When I was a freshman, I had a microwave and a mini fridge in my room. I went to the dining center (DC for short) almost every day for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Sometimes, this made me sad. I also had no idea how many meals I could’ve made in the microwave on days that I:
A) Was too tired to leave my room.
B) Did not want to leave my room because it was freezing outside.
C) Was tired of the DC.
I was naive then. If only I had known the power of my microwave/fridge combination. Also, microwave-safe dishes and bowls are indispensable items that you should invest in because very often even if you don’t have your own microwave, there is one in your dorm somewhere. So let’s begin.
Breakfast
Pancake Mugcake
Photo by Natsuko Mazany
This recipe uses smashed banana but why not experiment with chocolate chips or blueberries in the batter?
Eggs
Photo by Caty Schnack
Eggs rock because you can fry your eggs, scramble your eggs, and poach your eggs all in the microwave. In the future, you most likely will be able to press a button on your microwave and an entire breakfast sandwich will appear inside.
Banana French Toast
Photo by Kelda Baljon
Bananas optional, but encouraged. Recipe here.
Oatmeal
Photo by Becky Hughes
You can use your classic Quaker Oats Instant Oatmeal or you can try this recipe with chia and flaxseed for when you want to feel extra healthy.
Mug Muffin
Photo by Lauren Gong
Muffins are so versatile. Microwaves don’t discriminate so maybe on Monday try Apple Cinnamon and on Friday try Chocolate Peanut Butter.
Lunch
Minestrone Soup
Photo by Theo Lee
Who knew you could make homemade soup in the microwave?
BLT
Photo by Devon Carlson
Sure, all you have to make in the microwave is the bacon. But what is a BLT without bacon? No one wants an LT. My preferred method is plate, paper towel, bacon, paper towel for 5-7 minutes in the microwave depending on how crisp you like it.
Croque-Monsieur
Photo by Alex Furuya
This is for when you want to make a sandwich, only fancier with microwaved Béchamel sauce. Now you know how to make an egg in the microwave so add an egg to make it a croque-madame.
Chicken Curry
Photo by Bonnie Wu
Eat this on its own or buy tiny microwave rice bowls and serve over rice if you’re going big.
Pizza Bagel
Photo by Zoe Schneider
The possibilities are (mostly) endless on this one.
Bacon-Wrapped Asparagus with Goat Cheese & Shrimp
Photo by Michelle Loret de Mola
Simply incredible. You could really eat this for lunch or dinner. If you want, add an egg to really fill it out for dinner.
Hot & Spicy Chili Ramen
Photo by Caitlin Wolper
Ramen is a college staple. But ditch your plain ramen for this recipe or any of these recipes.
Dinner
Mac & Cheese
Photo by Alex Weiner
Great for when you feel like you shouldn’t eat Easy Mac for the fourth night in a row.
Salmon Dinner
Photo by Grégoire Durand
Yes, you can make microwave fish. It might seem wrong but it’s actually so right. Just put your fish in a microwave-safe dish and cover it on high for 3.5 to 4 minutes. Maybe prepare it with this recipe, and throw it in there.
Spaghetti Squash
Photo by Paige Marie Rodgers
I might be able to eat spaghetti squash every night for dinner if I were stuck in a room with nothing but spaghetti squash for a week. The fact that you can make it in the microwave is game changing because the oven is usually a painful 40-50 minute debacle.
Chicken Fajitas
Photo courtesy of momspotted.com
This blew my mind a little because you could probably make this for your friend and they would be so confused how you managed to make this in a dorm.
Stuffed Baked Potato
Photo by Maria Glander
The fun part is you can use a regular potato or a sweet potato, the world is your oyster. Just poke the potato with a fork, put it in the microwave for 10 minutes. It should be soft when you take it out but please don’t burn yourself. Then add some cheese, sour cream, bacon bits etc.
Ratatouille
Photo by Smita Jain
You can eat this as a meal on its own or put it next to your chicken or salmon dish. You should probably watch the movie also.
Desserts
Chocolate Mug Cake
Photo by Patrick Domingo
I couldn’t write this without including the chocolate mug cake.
Nutella Mug Cake
Photo by Meredith Marcus
Like the more exciting cousin of the chocolate cake.
Chocolate Chip Cookie in a Cup
Photo by Christine Chang
Talk about perfect portion control. We’ve all made 15 cookies intending to only eat two, or if we’re being honest with ourselves, four, and then all of a sudden the plate is empty. An empty mug is more emotionally acceptable.
Pumpkin Spice Donuts
Photo by Caitlin Shoemaker
It’s an exciting day when donuts can be made in a dorm. Chocolate glaze optional (but not really optional).
S’mores Mug Cake
Photo by Lila Thulin
You can always make simple s’mores in the microwave. When you’re feeling more adventurous but still only have a microwave, try this recipe.
Cinnamon Baked Apples
Photo by Ben Rosenstock
For when you’re looking for a “healthier” dessert but can only compromise so much.
PB&J Banana Bread
Photo by Alvin Zhou
I don’t have a lot of words for this one because I just found it and I can’t think of many things I love more than banana bread and peanut butter.
Congratulations, you can now make an entire week’s worth of breakfast, lunch, dinner and desserts. Feel free to mix and match all and any combinations above.