauce to your liking! Add the mozzarella cheese on top of each slice, the amount to your liking. 

Finally, the zucchini bites are ready to bake! Put the zucchini bites in the oven until the cheese is lightly toasted and the zucchini is tender and slightly crispy. The best way to test this is too insert a fork into the thickest zucchini. If it punctures the zucchini easily, the zucchini is thoroughly cooked. Don’t forget to let the bites cool for a few minutes before enjoying the delicious and nutritious snack!

Zucchini Pizza Bites

Author: Thursday Group 5 Cooking Method:Baking Courses:Snacks, Sides Recipe Keys: Gluten Free V Vegetarian

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 10 minutesCook time: 15 minutesRest time: 15 minutesTotal time: 25 minutesServings:4 servingsCalories:64 kcal Best Season:Suitable throughout the year

Description

A quick, healthy, and inexpensive way to include vegetables in your daily food intake.

Ingredients

• 1-2 medium Zucchini
• 1/2 cup marinara sauce (Roa’s tomato basil)
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
• 6 basil leaves, ripped into small pieces
• Salt, tt

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Slice zucchini into 1/2″ slices.
3. Lay slices on a paper towel and salt to taste. Pat down the slices with the paper towel and let sit for a few minutes to dry up a bit.
4. Either spray a large baking sheet or lay a piece of parchment paper across it before transferring zucchini slices to the sheet.
5. Spoon 2-3 teaspoons of marinara sauce onto each zucchini slice.
6. Sprinkle a pinch of cheese onto each slice.
7. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until zucchini has softened a bit.
8. Sprinkle with fresh basil and extra cheese (as desired) and serve.

Notes

• Use smaller zucchini (less watery), try to use one with firmer skin/no blemishes!
• For more flavoring, try interchanging types of cheese, adding pepperoni or other pizza topping preferences for variance in flavor.
• Recipe yields little, might want to double batch if making for lots of people.

Keywords:zucchini, easy, gluten free

It is 8:00 at night. You’ve just walked in the door, coming home after a long day. Between four classes, three hours at work and being in and out of the library, you are one tired college kid. And hungry too. With only fifteen minutes around noon to eat a granola bar and an apple it’s been a long day. You come home, ready to eat, go to the kitchen and grab… a frozen burrito??? Being in college is no joke. It’s busy and tiring and important to stay properly fueled to be able to function at the level you need. Just because college is expensive isn’t an excuse to skimp on nutrition and health. So skip that energy drink and have this roasted veggie quinoa bowl by Marianne Willams from the Real Simple Blog, this gives you an easy way to get the vitamins, protein, fiber, and natural energy from your food! And it’s easy too. Both the quinoa and the veggies can be prepared beforehand and kept in the fridge until you’re ready to put your bowl together, pop it in the microwave and enjoy a filling meal that will keep you ready to tackle whatever comes your way. The quinoa can be easily prepared and eaten with other meals, in salads or in place of rice, making the investment worth it. And while the vegetables listed are great options, they can be switched out with any of your other favorite root vegetables. All of which store for a fairly reasonable amount of time, letting you not have to stress about something rotting away in the fridge. Being highly customizable, easy to prepare AND nutritious, this roasted root veggie quinoa bowl is dish you won’t want to miss. Nor your roommates either once they smell the scents coming from the oven!

This recipe helps you perfect your chopping skills as you cut the squash and parsnips. Remember to hold a knife safely, hold the handle with your middle, ring, and pinky finger slightly bend your pointer finger on the back end of the blade creating a pinching effect with your thumb on the other side. Prepping the veggies beforehand, also called mise en place, helps save time. Trying to cut the vegetables evenly helps ensure an even roast and crispiness to the veggies.

Overall, this recipe is simple, delicious, and filling. Its hard to mess up so its a low stress recipe to get you through those busy nights!

Cost Breakdown

Roasted Root Veggie Quinoa Bowl

Author: Wednesday Group 3 Cooking Method:Baking, boiling, simmering Cuisine:Vegetarian, vegan Courses:Lunch, Dinner Recipe Keys: V Vegetarian Dairy Free

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 30 minutesCook time: 40 minutesRest time: 40 minutesTotal time: minutesServings:4 servingsCalories:300 kcal Best Season:Winter

Description

It is a quick and easy recipe that can be used for meal prepping. It is vegetarian and dairy-free if that is a preference. Overall, this recipe is protein-rich due to the root vegetables, quinoa, and hummus and contains both healthy fats and carbohydrates.

Ingredients

• 10 oz Butternut Squash
• 4 Parsnips
• 8 oz Brussels sprouts
• 1 red onion
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup quinoa
• 3 cups spinach
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp dijon mustard
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup hummus

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 450F while preparing the vegetables, cutting, washing, and seasoning. Once completed, the oven should be preheated now. Add the vegetables to the sheet pan and cook for about 20 minutes or until fork tender. (Flip halfway to make sure all sides get browned and crispy.) Let sit for about 5 minutes to cool off.
2. While the vegetables are cooked, begin preparing the quinoa according to the package. When it is done transfer to a large bowl, and add spinach until it is slightly wilted. 
3. Whisk vinegar and mustard together with 2 Tbsp. of olive oil. Stir 2 Tbsp of vinaigrette into quinoa. 
4. Divide and serve ingredients, into bowls. Add hummus and/ or additional vinaigrette if desired. 

Notes

• Add additional seasoning as desired
• Make roasted vegetables and prep quinoa ahead of time to eat throughout the week
• Spread vegetables in even layers between two pans if necessary

Keywords:quick, Homemade

A can of chickpeas may not look like much but the possibilities are endless. At 25 grams of protein, 22 grams of fiber, 8 essential amino acids, and endless recipe possibilities all for less than a dollar per can, chickpeas are ridiculously overlooked. As a plant-based protein, chickpea cultivation is significantly more sustainable than beef and even many crops, as chickpea plants don’t require synthetic fertilizer, need less water, can be grown without harmful insecticides, and are resilient to environmental changes. 

But most important of all, chickpeas are absolutely delicious as a meal, snack or even dessert. Falafel, crispy chickpeas, and aquafaba whipped cream are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to all the things you can make with chickpeas, but these recipes certainly won’t disappoint.

The Process

Falafel is typically made from chickpeas that are soaked overnight. This recipe cuts down time by using canned chickpeas, which simply need to be drained and thrown into the food processor. No food processor? No problem! The desired consistency for these falafel can be achieved with a blender or immersion blender as well. Because all the ingredients will be blended up anyways, the shallot and garlic only have to be peeled and not chopped or minced (unless you want to practice your knife skills ;)). Don’t be afraid to play with herbs and spices either. Coriander, cumin, and cayenne give this recipe a cozy earthiness and hint of spice, while the lemon zest and cilantro keep it fresh and light. Feel free to substitute or add in a fresh mint, parsley, or extra cayenne for a bigger kick.

When blending the ingredients, make sure to keep an eye on the consistency. There shouldn’t be any large chunks of anything, but the goal here isn’t to make hummus. For consistently baked patties, we recommend using a portion scoop for a uniform shape and size. Baking falafel is a healthier alternative to frying, as is typically done, while still leaving you with a falafel that is crisp outside and tender on the inside. The trick is to flip your falafel halfway through baking to get browning on both sides.

The beauty of this recipe is its versatility. As long as you have a can of chickpeas and a few tablespoons of flour, the rest is largely up to what’s in your fridge and pantry. You can eat these falafel with some tzatziki or hummus as a simple snack, and you can make yourself a satisfying dinner complete with pita, pickled onions, and cucumber. Yum!

Baked Falafel Cost Breakdown

Notes

The options don’t stop at falafel! For an easy snack, try roasted crispy chickpeas. https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/roasted-chickpeas/. For a dairy free whipped cream or egg white alternative, try aquafaba! https://jackienewgent.com/vanilla-aquafaba-whipped-cream/

This recipe is from an established food blog called All Recipes. As a busy college student, I love finding recipes that are budget friendly and that will leave me with quick leftovers throughout the week. Growing up, I was never disappointed when my mom announced that we were having chicken pot pie for dinner. Being able to recreate this dish while being away from home is the perfect way to find joy and comfort through a nutritious meal. I also love that this recipe teaches how to make your own easy pie crust! Since learning how to make this crust, I can use this same recipe for other dishes such as quiche, empanadas, and dessert pies. It is an overall versatile and easy recipe to follow.

Cost Breakdown

Recipe Making Process

Gathering ingredients for this recipe at local grocery stores is a breeze because each ingredient is a kitchen staple. In fact, it is likely that you already have most of the ingredients in your fridge and pantry! Carrots and celery are in season during the fall and winter seasons, which can make the meal even cheaper to make. Any other vegetables can be substituted in for the filling, such as corn. Having the chicken breast already thawed, helped with speeding up the preparation/cooking process. It can also be helpful to have the carrots and celery pre-chopped to make cooking time run smoother. I like to have the chicken and vegetables boiling while I am working on my pie crust. This recipe uses baking and boiling as its two main cooking methods. Each step should be simple and clear to follow, leaving you with a beautiful, golden brown, pie!

This chicken pot pie recipe is sure to be a winner for you as it’s been for me. It’s packed full of flavor and the flaky texture of the pie crust paired with the warm filling will leave you wanting more. It’s budget friendly and most ingredients can be frozen (chicken and peas) or used for other recipes (flour, salt and pepper). A tip that I would recommend is letting the pie set for 15-20 minutes before serving. This allows the pie to set and cool, which makes serving it super easy! If you find your crust is getting too dark/burning as you are cooking, you can cover  it with aluminum foil to avoid the crust burning as it may cook faster than the rest ofthe dish. This recipe makes 1 pie or 8 servings, but if you won’t be eating it all in one sitting it makes great leftovers.