uni food ideas

I'm scared for cooking in university. Not because I'm bad at cooking but I hate it. It's the worst chore ever. I would rather clean my whole house top to bottom than try to cook. I can cook but I just hate doing it. Theres no enjoyment in it. I hate the process of the whole thing.
I don't care for fancy dishes, I just want it to be somewhat healthy and convenient/fast to make.

Dinner, Lunch and Breakfast ideas will be appreciated.
Does anyone have any recipes?

Reply 1

ageshallnot

Original post by Anonymous

I'm scared for cooking in university. Not because I'm bad at cooking but I hate it. It's the worst chore ever. I would rather clean my whole house top to bottom than try to cook. I can cook but I just hate doing it. Theres no enjoyment in it. I hate the process of the whole thing.
I don't care for fancy dishes, I just want it to be somewhat healthy and convenient/fast to make.
Dinner, Lunch and Breakfast ideas will be appreciated.
Does anyone have any recipes?

So you're not scared at all.

Breakfast: porridge. It's cheap and gives you energy. Easy and fastto cook.

Lunch: sandwiches. Whatever takes your fancy. Easy and quick to make.

Dinner: dishes based on pasta, rice or potatoes. Mix with a few sauces such as Bolognese or arrabiata. Also very easy and quick.

Add fruit or veg eg salad.

/Job done

Reply 2

ExeterStudentRep

Official Rep

Hi Anonymous #1,

It's totally normal to feel that way! Cooking isn't everyone's favorite thing, and when you're busy with university, it can feel like a big hassle. The good news is that there are plenty of quick, easy, and healthy meals you can make without spending much time in the kitchen. Here are some ideas for breakfast, lunch, and dinner that should make the process as painless as possible.

Breakfast Ideas:

Overnight Oats

Smoothies

Avocado on toast

Peanut Butter and Banana's on toast

Lunch Ideas:

Wraps/Pitta, with hummus or any spread, veggies (lettuce, cucumber, bell peppers).

Chicken Caesar salad

Chicken/Salmon with microwave rice and veg.

Jacket potatoes, just literally put them in the oven and then come back to it lol!

Dinner Ideas:

Stir-Fry!

Sheet Pan Meals, chicken breasts or thighs, veggies (broccoli, carrots, potatoes), with seasoning.

Pasta with Simple Sauce, I love the chunky vegetable one from Sainsbury's, but there are loads to choose from, or you could have pesto pasta.

Fajitas are quick and easy too!

Loaded peppers, fill with cheese and rice, oven cook!

These ideas should hopefully help make cooking a little more bearable and keep you eating healthy while you're in university!

Best, Sophie, University of Exeter Student Ambassador.

Reply 3

BCU Student Rep

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

I'm scared for cooking in university. Not because I'm bad at cooking but I hate it. It's the worst chore ever. I would rather clean my whole house top to bottom than try to cook. I can cook but I just hate doing it. Theres no enjoyment in it. I hate the process of the whole thing.
I don't care for fancy dishes, I just want it to be somewhat healthy and convenient/fast to make.
Dinner, Lunch and Breakfast ideas will be appreciated.
Does anyone have any recipes?

Hi @Anonymous

Some of my favourite dinners during my first year were:

•

Spaghetti bolognese - using a jar helps to speed up the cooking process!

•

Chicken wraps - quick to make and you can add whatever you have.

•

Curry - there are lots of different jars available in the supermarket to make this really simple and you can add different vegetables / meat to switch it up!

I would also recommend having some freezer items in your freezer (e.g, chips, chicken nuggets and pizza) so that you have some easy meals for when you do not want to cook!

You could also see if any of your flatmates want to cook together to try and make cooking a little bit more enjoyable.

Hope that helps!

Sophie
BCU Student Rep.

Reply 4

UniofLaw Student

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

I'm scared for cooking in university. Not because I'm bad at cooking but I hate it. It's the worst chore ever. I would rather clean my whole house top to bottom than try to cook. I can cook but I just hate doing it. Theres no enjoyment in it. I hate the process of the whole thing.
I don't care for fancy dishes, I just want it to be somewhat healthy and convenient/fast to make.
Dinner, Lunch and Breakfast ideas will be appreciated.
Does anyone have any recipes?

Hi,
If I am lacking in inspiration, I tend to turn to BBC Goodfood. You can sort by category and select easy meals which will then give you a really good list of different foods, their nutritional value and the time it will take to make them.

Reply 5

Sinnoh

Fried rice is quick to make and always delicious (find some MSG in the shops). Curries are useful because you can cook a lot of in one go and then save the rest for later. Scrambled egg and tomato is also good for a quick meal but doesn't keep in the fridge as well. Doing a risotto or something is also convenient because there's only one pan so you've got less to clean up.

Reply 6

Uni of Southampton Students

Official Rep

Original post by Anonymous

I'm scared for cooking in university. Not because I'm bad at cooking but I hate it. It's the worst chore ever. I would rather clean my whole house top to bottom than try to cook. I can cook but I just hate doing it. Theres no enjoyment in it. I hate the process of the whole thing.
I don't care for fancy dishes, I just want it to be somewhat healthy and convenient/fast to make.
Dinner, Lunch and Breakfast ideas will be appreciated.
Does anyone have any recipes?

Hey there,
I totally get where you are coming from - cooking can feel like such a task when you don't enjoy it. I wasn't the best at cooking myself before I started university, but with time you learn how to make tasty meals that are healthy and easy to cook!

What I found to be really helpful was to meal prep tasty, simple and easy to make dishes that don't require many ingredients. Here are some of my favourite meal ideas -

•

One-pot pasta

•

Wraps/Burritos

•

Stir-fry

•

Toasts with avocado or peanut butter (for breakfast)

•

Baked potatoes

•

Salad bowls

•

Various recipes with eggs

Another thing that really helped me was 5-minute recipes and cooking hacks on Instagram and TikTok!

I hope this helps!

All the best,
Akshita
(University of Southampton Student Rep)

(edited 1 month ago)