A simple ground beef and rice recipe for the busy college student
I like this, it's a pretty full, tasty meal. This is great for cooking in bulk.
Simple Ingredients
Buy a pack or two of ground beef, dried rice, and a steamable bag of frozen vegetables.
The beef
In a big pot heat up some olive oil on medium-low heat. If you put it on high the olive oil will splatter everywhere and burn you. Throw your ground beef into the pot. Season to taste. At the very least include some salt and pepper. I also like to add other spices like paprika, cumin, garlic powder, and whatever seasoning mix I like. Mix the seasoning into the beef. Let it brown. Stir occasionally to prevent burning. Cover beef with a lid to let it simmer.
You'll know when the ground beef is fully cooked because well, it will be fully browned. You can also use a meat thermometer to check the temperature. It's about 165F (don't quote me on this one) for most meat to be safe to eat.
This part takes me about 30 minutes.
The rice
While cooking the beef, in another pot measure out say, 1 cup of rice. Rinse the rice to get some of the starchiness out, and then drain it. Add 2 cups of water to the pot, and bring the pot to a boil on high heat. Typically when boiling rice on the stovetop you want a 2:1 ratio of water to rice.
Once the rice is boiling, bring it down to low heat. Cover pot fully with a lid. Check the rice periodically. Don't leave it on the stove too long or else it will burn.
Cooking times vary depending on your stove but with a gas stove this takes me about 15 minutes.
The Vegetables
Follow instructions on the microwave bag to heat up your vegetables.
The meal
Combine these ingredients into a bowl. Yummy. Portion out the rest into whatever containers you want.
The story behind this recipe
While in college I find myself eating out a lot, saying "I don't have time to cook!" But all of that eating out adds up. If you spend $20 a day on lunch and dinner, that can add up to about $80-120 on food per week plus tips, plus any extra drinks like coffee. Plus, you're probably spending more than $10 for a meal. If you can afford to eat out like that in college, you're pretty lucky. Or maybe you can't afford it but you do it anyway. But, can you imagine if you invested or saved that amount of money instead, what you could do with it? Maybe invest further into your education or buying a car.
I am doing my best to be more fiscally responsible, which means purchasing less on impulse and eating out a lot less. Last week I was productive but I ate out a lot. At the very least, I ate very healthy. When I swipe a credit card, it sometimes doesn't feel like I am spending money. I'm not going into DEBT to fund my lifestyle or anything but I still would like to save more money.