We’ve all been there: running low on groceries with no time to go to the grocery store.

Struggle meals are an important part of being a college student. It tests your strength, your ability to adapt when you have close to nothing. Some of our best creations come from having to make struggle meals. It forces you to think outside the box and reach your fullest potential as a chef. There are many different types of struggle meals, and it mostly depends on what food you were raised on.

• Eggs, Ketchup, and Rice: I am confident that every Filipino has had this at least once growing up. It’s definitely a staple in my life. With this dish, I cook my eggs sunny side up because I love egg yolk. The whole recipe is 2 eggs, 1 cup of rice, and an absurd amount of ketchup.
• Sugar, Butter, and Toasted Bread: This is peak dessert. This may be a biased answer as I also really, really love butter. As a kid, I used to eat butter from the stick. It’s easy to make too, although it does occasionally come with obstacles. Sometimes my toast isn’t warm enough so the butter is hard to spread.

The two listed above are meals I grew up with and still keep in my diet today. They’re easy and somehow manage to make me feel at home no matter what kitchen I end up in.

Watch a professional chef teach easy ways to struggle meals!