Our son Harry and his best friend Jack are both college athletes and, like most college students, they’re on a budget. They have very different relationships with cooking: Harry doesn’t necessarily love to cook, but he definitely loves good food. Jack, on the other hand, has a real interest in learning how to meal prep well, but wants to do it without spending a fortune. We shopped for everything at Trader Joe’s.
We think it’s important to teach our kids how to make good food at home. When you’re in college, it’s easy to spend your hard-earned money on takeout or fall into the “I guess I’ll just eat ramen” routine. Knowing how to make a few simple, satisfying meals can save a lot of money—and, just as importantly, means you can actually enjoy what you’re eating.
So we put together a meal prep that would work for both of them: low effort, relatively inexpensive, and high-yield.The idea was to spend a couple of hours in the kitchen and have enough food to mix and match throughout the week.
We’ve always found sheet pans to be one of the easiest ways to cook a lot of food quickly, but one of our newest additions to our meal-prep routine is loaf-pan chicken. You can pack pounds and pounds of chicken thighs—or chicken breasts—into a loaf pan, toss them with olive oil and your favorite spices, and end up with incredibly juicy, moist chicken that can be chopped up and used in burritos, rice bowls, salads, and more.
Ground beef, roasted potatoes, peppers and onions, pico de gallo and guacamole are always winners, too. And the best part is how flexible this kind of meal prep is. You can adjust the amount of protein, change up the vegetables, or use whatever herbs and spices you have on hand.
Depending on how many racks you have in your oven, you can cook multiple things at once and have a week’s worth of meals ready in just a couple of hours. Hopefully, this gives any college student—or college athlete—a simple way to eat well, save money, and spend a little less time thinking about what’s for dinner.
LOAF-PAN CHICKEN
Ingredients
8 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp cumin
2 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp kosher salt
1 tbsp black pepper
Directions
Preheat oven to 450°F.
Toss the chicken with the olive oil, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, salt and pepper until evenly coated.
Pack the chicken tightly into 2 loaf pans.
Bake for 50–55 minutes, or until the chicken reaches 170°F internal temperature.
Let the chicken cool for 10 minutes, then carefully tip the pans to pour off the excess liquid and fat.
Turn the chicken out onto a cutting board and slice into strips.
TACO-SPICED BEEF
Ingredients
4 lb ground beef
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp paprika
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp kosher salt
Directions
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Add the ground beef and brown, breaking it up as it cooks.
Drain the excess fat.
Stir in the black pepper, paprika, cumin, garlic powder and kosher salt.
Cook for another 1–2 minutes, stirring until the spices are evenly incorporated.
ROASTED POTATOES, PEPPERS & ONIONS
Ingredients
Potatoes
3 lb potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp cumin
2 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp kosher salt
Peppers & Onions
2 red bell peppers, sliced
2 orange bell peppers, sliced
2 red onions, julienned
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp cumin
2 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp kosher salt
Directions
Preheat oven to 450°F.
Drizzle olive oil onto two sheet pans.
Spread the potatoes evenly on one pan and the peppers and onions on the other.
Sprinkle the spices evenly over each pan and toss well to coat.
Roast for about 20 minutes, tossing once, until the potatoes are fork-tender and everything is browned.
For extra-crispy vegetables and potatoes, broil for a few minutes at the end.
GUACAMOLE
Ingredients
3 avocados
Juice of 1 lime
¼ cup minced red onion
3 tbsp minced cilantro
1–2 jalapeños, seeded and minced
½ tsp cumin
Salt, to taste
Directions
Mash the avocados with the lime juice. Stir in the red onion, cilantro, jalapeño, cumin and salt.
PICO DE GALLO
Ingredients
4 Roma tomatoes, diced
¼ cup diced red onion
3 tbsp minced cilantro
Juice of 1–2 limes
Salt, to taste
Directions
Combine all the ingredients and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
You’ll need:
10–12 burrito-size flour tortillas, warmed
4 cups cooked white rice
Crema, for serving
Burritos
Layer a warm tortilla with guacamole, taco-spiced beef, roasted peppers and onions, and pico de gallo. Fold in the sides, roll tightly, and you’re ready to go.
Bowls
Start with white rice, then add taco-spiced beef or loaf-pan chicken, roasted potatoes, guacamole and pico de gallo. Finish with a drizzle of crema.
The whole idea is simple: put in a little effort once, and get a lot of good food out of it. Whether you’re someone who loves to cook, like Jack, or someone who simply loves to eat good food, like Hari, having a few easy meals in your back pocket can make college life a little easier—and a lot less expensive.
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