A Week of Healthy Dinners on a Student Budget

Cooking for one is a struggle that all students know. Wasting food is painful, and it's tough to be creative when you can't splash out on fancy ingredients.

So what's a gal to do? Meal-plan, that's what. Oh, and go to Lidl.

This academic year, I've really taken to meal-planning. If I don't plan my meals, I just end up picking up whatever I feel like from the shops. Impromptu shopping is super dangerous because (and I can promise you this) you end up spending more money.

Now, I'm not a meal-prepper. I'm a meal-planner. This means I just write out what my meals will be for the next few days along with the ingredients I need, go to the shop to buy it, and try to avoid food shopping otherwise. Meal-preppers actually make their food in advance. I can't do that. Leftovers are one thing, but 3-day old cooked-chicken? Sorry but that's a no from me (Though I do understand why super-busy people do it).

Anyway, a few weeks ago, I posted an Instagram story of all the food I bought from Lidl for about a weeks worth of dinners. It was under £25 for everything (plus a few extras) and I had a ton of people DM me about just how great Lidl is for budget food shopping. I'm trying to write a bit more about cooking on my blog (because I love it, and I actually think I'm pretty darn good at it), so I took a few pictures of all the dinners I made that week as possible blog content.

Before I get into sharing the dinners I made along with the recipes I used, I thought I would share some thoughts/tips on meal-planning in general.

It doesn't have to be boring
I feel like one of the major problems with meal-planning (and even more so with meal-prepping) is that you either a.) end up eating the same thing all the time or b.) end up eating really simple, boring food. So whenever I plan my meals, I make sure they're not only flavorful but crave-able. All the recipes I used here I never get bored of.

Be strategic about the order you make your meals in
If your food is going off before you get the chance to make it, then you're meal-planning wrong. I save all my vegetarian dishes for the end of the week and make use of more perishable foods (i.e. meat and fish) at the start.

Repeat meals for lunch or dinner
In this post, I'm only sharing four dinners, but because each dish makes at least two portions, it means I'm set for the week. I will, on occasion, have my leftovers for lunch. But it's more likely that I save leftovers for dinner the next day. I enjoy having things like wraps, sandwiches, and salads for lunch rather than hot food.

Moroccan-Inspired Turkey Meatballs with Citrus Couscous  

This recipe is adapted from an old favourite from BBC Good Food. It's super healthy, incredibly fresh, and quick to put together. My only tweak to the original recipe is that I add an egg to bind the meatballs and keep them moist (if the meatballs end up being a bit dry you can serve with yoghurt). Also, I'll often add feta to the couscous and sometimes pomegranate seeds if I'm feeling fancy.

Slow-Cooker Chicken Mole 

If you've never had (or heard of) chicken mole before, all you have to know is that this recipe brings chicken to a whole other level. Mole sauce has rich, complex flavours due to the secret ingredient of chocolate (and sometimes peanut butter). I loosely followed this recipe, passing on the sesame seeds and extra sugar, and adding a green bell pepper I had on hand. I also used chicken thighs instead of breast. I initially tried to eat this in tortilla wraps, but it was too liquidy/messy. It works just as well with rice. I think I'll have to develop my own recipe for chicken mole once I get it right!

Skillet Chorizo Shakshuka

Shakshuka is the real MVP of no-fuss cooking. You can really eat it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, but I prefer it for a quick weeknight meal. I was first introduced to Shakshuka through my mom who found the recipe via the New York Times. It's definitely a classic especially if you want to go in the veggie direction. But I'm a personal fan of the Mob Kitchen's version which includes chorizo. Since I was cooking for just myself, I made the sauce with just one tin of chopped tomatoes and only put in two eggs for my portion. Once I had finished eating, I scooped up the rest of the sauce to save for the next day with freshly baked eggs (no one likes day-old eggs).  

Roasted Veggie Rice-Bowls 

I love my vegetables roasted more than any other form of cooking. They just develop such a great flavour and texture from the oven. Plus, I love that I can just chop my veggies, throw them in the oven, and forget about it for 40 or so minutes. In my version, I used sweet potatoes, bell pepper, eggplant, and shallots. About 10 minutes before the timer was up, I also added in chickpeas and kale. Paired with hearty brown rice (you could also use couscous) and a "dressing" of yoghurt mixed with lemon, I felt like I had hit the vegetarian jackpot on this dish (and it was just as good the next day!)   

Honestly, meal-planning seems like this intuitive, common-sense activity. But you really have to get the hang of it before you can truly make it work for you. It can be tedious at times (and it usually requires me to carry back a ton of groceries on my own from central campus), but I promise you it's so worth it. You save time because you're not aimlessly walking around the shops and you save money because you learn how to repeat ingredients and avoid waste. It really is a win-win if you decide to put the effort in.