EASY-TO-MAKE COLLEGE APARTMENT MEALS. (BY NILE FROM UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND)

So you're excited about your new on-campus (or off-campus) apartment, until you realize that you have to be an actual adult and cook for yourself.

This is exactly how I felt when I moved into my apartment back in August. I couldn't easily just swipe into the diner and eat until I felt my skinny jeans slowly unbutton. I actually had to buy groceries, plan out meals, and cook them. I'm not known for being a great cook, but I had to start somewhere. I refused to be that student who lived in an apartment and survived off of a diet of Chipotle burrito bowls and large pizzas.

So to help out my fellow students, I decided to put together a couple of meal ideas that I personally cook and they all taste delicious. Scroll below to see what I've been making.

***NOTES:  I typically don't use measuring cups when I cook, so I just listed ingredients and instructions. Also, these are just the spices I like. Feel free to add your own flavor! (No pun intended.)

Chickpea Tacos

My chickpea tacos do not look this good. But this is a great picture.

Hear me out. You might think nothing else belongs in tacos besides beef, but these are actually quite delicious and are great for veggie lovers such as myself.

What You'll Need:

• Chickpeas (two cans feed three people)
• Two Roma Tomatoes
• Baby Spinach
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Spices: Black Pepper, Garlic Powder, Cayenne Pepper

1. Open the cans of chickpeas and rinse them in a strainer (yes, the bowl with the holes), and pick out any shells.

2. Place the chickpeas in a separate bowl.

3. Get out a skillet, and put it on the stove, as it gets warm, pour in enough Extra Virgin Olive Oil to cover the surface of the pan.

4. While the oil heats up, sprinkle the Black Pepper, Garlic Powder, and Cayenne Pepper onto the chickpeas. (I usually sprinkle the spices on in the this order.)

5. Pour a little Olive Oil onto the chickpeas and mix them up so that the spices can settle in.

6. After the oil heats up, pour the chickpeas into the skillet and mix them around with a spatula until the chickpeas appear a little darker. 

7. Dice the tomato and cut up the spinach and add them into the pan with the chickpeas. Add spices as you'd like.

8. While the chickpeas are cooking, you can either lay the tortillas out onto a plate, or you can put them in the oven for a bit and then lay them out.

9. When the chickpeas appear done, put them into the tortillas. 

10. You're done! Add cheese, Sriracha, anything else you'd like.

Alfredo (with Penne noodles)

Similarly to this photo, I add broccoli, but I also add peppers.

What You'll Need:

• Penne pasta noodles
• Broccoli (frozen or fresh)
• Bell Peppers
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Alfredo Sauce
• Spices: Black Pepper, Cayenne Pepper, Garlic Powder, Paprika

1. Put the noodles in a pot with boiling water and add Extra Virgin Olive Oil. As the noodles boil, add Black Pepper.

2. While the noodles are boiling, put the broccoli into boiling water add Extra Virgin Olive Oil (if using frozen broccoli, follow steps on bag to thaw). Add Black Pepper, Garlic Powder, and Paprika to the broccoli.

3. While the noodles and broccoli are boiling, place a skillet on the stove with enough Olive Oil to cover the surface of the pan. Then, cut up a bell pepper.

4. When the Olive Oil gets hot, add the bell pepper slices and move them around with the spatula. Add spices--Black Pepper, Garlic Powder (and anything else you'd like).

5. When the noodles are done, drain the noodles using a strainer. Then, place the noodles into a separate bowl. Add the broccoli, the sauteed bell pepper, and Alfredo sauce. Mix until you reach the desired creaminess. Add more spices if you'd like.

6. You're done!

Shrimp, Green Beans, and Red Potatoes

This photo is actually pretty similar to how my meal turns out.

What You'll Need:

• Shrimp (be sure to clean and peel the tails off--unless you prefer to leave them on.)
• Fresh Green Beans 
• Red Potatoes
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Spices: Black Pepper, Garlic Power, Cayenne Pepper, Paprika

1. Set the oven to your desired temperature (350 should be okay).

2. Slice (or dice) the red potatoes, then place them into a bowl and add Black Pepper, Garlic Powder, and Cayenne Pepper. Add Olive Oil to make it easier to mix in the seasonings.

3. Grab a pan (for oven-use) and place aluminum foil at the bottom (to prevent things getting stuck to the pan) and put the potatoes in the pan. Add more Olive Oil, and stick the pan in the oven. It should take between 10-15 minutes to cook.

4. Place two pans on the stove (one for the shrimp, one for the green beans), and put Olive Oil in both of them.

5. Cut the green beans, and use Black Pepper, Garlic Powder, Cayenne Pepper, and Paprika to season both the green beans and the shrimp. Use Olive Oil to make it easier to mix in the seasonings.

6. Add the green beans and the shrimp to their designated pans and use spatulas to keep tossing the ingredients. Add spices and Olive Oil if you feel you need more.

7. Check on the potatoes. You can't forget the potatoes.

8. When the green beans are to your liking, the shrimp are orange, and the potatoes are a nice golden color, you're all done! You can serve on a plate, or mix everything in a bowl.

So these are the recipes I have for you all. Again, I'm not an expert! Please feel free to mix it up, add meat, or use different spices. And if you feel like it's too much to multitask and cook multiple things at once, cook things one at a time! Always use oven mitts and don't forget to turn the stove and oven off when you're done cooking.

Embrace the newfound independence of being able to cook for yourself.

What do you like to cook? Let me know! Follow me on Twitter @NaturallyNi, on Instagram @ineedyoulikethesun, and on Snapchat @niwashere_xo to see what I'm up to! And be sure to follow Nerdy Naturals on Twitter@NerdyNaturals01! Have an amazing second-half of the semester! #staynatural.

Nile is the creator of the Nerdy Naturals blog. She is a Sophomore Communications major with a concentration in Public Relations and minors in Chinese and entrepreneurship from Maryland. You can contact her on any of the social media sites above. You can also email nerdynaturals@gmail.com if you have any questions or are interested in contributing.