A hallmark of a good food blog is that it makes you hungry within the first ten seconds. The following blogs easily accomplish this task in addition to fitting one or more of the following criteria for a college cook: 1) recipe simplicity, 2) healthiness, 3) a small cooking space, and 4) an even smaller budget.
Don’t let the word “baker” fool you; this blog isn’t solely about baking. Self-taught cook Joy Wilson creates simple, yummy recipes that are easy for readers to follow. Joy breaks down recipes into following basic categories: booze, bread, breakfast, cakes, chocolate, cookies, cupcakes, dinner, drinks, fruit, gluten-free, holiday, pie, savory, snacks, vegan. What more could you want?
If you’re looking to ward off the freshman fifteen, check out Healthy. Delicious. H.D. originally began as a Weight Watchers blog, but has since evolved into consistently healthy eating. Author Lauren Keating puts a healthy spin on traditionally unhealthy dishes, such as sweet potato enchiladas and granola-crusted French toast. She even has an entire section devoted to cooking for one—a major plus for the college chef.
Author Deb Perelman cooks in a NYC 42 square foot half-galley kitchen, which rivals even dorm rooms in terms of smallness.
In her “About” page, Deb describes her wariness of “excessively fussy foods and/or pretentious ingredients.” Good. We are, too. We especially appreciate her “Disasters” recipe section.
On a strict food budget? Kimberly Morales created Poor Girl Eats Well after hitting the skids financially to offer up advice on how to eat healthy for little money. Each post includes the cost per serving, which ranges from about $0.75 to $3.75. You’re really rethinking that $12 sushi roll now, aren’t you?
Created with her newly graduated girlfriends in mind (a.k.a. “big girls”), Cara Eisenpress designed Big Girls, Small Kitchen to educate young adults new to the cooking scene. In her tiny city kitchen, Cara provides everything from easy recipes to tips on purchasing your first spatula. Check out BGSK’s menu section to find premade menus for occasions from a picnic dinner to a Christmakkah cocktail party.
Another must-read for those looking to save on food, Budget Bytes serves up uncomplicated recipes with a price breakdown per recipe, serving and even ingredient. With an affinity for Sriracha hot sauce, author Beth is dedicated to educating readers on how make “simple, quick and satisfying” meals for little money. Her tagline? “My stomach is full and my wallet is too.”
