Easy Recipies for a College Student?!
I do have a sauce pan, microwave and minifridge (but it can't freeze things).
Answers: I'm wondering if anyone has any easy and healthy ideas for a college student thats sick of ramen and cafeteria food! I'd prefer if most of the ingredients were inexpensive and able to keep well.
I do have a sauce pan, microwave and minifridge (but it can't freeze things).
I don't know what you like, but I always made tortilla wraps and quesadillas (wheat tortillas are the healthiest) and cheap too. Buy good but affordable sliced cheese. Spread some oil onto the pan and make a quesadilla. Make Egg and cheese wrap the next day. Mix it up and throw in a slice of turkey or ham (you need your proteans). If you like buy some beans (can) and make it a side dish. Bye some boxed rice (everything included types) There are several kinds that are very healthy and nutritious. NearEast is one of them. Be sure to read the sides to see cooking time. I know I didn't like to spend a long time cooking then. If you have eggs and bread make french toast. Dip a slice into a bowl of beaten eggs. Let it soak then drop it into a pan (with oil in it). Add some sugar for flavor. Hope this helps. Good luck.
first insert bread in toaster...next wait...after toast is popped place onto plate and cover with toppings of choice...
You can make pasta a million different ways. Here are some cheap, easy, 15-minute recipes:
http://hubpages.com/hub/Pasta-Dishes
http://hubpages.com/hub/More-Pasta
Wheat noodles, tomato sauce and chicken. Spag. sauce is easy to make from a jar or can and the tomato sauce is real good for you, chicken is healthier than sausage. It is something you can make a small batch or stretch if friends drop by. Get a side salad or other vegetable and you have a easy, quick, healthy meal.
You can throw away that spice packet from the ramen, and then add a few shrimp, perhaps some green onion and a dash of soy sauce to the noodles with the water...
You could even make grilled cheese by putting a buttered cheese sandwhich into a packet of foil, and then ironing it on the cotton setting.
Loaded nachos - bag of nacho chips, can of refried beans, salsa, and shredded cheese. Heat up beans in microwave then put chips on plate and load up with beans, salsa and sprinkle with cheese. Microwave for about 20 seconds, or until cheese is melted. I don't think it is that unhealthy as long as you go easy on the cheese and don't use sour cream.
I know it sounds cheesy, but get those ziplock bags that you can steam your meal in. They really work well and everything really does come out cooked pretty well.
I would suggest stocking up on some seasons that multitask like grill seasoning, lemon pepper, salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. This will make even the worst meal taste better.
Unfortunately healthy cooking is a lot more expensive, especially if you can't freeze things.
You could make corn chowder, it's pretty yummy.
Cut up one small yellow onion and a tablespoon of butter and brown the heck out of it. Make sure you stir it so they don't burn. When they're done, put in 4 cups of milk, a can of condensed cream of celery soup, about 2 cups of frozen corn, a pinch of salt and pepper. If you want, throw in a potato cut into chunks and bacon bits or veggies or whatever. Get it to boil and turn it down a bit, stirring the whole time, and stand there stirring the bubbling concoction for about 15 minutes. It should thicken around then. If it doesn't, add about 3 tablespoons of flour and stir even more until it looks good. Eat.
The "box dinners" such as Hamburger Helper are usually inexpensive. There are cheaper store brand box dinners available. And just because it says add hamburger, you could add any type of meat you want. You could also make your own "box dinner" by using different sauces and pastas found in the spaghetti isle.
Shepherd's pie: Take some ground beef and brown it, then add chopped onions, frozen mixed veggies (peas, carrots, corn). add a little flour and water if you want to have a sauce. then put it in a casserole dish, put mashed potatoes on top, and top with shredded cheese. bake/broil/zap until the cheese is melted
chicken and veggies:
cut up chicken pieces, seasoned with salt, garlic powder, and black pepper.
saute the chicken pieces in a oiled skillet until browned on all sides.
pour in a can of cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup. add in a little water, some sliced onions, and baby carrots. reduce the heat to simmer and put the lid on.
let it simmer for 15-20 minutes until the veggies are tender.
cook a pot of rice or mashed potatoes and some dinner rolls.
Use your sauce pan. Take a chicken breast, or the cheaper cuts of chicken, i.e.wings, necks, backs, and giblets, cover it with water, add a couple of bouillon cubes, parsley flakes, chopped carrot and celery sticks (you can get these in snack size packages in produce), a teaspoonful of prepared garlic (in jars, also in produce, keep this on hand in your fridge), and one small onion quartered. Boil until tender. If your pan is small, take the chicken out and let it cool, bring the stock back to a rolling boil and drop in biscuit dough (either a small can from the refrigerated section, or Bisquick 1 cup with just under 1/3 cup milk, sour is best.) The dumplings will rise to the top as they're cooked. Voíla, Chicken and dumplings.
A favourite in my college days was slumgullion or chilli mac. Prepare elbow macaroni, and set aside (you'll need the pan again). Brown up some hamburger with chopped onion (you can used your prepared garlic again) enough chilli powder to make a dark chilli (don't be afraid of over seasoning, the colour comes from the chilli, NOT tomatoes) and vinegar until you can smell it (it'll boil off leaving the meat tender and distributing the seasoning). Remove from heat and stir in the macaroni. You can add a small can of crushed tomatoes or tomato sauce, but it's not necessary. (A slice of cheese over this, melted in the microwave is nice.)
Most veggies can be served raw, and at the very most only take minutes to prepare in the microwave. Fruits and vegetables are best in their own wrappers.
Uncle Ben's has prepared rice in different varieties that makes up in 90 seconds in your microwave. Potatoes can also be baked there. Some microwaves have a pre-set for this. Remember to wash the potato and prick it several times with a fork,
In your conditions meat is best bought the day it's used, but some will keep in your fridge, get some small disposables for storing leftovers, they reheat in the microwave. There are many meal selections in portions that can be kept without refrigeration, either in cans or microwavable packaging. Get yourself a rice cooker that fits your microwave, they come with instructions. In college one of our most useful items was an electric corn popper. We used it for may things besides popping corn. Creativity can yield the tastiest meals under the worst conditions, as Napoleon's chef showed with Chicken Marengo.
Or get together with others and make Stone soup. It's easy, and no one is out much for any of the ingredients, which can be had in small cans for a great feast:
http://www.extremelinux.info/stonesoup/s...
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Chilequiles made in the corn chip bag. What? Get a bag of corn chips like Tostito Chips or any generic brand that is just the corn tortillas, no flavors. Get some velveeta cheese or cheese whiz in a jar, melt in the micro with a touch of butter. Open a can of chicken and add it to the cheese, some diced onion, and some salsa (I like mine hot). Add the mixture to the corn chips in the bag. Make sure that all the chips are soaked, roll up the top of the bag and put in the microwave for 5 minutes then flip and 3 minutes. Take out and cut the bag in half. Cut in squares with a knife and you have chilequiles.
Get some instant rice, put in microwaveable dish. Get some chicken broth (can) add some canned chicken, a packet of Goya seasoning, salt and pepper, some diced onion and diced tomatoe. Cook in micro. Arroz con Pollo.
New way to make ramen - do not add package of seasoning to it. Cook in water, drain, add soy sauce, touch of salsa, a touch of peanut butter, a little bit of syrup, and crushed nuts and cooked brocolli.
Ramen - use seasoning in water with melted velveta and can of tuna, diced onion and tomatoes.
Ramen - cook with seasoning, add salsa to water. Drain add mayo and tuna, diced green onion.
Buy some pork rinds the seasoned kind, a can of Las Palmas enchilada chili. Put rinds in a microwaveable bowl, add chili, soak, add dice onions, nuke and make burritos.
Get some potato chips (jalapeno or maui onion best, but regular okay) put in a bowl with the seasoning from top ramen. Dice some onion, some tomatoe, and some kelbasa sausage. Add to potato chips with water and cook for about 5 minutes. Add some velveeta cheese and cook another 3 minutes stirring. Make potato burritos.
Hope this helps.