Any college kitchen should have some basic items that can be used at any time, anywhere. You can use them to make a simple sandwich, omelet, oatmeal, or use with other simple ingredients to make a complex meal. These are the foundation to any college student’s diet:

Flour & Sugar – can be used for any baking, whip together pancakes or waffles for breakfast, or making sauces.

Eggs – a great go-to for breakfast any time of the day, another quintessential baking ingredient, and if you feel like Rocky, a great source of protein.

Pasta & Pasta Sauce – when in doubt, boil water. Basic pasta can be a filling, quick and easy meal and pasta sauce can be used for personal pizzas or sandwiches.

Milk – one word: cereal. The staple of any college student’s diet, you can eat it at anytime of the day. Throw some milk in a fruit smoothie for a little extra creaminess, or use it for dunking America’s favorite cookie.

Peanut butter – Let’s be honest, peanut butter is good straight out of the jar. On a sandwich, toast, celery, carrots, apples, graham crackers, or use those Oreo’s again for a late night snack.

Oatmeal – A great on-the-go breakfast for anyone with a little time and it keeps you full for a long time!

Tortillas – You can put any of the above ingredients in a tortilla (with a little imagination), but it’s a great alternative to sandwich bread. Or slice them up and toast them in your oven for 10-15 min (at 350) and you’ll have great chips to dip in just about anything.

Seasoning (salt, pepper and garlic) – Without the basic seasonings, nothing tastes great, so don’t forget the salt and pepper!

Think of these as the foundation to any good meal, whether it’s as simple as a sandwich or as complicated as carbonara (but that’s another post). Use simple proteins like chicken breasts, turkey, steak, or even tofu in conjunction with these basics and you will have a home cooked meal in no time.

Until next time, keep cooking!