Hello all! Sorry for the late blog, I wrote it early on in October so I could publish it later on, I felt so prepared until I completely forgot to publish it! As you can see I have been feeling the deadline stress recently and consequently I haven’t been eating too well, it’s all too tempting to buy a burrito and head to the SU to work or to have a tea completely made out of vending machine snacks. So I thought I would write a cooking tips blog! Hopefully give you all some advice for cooking for yourself for the first time or just for cooking quick and relatively healthy meals.

1. First of all I thought I’d quickly mention online grocery shopping, it saves so much time and it’s easier not to overspend as you can see how much you have in the basket every time you add something. Delivery is usually only £1-£2 which I really don’t mind paying if it gives me another hour to finish some work or even to just crash after a long day.

2. Microwave bake potatoes, I met loads of people who didn’t know this was a thing. Stab them a few times, roll them in olive oil and salt, put them in a bowl, then chuck them in the microwave for 6 minutes, turn them around and then microwave them for another 6 (sometimes you might need to microwave them for a bit longer if they’re bigger). This is super quick, eat it with some salad and some tuna and it’s a decent meal, much better than instant noodles!

3. Microwave corn on the cob (basically steamed corn). I always see the two packs of corn on the cob for £1, which is pretty cheap. You can put them in a bowl with some water (not covering the corn) and then cover the bowl with cling film. Put them in the microwave until they’re soft. Eat them with some butter and a little bit of paprika. They’re actually surprisingly filling for lunch and again very quick to make.

4. Chicken thighs. They aren’t exactly a quick meal but they are much cheaper than chicken breasts. I usually put them in a dish with garlic, herbs and olive oil and them put them in the oven.

5. Spanish Omelette! Thinly slice some potatoes and lay them in the bottom of a frying pan with some oil, add some diced onions. Whisk a couple of eggs with salt and pepper (chuck in a few herbs if you fancy) then pour the eggs over the top of the potatoes. Wait for it to cook through and then eat it with some salad!

6. You could always roast a chicken! It takes a while but then you have leftover chicken for days that you can put in a sandwich or in some pasta!

7. My friend Rachel has very helpfully suggested her ‘ultimate lazy meal’: Put some cous cous in a mug, add seasoning, chilli flakes, lemon juice (and anything else you fancy) and then pour hot water over the top. Cut up some veg. (mushrooms, courgettes etc.) and microwave for a few minutes.

8. Take a look at the Fruit and Veg Co-Op run by Cardiff Uni students, you can order fruit and/or veg baskets and pick them up the following week. It’s a great way to save time and they offer a stir fry box, which is another great quick meal idea. Here is the link to the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/fruitvegcoopcardiffuni/?fref=ts

Hope this helped you guys a bit!

Hello all! Sorry for the late blog, I wrote it early on in October so I could publish it later on, I felt so prepared until I completely forgot to publish it! As you can see I have been feeling the deadline stress recently and consequently I haven’t been eating too well, it’s all too tempting to buy a burrito and head to the SU to work or to have a tea completely made out of vending machine snacks. So I thought I would write a cooking tips blog! Hopefully give you all some advice for cooking for yourself for the first time or just for cooking quick and relatively healthy meals.

1. First of all I thought I’d quickly mention online grocery shopping, it saves so much time and it’s easier not to overspend as you can see how much you have in the basket every time you add something. Delivery is usually only £1-£2 which I really don’t mind paying if it gives me another hour to finish some work or even to just crash after a long day.

2. Microwave bake potatoes, I met loads of people who didn’t know this was a thing. Stab them a few times, roll them in olive oil and salt, put them in a bowl, then chuck them in the microwave for 6 minutes, turn them around and then microwave them for another 6 (sometimes you might need to microwave them for a bit longer if they’re bigger). This is super quick, eat it with some salad and some tuna and it’s a decent meal, much better than instant noodles!

3. Microwave corn on the cob (basically steamed corn). I always see the two packs of corn on the cob for £1, which is pretty cheap. You can put them in a bowl with some water (not covering the corn) and then cover the bowl with cling film. Put them in the microwave until they’re soft. Eat them with some butter and a little bit of paprika. They’re actually surprisingly filling for lunch and again very quick to make.

4. Chicken thighs. They aren’t exactly a quick meal but they are much cheaper than chicken breasts. I usually put them in a dish with garlic, herbs and olive oil and them put them in the oven.

5. Spanish Omelette! Thinly slice some potatoes and lay them in the bottom of a frying pan with some oil, add some diced onions. Whisk a couple of eggs with salt and pepper (chuck in a few herbs if you fancy) then pour the eggs over the top of the potatoes. Wait for it to cook through and then eat it with some salad!

6. You could always roast a chicken! It takes a while but then you have leftover chicken for days that you can put in a sandwich or in some pasta!

7. My friend Rachel has very helpfully suggested her ‘ultimate lazy meal’: Put some cous cous in a mug, add seasoning, chilli flakes, lemon juice (and anything else you fancy) and then pour hot water over the top. Cut up some veg. (mushrooms, courgettes etc.) and microwave for a few minutes.

8. Take a look at the Fruit and Veg Co-Op run by Cardiff Uni students, you can order fruit and/or veg baskets and pick them up the following week. It’s a great way to save time and they offer a stir fry box, which is another great quick meal idea. Here is the link to the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/fruitvegcoopcardiffuni/?fref=ts

Hope this helped you guys a bit!