5 Tricks To Help You Start Making Better Food

In college, I’ve realized how difficult it is to make a well-rounded meal every night.

I always get home from my long day of work and class not wanting to spend a lot of time making food, so I usually settle for cup of noodles or a box of macaroni and cheese. Both satisfy the hunger I am feeling, but fail to give me protein and other nutrition I need. I even find myself missing dorm food from time to time.

Although I am not an expert on how to make dinner every night, here are five tricks that will help you start consistently making better food for yourself.

1. Pinterest — This is a great app where you can just scroll infinitely looking for new and exciting recipes. The app is free and allows you to search by type of food also giving you the recipe to make the creation at home. I scroll Pinterest before I go to the grocery store to figure out what I’m going to bring, and it never fails to provide a good recipe, even if it doesn’t turn out exactly like the picture.
2. Smart List Making — When making your shopping list, keep in mind how many ingredients you are buying just for that meal, and try to find other recipes that use them. The toughest part I have found cooking as a college student is that I buy four new ingredients for one meal. I try to find other recipes that use those unique spices I just purchased, this allows you to make more variety with the same number of items.
3. Stock Up — Winco is a wonderful store that allows you to buy food goods for low prices, and this is the smartest way to shop. Stock up on pasta, sauces and seasoning packets because they will be much cheaper than the other stores. By stocking up you will go to the grocery store less and have more food for a better price.
4. Make Large Recipes- Cooking for oneg is tough, so make meals that will serve 3–4 instead. I have always found it difficult to cut down a larger serving size, and by doing this you will have leftovers to eat. These leftovers will come in handy and allow you to not cook the next day.
5. Be Creative- View the recipe as an outline. Don’t be afraid to be creative and add your own flare. The best way to learn how to cook is to be creative and learn how the spices work together. I always enjoy adding my own touch to a meal and sometimes you stumble across a wonderful combination you didn’t think of before.

Next time you go shopping keep these tricks in the back of your mind. By shopping smarter and stocking up it will allow you to be creative in the kitchen and have leftovers for the next day. I hope you can use these tricks to make a delicious meal of your own, instead of dreaming about dorm food.