For too long we’ve been subjected to eat at fast food restaurants, late night Hot Pockets or the ever-delicious ramen noodles. Well it’s time to come to our senses and incorporate other foods into our diet besides microwavable TV dinners and greasy take out!

For years our parents have cooked for us and now we are left to fend for ourselves. Mini fridges, hot plates and microwaves line the wall of college dorm rooms everywhere. Or, if you are lucky enough to live off campus, you are met with that thing called an oven and stove. So what exactly are you to do with it? Sure it makes nice storage for those pots and pans that your parents gave you but there can be many other uses for it.

Time is probably one of the main factors a lot of college students don’t cook. Always on the go looking for something quick and easy seems to be the most common way to eat. Eating from a box or plastic wrapper may be a little more time saving but think about what you might be eating. Cooking up a chicken breast and placing it over a bed of lettuce can be just as simple and far more rewarding.

Cost can also make cooking not so appealing, but it doesn’t have to be expensive. Once you’ve built up your pantry necessities it only takes a few items that you’ll need to purchase here and there. If you think about it, eating out can be far more expensive, especially if you eat out a couple times a day. It is easy to spend as much as $20. But you can go to the grocery store a buy a lot with $20 that will feed you for more than a day. Large warehouses stores have great deals on things like meat that can be bought in bulk. Divide it up and freeze part of it to use at a later time. Or have a few friends pitch in with you so you can share the value of bulk items.

Creating the basic meals starts with simple seasonings and pantry go to items. Olive oil is a great thing to have on hand. You can use it for a base of a marinade or fry with it. It adds flavor that is actually good for you. Seasonings such as salt and pepper are the basics but others like garlic, basil, onion, cumin, paprika and oregano can do wonders. Fresh herbs can be more flavorful but dry herbs are a great way to incorporate flavor when you are just beginning to cook.

Pastas, rice, canned tomatoes and chesses are also great things to have. They have a long shelf life plus they are relatively inexpensive. A can of diced tomatoes with some garlic, salt, basil, onion and parmesan cheese can make a quick and simple sauce for your pasta in a matter of minutes. Or olive oil, red wine vinegar, a little garlic and parmesan cheese over some romaine lettuce and tomatoes makes a quick salad.

Cooking can be very relaxing, after a stressful day of classes and studying. Try unwinding in your kitchen because the possibilities are endless and within time you will be able to create almost anything. But be aware once your friends have caught on they will be over all the time