Study Ireland – Stories & Guides from International Students

In this blog, Vanesa Sánchez tells us all about her favourite student-friendly recipes on a budget:

Hi! This is a Spanish girl that loves her Mediterranean diet. This blog is for people that forget to have a meal a day or are too lazy to make anything. Also for everyone that calls having every single day pasta with tomato sauce and a chocolate bar their meal. These recipes are not fancy or complicated, they’re just to remind you that there are healthy meals/snacks that are easy to make 🙂 

P.S.: The ingredients I used in all my recipes are from Lidl. 

Salad 

An easy and very tasty salad with pink sauce. This is amazing for when you don’t have time to cook but want something healthy and delicious. 

Ingredients for one serving:

• Lettuce.
• 2 salad tomatoes.
• Walnuts.
• A slice of bacon.
• Goat cheese.
• Ketchup.
• Mayonnaise.

Steps:

• Put the lettuce in a bowl.
• Cut the tomatoes, goat cheese and bacon into small pieces.
• Fry the bacon in a pan.
• Put the pieces from before into the bowl.
• Mix the same amount ketchup and mayonnaise to create the pink sauce.
• Put the sauce and the walnuts in the bowl.
• Mix everything and enjoy 🙂

Literally a bowl of fruit

This may sound dumb but I feel like some people forget that having breakfast or just an evening snack doesn’t necessarily mean it can’t be healthy. Also fruits aren’t boring and can be fun mixed with a lot of different things. This is a great, healthy and fast exchange from that chocolate bar I mentioned before! (Not that eating chocolate is bad, just that there are wayy more options).

Ingredients for one serving:

• Fruit (I’m using half a peach and a plum).
• Yogurt.
• Walnuts.
• Seed mix.

Steps:

• Put the yogurt into the bowl.
• Cut the fruit into small pieces.
• Put the fruit in the bowl.
• Finish with your toppings (walnuts and seeds).
• Mix everything and enjoy 🙂

Fried egg with chips

This is a very common meal in Spain, especially with these chips, which are called “patatas ahogadas” (drowned potatoes lol). It’s the only way I like the yolk of the egg too, so trust my taste. Such a high protein lunch you will have.

Ingredients for one serving:

• An egg.
• 2 medium sized potatoes.
• A clove of garlic.
• Salt.
• Black pepper.
• Olive oil.

Steps:

• Cut the potatoes into thin slices.
• Put enough olive to cover the potatoes in a pan and heat it.
• Once the oil is heated, fry the potatoes until crispy (remove the oil excess after).
• Fry the garlic and add it to the potatoes (add black pepper and salt) and mix.
• Fry the egg.
• Enjoy 🙂

Gratinated chips

Who does not like this? I would eat them every other week with my friend while I was in Ireland! So easy and delicious.

Ingredients for two servings:

• 4 potatoes.
• 2 slices of bacon.
• Shredded cheese.
• Sliced cheese.
• Salt.
• Olive oil.

Steps:

• Cut the potatoes into thin slices.
• Put enough olive to cover the potatoes in a pan and heat it.
• Once the oil is heated, fry the potatoes until crispy (remove the oil excess after).
• Get a bowl and put the potatoes there.
• Cut the bacon into small pieces and fry them.
• Now put layers of cheese mixed with the bacon on top of the potatoes and add salt.
• Put the bowl in the oven for 15 minutes at 180º C (preheat it before for 5 minutes).
• Enjoy 🙂

“Picadillo”

This is a Spanish dish, more specifically from the south. A cold, light and easy dinner, all while being healthy.

Ingredients for one serving:

• Half a tuna can.
• 1 and 1/2 salad tomatoes.
• Goat cheese.
• Half of green, red and yellow peppers.
• Vinegar.
• Olive oil.
• Salt.

Steps:

• Get a bowl and put the tuna there.
• Cut each ingredient into cubes of your desired size (I prefer small pieces).
• Now it’s time to “aliñar”, add some olive oil, a little bit of vinegar and salt.
• Mix and enjoy 🙂