To me, a dinner should have a balanced amount of protein, vegetables and complex carbs. A plate of pasta is not complete without some grilled chicken and a sauce full of veggies! When you’re limited to cooking in a dorm room or on a budget, that can get a little tricky. It means buying more groceries and more cooking preparation. But I came up with this dinner that was perfectly balanced using only 4 ingredients in my residence hall community kitchen:

Dinner for One

It’s healthy, it’s inexpensive, and it was delicious :)

This insanely easy “Recipe”

You will need: one half of a ridiculously large sweet potato. Package of frozen veggies (I used the stir-fry blend) thawed. 1 piece of pre-grilled chicken (unless you’re into handling raw meat…which I am not). 1 wedge Laughing Cow Light cheese (35 calories?! Score!).

1. Bake half a sweet potato at 400 degrees for 30 minutes

2. Take it out of the oven and slice it down the middle. (Don’t burn your fingers!) Fill the potato and the rest of the baking sheet with your veggies and sliced chicken.

3. Bake for another 10 minutes. Let it cool for a couple of minutes before crumbling on the cheese and devouring while it’s warm.

You have lean protein from the white chicken meat, complex carbs and fiber from the sweet potato and all the vitamins from the vegetable blend. Plus it’s a filling meal (and so colorful)!

There are so many alternatives to Top Ramen no matter what you’re living situation. This meal literally comes out to about $2.90 per serving and about 300 calories. That’s a heck of a lot better than $1.00 and 1000 calories!

Thanks to Pinterest I’ve found a bunch of other varieties of Stuffed Sweet Potatoes including BBQ Pulled Pork and Spinach & Feta. Since sweet potatoes are so hearty and delicious I think I’ll try them all. Sure beats a hot pocket!

This and other college healthy tips and recipes can be found on the College Girl Cuisine page!

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