Banana (whatever you want to add) Cupcakes
I have this nasty habit of buying bananas in bunches of 6 or more, thinking, “oh, I’ll have one a day for the next week or so.” What actually happens is I eat one, and then the others sit on my counter like a neglected bunch of orphans. In an effort not to be wasteful, I’ve been making a lot of banana bread lately to use up the (almost) overripe bananas.
I love this recipe because it doesn’t require a bunch of tools, bowls, spoons, mixers, space stations, etc. to make, and can be done in about ten minutes. One bowl, one spatula, a couple commercial breaks and boom, banana muffins. What’s even better is this recipe is very flexible. You can add things like chocolate chips, walnuts (or any nut for that matter), coconut, dried fruit, whatever you want, and it’ll still be done in no time at all and be delicious.
Spicy Tuna Salad
This completely goes against my pet peeves of recipes without pictures, but I’m currently operating without a functioning camera (:[) so it will just have to do.
I had a craving for something tuna-y for dinner, and called my Mom to ask her how she makes tuna salad. She started listing off ingredients, and I kept cringing. Don’t get me wrong, I love my Mom’s cooking, but hard-boiled eggs and globs of mayonnaise just aren’t something I can get behind.
So I took things into my own hands, and started grabbing things from my cabinets and my crisper and went to town.
Spicy Tuna Salad
I find this to be a much lighter and less stodgy way to do tuna salad. The heat from the peppers and hot sauce also cover up the inherent fishiness one gets from canned tuna.
2 cans tuna (in water), drained
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
1 tomato, seeded and diced
1/2 bunch cilantro (although I thought it was a bit much, but I don’t like a lot of cilantro), minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 celery stalk, diced
1 small red onion, diced
2 tablespoons adobo sauce (get chilis in adobo and use the sauce they’re in)
4-6 tablespoons light mayo (more or less depending on the how much lime juice you get)
Juice of one lime
1 tablespoon hot sauce
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Mix everything in a bowl and spoon into lettuce cups, or on toast, or on bread, top with cheese and make a tuna melt.
If you’re feeling adventurous, add an egg, ½ – ¾ cup seasoned bread crumbs, and portion out into 8 discs. Shallow fry them in 4-5 tablespoons olive oil about 4 minutes per side and serve on their own, over a salad, or in a lettuce wrap.
On going out
Beautiful People – Chris Brown (<< this has been in my head all week. I know Chris Brown is a skeez, but I enjoy his music)
Since we’re in college I know it’s unrealistic to have a home cooked dinner every night – with classes, work, studying, rehearsals, social time, etc. – so let’s talk going out to eat.
BARS:
Obviously, when you go to a bar, if you get there early enough you can get some food. Most bars offer some sort of special that generally changes every day. These are the meals to plan ahead for; for instance, if you want a bacon cheeseburger, and you know that on Wednesday your favorite bar has it on special for $5 with fries, then obviously you go then instead of going any other day and spending $8.99 for the same meal. This isn’t rocket science.
FAST FOOD:
I shouldn’t even be giving this a section because fast food, while occasionally delicious, is terrible to be eating regularly – still there are things that need to be said. Dollar menus are where to order from. Generally they have very close, if not the same food as the full menu, just sold a la carte. Honestly, most fast food places make a “variety” of food, but I find it all tastes the same.
New Directions
Little Lion Man – Mumford & Sons
So I’ve been thinking – this blog has become kind of a dead zone for me and I’ve been trying to figure out why. When I started it, I had this grand idea to show you all recipes that were budget conscious, healthy, and easy enough to make that someone with no cooking background can make them, i.e. a college student. Obviously, I lost that goal somewhere along the way. So its time for a revamp.
From now on, this will be a place where I’ll post tips and quick ideas to help those of you who are always on the go. Classes, meetings, rehearsals, and of course a social life all demand a quick way to keep healthy both with your food and your spending habits. Some days there will be recipes, other days, just a few quick tips.
To start things off, I’m going to (regrettably) take a page from Rachael Ray’s book. (Nothing against Rachael Ray, I’m just not her biggest fan.) Her new show on Cooking Channel, Week in a Day, has got me thinking about making the week’s meals in advance. Originally, I thought this idea was nasty, because who would want to eat something on Friday that was made on Sunday? Gross. However, after thinking about it, whatever you make doesn’t have to be fully cooked and reheated as the week goes on, but merely assembled and then cooked when you want it. You are still able to get a freshly cooked meal every night without having to deal with the hassle of having to come over after a long day, stand chopping vegetables for 20 minutes, only to get a mediocre meal that you half-assed your way through. When I get home and have to actually make something, I’m more apt to just pick up the phone (or more realistically go on Campusfood.com) and order something not healthy and expensive. It’s not a good situation. Hopefully this ends up being a good solution that both helps me with my bad habits, and can give you some good advice for saving money, time, and most importantly help you eat healthier than the average college student.
Lemon Blueberry Yogurt Cake
A while back when I was going through my blogroll, I noticed a cake on a site frequent regularly. Not only did it have blueberries in it (my absolute favorite fruit) but it was simple, fast and versatile. I bookmarked it and went about my life always knowing that it was there, but never really having a reason to make it. So last week, I was sitting in my kitchen with Jen, my roommate, and we started talking about what we should do for dinner (are you seeing a trend yet??).
[Sidenote: I try to spend time, or get all of my roommates to spend time together, because we rarely see each other for more than 10 minute intervals during the day. While I know we’re only in college and we’ll all be moving apart in a year (whoa, sad) I want it to feel as family-like as it possibly can. That or so we at least know what’s going on in each other’s lives.]
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