Jackson Cooper
    Staff Writer

“What I’ve made for you today is a rustic-style, raspberry reduction, garnished with a smooth roasted peanut spread, spread across a thick slice of white bread with another slice of bread holding the flavors in place. Really, what I’m doing this for is my dad…he was always a chef, he’s the reason I started cooking, and I know (sniff) I know if he was alive, he’d want to see me win Chopped so I could continue working for the local urban garden café for sad children.”

I may or may not have said that before — I really just found it on tumblr — to prove that, as poor college students, we describe what we have made as if we were Gordon Ramsey’s personal sous Chefs.

In reality, we’ve just taken a piece of week-old bread and spread some peanut butter that possibly has salmonella around—come on, we’ve all said, “Which brands were recalled? I don’t know, let’s eat it and see”—and some jelly you bought back in January.

Of course, budgeting for food is tough, especially since Greensboro has so many options when it comes to eating out. Luckily, this week, I will provide you with the top recipes for living that healthy, money-saving, starving-artist life.

5. Veggie Wraps

Wrapping a burrito/wrap is so easy that Fred Flintstone probably did it with the skin of dead rhinos and the meat from the cat that kept meowing next door. So, unless you don’t have opposable thumbs, this recipe is as easy as 1-2-Wrap. All you’ll need is Store Brand Tortilla wraps, hummus or some spread, a protein of some sort and veggies. Combine all of this together and wrap accordingly. Make sure to put them in plastic bags too so that you have more for lunch and dinner the coming week.

4. Grilled Cheese

This is almost too easy, but far too many people still don’t know how to make a tasty grilled cheese. This involves two pieces of bread—obviously, they need to be lathered in butter—and a piece of cheese. Then, you just have to fry it up in a pan. That’s it. Now you really have no excuse to starve. It really is that easy.

3. Eggacado

This is the quintessential breakfast pick-me-up meal. Eggs are, nutritionally, the best food to eat in the morning after fresh fruit, because it starts your body out with some of the healthiest of proteins; plus, eggs are bound to hold you over until lunchtime. Additionally, the avocados in this dish have super vitamins in them that are mood-boosters and help fight that inevitable fall flu virus. To put this together, you simply pit an avocado and crack an egg into the center of it. Then, preheat your oven to 450 degrees, placing the Eggacado in a small baking cup lined with foil. And fifteen minutes later, you’ve got yourself a fast, healthy breakfast.

2. Crock Pot Chili

Ask your mother how useful crock pots are. It’s every mother’s fantasy: put a ton of ingredients in a pot in the morning, run errands, pick the kids up from school, and by 5 p.m., dinner is served. No sweat, not really much work. And whether it’s with a crock pot, or a slow-cooker, chili has you put a pound of boneless chicken breast in with broth, tomatoes, garlic and any other seasonings you would like. You’ll have to let it cook for over 7 hours, but it’s perfect while you go to class. Trust me, you won’t burn the house down.

1. Harris Teeter Meal Deal

If you’re not a Harris Teeter Vic member, you should consider becoming one. Though you don’t earn points to the extent of you winning a trip to Paris because you’re feeding your champagne habits every week, Vic members get the best deal in town: the Meal Deal. Every week, Harris Teeter puts 6-8 items into a lump sale so that you can afford dinner. What I mean is that for only $12 you can purchase, say, fries, meatballs, bread, pasta sauce and a case of water. So, what could amount to over $50 is only $12 — and you’ve got yourself dinner for a week. Harris Teeter began doing this when they realized that their target audience is families of 3 or more. The Meal Deal is a perfect way to keep your meals under $20 while lasting you enough time.

This weekend, stop putting off your New Year resolution of cooking more — after all, fall is here and it’s going to get a lot harder to go out to eat as things start getting more hectic. So cooking for yourself and your roommate might be a good idea. Just don’t let your roommate cook any bunny stew, if possible.