Just like you, I was once a student, and the truth is, you can get really lazy to cook for yourself especially when you are living on your own with very limited space and cooking utensils.

During my first year in Uni, I ate out every single day and without even realising it, I started gaining weight. It wasn’t until towards the end of my 2nd year, where I started to learn to cook for myself. I had no idea what I was doing. So it was super basic cooking, with very little ingredients, but hey, that got back on a healthier eating track and that’s how I got into fitness.

So I’m going to share with you my 3 favourite student meals, which I still cook up till today because they are easy, you won’t need a lot of ingredients or space and they can be ready in under 15 minutes.

Jacket Potato with Melted Tuna (serves 1)

First is Jacket Potato with Tuna. The proper recipe uses oven to bake the potato, however, for this recipe, we’re going to speed up the process by using microwave. 

Ingredients:

1. 1 large Potato, washed – 197Cals
2. ½ can Tuna Chunks – 55Cals
3. 2 tbsp. Cheese, shredded – 36Cals
4. 1 tbsp. Yoghurt – 59Cals
5. ¼ tsp. Mixed Herbs 

Steps:

1. The first step is to prick the potato all over with a knife.
2. Then cook the potato on full power in the microwave for 7 to 10 minutes, depending on the size of your potato.
3. While the potato is cooking, in a bowl, mix the tuna chunks, yoghurt and herbs together. Then set it aside.
4. After 10 minutes, remove the potato from the microwave and cut the potato in half lengthwise and fill up with tuna mixture.
5. Then I’m going to top it up with some shredded cheese. Place it back into the microwave, and cook very quickly for about one and a half minutes just to melt the cheese.

I’m serving mine with a side of salad. It is THAT simple and it’s a balanced meal. You’re getting carbs from the potato, protein from the tuna, healthy fats from the cheese and lots of vegetables. Each serving has about 337Cals and this is a filling dinner.

Keep this recipe interrelating by alternate the tuna with chicken, beef or even beans. Choose your favourite protein.

Beans & Chicken Soup Pot (serves 4)

The next student meal is White Beans & Chicken Pot. This recipe is a one pot dish. It is as simple as dumping all the ingredients into a pot and let it cook. For my recipe, I’m using

Ingredients:

1. 1 can White Beans, rinsed and drained – 380Cals
2. 1 Chicken Breast (400g), cubed – 780Cals
3. 2 Onions, chopped – 92Cals
4. 4 Celery Stalks, chopped – 24Cals
5. 1 Carrot, sliced – 25Cals
6. 1 Tomato, sliced – 22Cals
7. 4 cups Chicken Stock – 48Cals
8. ¼ tsp. Mixed Herbs
9. Salt and Pepper to taste

Steps:

1. Start by prepping all your ingredients. Chopped all the vegetables - onions, celery, carrot and tomato. And slice up the chicken breast.
2. The next step is to simple fill up a pot with chicken stock and add in all   your ingredients.
3. I’m seasoning mine with a little bit of mixed herbs and salt and pepper.
4. Allow all the ingredients to cook under medium heat for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and vegetables are tender.
5. Serve warm!

What I love about this recipe is that you can use different meat or beans and pick your favourite vegetables, so that you won’t be bored with it. It’s a one pot dish, that packed with all the nutrients, plus, you’ll have less to wash later on! Each serving only packs in 343Cals.

I like to cook this recipe in bulk, and store the extras in the fridge or freezer and have them later on. They taste even better, when you warm them up the next day.

Black Bean Salsa Wrap (serves 4)

My 3rd favourite is Salsa Bean Wrap. What I love about this recipe is that there’s NO cooking required. So if your accommodation doesn’t allow you to cook, you can always make this! I’m using 

Ingredients:

1. 1 can Black Beans, rinsed and drained – 336Cals
2. 1 can Corn, rinsed and drained – 196Cals
3. 1 Red Bell Pepper, chopped – 30Cals
4. 3 tbsps. Salsa Sauce – 12Cals
5. 4 tbsps. Cheese, shredded – 72Cals
6. 2 cups Spinach – 14Cals
7. ½ tsp. Mixed Herbs
8. 4 Wholegrain Wrap – 520Cals

Steps:

1. In a bowl, simple combine the beans, corn, bell pepper, salsa sauce and season with mixed herbs.
2. Now let’s assemble it! Place your wrap on a plate. Arrange a handful of spinach. Then, spoon the bean mixture onto the wrap and I’m going to top mine with a little bit of shredded cheese and roll it up!

If you’re a vegan, you always omit the cheese. To pack more vegetables into your diet, serve it with a side of salad. This is a perfect lunch-to-go recipe, I used to make it and take it with me to Uni. And sometimes, I’ll change the wrap for pita bread or even lettuce. Each serving has under 300Cals!

And what I love about this recipe is that you can also prep them for your parties as a healthier finger food. So these are my favourite lazy meals which are quick, super easy and much healthier compared to eating out constantly. What are your favourite student meals? Let me know in the comments below.

I hope this video will encourage you to start cooking for yourself despite the limited space and cooking utensils. Don’t be like me when I was a student. Make healthier choices and look after yourself.