{"id":187015,"date":"2026-08-28T19:02:10","date_gmt":"2026-08-28T19:02:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/187015\/"},"modified":"2026-08-28T19:02:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T19:02:10","slug":"this-calgary-dietitian-is-sending-her-son-off-to-university-in-halifax-with-a-collection-of-easy-to-cook-recipes-including-this-low-cost-casserole","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/187015\/","title":{"rendered":"This Calgary dietitian is sending her son off to university in Halifax with a collection of ‘easy-to-cook recipes’ \u2014 including this low-cost casserole"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Jennifer<\/p>\n

Jennifer House, a registered dietitian, shares her Saturday Night Special recipe that she’s passing down to her son as he heads off to university this fall. (Photo illustration: Yahoo Canada; photos: Courtesy of House)<\/p>\n

By now, the zippers on Jennifer House’s oldest child’s suitcases are likely already screaming for mercy. After all, it’s hard to pack enough for an entire school year<\/a> into checked luggage. But, as House’s son trades Calgary for Halifax for his first year of university<\/a>, there’s one thing she’ll be making room for \u2014 even if it has to be slid into a forgotten exterior pocket.<\/p>\n

“I sent him with a duotang of easy-to-cook recipes,” House, a registered dietitian and owner of First Step Nutrition<\/a>, tells Yahoo Canada, humbling the offering before it’s even packed.<\/p>\n

She first gave her son the folder last year, when he moved into a house with roommates in California and was playing on a golf team.<\/p>\n

“I don’t know how much he used them, but he had some easy recipes there that he would have been familiar with, and simple ingredients, simple to cook,” she adds.<\/p>\n

It feels, in one sense, like a pared-down, modern twist on the family cookbooks that were popular in the middle of the last century. These collections often featured down-to-earth recipes lifted from real life, a taste of home that’s a quick saut\u00e9 away.<\/p>\n

Back to school can be stressful \u2014 and expensive. In Yahoo Canada’s Bank of Mom and Dad<\/a> series, we dig into the costs Canadians are up against, and how to make them more manageable.<\/p>\n

\"AThis cheap, easy-to-cook recipe is perfect for students<\/p>\n

House mentions the latest recipe \u2014 a casserole of spaghetti, ground beef, green pepper, onion, mushrooms and corn that was a fixture of her own childhood \u2014\u00a0she’s printed out to include in her son’s duotang.<\/p>\n

“Whenever it was any of the kids’s birthdays, we’d always request this casserole called Saturday Night Special,” she remembers.<\/p>\n

\"JenniferSaturday Night Special, according to House’s mother, originated from The Best of Bridge<\/a>, a popular cookbook series created in 1975 by a group of Calgary women. (Photo illustration: Yahoo Canada; photo: Courtesy of House)<\/p>\n

But it isn’t an act of misty-eyed nostalgia that has House going through her mental, digital and physical recipe files to pass on to her son. It’s also a practical example of the parenting style the nutritionist has deployed around food and cooking with her three children.<\/p>\n

“I’m finding it harder in practice, but if you can get them cooking once a week, I think that’s awesome,” she shares.<\/p>\n

“A great place to start is what they’re interested in cooking. If they love breakfast and they love pancakes, then OK, maybe we teach them how to make pancakes. I think they’re very capable, if they’re motivated and if you push them a little bit. And I think that’s really in terms of anything to do with parenting. We’re trying to instill that sense of confidence in them.”<\/p>\n

Saturday Night Special (along with other casserole-type dishes) relies on pantry or frozen ingredients, which House says is helpful.<\/p>\n

“Especially with kids in university,” she notes. “Maybe they have to walk to the grocery store with a backpack. They’re probably not making it there a whole lot, so I love to have some frozen or canned or dried fruits and veggies because they probably don’t always have the fresh [versions] sticking around.”<\/p>\n

\"Jennifer<\/p>\n

House’s son, Nolan, is off to university in Halifax this fall. (Courtesy of House)<\/p>\n

A dietitian’s best tips for new cooks<\/p>\n

For other parents thinking about how to help their child transition to cooking and eating on their own, she suggests allowing canned, dried and frozen options to act as building blocks for meals. That’s because things like canned beans and frozen vegetables are cheaper and more convenient.<\/p>\n

“Even canned meat \u2014 it’s just as nutritious,” she adds. “I don’t think you’re necessarily getting less nutrition, but you’re getting a little more convenience and some money savings there too.”<\/p>\n

The fact that casseroles don’t require an extensive knowledge of cooking techniques is also a plus for less-experienced chefs.<\/p>\n

“They’re pretty easy to throw together, and you don’t have 15 different pots and pans to clean,” House notes. “It’s something that you can make once and then eat multiple meals out of, whether it’s three days in a row or you throw a couple portions in the freezer, so I love that. Especially cooking for yourself, you probably don’t feel like cooking every day. So freezer meals will be a lifesaver.”<\/p>\n

Batch cooking is another tip she suggests passing down to young adults heading off on their own for the first time. For instance, cooking, cooling and freezing chicken to add to various meals can lighten the load in the kitchen.<\/p>\n

“Anytime we can pre-cook or batch cook, it just makes life easier,” she adds. “No matter who you are, but especially if you’re a busy student just cooking for yourself.”<\/p>\n

Another money-saving tip House offers? If students have time to prep fruit and vegetables themselves, buying the deeply discounted produce that’s bordering on overripe \u2014 often allotted to a specific shelf in most stores \u2014 and chopping and freezing it for later use is a great way to stretch a grocery budget.<\/p>\n

“What I’ve noticed with my eldest \u2014 and this seems to be consistent among most of his friends too \u2014 is they like eating out, like they just want to go get fast food,” House says, adding that options like meal kits<\/a> can simplify things if planning and shopping are all too much for novice cooks.<\/p>\n

“At least they can have something delivered to their kitchen that they can quickly put together instead of Skip The Dishes if they don’t feel like going through the entire steps of going to the store and meal planning. There are different levels that people can jump in with cooking. \u2026 But hopefully once he runs out of money, he’ll realize: ‘OK, well, I better stop, because I have to cook for myself now,'” she adds with a laugh.<\/p>\n

And that’s when that folder of recipes from mom will come in handy.<\/p>\n

Let us know what you think by emailing us<\/a> or threading us @yahoocanada<\/a>. Follow us on TikTok<\/a>, WhatsApp<\/a> and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n