Everyone is always asking me “Shawn, how do you cook for yourself when you’re busy, want to eat healthy, and not get bored of your meals?” Well, I’ll tell you. Here are some of my go-to meals when cooking for yourself is the literal last thing you want to do, but you also can’t afford to eat out again that week.
I will say, my mom is a HUGE influence on me in the kitchen. She is always trying out new recipes and making them her own. Everything she makes is restaurant quality I swear. I challenge you to channel a little of her in your cooking and just make/add whatever you think will taste good! Cooking should be fun and a way to be creative, it doesn't have to be perfect. Anyways, shout out Wendy and let's get cookin'.
First let's start with Breakfast: it's arguably my favorite meal.
1. The Scramble - a shmorgishborg of veggies n protein
First, sauté veggies/add ins in oil or cooking spray- I often use spinach, bell peppers, onion, and beans but you can use whatever you have in the fridge.
Note: Sometimes I prep these ingredients earlier in the week (chop onions or peppers etc., and put them in a tupperware just to toss in the pan, or you can sauté ahead of time if you know you'll be in a time crunch)
Then, add your “base” - Essentially you can use whichever “base” you want (eggs/egg white, tofu, etc) and season however you want
If i’m using beans then I use cumin, salt, pepper, and garlic powder
Add in whatever cheese you want (optional)
Once everything is cooked to your liking, you are done!
Extras:
You can eat this alone, with toast (I love the Food for Life Ezekiel 4:9 Sprouted Grain Bread ), corn or flour tortillas, or whatever you want.
I top with sriracha, as I do with most things, but whatever tickles your fancy
2. The Yogurt Bowl - obviously I did not invent this, nor did I reinvent the wheel with my "recipe" but you asked for my recipe suggestions so here you go.
I combine granola, yogurt, fruit and sometimes honey in a bowl. That's it. That's the recipe.
If you're wondering what ingredients I use:
I love the Target brand Vanilla Bean Granola, shit is so good.
I am still trying to figure out what yogurt is best for me and also doesn't make me want to gag so, if you have any suggestions send them my way, but recently I used the unsweetened“So Delicious” brand yogurt.
I use whatever fruit is in my fridge, but in particular, I like bananas, grapes, and blueberries. Something about the banana/grape combo has just always done it for me.
Note: Depending on what you want from this meal, you might want to pay attention to the ingredients of the granola and the yogurt (less sugar, more protein, etc.) but that is up to you - don’t make yourself crazy with label checking though!!! I've been there and it's just not a healthy place to be. Eat what makes you feel good and gives you energy. (obviously I'm not a dietitian nor do I have any nutritional training, however, as someone who has struggled with body image issues and grew up in an ~almond mom~ household {Mom, if you're reading this I love you so so much and you have helped me try not to focus on labels and make sure I am eating enough which I am so appreciative of, we are just trying to tell it like it is🥰}, it's easy to fall into unhealthy habits when you hyper-fixate on labels and whether something is technically "healthy" or not. At the end of the day, food = fuel.
3. Breakfast Sammy
First, start cooking your egg however you please
While your egg is cooking, toast your bread to your liking (ideally an English muffin but of course any bread will do)
Melt a slice of cheese over your egg- to do this, I pour a little water on the pan the egg is cooking in and cover it with a lid until melted, the steam helps it get all melty and make it feel like ~restaurant quality~
Then, I use the Morningstar plant-based sausage - usually, I just heat it up in the microwave
Finally, assemble your sandwich, and add some fruit to the side if you have some
Voila - the perfect basic breakfast sandwich that takes no time and is not frozen from Starbucks
Extra tip: add some jelly or sriracha to the english muffin before you assemble (I've never tried both of those condiments together but I guess you could)
Now for lunch! In my opinion, lunch is the most pain-in-the-ass meal of the day. I'm usually in a rush and am ravenous and need something substantial to fill me but don't feel like totally messing up the kitchen. That being said, here are some lunch meals I have found that work for me.
1. Caprese ~Piadina~ - Now, you can put anything in a tortilla and call it a day, something I do often, but here is a specific idea for you
Heat up a pan, or a grill pan if you have one.
Microwave a tortilla to get it a little soft
Spray the pan and place your tortilla on it
Add pesto, tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, dried basil, and pepper
Fold the tortilla over and cook until crispy on both sides
Top with balsamic glaze if you have it
Tip: you can sub the pesto for pasta/pizza sauce and make a lil pizza
2. A wrap - Once again, you can put anything into a wrap, but to make it easy and give you some guidance, here is something I do (inspo from Scout McDaniel)
Buy one of those pre-made salad bags in whatever flavor/style you want, I use the Target or Kroger brand asian-style kind but it doesn't matter for the recipe
Make the salad (tip: only add the dressing to some of it and save the rest so you can put it on the other half of the salad later)
Take a tortilla - heat it up in the microwave; you can spread avocado, hummus, or whatever dip/sauce you want (or no sauce) on it
Add some of the pre-made salad that you already mixed together
Add your protein - could be tofu, plant-based/real chicken nugs, sliced turkey, etc.
Optional - add some cheese or extra veggies
If you have time/ are feeling fancy, you can sear the wrap on a pan or just wrap it up and eat it it
3. Leftovers from dinner - Okay yes, duh but leftovers are your friend for sure. Often times I’ll make more for dinner the night before than I know I'll eat so that I have for lunch the next day. Genius, right? No one has ever thought of that.
4. Turkey Smash Burgers - so easy its unreal, found this recipe in TikTok
Get some ground turkey and your burger bun of choice
Take roughly half of the ground turkey in a bowl with paprika and Ranch seasoning (measure with your heart but put like kind of a lot since this is the only seasoning you're using), mix it together with your hands
Heat up a little oil in a pan
Form the ground turkey into balls
Once the pan has heat up, place the balls onto the pan and smash down with your spatula
Cook for roughly 4-6 minutes on each side or until the middle isn't super squishy or pink, should be a little charred on each side
Melt some cheese on top the same way you did with the breakfast sandwich
Optional - make a guac to put on the top and bottom bun, and/or add some home-made sriracha mayo. Also you can toast/warm the bun if you like
Assemble and enjoy!
5. Easy-Peasy Tacos - very customizable recipe as well, its basically a sauté of whatever you have in the fridge in a tortilla
Cover corn tortillas in a wet paper towel and place in the microwave for 30 seconds
Sauté beans, onions, spinach, and season with whatever you want, but I highly recommend Cumin and Taco seasoning and a little salt and pepper, maybe some paprika and chile powder
Add the sauté to your tortillas and top with whatever hot sauce you like
Note: this is really just the scramble recipe just without eggs
Dinner time!! I have mixed feelings about dinner time. Sometimes, I'm excited to cook and be creative after a long day of being in class, but other days, cooking is the last thing I want to think about. Today is one of those days for me.
1. Mexican Quinoa/Rice bowl (inspo from Sydney Sloan)
Time efficient version: use individual bags of quinoa or rice that you can heat up in the microwave (I use Target brand and it slaps, specifically the quinoa. so freaking good.)
Cost efficient version: buy in bulk and make yourself
Protein: I use ground turkey but you can use any kind of meat/protein as long as you season with Taco seasoning and Cumin
Chop up some onions, bell peppers, spinach (I really just tear it with my hands and throw it in the pan), and any other veggies you want (corn is a good addition as well)
Heat up some oil in a pan
Sauté (see a theme here?) the veggies and add in your beans of choice (ideally black or pinto) - season with cumin, salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, chile powder, and whatever else you like
Put this mixture over your rice or quinoa, add some Mexican blend cheese (if you want), and some sour cream (if you want, but also Sydney swears this is the key to the whole recipe so take that how you will), avocado is also a good add on but *note* if you want to eat this as leftovers, mix in the avocado separately so it doesn't brown in your bowl- does that make sense? I feel like you know what I mean
Tip: crumble some tortilla chips on top or eat it dip-style with the chips
Again, this recipe can be made into any style you want whether that's mediterranean, asian, etc. It's all about how you season it and what veggies/meat you want to use. All you need is protein, a grain, and some vegetables and you've got yourself a meal.
2. Pasta/Veggie/Sausage
Take your favorite pasta, I like to go with a Banza type thing but it doesn't matter
Sauté your veggies - I like to use spinach (add this towards the end of cooking bcs it cooks down fast), broccoli, cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, once again, whatever is in my fridge at the time - season as you wish, I like a lot of pepper and red pepper flakes, I also always end up needing to add more salt
Chop up the pre-cooked sausage of your choice, I am personally a chicken sausage gal- heat it up in a pan so it browns a little on each side
Mix all together, add some sauce if you wish
Top with whatever cheese you want (or no cheese at all), feta is always a good choice if you happen to have it on hand but not essential
3. Flat Bread
I haven't quite perfected this one yet but it's hard to screw up
Take some Naan bread
For a regular pizza type vibe, get your normal pizza ingredients: sauce, mozzarella (I like fresh mozzarella), and whatever topics you like
For a sweet/savory flavor get: dried figs, feta, prosciutto, and balsamic glaze (add the glaze after it comes out of the oven)
My roomie and I made these together with a lil side salad and it was so easy and fun.
Toast your naan for a little at 400, just so its a little bit toasted but not fully cooked, add either sauce or olive oil (depending on your flavor, for the sweet and savory one you could also add some garlic to it), add the rest of your toppings, put it in the oven (I don't have an exact time but just watch it)
If you want it a little crispier, stick it on the top rack with the broiler for a couple minutes, but not too long so it doesn't burn
That's really it, you can obviously customize this however you want or do a little make your own pizza night with your friends
I hope these recipes help make feeding yourself a little easier! It seems like such a small thing, but sometimes making sure you have enough nutrients is hard. Whether it's because you're tired, your funds are tight, or you have no idea what to make, it is important that you take care of yourself, and that means making sure you have had enough to eat. Once again, I'm not technically qualified to speak on this, and I recognize that, so feel free to ignore everything I say, but here are a few things I feel like I should add that have helped me have a better relationship with food. (also go follow @livinlikemary_ because she has taught me a lot about this as well, love her the most and its her bday so, happy 21st queen)
Treat eating the same way you would peeing. If you have to pee, you're gonna go to the bathroom. Your brain is telling you that you need to do that. When you feel a twinge of hunger, your brain is telling you that you need to eat. Instead of ignoring this feeling, eat an apple. Have some pretzels. Your brain is telling you what it needs to function, so please please listen to it.
Do your best not to compare yourself. When you have roommates or are in some other form of communal living, it can be hard not to pay attention to what they are consuming. Different people need different things, whether that is different portion sizes or different foods etc. You have to do what is best for you, not for your roommate.
Be kind to yourself. This applies to every facet of your life, but especially in nutrition. So what you ate that greasy pizza at 1am? Your body is NOT going to change just from that one meal. You had a great night out with your friends and that's what matters! I am still trying to internalize this one myself, but as you practice kindness and learn to let go and not obsess over what you are eating or not eating, it takes a giant weight off your shoulders.
I love you all and I wish you the best of luck on your cooking endeavors! DM me your go-to recipe's and I'll share them here or on the Insta story. If you try any of these out, let me know what you think!
With love,
Your Favorite Unlicensed Therapist Friend
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