Through my first two years living at Elizabethtown College, I have not had to worry about my meals as I was living in the dorms and was enjoying my meal plan. This year I moved into the on campus apartments, and I quickly realized how expensive groceries are. Additionally, I have limited time to prepare food with my busy and unpredictable schedule.

Over the past few months, I have tried many frugal recipes. This week, I made broccoli alfredo pasta for less than $5. I also made a rice bowl for only $5 . Let’s see how it’s done. 

My biggest grocery hack for being frugal and cost effective is shopping at Aldi. I typically find affordable, high quality ingredients. I got a head of broccoli for only about $2. I also bought a box of bow tie shaped pasta at Aldi for about $1. Finally, I bought a jar of premade alfredo pasta sauce for about $3. 

With just three ingredients, it is simple to make a quick and affordable meal. I always try to minimize my time in the kitchen as I have three other roommates who need to cook as well. I also like to be quick so I have more time to do work or anything else in the evening. 

First, I started cooking the broccoli in my rice cooker. This took about 15 minutes to steam. Steaming broccoli in my rice cooker was quick and easy as I just cut up my broccoli and got to walk away until it was my desired texture. 

While the broccoli was steaming, I started cooking my pasta. Once the water was boiling, I poured in my noodles and let them cook for roughly 10 minutes before draining the water out and adding my alfredo sauce in with my pasta. By the time that was mixed together, my broccoli was ready. 

I decided to add some red pepper flakes and garlic powder to my meal because the alfredo sauce I bought was a bit bland. I love spicy food, so I like to at least have my food have a little pop. 

Considering this meal was only about $5 and had multiple servings, I would rate it a seven out of 10. I think it is realistic and easy to make as it only took me about 20 minutes total to prepare but I do not see myself making this part of my weekly rotation. 

I typically do not eat much pasta but I am glad I found a simple and affordable option. I think this would be great if someone were trying to host multiple people and wanted to keep the event affordable. 

Another meal I made was a rice bowl. I find myself making rice bowls often with black beans and whatever else I have on hand. This is another simple meal that only takes about 20 minutes to cook. 

With this meal, I throw my rice in the rice cooker and pan fry my broccoli for about 15 minutes with whatever seasonings I want. 

This meal is efficient, filling and tasty. I was able to get my rice from the Blue Jay Pantry for free which helped me stay extra cost efficient for this meal.