Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student

RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By Roseann (Guest Post) (10/09/2008) Here is a Meal Idea that I cook often for my friends. It's super cheap and is super tasty. Ramen Noodle Stir Fry 1 pkg. Ramen Noodles 1/2 or a full bag of frozen veggies Any type of meat that is on sale or go vegetarian style Any extra spices you have on hand that go with the flavor of the Ramen Noodles Thinly slice your meat if you have any. Heat a small amount of oil in a large pan. Add meat and brown quickly. In another pot boil noodles until done. Drain extra oil off the meat and take out and set to the side. In the same pot add your frozen veggies, the seasoning packet from the noodles and any extra spices you want to. Add a splash of water , stir constantly until done. Add noddles and your meat and mix This reciepe takes the cheapest thing you can by and turns it up a little bit. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By Robert (Guest Post) (10/01/2008) Red Beans and Rice is a nice idea for cheap. We ate this a lot when I was growing up. My basic recipe uses 2 Cans of Red Beans or 1 Can of Red beans 1 can of chili beans. 1 Roll of Sausage and at least 2 cups of rice. Brown the sausage and then add in the beans drained or not drained. Let them simmer if you didn't drain them or simply leave the pan on warm if you did drain. Boil the rice and serve the beans and sausage over the rice. I also use small amounts of tabasco, garlic, steak sauce, and barbecue sauce to create a tasty sauce that is totally optional. Feeds 4-6 people for one meal or just my self and girlfriend for at least 2 meals. When I was living alone I would eat this stuff for 2 or 3 days for under 5$. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By Richard (Guest Post) (09/28/2008) Here's an easy one: 1 package of flour tortillas 1 can of Chili (beef with beans) Some shredded basic lettuce 1 package of shredded cheese Basic Chili Burritos which are surprisingly good. Several meals for cheap. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By Absintine (Guest Post) (09/24/2008) I like progressive meals. Here is a shopping list: 5lb roll of ground meat flour tortillas Giant bag of shredded cheese Milk Bag of Potatoes Jar of Spaghetti Sauce Loaf of bread Bag of Pasta Box of Instant Potatoes From those ingredients.... Grilled Cheese Sandwiches Mashed Potato Sandwiches (goes amazing with beer) Shepherds Pie Beefy Cheese Burritos Spaghetti/meatballs Tortilla Pizzas Quesadillas French Fries Potato Soup Find Chicken Cheap. Cook the whole thing. Pull all of it off the bone. Add to quesadilla's, make chicken spaghetti, etc. Garlic Powder. Garlic Mashed Potato Sandwiches. OMG. Butter. Butter noodles. So Good with salt and pepper. Cheap, cheap, cheap! Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By Brit (Guest Post) (09/20/2008) My sister used to make this for us when my parents would go outta town and she would be in charge. Now that Im on my own it helps my pocket out a lot. Mac and cheese can of whole tomatoes salt and pepper Just cook the mac and cheese as you always do, drain the juice from the tomatoes, add to mac and cheese, add salt and pepper, mix all together, and enjoy! Its taste great, easy to make, fulfilling, and cheap! Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By Michelle (Guest Post) (09/03/2008) Creamed Chicken and pPeas Can of cream of mushroom soup Half a can milk Frozen peas Diced chicken (leftovers is what I usually use) Heat up the soup and milk slowly and then add peas till they are cooked. Serve over mashed or baked potatoes, rice or noodles or even toast My mom made this for us growing up and is still a favorite of mine. Hubby doesn't like mashed potatoes so I've found other things to serve it over! Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By Danielle (Guest Post) (08/26/2008) I have always made a very tasty, filling, and cheap meals. I have six kids and make the money stretch. 1. Browned ground beef, Baked beans, and white rice. 2. Browned ground beef with mac n cheese. 3. Ground beef, mushroom soup, brown gravy mix and egg noodles. 4. egg noodles, sour cream, French onion dip, ground beef. 5. black olives, egg noodles, sun dried tomato Alfredo sauce, and diced chicken 6. tuna, egg noodles, cream of mushroom soup, peas 7. chili beans, stewed tomato, chili seasoning, hot dogs. Hope this is helpful. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By meat. (Guest Post) (08/14/2008) Meat is not cheap. You can live on 10$ per week just by buying veggies and top ramen noodles. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By Danielle (Guest Post) (07/30/2008) Get a rice cooker(10 bucks) and small crockpot (5 bucks). From these two anything is possible. This is easy and cheap I do soups in the crockpot and dinners with chicken or beef.. very healthy too. THESE ARE SOOO GOOD!!! 1) Cheap Chili and Rice add this to crockpot: 1 can red kidney beans 1 chicken breast cut into small squares (frozen cheaper) 1 can stewed tomatoes 1/2 onion 1/2 tsp. chili powder 2 tsp. canola oil 1 tsp vinegar (to tenderize meat) rice cooker: add brown rice or white water takes 30 min to cook 2) Thai Salmon and Rice add to crockpot: 1 large can pink salmon (don;t drain but pick out bones) 1 red pepper diced 1 tbsp yellow curry powder 2 tsp basil salt/pepper to taste optional: 1/2 can green peas rice cooker: brown rice same as previous recipe takes 30 min to cook just use your imagination with these, there are ssooo many other combinations. I recommend adding in greens wherever you can to make these recipes more nutritious. canned and drained spinach can be added to either of these recipes to up to nutrition IMMENSELY and its cheap. if you havn't notcied salads are a pain to make and I usually go without b/c I don't have the time. By adding frozen or canned greens you save time and money. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By rachel r. (Guest Post) (07/22/2008) Cheap and easy and will feed you for awhile. Hamburger pie. 1lb. of hamburger, cooked put in a baking dish of some sort add tomato soup. Layer on top a vegetable of choice (generally we use greenbeans or corn) on top add a layer of instant mashed potatoes and add a bit of shredded chz. Bake until cheese is melted. Very tasty and is really good cold. It costs no more than 15 bucks and you can get creative and add whatever you want. If you want to go richer you can use chicken instead of burger. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By tabitha (Guest Post) (07/11/2008) Tater Tot Casserole 1lb hamburger 1 bag tots small bag shredded cheese 1 can cream of chicken or mushroom soup 1 onion & 1 green pepper(optional) Brown Hamburger, drain. Mix hamburger with soup, cheese, green pepper and onion in baking dish. Top with tater tots. Follow baking directions for the tater tots. Delicious!!! Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By Angela (Guest Post) (07/07/2008) The farmers market in my area usually has chicken leg quarters on sale for wicked cheap, so baked chicken legs are a favorite in my house. I just put the legs in a baking dish; douse them with lemon juice; cover them with onion salt, garlic powder, sage, and paprika; drizzle them with olive oil and bake them in the oven at 350 for an hour. I usually make rice and steamed veggies on the side. YUM. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By J (Guest Post) (06/30/2008) Frozen food is cheap as heck so get some frozen chicken breasts and some noodles... of any kind you got laying around... and a cheap off-brand can of tomato sauce. Im 15 and I actually made this ALL by myself like a big boy so it shouldnt be too hard. just throw 2 chicken breasts in the microwave then put them in a skillet. boil the noodles and tomato sauce. add the cooked chicken into the sauce and put some of the sauce with the chicken on top of some noodles! it looks professional but really it was CHEAP AS HECK! Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By Laura (Guest Post) (06/27/2008) I worked at a daycare last summer, and one of the meals they made on a regular basis was both surprisingly tasty and cheap was one made with a package of ramen noodles and a can of chicken/tuna. I have made it for my picky boyfriend and he even liked it. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By carolyn (Guest Post) (06/18/2008) Heres a few ideas, I'm just broke and eat cheap. Fettucini Alfredo. Grab a box of fettuccine, and a cheap jar of Alfredo sauce. Hamburger helper, lb of hamb., and a box of helper. Tuna Helper, can of tuna in water, and a box of helper Brats add a bun and some mustard good to go Macaroni and tomato juice, boil elbow mac, add tomato juice, salt and pepper cook to a slow boil and bam! There ya go. add a grilled cheese if your feeling frisky. Tuna and crackers, can of tuna tbsp of mayo and slap it on a saltine, delicious snack. Pizza toast, few slices of bread, add some tomato paste maybe a pepperoni and some cheese bake for 10 mins at 350 and "viola" Salmon and Rice, make a cup white rice, cook a can of pink salmon add a little water to the salmon, pour salmon over rice, very yummy, my brunch favorite. Invest in a bag of potatoes! French fries, hash browns, baked potatoes, fried potatoes, so many good things come from a potato. Baked macaroni ham and cheese, you'll need velveta, cup milk, elbow mac, diced ham . boil mac till done, add cubed velveta as much as you'd like, cup of mild, and diced ham, put in casserole dish bake at 425 till hot and bubbly around the edges. yum. Hope this helped! Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By reallybroke (Guest Post) (05/13/2008) People have very different ideas about what is cheap. Most of these ideas would be considered expensive by my family. Our cheap meal is Spaghetti. Just 80 cents for the large pack of noodles and 1.09 for canned sauce. A total of $1.89 for a huge meal that's plenty for four people. It's not nutritionally complete but it will keep you alive till payday. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By mom of two hungry boys (Guest Post) (05/13/2008) Here is a tasty "cheap" meal that my mom used to make us while growing up. I still make it today, not because it's cheap, but because my whole family loves it. (My kids love this without the hamburger meat also) 8 ounce box of macaroni noodles 46 ounce bottle of tomato juice (campbells is good) 1 pound of ground beef parmasan cheese Brown ground beef, drain excess fat from it Cook macaroni noodles, drain Mix beef, noodles, and tomato juice together in large pan. Cook on medium heat until warm. Serve with parmasan cheese sprinkled over it. Very Yummy!! Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By biffers (Guest Post) (05/10/2008) Not a student but always on a cheap budget w/ todays prices! There is always stuff you can do w/ left overs too! If you use a lot of ground beef or ground turkey you could always save a little out of your main dish for a recipe the next day. One of my family favorites is: ground beef/sausage/ or turkey corn mashed potatoes (dont be afraid to use instant) cheese then microwave. My kids love it. You can use as much or as little of anything you want according to your left overs, or any variation. :) Good luck Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By Shannon (Guest Post) (05/07/2008) Baked potatos are always a favorite at my apartment. Just toss 'em in the microwave and top with some sour cream, chopped onions, shredded cheese, and imitation bacon bits, and you've got yourself a meal! And for a cheap spin on rice/ramen/noodles/whatever, throw in some canned chicken or chicken gravy to give it a bit more flavor. Also, make sure you check your local dollar stores for food. If you don't mind eating stuff that might be slightly expired, (hey, more often than not, it's still pretty damn good!) dollar stores are great places to find really cheap food! Just avoid the cans labeled simply "Potted Meat". It's pretty vile. =) Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By Garet (Guest Post) (05/05/2008) I think for about how long this blog has been going on, the college student is out of college. Try Tuna Surprise egg noodles $1.00 can of cream of Mushroom soup $.50 1/3 brick of velvetta cheese 2 cans of Tuna $1.00 can of peas $.80 bag of cheddar cheese $3.00 Boil and mix together and baked topped with cheddar cheese until melted. Editor's Note: Probably this student is no longer in college but there are always lots more that may need this. last about 3 days Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post by mommasmush (1) | (04/29/2008) Contact For a really cheap yummy breakfast that you can change up, take a pack of corn tortillas (about a dollar) and a pack of cream cheese (about a dollar for 20) and warm up the corn tortilla in the microwave if you are busy and in a tiny bit of oil in a pan if you have the time. When you get it out put about a teaspoon to tablespoon sized dollop along the center and roll it up while it's hot. Yummy. About 2 of these should do ya good and you can make it last about a week or more. Get a coke to go with it. If you want a sweet treat or breakfast mix a little sugar in the cream cheese or better yet, put a little bit of chocolate in with some cream cheese soften enough to mix the chocolate together with the cream cheese and spread that along the center of the warm tortilla and roll it up and jam down on it! For more recipe ideas check out www.craftvillage.com Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By Mommasmush (Guest Post) (04/29/2008) For a really cheap yummy breakfast that you can change up, take a pack of corn tortillas (about a dollar) and a pack of cream cheese (about a dollar) and warm up the corn tortilla in the microwave if you are busy and in a tiny bit of oil in a pan if you have the time. When you get it out put about a teaspoon to table spoon sized dollop along the center and roll it up while it's hot. Yummy. about 2 of these should do ya good. Get a coke to go with it. If you want a sweet treat or breakfast mix a little sugar in the cream cheese or better yet, put a little bit of chocolate in with some cream cheese soften enough to mix the chocolate together with the cream cheese and spread that along the center of the warm tortilla and roll it up and jam down on it! For more recipe ideas check out www.craftvillage.com Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By (Guest Post) (04/25/2008) How to be healthy AND cheap. Eating cheap does not mean you have to eat poor quality food. If you stay healthy in the long run that is a LOT cheaper than eating junk and then having to go to the doctor often. The cheapest way you can go is to buy basic ingredients and avoid packaged and prepared foods because there is always a mark up. Besides you can control the quality of what you eat. Packaged foods usually = empty calories and in the long run leave you hungry because you are not getting the nutrition you need. If you really look at prices and labels you will see you do much better avoiding packaged and prepared food, cost wise and certainly health wise. You are being sold a "bill of goods" if you think you just don't have time and MUST have "convenience foods." There are so many easy ways to prepare whole foods the way nature makes them. The person who suggested a slow cooker and buying basics like beans, rice, whole grains, cheapest veggies you can find was closest to the mark. Here is the shopping list we had during college days: -dozen eggs -half gallon milk (if you like milk) or a quart of plain yogurt (add your own fruit and sweetening) -1 or 2 lbs of whole grains (rice, wheat, oats rotate and buy a different one each week) -1 or 2 lbs of beans or lentils (same rotation) -sack of potatoes -any veggies on sale or cheap -- usually cabbage, romaine, carrots and one other -any fruit on sale or cheap (usually apples and oranges and bananas) enough to have 2 a day. -one large beef roast (if you eat meat)OR one large whole chicken -a few cans of fish (salmon, tuna, sardines) We wouldn't buy all of this each time. Several of the staples would carry over from one week to next (grains and beans and potatoes) Whole oats grind to a meal in the blender and make great oatmeal (use a thermos with boiling water and the oats to cook them over night). Add raisins, nuts, etc. LOT cheaper than any boxed cereal. Same applies for any grain, which can become hot cereal over night. I used to also add some peanut butter to the oatmeal -- nice flavor actually. Whole wheat grains grind into a coarse flour in a blender and can be used for pancakes, and cookies. We even got a hand flour mill and ground our own flour for pancakes and such. Whole buckwheat groats soaked over night with raisins and then ground make a nice breakfast with some warm milk or water. Slow cooker roast with veggies lasted several meals first as roast and later as stew or soup. Same with chicken. Usually we'd have one or the other each week. The rest of protein came from eggs or canned fish. (Fish cakes are yummy) For oil to cook with and eat find a good quality olive oil. This is pricey but bad fats, processed fats are most costly to your health and the one item its worth paying a bit more for. Just use less of it but get the best quality you can find. It is worth it for your health. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By JAS (Guest Post) (04/25/2008) Salmon Patties are cheap and really good. Can Salmon is like $1.00. Drain it and get out bones. Mix salmon with some crushed salties, an egg, salt, pepper. Then just patty like a hamburger. The best side is mac and chez Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By Coralie (Guest Post) (04/23/2008) Make wholemeal dough with a little milk, wholemeal flour and one egg and mix until you can knead it. Chop up some onion and grate some cheese. Wrap the dough round some of the chopped onion and grated cheese, heat up, and eat =] The melted cheese and onions and really nice and the dough is healthy [being wholemeal]. Good luck with college lol xD Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By C (Guest Post) (04/22/2008) This is something that my boyfriend and i make all the time because its easy and cheap Pizza Casserole 1 Bag pepperonis 3 bags of shredded cheese (or how ever much you prefer, we like it really cheesy) 1 Small container of Cottage Cheese 1 Box of Rotini Pasta 1 Can of Pasta Sauce Sometimes we throw in a little tub of Sour Cream, though i'm not sure why. try it if you're interested. Preheat oven to 350 and begin cooking pasta. Once it is complete, mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl but save at least 3/4's of a bag of cheese. Pour the mixture in a casserole dish and pop it in the oven for about 20 minutes, then put the rest of that cheese on top and cook it for another 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted. And there ya have it, a yummy, cheapo casserole! Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By Taylor and Kara (Guest Post) (04/12/2008) The best thing ever if your trying to save is to make thai chicken pizza! 2 carrots 1 green onion 1 bobali pizza dough (ready made) peanut butter pre-shredded mozzarella cheese soy sauce 1 small can of coconut milk watercress nuts Mix the peanut butter, soy sauce (that you can grab for free at the grocery store) and 1/2 cup of coconut milk until liquefied. Chop the green onions, watercress nuts, and shave the carrots. Pour the sauce on top of the ready made pizzas and add mozzarella cheese on top. Then finish with the chopped veggies and pre browned chicken. Place in oven at 450 for 15 minutes. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By Mary (Guest Post) (04/01/2008) Macaroni, stewed tomatoes, green peppers, chopped onion and ground turkey - makes a healthy stew, pasta dish. Cook pasta first then add in tomatoes, cooked turkey and peppers (raw or frozen) and onion. Easy! Mix stove top stuffing with ground beef and pop into pan, cover with tin foil. Bake. Cheap. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By L (Guest Post) (03/21/2008) Healthy and good for vegetarians! Broccoli, Cheddar and Spinach Soup (ambiguous amounts, but thats how i cook. bear with me) 2 large heads of broccoli. 1 quart vegetable or chicken broth 4 large potatoes 1 bag frozen spinach 1 large onion 1 tbs butter or beacon fat if u have it 1 block of cheddar cheese (i like sharp) 1 cup heavy creme put butter/beacon fat in a large pot till melted. Add finely diced onions over medium heat. When onions are golden add diced potatoes, broth and chopped up broccoli. Dont worry if broth doesnt cover everything. Put a lid on the pot and let boil on medium high heat for a half hour. Now add the frozen spinach and put the lid back on for another ten minutes. now get a blender or better yet, an immersion blender and blend the hell out of the whole batch. Careful, its hot. When it reaches your desired texture, add shredded cheddar and slowly add the creme. Stir until everything melts together. YAY! you have soup. eat with toast. This will feed one person for about a week. I know because i lived off this my first two weeks in NC. Enjoy. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By Brianna P (Guest Post) (03/19/2008) 1 lb. hamburger 1 green pepper onion 1 box stuffing mix cream of chicken soup milk chedder cheese cut up onion and green pepper and fry with hamburger. put half of mixture in a casserole dish. mix stove top stuffing, (DONT follow recipe on back.) 1 1/2 cups water, and 1 1/2 sticks margerine in a seperate bowl. pur mixture on top of meat and top with rest of meat. mix cream of chicken soup and 1 cup of milk. pour on casserole. top with chedder cheese. cook at 350 for 40 minutes. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By Denyala (Guest Post) (03/09/2008) I skimmed most of the recipes and, for the most part, they sound great! But what about cheap desserts? Tasty Crispy Cinnamon chips! Ingredients: Bag of tortillas, cinnamon. sugar In a skillet with a little oil, fry the tortillas until they just start to turn a nutty brown. While they're still a little damp from the oil, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. So tasty and cheap! And great for a cheap sweet tooth. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By Reecie (Guest Post) (02/28/2008) Here is a cheap and easy dinner for you Mostachiolli Mostachiolli noodles Spaghetti sauce Mozzarella cheese 1 lb ground beef brown beef while boiling noodles add together in a large pot add sauce and put in a large baking dish sprinkle cheese on top bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted get some garlic bread too and you have a great, easy meal! enjoy! Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By Lee (Guest Post) (02/26/2008) Amazing how "college students" can't spell. That being said... Burritos! 1. Refried beans, chopped onion, green peppers. 2. Scrambled egg and chopped hot dog. 3. Boiled potato with spices. Spaghetti--fry sausage (the cheap Jimmy Dean tube style. Drain grease!) with garlic and onion and add can of "chopped tomatoes in tomato sauce". Stouffer's brand lasagna (the big pan) in the frozen section of the store. It's cheap (per meal), easy, and damn good. Rice rice rice. Tired of rice? Make rice pudding! Search it on the 'net--it's good. Tuna salad. Can of tuna, add tablespoon of mayo and relish. On your way into the store, grab one of their little newspaper things that shows what's on sale, so you can take advantage of it. Frozen pizzas are often on sale. And last, but not least, buy CHEAP whiskey/vodka/tequila/beer. No Jameson or Grey Goose or Fat Tire. Learn to love Old Crow, Fleischmanns, and Steel Reserve--it'll build character and put hair on your chest (ladies too!). Git-R-Done! Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By karli (Guest Post) (02/14/2008) i like to make baked potatoes or twice baked potatoes. i wash up the taters, add some oil and s/p to them. Bake on 400 for an hour or so. You can eat them plain with some butter or scoop out the middles and mix in sour cream and cheese. Add the mixture back into the tots and bake until the cheese is melted. Another thing i love is to cook the ramen noodles and add a little butter and pepper. it's a quick and easy meal. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By Veronica (Guest Post) (01/31/2008) Thanks to those who seriously replied. She asked for MEAL ideas. I'm sure she already knows about peanut butter, bread, and cereal! Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By Amber (Guest Post) (01/25/2008) Mini Pizza- I am a college student myself I use this most nights. I learned this in the 6th grade. 1 Can of biscuits 1 Thing of Pizza Sause Bag of cheese or slices Flatten out the biscuits spread the sause of them then sprinkle cheese. Or other toppings if you have it. Deli Ham works good. Quick easy Cheap! Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By Jeremy (Guest Post) (01/20/2008) First, let me tell you about the "Breakfast of Champions." Why I call it that, I don't know. An easy breakfast is one large banana with a cold soft drink. The bananas offer quick energy and lots of potassium and the soft drink will offer a quick boost of energy and caffeine to start the day off right! The best thing about it is that you can eat the banana and drink a soft drink while driving to school or work. You can buy Bananas at Wal-mart for around .50 a pound and soft drinks for 20-30 cents. Thats about 35-45 cents for a quick breakfast. Lunch options can be very cheap. Let me list a few options: Ramen Noodles- .10-.15 apiece Canned Tuna- .50 apiece Canned Chili w/ beans- .90 apiece Frozen Burritoes- .33 apiece Jumbo hot dogs- 1.00 for 8 White or Wheat Bread- 1.00-1.50 a loaf Bananas- .50 a lb. Generic Macaroni + Cheese- .40 a pack Fish Sticks- 3.30 for about 50 Hot dogs with mustard on bread is very cheap. Try making bean soups. They are very healthy, very cheap, and once you make it, reheating is very fast. You can take a 70 cent bag of dried Navy beans, throw them in a crock pot, add water, add some seasonings, and make about 10-12 large bowls of soup! Try cooking chicken leg/thigh quarters (.40 a lb) in the crock pot. With the remaining broth you can make chicken soup by adding rice, okra, and seasonings. And lastly, if you have a local farmer's market, check there. I live in Florida and I can buy 10 oranges for a dollar, instead of getting 3 for a dollar at wal-mart. When eating cheap, always keep health in mind! Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By (Guest Post) (01/20/2008) Take 1 cup of frozen peas & carrots mix and add 1/2 cup chopped onion to a frying pan. Microwave 2 cups of minute rice according to the package. Add minute rice to peas and carrots mix when the rice is done in the microwave. Take two packages of Ramen noodles and break them into small chunks. Add them to the rice and veggie mix. Add the Ramen noodle powder. Add a couple of splashes of soy sauce and you're done! Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By Jonathan Hayes (Guest Post) (01/18/2008) Heres a few I go with. 2 - Cups of Cheerios (healthy cereal of choice) 1 - Cup of 2% milk Poor ingredients into bowl, usually putting the cheerios in first works best. Mix and enjoy! tasty! Lunch or Dinner. 2 Slices of honey wheat bread 1 Glob of Peanut Butter 1 Tablespoon of grape jelly Spread the peanut butter on one slice of bread and then the grape jelly on top of that. Cover with 2nd piece of bread. I like to call this a Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich! yummm! And taste even better with some doritos on the side Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By Klaatoo (Guest Post) (01/12/2008) Easy and hearty meal. Put 1 lb of frozen tater tots in plastic bowl. Microwave for 5 minutes. Open can of chili with beans. Pour chili over hot tots and mix. Add shredded cheese if you have it. Enjoy! Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By David (Guest Post) (01/08/2008) Organic brown rice is about 85 cents per pound, and is extremely good for you. Use it with veggies, add meat or chicken or fish. A pound goes a very long way. To cook - for two people: Wash one cup of brown rice in two cups of cold water, drain and repeat. Put rice in large pot, over medium heat. Stir until it gives off a nutty aroma. Then add two cups of cold water, bring to a boil, then turn down heat and simmer covered for 45 minutes. It's done when the rice sticks a little to the bottom of the pot. You can keep any leftovers for days, and might want to double the recipe to cut down on labor and cooking costs. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By Judith (Guest Post) (01/08/2008) The thing to remember about Ramen is it's packed full of sodium and very few vitamins. Cheap yes, healthy no. For cheap AND healthy, I suggest homemade dhal masala. If you invest in the spices (turmeric, ginger and garam masala) the lentils are $0.89 a pound. Can't beat that. Soak a cup or so of lentils for half an hour, chop an onion and fry in the bottom of a pot with a little oil. Drain lentils, add to the pot with a couple cups of fresh water. Boil boil boil; add a diced tomato if you like, or some frozen peas, and keep adding water as needed to keep it soupy. When the lentils are completely cooked and it's all kind of a mush, add spices, salt and pepper liberally. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By David (Guest Post) (01/07/2008) take a bag of frozen mixed vegetables.... where i live there's a frozen food chain called M&M Meat Shops that has a nice blend of cauliflower, broccoli, carrot sticks, sugar snap peas, red pepper, sliced water chestnuts and baby corn. i'm sure you can find something similar in your grocery store........ just stick the veggies in a frying pan and add a sauce over top. it takes about five minutes and you have a stir fry. I like using a sweet and spicy thai sauce, but plum sauce or sweet and sour sauce would work well. Serve over rice or noodles. Sometimes i use a frozen rice blend in the stirfry Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By Ashley (Guest Post) (01/07/2008) We have a family of 5 and I am always looking for cheap meal ideas. One thatis great--I buy a bag of Chicken hindquarters at Wal-Mart for a bit under $5.00. Seperate and freeze--one bag of these will feed my family 3 differnt meals. When I make them I just season and put oil in pan and bake for an hour or so at 375 degrees. Every 15 mins spoon oil over the chicken and the skin will get crispy and inside will be so tender. Or season and boil, debone, save the broth and then cook egg noodles and whatever veggies in it for homeade chicken noodle soup. Potato soup is cheap and makes a lot--peel cut and boil potatoes, drain off all but 1/4 of the water. Chop an onion and cook it in a few sticks of butter. Add to the potatoes, then add some ham and milk (more or less on how thick u want it) then heat all together I buy the already cooked pressed hams at Wal-Mart for about 6 dollars. I can get a few meals out of one also. (I use it in the potato soup) Slice some of the ham and warm up, make instant or regular mashed potatoes, put ham on plate then potatoes, then wal-mart brand of processed cheese ina jar. These are really good. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By charity (Guest Post) (01/01/2008) I am 23 years old with two kids and my hubby in the house and we have to make our money go as far as it can go. When I was little my mom made us chili cheese and rice. My kids love it too. Go to the store get some min. rice, chili and sharp shredded cheese. Cook your rice then put on your chili when both of those are done put the rice on the plate first then the chili on top of that, then the cheese. It is great and cheap Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By Brad (Guest Post) (01/01/2008) Mexican Toast 1-4 slices of bread Put cheese wiz on them generously(or shreded) Then Spread catsup on them then add some chili powder bake in the oven at 350 till browned on bottom Enjoy, like a poorman's pizza Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By Lori (Guest Post) (12/18/2007) easy poor man's recipe My family used to make something similar when the depression era was still around. I like to call it "Poor man's spaghetti". - a box of pasta [elbow and cavatappi work best] - a can of tomato soup - a medium onion - half a package of bacon Chop up onion and bacon into small pieces. Fry in a pan until cooked. Boil the pasta. Drain pasta and stick in serving bowl [this bowl should be at least half to 2/3 full with pasta... it avoids messes]. Add tomato soup and bacon/onions. Mix, Serve and enjoy! this lasts for a few days and can easily be refrigerated. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By recelynne (Guest Post) (12/17/2007) My boyfriends favorite meal reminds us both of being a kid again! Take a box of Mac & Cheese make as usual then a roll/can of cresent rolls or buscuit dough and roll a package of hot dogs for pigs in a blanket! Bake as long as the cresent rolls or buscuit directions say. Really really good and great comfort food!! Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By Frank (Guest Post) (11/27/2007) Never underestimate the cost efficiency of soup! I can make a monster pot of chicken soup, even with all organic ingredients, VERY hearty, and make about 20 bowls and cost me no more than $15. For me that's about 8-10 big meals. So that's oatmeal for breakfast, and soup for lunch and dinner, and I'm spending maybe $20/week. At the local farmers market I spend $8 for a frozen chicken. Boil it for 1-2 hours, debone it, put a bunch of vegetables and spices in and cook it another couple hours and you're done. Don't need to buy broth. Feeds you for a week. I like to boil the bones for a while, too. Substitute the chicken for chicken broth and make sure you have plenty of beans and whole grains in there, and its even cheaper! I just posted about this with more details of the recipe at: www.franklesko.blogspot.com Ask for a large soup pot from your family OR ask for a bread machine! ALSO try this: Eggs & bread sandwiches. Buddy of mine did this. If you are making your own bread with the bread machine, you can eat a meal of 2 eggs on bread for about 30 cents at most. Even buying organic its only 60 cents. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By Holly (Guest Post) (10/25/2007) I used to eat this a lot when money was really tight. FAST AND CHEAP! Buy: Ranch Style Beans Shredded Cheese Burrito Sized Flour Tortillas Warm the beans, then spread down the center of the tortilla. Add cheese, roll up and microwave for about 30 seconds. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By Lindsey. (Guest Post) (10/22/2007) Just as good as stuffed peppers- chop a small yellow onion and cook it with a half pound of hamburger (I usually buy really big pack of value meat, and seperate and freeze it when I get home to save money!) cut a green bell pepper into small bite size pieces Drain the grease off the meat and add the peppers and cook for about 5 minutes or until the pepper starts to soften up a little. Add a small can of tomato sauce, cook until heated through and serve over rice. I top mine with a handful of shredded cheddar. This will usually feed me for about 3 meals :) It's really good, I make it for friends when they come over. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By Sam (Guest Post) (10/02/2007) A cheap recipe I learned while living in the barracks in the service... 2 Microwave burritos................................. $ .89 - Commissary 1 bottle Louisiana or Franks Red Hot........ $1.49 - Commissary Step 1. Cook burritos in microwave. Step 2. Apply hot sauce to intended biting target on burrito. Step 3. Eat burrito. Step 4. Repeat at lunch and dinner. Hot sauce is really cheap. One bottle usually lasts me a month or more. If you eat burritos for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you're spending a total of $2.67 for food, all day long. FTW. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By em (Guest Post) (08/09/2007) i came up this great idea for a meal.i have to feed 3-4 people a night with only one income. i dont have a name but its good. i go to the dollar store for most of my ingredients, *chicken or beef about a pound (you can even use 1/2 pound and its still filling) - 1.50 *i use 3 cups of rice - 1 *2 cans of cream of chicken - 2.00 *1 can of peas - .50 *1 can of corn - .50 *1 can of mushrooms - .50 *package of cheese (your favorite) - 1.50 *black pepper *1 can of chicken broth (optional!) - .50 cook the rice in broth if you choose to (adds a richer flavor). cook and cut chicken into bite size pieces. in a big bowl mix your cream of chicken, peas, corn, and CUT UP mushrooms. add a sprinkle of black pepper. mix in rice and chicken. spread in a pan and cover top with the cheese. put in 350 degree oven untill the cheese melts. let it cool and serve. i love to serve this with some corn bread. at dollar general there 3 boxes for a dollar. tons of left overs so its good for a couple of days ENJOY!!!! Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By jjo (Guest Post) (07/21/2007) a lot of people mentioned pasta. buying pasta sauce can get pricey so i make my own--don't be scared. it's sooo easy! i go to costco and buy one enormous can of whole tomatoes or stewed tomatoes, peeled or not. or go to the grocery store and buy two large cans of whole or stewed tomatoes. they're around $1 a piece. then you just need one onion, some garlic, and some olive oil. so, to make: dice an entire onion and add it to a heated large pot add 4 sliced or diced cloves of garlic when the onions are translucent add 2 large cans of store-bought tomatoes or one large can from costco to a large pot also add 1/4 cup of olive oil (or less if you want) simmer for 30 min., stirring occasionally. you can add basil if you want near the end or to mix it up use flavored canned tomatoes (they sell italian style or with celery, etc. at the grocery store) store extra sauce in tupperware or a glass jar and keep it in the fridge or freezer (tupperware only). Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By Tiffanny (Guest Post) (07/11/2007) One thing that my single mother fed us when we were younger was a refried bean casserole. 1 can of refried beans 1 can of no bean chili 1 pack of shredded cheese heat up the chili & refried beans in a saucepan. then put in layers the refried bean mixture & shredded cheese in a casserole dish put in the oven for 5-10 minutes until the cheese has melted. eat with tortilla chips. A dish that my grandmother came up with. Italian Chicken Some Italian Dressing Chicken(we used the skinless boneless kind that come in a big bag) first thing to do is taking a baking pan & lining it with tin foil. add some dressing to cover the bottom of the chicken. then put the chicken in & then cover in the italian dressing. add another sheet of foil. put in the oven & cook until done checking during the cooking process to make sure covered in dressing. once the chicken is done remove top sheet of foil to brown the chicken. I am an extremely picky eater but i loved both of these dishes. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By (Guest Post) (07/02/2007) one of my favorite things to make as a broke grad student is pasta. there are a lot of variations that you can try... at least its not potato or eggs or ramen! get a cheap box of angel hair pasta from walmart. it will run you about 50 cents, but will last for a few meals. if you like regular old spaghetti, try picking up a jar of prego, or better yet, the cheaper but just as tasty walmart sauce. boil the noodles, throw some sauce on, and you have a filling dinner. another good pasta dish is one that i always order at the olive garden - cappelini pomodoro. you can use any long string noodle, but i like angel hair or cappelini best with this. get a cheap can of petite diced tomatoes (look for a can with basil and garlic already added in - less work for you!) heat some of the tomatoes up on the stove with a little salt & pepper and any other kind of spice you like. serve it warm over your pasta with some bread... soo good. also, another failsafe is chicken. you can pretty much cook it any way you want, with any kind of seasonings. i like to pan fry my chicken to get it a little browned, then put it in the oven for about a half hour at 350°. it comes out so tender and juicy. you can even marinate it in barbecue sauce or ranch dressing or any other kind of sauce/dressing that you like, then bake the chicken like that. rice is an easy side to go with it, so is a can of veggies. if you like all of that stuff, you can make a chicken rice casserole. boil your rice for a few minutes (it doesnt have to be fully cooked). put it in a baking pan, then pour a can or two of cream of chicken soup over it, depending on how creamy you want it to be. mix in a can of veggies or a half a bag of frozen mixed veggies. add a little salt & pepper and garlic powder to taste. put a few thawed chicken breasts on top and bake covered at 350° for about 45 minutes. i like to uncover it and bake it for an additional amount of time to really brown it. its super tasty and really filling! Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By Murray (Guest Post) (06/21/2007) Easy Chicken Fried Rice (You'll need a Wok or a big frying pan for this one) ---------------------------- Ingredients - 1/2 or 1 pound of raw boneless/skinless chicken breasts - Oil - Instant Rice (Whatever amount you prefer) - Veggies Whatever you prefer, green onions also known as scallions are essential in my humble opinion. :D - Soy Sauce - Mushrooms (optional) - Egg (optional) Directions ------------ 1. Rip the chicken up in to little pieces (I do it with my hands, but if that's too icky for ya you can just start cooking it and then rip it apart with a wooden spoon in the Wok/pan) 2[a] Oil the wok/pan and Fry the chicken in the Wok/pan until there's no pink left in it. 2[b] concurrently, boil the rice. 3. Shortly before the chicken is done, add the other ingredients (If your using eggs, add them first to make sure they cook and then add the Mushrooms, veggies, etc.) 4. Cook the stir fry until you think it's done, if using frozen veggies, cook until they're thawed and warm. 5. Drain the Rice and add to the Wok, turn off the heat but leave the Wok on the burner. DO NOT drain the contents of the wok before adding the rice lest you lose the flavor of the previous ingredients that has escaped in to the oil. 6. Mix the rice in with the other ingredients. 7. Add Soy Sauce and stir, continue until all the white is gone from the rice. 8. Enjoy! I usually make a lot of this and then eat some while refrigerating the rest for meals later in the week. It'll last a decent amount of time as long as the seal in the container is air tight. I've never actually timed it but I've eaten it up toa week later and it was fine. You can also substitute other meats for the chicken: pork, ground beef, beef strips, etc. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By Donald Cedar (Guest Post) (06/20/2007) Corn dogs! Just need a microwave! You can get a 24 pack at walmart for about 7.60. I usually eat two and it fills me up. That is about 60 cents a meal! Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By Wiccanirc2005 (Guest Post) (06/05/2007) EZ burrito's and cheap! 1 bag of tortilla shells (10 in a pack) 2 cans beans 1 can mushroom pieces (not sliced mushrooms as mushroom pieces is much cheaper and it's still mushrooms) 1 green pepper 1 onion garlic powder salt pepper chili flakes (if so desired) Take 1 can of beans and add it to a pan. Take the other can of beans and rinse it off in a strainer. Add the 2nd can of beans to the pan. Cook the beans and when heated mash them up. Add onion (as much as you desire), green pepper, salt, pepper and chili flakes. This makes me 6 huge burrito's or 10 smaller ones. Great for freezing just wrap in tinfoil and heat in the oven at 300 for 10 - 15 minutes. This is just a base recipe. Feel free to add other veggies to your mixture and you can make several more burrito's. I use a bigger version of this recipe and make 80 burrito's and that lasts me all month at a cost of just under $90 canadian. Occasionally I'll spend a little more and buy mixed bag of lettuce for a quick side. Enjoy Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By Engineer Geek (Guest Post) (05/31/2007) Being one who just graduated college I can relate. I am not sure if any one put this down or not but a meal that got me through, and I still eat, is this: Get a cheap box of mac n cheese, a package of hot dogs, cheap kind of course, and a package of frozen peas. I cut up the hot dogs into little pieces and put them in the boiling water along with the noodles and some frozen peas, I add them all to the same water at the same time, just dump all three ingrediants in there, makes it simple to cook. Then when the noodles/hotdogs/peas are done I make the noodles like normal, powder, milk, margarine, you know the drill, then sit down and enjoy. And being a recent graduate myself I hate to tell you that just because you get out of college and start making $50,000 a year, you will have BIG loans (and credit cards) to pay off and that means that you still will have no money, so be prepared to enjoy your college food for a long time. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By Suz (Guest Post) (05/30/2007) STUFFED TOMATOES/PEPPERS cooked rice cheese (your pref) veggies (your pref) meat (your pref) Core the tomatoes/peppers Slice a little off the bottom of peppers (so sits flat but does not have holes in bottom) Slice an "X" in the bottom of the tomatoes (not too deep!) Cook rice Cook veggies Cook meat Add rice, veggies, meat together with cheese Stuff tomatoes or peppers with mixture You can also add a can of tomato/veggie/cream soup to mix to make it juicier Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By Suz (Guest Post) (05/30/2007) CHICKEN PARM: So easy! Chicken Breast (flattened-use a heavy can or tenderizer, make sure you put the chicken in a bag or between saran wrap or wax paper) Tomato Sauce or Sliced tomato Mozz cheese (as many slices/enough to cover chicken breasts) Parmesan (about 1/8 C or small handful for 4-6 breasts) Pasta or rice (2-4 cups cooked) Sauce variation Cook the pasta or rice Put in baking dish Pour the sauce over the noodles Stir in Parmesan cheese Place chicken breasts on top Cook until chicken is almost done (should not be pink in middle) Place cheese on top, cook until melted Sliced tomato version Follow directions above but bake the chicken separate from pasta/rice. Put chicken in pan, slice of tomato on top, add cheese when almost done BE CAREFUL...tomatoes are very hot when they come out of the oven! Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By Suz (Guest Post) (05/30/2007) "Mock Pizza" ground beef onion, garlic, green pepper, shredded carrot, spinach, tomatoes, whatever tomato sauce or can of tomato soup english muffins sliced cheese (your preference) Saute the onion, garlic and greenn pepper. Add the beef and cook until browned. Add other vegetables if you like. Cook until veggies are tender, add tomato sauce or soup. Spoon mixture on top of muffins; place slice of cheese on top. Broil until cheese is melted. Delicious combos: *Spinach, ricotta, mozarella (add mushrooms, garlic and onions or tomato) *Salsa, black beans, cheddar (add sauteed squash, carrots, onions, garlic...) add sour cream! *Ham and cheese *Sliced Tomato, bacon and cheese *breakfast muffin: scrambled eggs, your choice of filling on English, add cheese and broil (or not!) Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By Ladi Marshall (Guest Post) (05/17/2007) take some ground beef, brown on medium heat, drain, add some onion and cook together until onion is just a bit soft. In a pot make some mac & cheese, (the 3 for $1) when noodles are done add beef and onion, add the cheese powder & mix. Also again brown ground beef and onion mixture, but this time make some egg noodles add ground beef & some cream of mushroom until creamy. Also take some frozen hash browns ( i use potatoes o'brien) add some onion (can ya tell we like onion) mix with cream of mushroom and cheese, mix well. Then take some frozen chicken nuggets and cut them up and add them too, bake at 350 degrees for about 20 to 30 mins. in a baking pan, then serve. I'm not a college student but i am a mom with a small budget. enjoy! Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By Brandon (Guest Post) (04/30/2007) Get a $10 Crock Pot from Walmart. Then throw in anything you want such as vegetables, potatoes, meat and cook for a few hours. It's idiot proof. Just don't add too much salt, and you got a good meal which can be frozen and recooked. Also, this will allow you to use really cheap ingredients like dried beans, etc. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By JENNI (Guest Post) (03/06/2007) one of the quikest things I've ever eaten...used to have this all the time when i would go straight from school to work and be gone from 8 am to 11 pm and was exausted... Boil a potato with the skin on. Chop up said potato into a frying pan with a little bit of oil add diced onions and green peppers and an egg or two. Cook and scramble lke you would make scrambled eggs until the potato is golden brown on the edges. Eat and enjoy! Very filling. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By Shawnee (Guest Post) (02/26/2007) I love corn tortillas and you can usually get 50 for about a 1.50 at walmart. (Note that corn tortillas taste better if you fry them in oil or nonstick cooking spray for a few minutes. Or if baking make sure they get really hot!) Eggs and tortilla omlette: rip up a couple of corn tortillas and start to fry them in an omllette pan (or fry pan). Scramble some eggs together with tomato paste and season salt. Once the tortillas are soft, pour the batter over the tortillas. You can flip the patty like an omlette, or if you are impatient, you can just scramble it all together. I like to complete the dish with just a little bit of salsa and cheese. Southwest caserole: Take your favorite mexican ingredients (refried beans, ground beef/chicken-cooked, cheese, corn, onions and salsa). Layer the ingredients (about three layers), starting with ripped up tortillas. Bake in 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. Top with sour cream. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By claire (Guest Post) (01/27/2007) enchilada mock: 1 can baked beans (drained) 1 bag tortilla chips shredded cheese fry them together start with the beans on bottom and then put chips then cheese, once the cheese starts to melt mix it up until it's all hot .. delicious! Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By Tracy (Guest Post) (12/11/2006) I'm a college student as well and all of this stuff seems way to complicated to me. Someone said that students have a lot of time on their hands yeah right. what a joke. easy food Spaghetti Just boiled spaghetti with cheap sauce. if you have cheese add cheese. if you want to get crazy fancy. Make toast butter and put garlic powder on it. just plain ol Kraft dinner. why add crazy things it tastes great. Fish cakes /fish sticks can be found in frozen food section. you can eat them with fries or boiled potatoes. Egg sandwich. fry an egg or two put it on toast with a slice of any kinda meat. or no meat. bag of frozen french fries in the frying pan with allspice on them are cheap hashbrowns. Rice with anything. get a great big bag of rice. cook a bunch and throw it in the fridge. Fry up, just about anything with some onion. bit of chicken, pork, doesn't matter. throw the cooked rice in when the meat's cooked until it's warm. If you don't have or can't afford meat, just onion and green pepper with rice is great. throw in some salt or soy sauce. Potatoes. cheap and yummy. boil them tonight bake them tomorrow. baked potatoes with fish and onion is great. if you live near "china town" go there! you can buy food cheap as dirt, Fish is cheap as dirt if you don't mind cleaning / gutting yourself. Chicken hearts a tray costs 2$ fry on low with onion when they're pretty much cooked add water and cook for a few more minuets. drain of the water and make gravy out of it. eat with boiled potatoes. They're like cheap dark-meat chicken nuggets. Buy pre-made salads the big- family pack ones. they cost about 6-8 dollars here, but as a side dish you can probably use them for 6-8 meals. and buying all the ingredients separately would cost more. I'm sure I could go on forever, but simple is best. I find buying a bunch of ingredients for one meal just means it'll go to waste or spoil in the fridge. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By Sarah Mcnulty (Guest Post) (11/29/2006) A good one for freezing. You will need: 2 Chicken breasts 2 Sweet Potatoes 1 Butternut squash 1 can of chick peas 2 Onions Soy Sauce (light or dark) Garlic Chilli (Pak choi if wanted) Rice Instructions Make a marinade with the soy, garlic and chilli, use the quantities of your preference. Add the finely chopped onions, diced chicken and diced butternut squah to the marinade and leave for 1hr After marinade is completed fry in a wok with a touch of oil untill chicken is fully cooked. Cover the ingredients in boiling water and add diced sweet potatoes and chickpeas. Add a lid if you have one and bring down to simmer. Leave untill the vegetables are cooked. Cook rice. Add pakchoi to the dish 30 seconds before serving. This dish usually tastes better the longer the flavours have to infuse so leave as long as you like and top with water as needed. i usually cook mine for an hour. I know this seems like a lot of work but it doesn't need watching and students have a lot of free time. it also makes loads and can easily feed one person for at least 4 meals Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post by jamie2462 (1) | (11/17/2006) Contact EASY MANS Lasagna... a little variation on the others posted above. Boil half a bag spiral noodles. Brown some beef - depends on how much u like in your casserole. I usually go for 1/2 - 1 lb depending upon the size of dish I'm using. Once noodles and beef are cooked, drain both and then toss them into your dish. Shake in some garlic...and whatever spices you like...i don't do measurements sorry. I'm a toss and taste kind of girl. ;) Then grate in cheese or cheeze whiz, or cheese slices, dump in a dish of lasagna cottage cheese, and a bottle of whatever kind of pasta sauce you like..., you may need a bit of an extra one to make this nice and juicy. (cheap ones though) Then mix it all together til it looks like its thoroughly mixed. It will look messy. This is good!! ;) grate some cheese on top or cheese slices and then stick in the oven for half an hour-45 minutes on 350 - 375. MMm yummy...also if you buy a 1.50 garlic loaf that you bake in the oven, you can stick this in towards the last 20 minutes of your baking time. THIS IS A DELICIOUS MEAL!! And the left-lovers would last at least 2-3 days. Enjoy! Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By jim (Guest Post) (10/30/2006) I too am a college student, and I discovered a very easy meal that can fill up two people. take some pre cut raw beef strips in the meat section. take 1/2 cup ketchup, 1/2 cup jack daniels bbq sauce (or another kind you perfer), steak seasoning (your preference), lots of pepper (my preference) , and some salt. Mix all of these in a bowl. Take the mixture and cover the beef strips thouroughly. Best to use your hands. I know it FEELS gross, but it will provide the best way to allow for full coverage. Now in your George Forman grill, cook the strips. This will take a couple of loads so as to cook each strip througholy. When you are on your last load, cook noodles (your preferance) until done. Place on on top of beef strips and you have a great meal. Good luck Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By Celeste (Guest Post) (10/11/2006) Ooooh, chili is an excellent idea beanygurl! My recipe is huge, but freezes well. Chop an onion and a green pepper into a big pot with a lil oil, add about a lb of ground beef and brown till cooked through. Dump in 4 cans of tomatoes and a 1/4 cup of chili powder (a lil less or more depending on the heat you want) and some cumin and garlic powder. Simmer covered for about an hour. Stir in 3 cans of beans- i use black, red kidney and pinto beans, but whatever you prefer- and a bag of frozen sweet corn. Heat throguh and serve, and portion out a bunch of portions for the freezer. Great over noodles, or rice. Wonderful with cornbread. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By Celeste (Guest Post) (10/11/2006) Some "gotta stretch the budget" meal ideas that I have used before: Tuna mac- Mac n cheese with a drained can of tuna nad what ever veggies that are handy to throw in. I've also used left over chiken or turkey or ham. Shepherds pie- Ground beef browned with onins and salt n pepper, drained. Put into the bottom of a baking dish. Top with 1 small bag frozen white corn (or peas or greenbeans, whatever you prefer) and top that with some prepared instant mashed potatoes. Season the potaotes with plenty of garlic powder and pepper. Bake the whole thing in a 350 degree oven till the top starts to brown. It makes a LOT and leftovers are phenominal. Total cost- bout 1.25 for the ground mean tif you use a chub pack of ground turkey from the frozen section, 25 cents or so for an onion, a dollar for the froz veg, and maybe a dollar for the instant potatoes. Total for a few days worth of food: less than 5 dollars. And it is filling, trust me. Ramen- I make ramen, but before i add the noodles i'll put some veggies in the water, cook till theyre tender, add the noodles, and then in the last minute whisk in an egg or two. Protien, veggies and carbs dirt cheap. Breakfast for dinner- Gritts and Eggs. Just scramble some eggs- or fry them if you prefer, and serve them over gritts with butter or cheese. Plenty of salt and pepper. Breakfast sandwiches- I have been finding packages of frozen egg patties and sausage patties in the freezer section at wal-mart. I'll buy one of each for a total of 6 dollars, and a couple of pachages of dinner rolls in the bakery section for about 2 dollars. Total cost? $8 for 18 sandwiches. Thats less than 50 cents a sandwich. And super fast. You can make it in less than 3 minutes. Split pea soup- a bag of dried peas, a little bit of diced ham, onions carrots and celery, salt and pepper. About 4 or 5 dollars will make a BIG pot of it, and it freezes really well. Look on the backs of the bags of dried split peas, most have the recipie right on it. Takes a lil while to make, but once its done you can portion it out and freeze it for quick filling meals later. Frozen fruit and milk or plain yogurt makes a great smoothie, and helps get some fruit into your diet. It is a lil sheaper than fresh, and keeps better. Try a few frozen strawberries, a bannana, a glass of milk in the blender. Creamy, sweet, and SOO much cheaper than going out to buy a smoothie. Coffeepot ramen- I have made this on the road when i didnt have a stove, I was sick with a sore throat and i REALLY wanted warm soup to soothe it. Take the basket off of a coffeemaker and make sure the carafe is super clean (so you don't get coffee noodles, yuck). use the coffemaker to heat your water, add the noodles and wait 3 minutes. All done. Grilled cheese and some tomato soup is quick and cheap. My all time favorite thing to do: I keep a box of individually frozen fish filets in the freezer (I find em at walmart- about $10 for 3 pounds of tilapia or hoki) uncle ben's ready rice (I get brown rice, better for you and less salt) and frozen veggies (what ever is your favorite) Basically put 1 or 2 filets into the refirgerator in a plastic bag the night before so it is thawed, or just put it in the plastic bag and run warm water over it for a bit, and pop it into a 375 degree oven for 8-15 min (I tend to over cook tilapia on purpose cause it is not very firm) with whatever seasoning that you want, while thats cooking, microwave your veggies with some butter, and then microwave the rice for 90 seconds. Poof, fish rice and veg for fairly cheap. Healthy and yummy and fast. The fish lasts my family of 3 for at least 3 or 4 meals, I would imagine that it would last a single student a lot longer. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By Chelsea (Guest Post) (09/12/2006) Easy chicken and dumplings this is really cheap especially since most people flour already on hand. Makes enough for 2 people to eat 3 meals a day for 3 days. Yes a lot. Its probably good to freeze and reheat. it seems to take a while but its really low maintenance and theres tons of things you can do while waiting because it doesnt require u to keep and eye on it for long. Pk of flour tortillas 2-3 cups of flour about 3-4 Frozen Chicken breasts 2 cans of chicken broth salt and pepper to taste just barely cover the top of the chicken with water and boil until done. I usually leave it for about 30 mins to boil so the water will absorb more flavor. remove the chicken from the water and let it cool a bit and add chicken broth then mix the flour with COLD water until its about a pancake batter consistancy. mix in the flour mixture, cut up flour tortillas and stir in. the broth should start to thicken and the flour tortillas soften after about 5 mins. cut up chicken and stir in. let sit about 5-10 mins. better even the next day reheating. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By Heather (Guest Post) (09/07/2006) Everyone loves pizza right! Very cheap, and can be eaten a few times during the week this way! 1- Bag of Flat pita bread (4 to 5 come in a pack) $.99 1- Can of HUNT's Spaghetti sauce $.99 1/2 lb of provolone or Mozzrella cheese for deli $3.50 Total- $5.50 I even chop some onions or green peppers if I have them...but if not...They are AWESOME plain! It is quick and easy for a college kid with a toaster oven or regular oven. ENJOY! Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By Carol (Guest Post) (09/03/2006) My son makes egg drop soup - make chicken ramon noodles and then beat one egg and pour slowly into the ramon noodles while stiring. can add peas for a complete meal Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By De (Guest Post) (09/02/2006) Make a medium white sauce (any cookbook should have a recipe) Mix in a small amount of diced meat - chicken , pork, beef- and a can of drained , mixed vegetables. grease 10 muffin tins, and press refrigerated biscuits into the tins. Fill with the white sauce/ veggie mixture and bake at 375 for about 15 minutes. Report Spam or Abuse RE: Cheap Meal Ideas For a College Student Post By (Guest Post) (08/28/2006) for the twof you, this will stretch for a couple of days... chop up two chicken