The Best Part of Campus Living
A lot of things make us nostalgic for the good ol’ days of campus living. We hit the books hard, but we hit our air fryers harder, making some of the best meals that got us through gruelling study sessions. The thing is, we haven’t forgotten about those meals, and we certainly haven’t stopped making them. Venture back to your dorm room and relive some classic meals we’d eat no matter how old we are!
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1. English Muffin Pizzas
Alright, yes—we could have ordered a pizza to our dorm room. But we were all on shoestring budgets! Why order a giant pizza when you can easily whip them up in your kitchen? All we needed was the humble English muffin, a little shredded cheese, and some sauce. They were just as good as the store-bought stuff but somehow even better.
2. Kraft Dinner With Hot Dogs
Don’t even think about judging us; we know you made this, too! Kraft Dinner is all well and good, but it just wasn’t complete without some kind of affordable meat in there…and you aren’t getting any better than hot dogs. We know it sounds a little gross, but the flavor combo was brain food at its finest.
3. Microwave Scrambled Eggs
This is easily the worst way to make scrambled eggs, but darn it all if we didn’t rely on the convenience. A few whisked eggs and a little seasoning brought all the rubbery flavor we could want, and it was one of the fastest ways to get protein.
4. Grilled Cheese
In what universe are we sacrificing grilled cheese sandwiches? This classic option is as versatile as it is delicious! The only difference now is that we can afford the real cheese, not the Kraft singles we slapped in there during college.
5. Air Fryer French Fries
If there’s one thing you shouldn’t use the microwave for, it’s french fries. Luckily, we invested in an air fryer pretty early, and it was the mother of all appliances. You didn’t need anything besides a freezer bag of fries and a splash of olive oil to get those golden, crispy sticks. Best of all, a sprinkle of parsley made us feel much fancier.
6. Pizza Pockets
Alright, we won’t lie: these are one of the unhealthiest things you can eat. They’re stuffed with fat and preservatives—and we ate them every week in college. They aren’t very good now, but we still have the urge to burn our mouths on a soggy pasty stuffed with questionable pepperoni.
7. Chicken Tacos
Tacos were a godsend in college! They were affordable, they were tasty, and you could cater them to your needs and budget. Personally, we opted for shredded chicken, lettuce, cheese, and hot sauce. It was simple, but it got us through.
8. Bagel Bites
English muffin pizzas are easy to make, but burnt-out students barely have the time to sleep. Of course we wanted something even easier, and that’s where Bagel Bites came in! Tiny pepperoni cubes on a crunchy crust we accidentally burnt every time? You bet this was one of our go-tos.
9. Air Fryer Shake ‘N Bake
We hope you didn’t put that air fryer away ‘cause it’s way more useful than you think. Call us crazy, but shaking chicken breasts in a bag of breadcrumbs was as fun as it sounds, and they came out perfectly every time. You could even make frozen veggies in the same fryer for an easy meal.
10. Instant Noodles
Say what you want about the sodium—we’re not ditching instant noodles. Every college kid invested in them; they were super affordable and filling enough to fuel us between classes. Despite their bland appearance, they were also the perfect base for added seasoning or protein.
11. French Toast
French toast is sort of like grilled cheese’s sweeter cousin. Egg, vanilla, and fresh bread turned your average loaf into a delectable breakfast we could then drizzle with syrup. Though, we’ll admit, we sprinkled cinnamon on top during the fall.
12. Perogies
Perogies don’t get enough credit! They’re cheap, they’re tasty, and they make a great side dish. Best of all, they come in a variety of flavors, turning them from simple side to star of the show, and we absolutely crushed these with a dollop of sour cream.
13. Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches
It doesn’t matter if you’re eight or 18—peanut butter and jelly sandwiches belong on the menu. There’s nothing to it besides your basic ingredients, but that’s part of what makes it so great. Sometimes, the best things in life are the simplest.
14. Microwave Meatloaf
Bet you didn’t know you could make a tasty meatloaf in the microwave. It’s true, and it won’t turn out like your rubbery scrambled eggs! You’ll need a decent number of ingredients, like ground beef, eggs, breadcrumbs, and ketchup, but you don’t need more than 20 or so minutes before it’s done.
15. Chicken Nuggets
Chicken nuggets were a college staple, but they haven’t left our kitchens in adulthood! Though we cut our own now, we lived on the frozen stuff back in the day. Yes, they were processed out the wazoo, but nothing beat a plate of nugs and some plum sauce.
16. Quesadillas
We all love tacos, but sometimes you want to kick things up a notch. On a cold day, nothing hit the spot better than homemade quesadillas—even if they were made in a dorm room. It literally only took cheese and tortillas for an upgraded grilled cheese sandwich, but you could always add ground beef and veggies, too.
17. Mug Brownie
We all deserve a little sweet treat now and then. Even as college students, we knew the power of cocoa powder and sugar (not to mention that scoop of vanilla ice cream). It may have been a favorite in school, but it’s still a popular dessert now.
18. Popcorn Shrimp
There’s nothing shrimp can’t do. Not only is it delicious, but it’s also a low-calorie protein option, making it a stellar choice for starving college students. When we toss them in the air fryer now, we can’t help but remember those days among our textbooks.
boyce.michael from USA on Wikimedia
19. Instant Oatmeal
Some people say oatmeal is bland, but we say those people lack imagination! Instant oatmeal is only as bland as you make it, and a bowl of this stuff is a terrific base for fruit, nuts, and brown sugar. You can even make overnight oats and save yourself some time in the morning.
20. Meatballs
We’re not talking about the homemade stuff with ground beef, ground pork, and fresh herbs. No, we’re talking about the frozen kind we stuck in the microwave and popped into our pasta. Busy workdays still call for this staple, and we can’t help but get nostalgic.
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