Lets talk about one of my favourite things… food! When you are living out of a backpack and travelling the world, you still need to eat, which can get super expensive! Now don’t get me wrong, half the reason I am travelling is to try different cuisines from around the world but making sure I stick to my rule of eating out a handful of times in the country, and sometimes there are specialties in a certain city or town that I will try of course, but alot of the time I will whip up a super easy and cheap meal in the hostel kitchen and save some money this way!

Lets talk about hostel kitchens… they are a great place to meet people for one, there will almost always be another person in there you can have a chat to while you are cheffin’ it up. Another great thing about a hostel kitchen is the free food shelf! Honestly I have had my share of free meals from these shelves, people will often leave behind half packs of pasta, beans and so much more. Definitely check it out before you head to the shops! The only downside to a hostel kitchen is some of them are not equipped with lots of appliances, and sometimes they can be a little gross. All in all I am a big hostel kitchen advocate and I wish more hostels had them!

I personally am vegetarian, so these all don’t have meat in them. Something I found tricky was getting my protein and iron in while travelling as a vegetarian (there was a lot of cheese consumed), so toward the end of my trip I focused more on getting nutrients through my meals more so than I ever had.

These can be made for 1 portion or alternatively get creative with the products you buy and use the containers from cherry tomato packets, hummus or even bowls with foil over them to store leftovers and eat them the next day.

I am a big believer in getting a tonne of flavour into your meals, just because it’s a cheap meal doesn’t mean it can’t be delicious! My favourite trick is to keep 2 plastic bottles of sauce in your bag. My favourite picks are a hot sauce and a balsamic glaze, these seem to be the most versatile options for me.

Here are a couple of my favourite recipes that I have cooked up in the array of hostel kitchens I have been in. You can alter these and add meat if that’s what you’re into!

2. Hummus Pasta

This hummus pasta is so good, delciously creamy and packed full of nutrients to give you energy for your big days of exploring! You can also serve thhis cold (it takes incredible as a pasta salad)

Ingredients:

• 1 tub of hummus

• Can of cannellini beans

• Spinach

• Olives

• 1x Small onion

• Cherry tomatoes (or diced fresh tomato)

Method:

• First off, start cooking your pasta. Once it is al dente save about 1/4 cup of the pasta sauce.

• Next, add the onion to a pan and fry until translucent, once it is translucent add the cherry tomatoes.

• Next, rinse out your beans and add the can of beans.

• Add your tub of hummus to the pan and continue stirring, once combined add a dash of pasta water to make it a little creamier.

• Once the sauce is the consistency of your liking you can add your pasta to the pan as well as the spinach and olives.

• Then add some balsamic glaze to serve!

Pesto Pasta (a classic)

I swear there is always somebody cooking up a pesto pasta in the shared kitchens.

Ingredients:

• Pasta of your choosing

• Jar of pesto

• Spinach

• 1x Small onion

• Cherry tomatoes (or diced fresh tomato)

Method:

• First off, start cooking your pasta. Once it is al dente save about 1/4 cup of the pasta sauce.

• Next, add the onion to a pan and fry until translucent, once it is translucent add the cherry tomatoes.

• Add your jar of pesto to the pan and continue stirring, once combined add a dash of pasta water to make this a little creamier.

• Once the sauce is the consistancy of your liking you can add your pasta to the pan as well as the spinach.

• Then add some blamic glaze to serve!

Mexi-inspired Bowl

Delicious and nutritious meal you can have for lunch or dinner!

Ingredients:

• Rice (you can buy microwave rice in single servings for a little bit more money, or there is usually rice on the free shelf of hostels!)

• A jar of salsa

• Rocket or spinach

• Black beans or kidney beans

• Any veggies you want to add (my personal fave is capsicum)

• Avocado

Method:

• Cook your rice and pop it in a bowl on top of your spinach or rocket (this will wilt the spinach down and make it easier to eat)

• Chop your extra veggies and add them to the bowl.

• Add your beans and salsa to your rice, if you would like the beans warm you can put them in a microwave, though when its the middle of European summer I prefered colder meals, so I would just add the beans from the jar!

• Top your bowl with some avocado, if you have access to cheese you can add this on top as well as your hot sauce.

Italian Baguette

Another delicious and nutritious meal you can take with you on the go!

Ingredients:

• Baguette

• Mozerella or any soft cheese

• Rocket (or arugla)

• Olives

• Basil (if desired)

• Tomato

• If you are a meat eater prosciutto is a great addition.

• If you have any pesto left, it also goes great on this as well!

Method:

• All you have to do is cut up your tomotos and olives and then assemble your baguette!

Smoked Tofu Baguette

Hot tip: if you are taking away your baguette, put the cheese or anything that will make it soggy on the top so you can maintain the integrity of the bread!

Baguettes are such a good meal to take on the road with you, all you gotta do it wrap it up in some foil and you have lunch on the go!

Ingredients:

• Baguette (easy to pick up from a lidl or any grocery store bakery!

• Hummus

• Smoked tofu (or any kind of tofu that you would prefer, I like the smokey flavour it gives an almost bacon taste to the sandwich!)

• Tomato

• Mozerella or cheese spread (the president cheese spread you can find all over Europe is delicious!)

• Capsicum (or peppers)

• Rocket (or arugula)

Method:

• All you have to do is cut up your veggies, slice your tofu thin and assemble your baguette. Add some of your hot sauce or balsamic glaze if you want some more flavour!

Microwaved Stuffed Jacket Potato

Ingredients:

• Potato

• Beans of your choosing

• 1x Small onion

• Salsa

• Avocado

• Vegetables of your choice

• 1x Small can of corn

• Cheese (to serve)

Method:

• Peirce the potato with a fork a couple of times and put it in the microwave for 5-8mins depending on the size of your potato.

• While the potato is cooking, add your onion, beans, corn and veggies to a pan and cook on medium heat for a couple of minutes until they reach a consistency you are happy with.

• Once the potato is cooked carefully cut open a side and scoop some of the potato out. Add the scooped-out potato to a bowl with the bean mix and mix together.

• Add your fill to the jacket potato along with your cheese, salsa and avocado. Add some hot sauce if you want a kick!