Easy Peasy Pasta Chreesy

Being in college has definitely made me a lazier person, especially when it comes to cleaning. Last year, I discovered that having an unmade bed is acceptable (shock! horror!) and that shirts can totally be worn multiple times…. just as long as they don’t smell. Of course, I’ve also learned a lot of other fancy stuff, not just academically. Allow me to share:

1) If you can go 3 weeks without doing laundry, either you’ve got a sh!t ton of underwear or you’re a sick, sick person.

2) However, if you can go 3 weeks without having to lug your trash to the dumpsters, you’re a champ.

3) It is perfectly okay to drink apple juice straight from the container if it saves having to wash a cup.

4) You shouldn’t feel guilty for picking up a quarter you find on the sidewalk. That’s laundry money!

5) Taking a tupperware to the Caf on hummus night (!!!) is perfectly fine. Just don’t let the worker minions see you.

Oh, college…

On the other hand, I’ve learned something important! If you can get a job as a full time student, you’re lucky. If you can get a job that you love, you’re probably lying. But I’m not… I was fortunate enough to find a wonderful family that needed a nanny for their adorable 11 year old. My old RA, who transferred, recommended me to them and I was fortunate enough to land the job. I’ll just tell you this: I LOVE IT! I work 2-3 days a week, picking her up from school and driving her to dance class, then coming home afterward and tutoring her. And to think, I was nearly desperate enough to apply for a job at the library…

The only downside to the job is that I get back around 7 sometimes. And I eat at 6. Now, my tummy does not like to have a disrupted eating schedule, so I usually stash a Larabar or piece of fruit in my purse to tide me over until I get back on campus for dindins. Sometimes I go to the caf, and other times I realize I have a bag of spinach that needs to be used in my fridge.

Whoops.

There’s no way I’m letting that $4 sucker go to waste (Thanks for your expensive prices, Earth Fare >.<) so I decided to have some veggie POWA in my dinner today! This meal is pretty great for someone lazy busy like me who doesn’t want to spend a long time cooking after work and loves something easy yet healthy. You could probably feed this to your kids and trick them, too. Bwahaha. This isn’t really much of a recipe, just a “throw everything together,” kind of thing, but still. It’s tasty, and you don’t argue with tasty things.

It even says it’s tasty on the box. No arguing.

Easy Peasy Mac ‘n’ Chreese the College Way

You’re gonna need:

1 box of mac ‘n’ chreese

1 can of no-salt added vegetables

1 bag of spinach (preferably the kind that’s not on it’s way out)

A splash of unsweetened non-dairy milk

First, set your pot to boil with a drop or two of extra virgin olive oil just to make sure that nothing sticks to it. Doesn’t it suck when that happens? Once it’s boiling, cook your shells according to the box directions.

This stuff is great in a pinch!

When the pasta is alllllmost al dente (you have to say that in a Giada de Laurentiis accent, by the way. Overannunciate!), toss in your can o veggies so they can heat through.

Don’t judge me!

Then in the last 30 seconds or so, toss in all of your spinach. Remember, it looks like a lot when you put it into the water, but you only get a little in the end. It’s like a bag of chips. Half of it’s always air. >=(

Post drain-age, pour in your choice of non-dairy milk and the cheeze sauce. I like unsweetened or unsweetened vanilla because I usually add a ton of maple syrup to my cereal or oatmeal, so I don’t want to be on a mega sugar high from syrup + almond milk.

I drink this shiz straight up, yo.

Don’t be alarmed by my man-hands. Or the look of the cheeze sauce.

In the end, you’ll get this pile of wonder!

Yumgasm.

I like to top mine with a bunch of dried basil and oregano.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot the last epic college discovery!

Putting leftovers in a plastic cup is Classy with a capital C.

What’s your favorite college memory?