For college students who are tired of eating microwaved meals like Hot Pockets and mac and cheese, here are some easy breakfast, lunch and dinner recipes from fellow FAU students.

First, we’ll start with some breakfast foods. The “most important meal of the day” also happens to be one that people skip (Who doesn’t sleep in until the last second when they have 8 a.m. class?). But for college students especially, skipping breakfast may be something to reconsider. According to studies done by the American Dietetic Association, people who eat breakfast are more likely to have better test grades, school attendance and memory.

Fried Zucchini and Eggs Mixture

Junior political science major Tim Ditocco and junior communication major Christina Marie like to cook healthy breakfast foods. “I usually just microwave food, but Christina taught me how to make a few breakfast foods,” Ditocco said. “This is one of my favorites.” Here is Marie’s recipe for fried zucchini.

What you’ll need:

2-3 large eggs

2 whole zucchinis

1 package breadcrumbs (such as Progresso or panko)

1/3-cup Parmesan cheese

2 teaspoons olive oil

Directions:

1. Chop up the zucchini into thinly sliced pieces
2. Preheat a pan to medium heat, and then add in olive oil.
3. Add the eggs to the pan and cook them for 2 minutes
4. While the eggs are still cooking, add the chopped zucchini, Parmesan cheese, and breadcrumbs into the pan.
5. Continue cooking for about 4-5 minutes or until the eggs and zucchini are lightly browned.

Breakfast Bowl

This is a recipe from Tastemade on Facebook, a page dedicated to providing delicious meals and recipes through Facebook videos.

What you’ll need:

1 package bacon (at least 9 ounces)

3 large eggs

1 ¼ cups milk (270 ml)

¼ cup grated cheese (any kind works, I use cheddar)

4 buns (you can use French bread buns)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Preheat a pan to medium heat. Chop bacon into small pieces (see picture for size reference) and cook until crispy, about 8-10 minutes.
2. Place two stacked paper towels on a plate, and transfer the cooked bacon onto the paper towels to dry excess oil.
3. In a bowl, whisk the eggs and milk until mixed. Optional: Add salt and pepper, a ¼ teaspoon each.
4. Slice the tops off the buns so you have four halves. Remove the bread from the center, so you have bread “bowls.” Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place the bread bowls onto the baking sheet.
5. Distribute the bacon and cheese evenly between each bread bowl.
6. Distribute the egg-milk mixture into each bread bowl until each is filled.
7. Bake the bread bowls in the oven at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes (the eggs should be lightly browned).

Cooking a good lunch doesn’t have to take time. Instead of searching for lunch recipes, try changing up the way you make a typical lunch meal, like sandwiches. Baking sandwiches makes a big difference.

Toasted Salami, Cheese and Turkey Sandwich

Instead of making a typical cold sandwich, it might be refreshing to try one that’s baked on a bun. Chelsi Causley, a junior studying English, said she tried the Atlantic Dining Hall’s toasted sandwiches and tried making her own. “I never eat cold sandwiches anymore, because they’re so much better baked,” she said.

What you’ll need:

1 Italian bread roll

3 slices turkey

2 slices salami

2 slices cheese of choice (Causley prefers pepper jack cheese)

1 tomato

1 package lettuce

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 teaspoon vinegar

1 tablespoon honey mustard

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cut the Italian bread roll so you have a 6-inch long roll.
3. Slice the roll lengthwise so you have two half pieces.
4. Spread the mayonnaise and honey mustard onto each piece of bread.
5. Sprinkle the salt, pepper, oil and vinegar onto one of the bread slices.
6. Add the turkey, cheese, and salami onto the same slice.
7. Add 4-5 pieces of lettuce onto either slice.
8. Add 3-4 pieces of thinly sliced tomato onto either slice.
9. Place a piece of foil onto a baking sheet, and then place the sub onto the sheet. Bake in the oven for 3-4 minutes, or until the bread is toasted.

Dinner recipes are easier to experiment with, since dinner is later in the day when people are done with classes. These pizza and wing recipes will satisfy your craving without breaking the bank.  

Homemade Pepperoni Pizza

Waza Mumble-Pinto is a sophomore studying communication. She likes to make homemade pizza because ordering delivery is too expensive. “My friend taught me how to make it and I thought it would be hard, but it’s actually really easy to make,” Mumble-Pinto said. “You can add chicken or sausage, or just plain cheese and it comes out really well since you can make it the way you prefer.”

What you’ll need:

1 lb Publix Italian pizza dough (you can find this in the bakery section)

1 package of pepperoni pieces

1 package of whole-milk mozzarella cheese

½ jar of pizza sauce

About ½ cup of flour

A pizza rolling pin (a beer bottle works too)

Directions:

1. Let the dough sit out on the counter (room temperature) for at least an hour. After the hour is up, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Line a baking sheet with foil, and then lightly spread some of the flour onto the foil (this is done so that the dough doesn’t stick to the foil).
3. Place the pizza dough onto the baking sheet. Use the pizza rolling pin to roll the dough until it is flat. This may take 3-4 minutes, and you should continue rolling out the pizza until you see little to no air bubbles, and the dough is relatively flat.
4. Once of dough is flattened out, evenly spread the half-jar of pizza sauce onto the dough using a spoon or spatula.
5. Sprinkle on the entire package of cheese so that it covers the sauce.
6. Add on about 12 pieces of pepperoni (or as many as you prefer).
7. Place the pizza in the oven and cook for 18-25 minutes. For crispier pizza, cook closer to 25 minutes.

Baked Boneless Honey-Buffalo Chicken

This recipe is Kathryn de Grasse’s favorite thing to make. She’s a senior studying English, and she doesn’t have much time for difficult recipes. Although this recipe takes some time, she says it’s easy once you get the hang of it: “It took me a few times to perfect it, but I figured it out eventually and now it only takes me 10 minutes to prepare. It’s my favorite thing to make, I make it almost every week.”

What you’ll need:

1 package skinless, boneless buffalo chicken strips

2 eggs

1 package panko extra-crispy breadcrumbs

½ cup flour

½ cup milk

1 jar Marie’s chunky blue cheese

½ cup hot sauce

2 tablespoons butter

¼ cup honey

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Place the eggs and milk in a bowl and mix. On a plate, spread the flour evenly.
2. Using a fork, dip each piece of chicken into the flour and coat both sides. Then, dip each piece into the milk-egg mixture.
3. Using the bags that come with the breadcrumb box, pour the breadcrumbs inside the plastic bag.
4. Individually place each piece chicken inside the bag with breadcrumbs and shake the bag until the chicken is well-coated.
5. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
6. Place foil on a baking sheet, and add each piece of coated chicken to the baking sheet.
7. Place the baking sheet in the oven and cook for 20-22 minutes.
8. While the chicken is cooking, mix hot sauce, honey, butter and ketchup in a bowl.
9. Microwave the bowl for 30 seconds, or until the butter is melted.
10. Once the chicken is done cooking, dip each piece of chicken into the sauce mixture, then let the chicken sit for a few minutes.

Maya-Laura Vizcaino is a contributing writer with the University Press. For information regarding this or other stories, email [email protected] or tweet her @Mayavizcaino .