Ever since Washington University announced its campus closure a little over two weeks ago, our lives have changed a lot. Some of us are back at home, some are staying with family or friends and some of us are still in St. Louis apartments. Whatever the case, now that Wash. U. and its accompanying dining services are mostly shuttered, those of us who used to rely on the dining halls are forced to seek meals elsewhere. So that you don’t have to break the bank DoorDashing every meal, here are a few easy meals using pretty common ingredients.

Graphic by Christine Watridge

French toast
French toast is one of the quickest and easiest meals to make. All you need is eggs, bread and a pan or griddle—that’s it. To make the best French toast, though, I recommend mixing the egg with milk and a spice (you can use cinnamon or nutmeg, but I prefer pumpkin pie spice) and using a soft white bread. Just dip the bread in the egg, put it in the pan and bam! You have a meal.

Pancakes
Pancakes are incredibly variable. You can use a boxed mix, but I’ve always liked to make my pancakes from scratch. If you or your family has a preferred recipe, use that. Otherwise look one up on Google. There are hundreds to choose from. Whatever the recipe, pretty much all you should need is flour, sugar, salt, eggs and milk. If you’re feeling extra adventurous, you can add some fruit to your batter! I use bananas or blueberries, but I’ve had strawberries and even raspberries in pancakes, and they’ve all been delicious.

Graphic by Christine Watridge

Burrito
Much as with pancakes, there are nearly infinite variations on a burrito. You can make a breakfast burrito or simply use the tortilla as a less messy variation on a taco, the choice is yours. For breakfast burritos, just scramble some eggs, open a can of beans, and grab some shredded cheese. You can also add meat (it’s best with chorizo or a chorizo substitute) and caramelized onions, but they’re not necessary. For a more dinner-esque burrito, keep the beans and cheese, and use your pick of some taco meat (or taco-seasoned tofu), lettuce, tomatoes and sour cream. If you want to add a little spice to either burrito, green chile on top is a great and easy option.

Tortellini soup
Maybe it’s a cold day, or maybe you’re just in the mood for soup. If you’re out of Progresso or just want to try something different, here’s a fun and easy soup recipe. It’s pretty variable, so you can use whatever vegetables you want, but here’s how I make it. Cook up some onions and mushrooms in your pan. Add broth or water along with a can of stewed tomatoes (just trust me). When that gets hot, add a package of tortellini (cheese is best), and right before they are cooked, add spinach. Yes, it’s a weird soup. Yes, it’s good. The best parts are how versatile it is and the fact that you now have leftovers for at least one more meal.

Ramen
Yes, I know. We’ve all heard the jokes about broke college students living off of ramen. I am not advocating for you to subsist on Cup Noodles. But ramen is still a good (and cheap) idea—when you’re making your ramen, do it in a pot on the stove instead of a microwave. Add some veggies—carrots, mushrooms, anything you have—and right before the noodles are cooked, crack an egg into the water. It takes the ramen to another level, and it’s much healthier.

Egg sandwich
This is not a recipe for egg salad. It’s better—while tasting like egg salad, it takes less than half the effort. Toast up some bread (I recently made this with a ciabatta roll and it was delicious), put spicy mustard and mayo on both sides, add a good amount of pickles or pickle relish, and slice up a boiled egg. It can be a little messy to eat, but it’s worth it.

Salad
You’ll notice that a lot of the meals on this list don’t include many vegetables. In times of quarantine, we still need to eat our greens, and that’s why we have salad. Anything can go in a salad. Lettuce or spinach? Doesn’t matter! You could even use kale if you’re being fancy. Apples, oranges, pecans, green peppers, craisins, feta cheese? That’s only a small list of the possible salad ingredients. Salad goes with anything, and if you add some protein like chicken or egg, it can be a full meal in itself.

Veggies
Okay, so this is not a meal. But it’s oh so useful. Remember what I said about eating your greens? If salad isn’t your thing, what about something else? If you miss Wash. U. cooking, why not some steamed broccoli? Just take your broccoli (or, if you want to get even more in the Wash. U. spirit, broccoli and cauliflower) and put it in a steamer or otherwise suspend it over boiling water and wait. It’s the healthy, nostalgia-inducing side of our dreams.
If you’re not ready to go back to dining hall food just yet, here’s something I make pretty frequently. Take some onion, zucchini and brussels sprouts, or whatever similar veggies you have on hand, and cook them over low heat in some oil or butter. Add Krazy Jane’s salt (full disclosure, I do not know what is in this salt apart from garlic and pepper, but it is absolutely necessary). You now have a veggie side to go with whatever your main dish might be.