A couple of weeks ago, I did a huge post about my college apartment and it got me thinking about how much I really didn’t have to cook while I was away at school the past two years. Sure, the dorms had kitchens and I baked things here and there. But the dining hall was so close to my dorm and already paid for so I didn’t really ever feel a huge need to cook a three course meal. It left me out of practice when the ability to cook will be so nice for you know.. the rest of my life. So, I went out and tried 5 ~easy~ recipes off Pinterest. Here are my tips, tricks, and thoughts on the final products!

Neapolitan Waffle Stack via Hungry Girl

These waffle sandwiches were absolutely delicious and very filling. These are the perfect Sunday brunch-at-home treat! Packed with protein and very easy to make!

Prep: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 frozen low-fat {I used whole wheat} waffles
• 1/2 cup Vanilla Greek Yogurt {Strawberry could be yummy too}
• 2/3 cup sliced strawberries
• 1 tsp mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

First, you’ll want to toast the waffles. Then, you’ll do layers: yogurt, strawberries, chocolate chips, waffle #2, yogurt, strawberries, chocolate chips! Then, take a really pretty Instagram picture and tag us in it ~@theswirlblog~!

 Copy-Cat Chipotle Burrito Bowl via Chew Out Loud

This was honestly my favorite one to try out because I’m not a huge fan of Chipotle, BUT their burrito bowls are pretty good and I figured they would be easy to replicate! I’m also ~slightly~ obsessed with a burrito bowl place on campus that’s absolutely delicious! Note: She uses cilantro lime rice for her burrito bowl which I love too, but it typically adds more time to cooking and after long days at school, I opt for easier brown rice!

Prep time: 30 min

Cook time:20 min

Ingredients:

-For the Chicken

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, pounded to even thickness and towel dried
• Juice of half a lime
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Taco Seasoning Packet

-For the Burrito Salad

• 1 cup chopped romaine lettuce
• 1/2 cup diced bell peppers {any color, but I like green and red}
• 1/2 cup diced tomatoes
• 1/2 cup diced red onion
• 1/2 cup sweet corn kernels
• 1/2 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained

-2 cups of brown rice

-Garnishes: Sour cream, fresh guacamole, fresh salsa, cheese, tortilla chips

My Notes: You can find the directions over at Chew Out Loud! Here are my notes and little tweaks that I made to make it even easier!

• I seriously recommend chopping up all your veggies the night before because it’ll save you a lot of time!
• Also, if you slice your chicken breasts and let them marinate overnight, it’ll be even more flavorful.
• I used SteamFresh sweet corn and it was so delicious!
• If you don’t have a lot of time, I’d also recommend using frozen chicken strips and then adding in some taco seasoning for the same effect.
• I also made mine with brown rice instead to cut down on time as well!

Make-Ahead Fruit & Yogurt Parfaits via iowa girl eats.

Talk about a healthy & delicious snack! I’m writing this section of the blog post at 4:24 pm and I haven’t been hungry since I ate half of this bad boy at 11 a.m. It keeps you full for a really long time. I also thought the texture of this would be weird, but overnight oats are actually super delicious! I also liked that I could make this in my tumbler because I have like 12 of them and another use for them can justify purchasing more, right? She uses mason jars but I’m all about repurposing things I already have so why not?

Prep time: 7-10 minutes, to make two!

Cooking time: Overnight!

Ingredients:

• 6 oz Greek yogurt
• 1/3 cup old fashioned oats
• 1 teaspoon chia seeds
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 cup frozen mixed berries
• Splenda/sugar to sweeten

You can see how to make these delicious breakfast/snack meals over at iowa girl eats!

My notes: I’m not a huge fan of Chobani Greek Yogurt, so I’d likely opt for Yoplait or Oikos Vanilla greek yogurt! Also, chia seeds are definitely a must add (such great health benefits). I used a frozen mixed berry medley that had raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries. You can also opt for fresh fruit, but the melted juices added extra flavor! I also would sweeten my yogurt/milk/oats mixture with Splenda because I used almond milk which isn’t as sweet as 2% or whole milk.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake Bars

These were absolutely delicious and my family destroyed them! Head over to Rasa Malaysia for instructions for these bad boys and hundred of other delicious dishes! Her site will definitely be one of my go to blogs for new and yummy recipes.

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs {that’s around 5 graham cracker bars?}
• 10 tablespoons of unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup of light brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 10 oz cream cheese
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 large egg {room temperature}

My Notes!

-The graham cracker crust on these was super yummy, but it was also incredibly messy. I don’t know if I had too many crumbs and not enough butter, but it went everywhere! I was a little disappointed in that.

-If a recipe says have something at room temperature, MAKE SURE IT’S AT ROOM TEMP. This is kind of a general baking rule. It’s basically chemistry {nerd alert}, you’ll need your ingredients to be at a certain temperature in order for them to reach the correct final consistency!

-I used mini chocolate chips in my cookie dough and I definitely think that’s the way to go! This recipe makes a 8×8 pan which is kind of tiny so you’ll be working with smaller amounts of dough and filling! Take your time when mixing.

-I used a 8 oz package of cream cheese and I had plenty so I wouldn’t really worry about the extra 2 oz!