Top 5 Quick & Quirky Meals

BOXYmag | By Erin Schroeter

When looking in the kitchen cabinets of any person between the ages of 19–25, chances are there will be a random assortment of various condiments, frozen dinners, coffee and probably stale bread. These random foods definitely suffice for a young adult living on their own — and it’s likely that somewhere in between the busy days and long nights of our crazy lives, a quirky concoction of food has been invented and is frequently visited again. Being an undergrad myself, I’ve discovered many unusual dishes that fill the stomachs of my roommates and I, quickly and easily. It’s only fair to share my simplified discoveries with the rest of the world, so young adults and college students everywhere can save a dollar and a few hours. Here are my top 5 quick and quirky young adult meals:

Pizza Cupcakes

This has been a super-hit in my apartment during my first year of college and will forever remain as the number one meal in my book.

What you need:

1 cupcake pan

Cooking spray

1 can of biscuits

Pizza sauce (if you want to be super legitimate) or pasta sauce

Shredded mozzarella cheese

Optional oregano and garlic powder

How to cook it:

Preheat oven to 375° F

Spray cupcake pan with cooking spray

Open the can of the biscuits and separate each

Press each biscuit into cupcake can, leaving a little trench in the center but still enough dough to fill up the sides and reach the top of the pan

Take a spoonful (about 1 or 2 tablespoons) of the pizza or pasta sauce and fill the trenches in each cupcake

Add a dash of oregano and garlic powder

Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese on each dough-lined cup (I like to add a little parmesan in there as well)

Bake for 16–18 minutes or until lightly browned

Let stand for 3–5 minutes and serve

Pan-Mug-Cakes

The amount of coffee that young adults consume probably isn’t healthy, but hey, it keeps us going. This little meal calls for usage of a coffee mug, only, it won’t hold coffee.

What you need:

1 large coffee mug

1 cup of Bisquick or any other pancake mix

¼ cup of milk or water

A handful of blueberries, strawberries, bananas, chocolate chips, or anything else you may enjoy in your pancakes

Syrup (honey works as a substitute for syrup as well)

Butter (optional)

How you make it:

Mix the ¼ cup of milk or water with pancake mix in a mug

Add any other desired ingredients to pancake mix

Microwave for 1–2 minutes

Spread butter on the top and add syrup

Ramen Mac & Cheese

Naturally, this list of recipes would include some sort of ramen or mac & cheese. This particular recipe brings the best of out of both of these delicacies. How you ask? Putting them together of course!

What you need:

4 (3 oz.) packages of Ramen Noodles (noodles only)

1 tbsp. of butter

1 tbsp. of flour

1 ½ cups of milk

1 (8 oz.) package (2 cups) of your favorite cheese for mac and cheese, I like cheddar the best.

½ tsp. of salt

2 tsps. Sriracha sauce (if you want an extra kick)

1 large bowl

How you make it:

Bring a pot of water to boil and add the noodles, the water should fill up the pan about half way, this measurement doesn’t need to be exact. Let the noodles cook for about 1 minute to 1 minute and 15 seconds.

Drain noodles in a colander and rinse with cold water. Be sure to break up the noodles, if necessary use a dash of oil to help separate them.

Heat butter in a medium-large saucepan on medium heat and add flour to make a roux. Cook for about a minute.

Pour in the milk and let it cook until its consistency thickens, stirring occasionally.

Reduce heat to low and gradually add cheese

Add Sriracha, salt and stir until the cheese is completely melted.

Increase heat to medium/low and add noodles. Cook for about 1–2 minutes. If sauce is too thick, add milk a tablespoon at a time to loosen up the sauce.

Parmesan Garlic Popcorn

Although this is more of a snack than a meal, if you eat multiple bags, it can become a meal.

What you need:

Bag of salted or unsalted popcorn

Garlic powder

Parmesan cheese

Large bowl

How you make it:

Open up popcorn package and microwave for instructed period of time (usually around 3 minutes)

After popcorn has popped, shake in garlic powder and parmesan cheese (add as much of each as desired, I happen to enjoy an absurd amount of both)

Pinch the top of the bag and shake the popcorn so everything mixes together well

Pour into a large bowl and enjoy

Peanut butter and honey bagel

Bagels with butter are just carbs on carbs, and usually don’t provide any sort of nutrition to your breakfast- it’s just a quick filler that will end up in your hips, thighs or butt. Peanut butter and honey bagels give the carb fix you desire, as well as providing protein that will give you energy that lasts without the crash later on.

What you need:

A whole wheat bagel (can be bought by the sleeve in the bread section of the supermarket)

Peanut butter

Honey

Raspberries, strawberries or bananas (optional)

Sunflower seeds or walnuts (optional)

How you make it:

Cut bagel in half and toast until it’s golden brown

Use as much peanut butter as desired, but be sure to apply it to the bagel just as it leaves the toaster so that it melts nicely

Sprinkle honey on top, use as much or as little as desired

Add sunflower seeds, walnuts or fruit to bagel and enjoy.

The days of studying, interning, or working a job that doesn’t pay nearly enough is the story of most of the lives of young adults. We have slim wallets, which means slim pickings when it comes to food. Although going out to hip, gourmet restaurants looks and sounds like a great idea on the surface, most of us don’t have the time or money to attend such dining events. So what do we do to feed ourselves in the meantime? We come up with crazy concoctions to find the cheapest and simplest ways to fulfill our ravenous appetites.