As I’ve mentioned in the past, I much prefer to dine rather than just eat—that is, I try to savor my food whenever possible. But sometimes, you just need to get out the door.

For this semester in particular, time has become a precious commodity, making quick and easy meals essential. Never one to skimp on flavor or nutrition, I’ve devised a few quick options that don’t involve a drive-through. Got five minutes? Then you’ve got a meal.

Cereal is an obvious choice—you pour it in a bowl with some milk and you’re good to go, right? Not necessarily. In my experience, just a bowl of Cheerios and milk lasts me for about oh, 45 minutes before I’m hungry again. The key is to add some fiber and protein for staying power. Add nuts + fruit to the cereal and maybe some hard-boiled egg whites or kefir on the side, and you’ve got a balanced breakfast.

Smoothies are another favorite here at the B-Hut when time is short. Provided that you keep a constant stock of some sort of frozen fruit around, you can make any flavor you wish. Again, for the sake of satiety, it’s a smart idea to add either Greek yogurt or protein powder, plus a small dose of fat in the form of nuts or nut butter. Bonus points if you add some greens.

Long-time readers may recall my “Boxed Soup Chef” phase wherein I got in a habit of buying boxed soups (such as those by Pacific or Imagine) and adding my own fun ingredients. Why boxed soups? They’re typically lower in sodium than their canned counterparts and have versatile flavors such as carrot-ginger or roasted red pepper. My favorite is the combination pictured above: carrot-ginger soup with chickpeas, kale, and sunflower seeds. Heat ‘n eat is as simple as it gets, my friends.

Leftovers do not often appear in my diet for two main reasons: 1) I get bored with them, and 2) Seth eats any leftovers I might have. However, on the rare occasion that I do have some scraps to spare, they sure are time-savers. Case in point: today’s meatless meatloaf sandwich. Just add ketchup—voila! Packing lunch took approximately 60 seconds.

If you take one glance at my recipe page, you’ll notice a few themes, one of which is tofu salad. Tofu salad is so prominently featured not only because I simply love tofu but also because it’s so quick to prepare. You can eat tofu raw, so all you have to do is choose a way to dress it up—make it into Avocado Eggless Salad, add a little Ginger Peanut Dressing, or heck, even use hummus!—and you’re done. If you don’t groove on tofu, you could substitute your protein of choice, such as cubed chicken…but you do have to cook that first

I know you’re all busy people too—what are your go-to meals when time is short?

Filed under: How To, list, Recipe Collection