3 cheap & easy recipes for students to stop eating out

I love food. The only downside is that I often want food that I can only buy out. Which means spending money. But my foodie self has to be reminded that I’m also an unemployed and highly in debt medical student. So I’ve learned to find some creative solutions to hit those cravings and save some money. Here are 3 cheap and easy recipes for students to cut back on eating out.

Easy recipes for students 1/3: Iced milk tea

Making your tea or coffee at home is one of the simplest ways to save money. Buying drinks really adds up, which is why I shared 5 easy summer drinks to make at home. My favourite drink from that list is so good and easy to make that it’s worth sharing again.

Since I get oat milk substitutions, getting a standard pearl milk tea costs me almost $10. Maybe as a one-time thing it’s not that bad. But when am I only going to want it once? I want it again and again.

So I’ve learned to make it at home. My brother likes to make a cold brew over night but I’ve found a faster and lazier method. I make this right before I’m about to have breakfast so that by the time I’m done eating and I’ve cleaned up, the drink is ready.

Ingredients:

1. Tea of choice (I’m currently using Time Hortons Orange Pekoe)
2. Milk of choice (I like Silk Soy milk)
3. *Sugar (optional)

Steps:

1. Add 2-3 teabags to a tall glass
2. Add a little bit of boiling water, just enough to submerge the teabags
3. Cover the glass and let steep for 10-15 minutes
4. When done, remove the teabags. The concentrate should be a rich, brown colour
5. Add sugar to taste
6. Fill the glass with milk (about 200-250 mL) and add ice

Easy recipes for students 2/3: Smoked salmon bagel

Another one of my easy recipes for students is a smoked salmon bagel. I love getting brunch so I can enjoy a delicious Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon. Good quality smoked salmon tastes incredible. I’ve got my brother hooked too.

My cheaper, at-home alternative is to have smoked salmon on a bagel.

Ingredients:

1. Bread of choice – english muffin or bagel
2. Cream cheese, vegan cream cheese or hummus
3. Egg whites
4. Smoked salmon
5. Tomatoes, onions, capers

Steps 1: prep your bread

Toast your choice of bread. This recipe works with both english muffins and bagels. Recently, I toasted some whole grain bread with a little bit of olive oil and it tasted delicious too.

Step 2: add cream cheese

Then apply a generous layer of cream cheese. Since dairy makes me break out, I prefer to use either vegan cream cheese or hummus.

Step 3: add eggs

Next, add scrambled egg whites. Usually, I skip this step to save time. But the eggs do make it yummier and more filling.

Step 4: add smoked salmon

Then comes the piece de resistance. My favourite smoked salmon is Norwegian smoked salmon but it’s more expensive and the place I like it from is far from me. This one from Loblaws is a little less expense but still quite yummy. The cheapest I’ve found is the Smoked Steelhead Salmon at Walmart which is not as flavourful but it works.

Step 5: add your toppings

Finally, I like to add some thin slices of tomato on top. My brother also likes to add onion and capers, as like in the picture above.

So to put it all together: toast your bread of choice with some olive oil or butter. Generously add a layer of cream cheese, vegan cream cheese or hummus. Then add your eggs (optional) and salmon, and finally some toppings.

Easy recipes for students 3/3: Steak with fresh vegetables

Out of all the easy recipes for students, this is my favourite. Knowing how to make steak saves me the most money because my husband and I both love it, so the bill adds up. I learned this recipe from my brother, who makes steak better than any restaurant I’ve tried so far.

Ingredients:

1. Steak
2. Salt and black pepper
3. Garlic
4. Fresh rosemary
5. Fresh vegetables of choice

Step 1: making the steak

You want to find a good quality steak, that has a good amount of marbling. Meaning it has more fat. It’s the white lines and flecks you can see in the body. I like the President’s Choice grass fed strip loin steak at Loblaws. But I usually get the Angus Beef Strip Loin Steak at Walmart because it’s cheaper (duh).

Season the steak with salt and black pepper to taste then throw it into your pan or onto the grill. I like to cook it in a cast iron pan. It’s really heavy but amazing for cooking. I add some oil and turn the stove on high and it heats up pretty quickly. This is one of the best gifts I’ve received (thanks mom).

I cook on one side for about 1 min on high, then flip to the other side for another min. Then I add in the fresh garlic and rosemary. After that, depending on how thick the steak is, I turn down the heat to medium and cook for about 2 more minutes on each side. At this point, I also add in some butter for extra flavour. I like my steak medium-rare to rare, so I don’t cook for too long.

Step 2: making the vegetables

Once the steak is done, I cook the vegetables in the same pan. I like mushrooms and asparagus or zucchini. That way they soak up the fat and flavour from the steak. Sometimes I’ll make grilled potatoes but an easier alternative is to make fries in the air fryer lol.

Finally, I like to pair this meal with my cranberry-Gingerale mocktail.

What are your at-home alternatives?

So those are 3 easy recipes for students to try out. What are your at-home alternatives to eating out? Please share below so I can try them!

-M

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