College student on a budget needing recipes!

glitznglamour15

Hello!
I am a university student who is looking for some new healthy, inexpensive recipes. Im kinda tired of my usual ground beef, frozen-corn tacos! Let me know if you have any ideas, I like pretty much anything haha thank you!

AlyssaPetsDogs

I do crock pot salsa chicken so often! Literally just put chicken breasts and salsa (I purée my salsa because chunks are the worst) in the crock pot and then shred the chicken. You can put it in a salad or on tortillas. I usually just eat the shredded meat plain with a little cheese or some fajita veggies (steamed in chicken broth) if I'm feeling fancy.

I'll like a sprayed muffin Tin with ham slices and crack and egg inside each and cook in the oven for a yummy breakfast.

If you have freezer space, I would stock up on chicken or ground beef when it's on sale. My gramma bought a TON of 95% lean ground beef and I'm stocked for my entire semester. each weekend I unthaw some beef or chicken and the possibilities are endless. Tonight I made some low carb cheesy meat loaf.

Good luck! You can add me if you would like! I'm always happy To share recipes!

anntoureilles

Texas Hash is always a cheap go-to meal and it's simple. You can make healthy by using lean ground beef/turkey/chicken. Here's a straight forward recipe: food.com/recipe/texas-hash-330481

Also, I find lentils are a great option, especially if you have a bin of veggies you need to use up before they go bad. They work with any fresh veggies you have on hand. Just saute those up, add herbs/spices and then your liquid (water/stock/tomatoes), throw in whatever type of lentils are on sale (the brown ones are firmer and can cook longer) and set to simmer until lentils are tender.

laur357

Are you in a dorm, or somewhere with a kitchen?

Fritatta - like a quiche, but without crust. You can add tons of frozen spinach or broccoli (get rid of as much moisture as possible before adding to the eggs - any veggies you like), some potato chunks or deli ham, and a little cheese. Good leftover for a few days too.

Whole wheat pasta with ricotta and spinach or roasted veggies and garlic, throw some eggs on for added protein

Rice with greens and sausage - Flavor the rice with whatever you like, peppers, onions, garlic, cajun seasoning. Toss in some kale or swiss chard and some sliced chicken sausage (or ground meat of any kind)

Black bean quesadillas with salsa

Baked potato topped with black beans, salsa and cheese. You can make baked potatoes in a crockpot as well! Turn leftover potatoes into home fries or hash.

Ground beef or turkey, onion, and garlic + a can of crushed tomatoes over pasta



Take a look at the Budget Bytes blog. There are a ton of nutritious recipes and the calculated cost per recipe.

Adding a little bouillon or chicken stock (bouillon is usually cheaper) instead of water gives things lots of flavor - rice, potatoes, reheating meat, etc.

Queenmunchy

Seconding Budget Bytes. She's great!

http://www.budgetbytes.com/

glitznglamour15

Thank you guys!!

SFQueen_Bee

I second the crock pot./slow cooker.. so easy and cheap to buy but do your research, timer vs not timer... you don't want to burn the food at the bottom.
I just made up a delish dessert as I am low sugar paleo, gluten free: mashed banana, mashed avocado, tablespoon of almond butter, teaspoon of cocoa or low sugar cacao, coconut shreds or chips. You could refrigerate but I doubt you an wait. Its rich enough for two people.

Hamsibian

I think the others gave you great advice. The only thing I have to say is that if you're budgeting, look at your bank account and see how much you're spending on coffee or eating out. It is amazing to see how ordering your favorite $4-6 drink or happy hour really adds up! Not saying you can't enjoy it, just be mindful. I was shocked at some of the stuff I spent money on (easy macs and oatmeal creme pies were my weaknesses).

Hearts_2015

alyssadanielle2493 wrote: »

I do crock pot salsa chicken so often! Literally just put chicken breasts and salsa (I purée my salsa because chunks are the worst) in the crock pot and then shred the chicken. You can put it in a salad or on tortillas. I usually just eat the shredded meat plain with a little cheese or some fajita veggies (steamed in chicken broth) if I'm feeling fancy.

I'll like a sprayed muffin Tin with ham slices and crack and egg inside each and cook in the oven for a yummy breakfast.

If you have freezer space, I would stock up on chicken or ground beef when it's on sale. My gramma bought a TON of 95% lean ground beef and I'm stocked for my entire semester. each weekend I unthaw some beef or chicken and the possibilities are endless. Tonight I made some low carb cheesy meat loaf.

Good luck! You can add me if you would like! I'm always happy To share recipes!

Doing your meatloaf recipe in muffin tins makes it handy as you can portion them out for the freezer, for on the go etc.

See what you can find on the recipe threads under breakfast and quick meals also there's many thread on crockpot meals. If you like Oats there's loads of great threads on that, refrigerated overnight oats, cold oats and a million more ideas on that.

Someone above asked... do you have use of a fridge/freezer or hot plate or a place to use a Crockpot? That helps us in what ideas to give you on foods to prepare.

renae161

If you have roommates invest in a Costco card and then everyone can pitch in for a BBQ once a week. Or if you have an Asian market near you, you can buy things for pho. They also usually have better instant ramens, curry is also inexpensive, but tastes great. Buy some calrose rice and beans and make sticky rice with beans. There's lots of stuff.

Lounmoun

Eggs, pasta, oatmeal, bean or lentil soups, chicken thighs, pizza, chili

KateTii

Tight-*kitten* (and easy on the calories) parmigiana;

• Chicken breast
• Tomato paste
• Ham
• Cheese / cheese slices

Cook chicken breast (I prefer in oven due to even cooking and no need to add extra fat to prevent sticking).
Put tomato paste on cooked breast, then add ham and then a cheese slice (or small amount of grated cheese).

Then either microwave or grill to melt cheese/heat ham.

It can also be frozen easily - just don't melt the cheese and pop it all in the freezer.

mccraee

how about making chili on the weekend and freezing some? You can more or less meat in depending on your budget.

fitoverfortymom

My daughter is in college also. She buys chicken tenders in a large package and divides them. She uses a slow cooker often for soups and chilis. She also has a rice cooker and will make fried rice with scrambled eggs. That can be v. v. cheap. She tries to make 1-2 large batches of stuff to use as lunches for the week.

apullum

Pick up a crock pot at a thrift store and cook dried beans in it. They can simmer during the day while you're studying or in class, and then you can throw them in all sorts of recipes--soups, chili, casseroles, salads, or just eat them with rice. This can form the basis of meals for an entire week. I alternate what type of beans I'm cooking each week: pinto, black, kidney, chickpeas, etc. This week, I made a pot of black beans, so we're having taco salads, black beans with rice, tortilla soup, black bean burgers, and maybe vegan quesadillas with black beans if there are any left by the end of the week.