If you've been following along with R29's Money Diaries series, you've probably picked up on a frequent theme: food. Women from across the globe have shared their salaries and spending habits with us — and a lot of that spending happens to revolve around what they're eating. Though the meals can range from snazzy to simple, we've noticed that many of them keep minimizing budget, time, and effort in mind.
Since we always love getting recipe inspiration from other busy millennials, we've pulled together 29 of these meals. Call it your very own Money Diaries cookbook — a one-stop spot to pick up cool recipes from cool women everywhere.
"I have some Greek yogurt with oats, raisins, and honey packed in a super cute Mason jar." — 22-Year-Old Fashion Photographer, $42k Salary
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.
"I prep eggs with mushrooms, cheese, just a little onion, and sourdough toast." — 29-Year-Old Finance CPA, $130k Salary
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.
"Eggs, mushrooms, sautéed peppers — all ingredients left over in the fridge." — 27-Year-Old Techy, $160k Salary
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.
"Coffee and a breakfast sandwich to go: whole-grain bread with avocado, an over-easy egg, and hot sauce (Cholula’s, of course)." — 22-Year-Old Marketing Assistant, $37k Salary
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.
"I get enough ingredients to make a salad that will last me three meals (organic kale, apples, cucumber, beets, avocado, some sweet potatoes, which I like to roast in the oven)." — 29-Year-Old Private Banker, $130k Salary
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.
"Rice noodles, sautéed shrimp, and sugar snap peas, with a bit of teriyaki and soy sauce." — 22-Year-Old Marketing Assistant, $37k Salary
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.
"I typically do a huge salad with a bunch of veggies, a little burrata, some quinoa, and leftover salmon from dinner the night before flaked over it. I use the olive oil and seasonings that are provided at work for my dressing and wash it down with a big glass of water." — 25-Year-Old Beauty Editor, $73k Salary
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.
"Romaine lettuce with a hard-boiled egg, tomato, corn, cranberries, pecans, and a basil-Greek-yogurt dressing." — 28-Year-Old Librarian, $45k Salary
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.
"I made a really weird sandwich but it's mysteriously delicious: roasted sweet potato slices, goat cheese with sun-dried tomatoes, a drizzle of honey, and greens on whole wheat bread." — 30-Year-Old Technology Copy Writer, $46k Salary
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.
"I put leftover farro, cucumbers, tomato, and roasted chickpeas in a tupperware last night after dinner, so I just drizzle it with some homemade tahini dressing and cut up some fruit to bring with it." — 28-Year-Old Librarian, $45k Salary
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.
"I make a turkey, hummus, and sprout sandwich with some of the ingredients I bought at the grocery store yesterday." — 26-Year-Old Woman In Tech, $52k Salary
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.
"Go home for lunch. I whip up my lazy food: a bowl of brown rice and quinoa with broccoli, grilled chicken, mushrooms, some parsley, and lime." — 25-Year-Old Graduate Student, $800/Month Scholarship
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.
"Grilled chicken with roasted bell peppers, steamed broccoli, side of Freekeh." — 27-Year-Old Woman In Tech, $160k Salary
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.
"Late lunch from home: roasted sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and beets, with quinoa and some leftover avocado from breakfast, topped with massive amounts of Sriracha." — 28-Year-Old Copywriter, $43k Salary
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.
"Swung by the market to pick up the rest of my chili dip ingredients. It’s the easiest thing ever — one can Hormel chili, one package of taco cheese, and an 8-oz. brick of cream cheese. Toss it all together, microwave for five minutes, and serve with tortilla chips. Plus, it’s gluten-free!" — 25-Year-Old Beauty Editor, $73k Salary
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.
"Dinner is homemade! And since we're at the boyfriend’s house, he buys the groceries. We make whole wheat pasta in a garlic white wine sauce with hot Italian sausage, spinach, and kale." — 27-Year-Old Product Manager, $120k Salary
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.
"I have a serious case of the Mondays, and all I really want is a burger. Instead, I make my roommate's famous cheap meal, the hot sauce burrito: vegetarian refried beans, sour cream, and massive amounts of hot sauce. It's the best greasy-food satisfaction for zero dollars." — 28-Year-Old Copywriter, $43k Salary
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.
"Dinner is a bacon, egg, and cheese breakfast sandwich on an English muffin, made at home." — 24-Year-Old Social Media Strategist, $55k Salary
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.
"Roommate dinner! We make stir fry pea shoots, garlic bread, and strawberries with balsamic vinegar." — 22-Year-Old Service Program Employee, $14k Salary
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.
"I walk home and go an extra 20 minutes out of my way to go past a supermarket that’s cheaper than any of the ones near my house. I’ve already got cheese and jalapeños in the fridge, so I buy a chicken breast, beans, spice mix, and fresh veggies to make Mexi-bowls with, plus some bread and jam." — 26-Year-Old Music Journalist, $47k Salary
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.
"For dinner I have chorizo, scrambled eggs, and potatoes with avocado slices. I make a big pan-full that lasts the two of us a good three days of leftovers." — 24-Year-Old Substitute Teacher, $44k Salary
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.
"Dinner is a Pecorino and goat cheese grilled cheese and salad with some of the wine at home." — 33-Year-Old Translator, $40k Salary
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.
"I accidentally skipped lunch, so I decide to make a hearty dinner of roasted cauliflower, chickpeas, and eggplant mixed with hummus, all of which were purchased at TJ’s earlier in the day." — 27-Year-Old Working Part-Time In Academic Publishing, $12k Salary
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.
"Forgot to order groceries today...so I run to the supermarket in the mall across the street. It's a pretty expensive foreign-goods store that we try not to shop at too often, but I find a box of quinoa pasta on sale and grab a pack of Riega Alfredo mix. I add some chopped broccoli and crushed red pepper to it at home, and bam — dinner served!" — 22-Year-Old Freelance Marketer, $276k Salary
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.
"Pick up groceries for dinner. I decide to make salad with mixed greens, roasted chickpeas, quinoa, jalapeño, cherry tomatoes, avocado, lime, and cotija cheese." — 24-Year-Old Start-Up Marketing Manager, $58k Salary
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.
"Fiancé makes dinner: a layered salad of avocado, tomatoes, onion. We also make a flatbread out of half a ball of prepared pizza dough from Whole Foods (which are so good and only $1.29!) and eat it with some hummus." — 26-Year-Old Biotech Employee, $139k Salary
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.
"Improvising with what we have in the pantry, I make a frittata with eggs, plain Greek yogurt, some leftover Israeli couscous, onion, and Parm." — 30-Year-Old Performing Artist, $50k Salary
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.
"I sautée onion, red bell peppers, leftover potatoes, leftover kale, black beans, crumbled tofu, and some spices. I top the whole thing with avocado slices and salsa, and voila! Dinner." — 28-Year-Old Copy Writer, $75k Salary
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.
"I make some food with ingredients I already have. I have enchilada sauce, but corn tortillas tend to break if I roll them up for enchiladas, so instead I make a type of 'Mexican lasagna.' Basically, it’s layers of tortillas, beans, cheese, baby kale, zucchini, salsa, and sauce. I make it in a big dish so that I’ll have lunches for a few days. I’m running late to my small group (for church), so I have to leave my food to cool while I’m gone." — 23-Year-Old Document Clerk, $13 Hourly Salary
Illustrated by Abbie Winters.
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