10 easy and quick meal ideas
Microwaved pasta with marinara sauce is placed in a bowl and ready to eat. Cooking pasta in the microwave is much faster than waiting for water to boil.
Despite being at home, many students struggle with deciding what to eat for breakfast and lunch. From my own experience, I never seem to have enough time in the morning to make my breakfast. Even though we have an hour to eat lunch, somehow I always end up rushing to try and eat something right before my next class. It’s often because I’m doing schoolwork, can’t find anything that looks appetizing or feel like there is nothing to eat. Here are a few filling and delicious meal ideas that are very quick and fun to make!
Time: 5 minutes
Peanut butter banana toast is a very simple meal that you can make in the morning when you are rushing to get to class or work. All you need to do is grab two slices of bread and toast them if you’d like. Then, you will simply spread peanut butter onto the bread and top with banana slices. An easy way to add some extra flavor is to sprinkle on some cinnamon! This can be enjoyed with a nice glass of milk, coffee or any beverage of your choice.
Time: 2 minutes
This meal is the perfect option for anyone who likes to plan ahead. You simply add all your ingredients into a mason jar or cup, stir it together and add a lid. Then, place it into the refrigerator overnight and it will be ready to go in the morning. If you are someone who gets tired of eating the same meal every day, there are quick ways to switch it up by adding in different ingredients. For example, the one linked above is for vanilla overnight oats, but on the website at the bottom, there are links to mocha, pumpkin spice oats and many more!
Berry Smoothie & Strawberry Banana Smoothie Bowl
Time for smoothie: 4 minutes
Time for smoothie bowl: 5 minutes
Smoothies are great and refreshing in the morning. All you need to do is grab some frozen berries, yogurt, chia seeds (optional) and milk of your choice. Blend them up and you’re good to go! You can always add other ingredients such as different fruit, additional toppings or spinach and other greens. This is an ideal choice for when you are on-the-go-since you can add it to a cup, grab a straw and enjoy.
Sometimes when there is more time in the morning, making a smoothie bowl is a fun choice too! Just grab a frozen banana, strawberries and milk of your choice. Blend it all together and top with toppings of your choice such as sliced strawberries or bananas, chia seeds and dried fruit. Enjoy!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Banana bread is an easy breakfast item to bake ahead of time. If you make too much or have extra that you can’t finish, don’t throw it away. Instead, consider freezing it by waiting until it has cooled off, wrapping it in plastic wrap, then wrapping it in foil and placing into the fridge. It will be good for up to two months. When you decide to eat it again, all you have to do is remove it from the freezer and let it thaw on the counter for about 24 hours.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
The biscuits bake faster than the banana bread, so you could easily bake them in the morning. You can add a variety of toppings to your biscuits, such as: jam, butter, ham, eggs, cheese or simply eat it plain.
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Now, onto some lunch ideas, starting with microwavable pasta! No one likes waiting for the water to boil when they are making pasta because it seems to take forever. This is a faster way to make pasta by putting some in a bowl, adding water and heating it up in the microwave. When it’s done you can drain the pasta and add any garnishes you like, whether that is to make mac and cheese or add marinara sauce, pesto or butter.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Chicken wraps are extremely easy to make. Simply follow the instructions in the recipe and you’re ready to go! One tip that could speed up the process if you don’t have much time is to premake the chicken and heat it up in the microwave. Also, don’t be afraid to add additional vegetables or use a different sauce.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Who doesn’t love pizza? These pizza bagels are quick to make. Start by preheating your oven, then adding the toppings onto your bagel and letting them cook. It’s as simple as that!
Time: 15 minutes
Sometimes when we are feeling healthy or not too hungry, a salad is a great option to try! This salad only includes lettuce, cucumber, red onion and pine nuts. Feel free to add chicken or any other meats along with vegetables and fruits for a more filling meal. This recipe included instructions to make a dressing, but using a premade one you have at home will work as well.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
This meal is sometimes considered a breakfast item, but can go both ways! For this lunch, all you need is a piece of bread, an avocado, an egg (optional) and hot sauce (optional). This does not take a long time to make, and is even faster without the egg. Something I personally like to add on top of my avocado toast is a seasoning called Everything But The Bagel, which you can find at your local Trader Joes, or other grocery stores.
