any healthy recipes a college student can afford?

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hi! im new to this group and a college student. trying to keep a healthy diet is hard on a tight budget so please let me know if you have any ideas :)

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  • BEANZ1001
    BEANZ1001 Posts: 3 Member
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    Howdy! I usually eat 'Birds Eye: Barley and Kale' or 'Quinoa and Spinach' packs mixed with grilled chicken and eggs. It tastes incredible and is only 410-500 calories! It's cheap and delicious! :)
  • soocool
    soocool Posts: 1 Member
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    The Quinoa and spinach packs, is it ready made? Where do you find this in the grocery store?
  • pamdual
    pamdual Posts: 1 Member
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    I love to bring at school scrambled eggs with ham and cheese, like a scrambled omelette, it's sooo delicious and I also add some spicy salsa bc mexican. The only downside is the smell but if you like eggs this is easy and cheap, makes you feel full and you can scramble 6 or 7 eggs and eat them on different days. I cook 5 on Sundays and eat them on Tues and Thurs.
  • Gypsywort
    Gypsywort Posts: 4 Member
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    Ingredients:

    2 cups cooked brown or wild rice
    2 cansBlack Beans, rinsed and drained (regular or reduced sodium)
    1 green bell pepper, chopped
    1/2 jalapeno, minced (optional)
    1/2 Vidalia or sweet onion, chopped
    1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
    1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
    freshly ground pepper
    juice and zest from 1 lime
    3 tablespoons olive oil

    Directions:


    In a large bowl, gently combine rice with black beans, bell pepper, jalapeno (if using), onion, cumin, salt, pepper, lime, lime zest and oil. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

    If I don't feel like rice I will use quinoa instead and use one can of black beans and 1 cup frozen corn.

    On weekend cook either brown rice or quinoa and build my meals around that.

  • PollanDP
    PollanDP Posts: 17 Member
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    Have not tried the Quinoa and Spinach. That sounds good!

    They are in the frozen vegetable section.
  • cshern
    cshern Posts: 55 Member
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    Are you vegetarian. Beef shank and ox tails make a low cost flavorful meat filled broth broth that can stretch incredibly well with veggies like carrots, onions, celery, parsnips, celeriac, mushrooms and tomatoes. Make it filling, by serving with rice or potatoes, but be careful on the calories of these.
  • cshern
    cshern Posts: 55 Member
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    also, cabbage is inexpensive and makes a nice filler veggie to add bulk, fiber and stretch out the flavors of your lovely inexpensive meats or cooked down vegetables. I've a technique of dry cooking veggies in a non-stick pan, so that it seals in all the tasty goodness, cooks out the water, caramelizes the sugars in the veggies and makes them ready for including in the best damn soup you have ever tasted.
  • iowalinda
    iowalinda Posts: 354 Member
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    cshern wrote: »
    also, cabbage is inexpensive and makes a nice filler veggie to add bulk, fiber and stretch out the flavors of your lovely inexpensive meats or cooked down vegetables. I've a technique of dry cooking veggies in a non-stick pan, so that it seals in all the tasty goodness, cooks out the water, caramelizes the sugars in the veggies and makes them ready for including in the best damn soup you have ever tasted.

    Please, please, please elaborate on your technique! Sounds yummy! Could this be done in a stainless steel pan, rather than a non-stick pan?
  • cshern
    cshern Posts: 55 Member
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    Yes, you can absolutely use a stainless steel pan, however I haven't tried it, so you will have to play with the technique. Basically get your pan really hot and then put the veggies you want to pan roast into the pan and keep them moving in the pan so that they do not stick. I do them in this order: Onions, garlic (optional), carrots, mushrooms, celery, cabbage. You want to get the carrots in so that they can cook thoroughly and yield their sweetness.

    So, you put in your onions, and when you see them start to turn translucent, put in your garlic and carrots. Mushrooms, if you use them go in next and let these roast for about 10 minutes. Add a bit of salt and the mushrooms will start to give up their liquid.

    As you stir the mixture, little bits will stick to the pan. just scrape them off and add to the mixture. This is called carmelization and it's what will give your veggies delicious flavor.

    Once the mushrooms have darkened and shrunk down slightly, add your celery and cabbage and keep moving the mixture around in the pan until the cabbage begins to wilt.

    Add a bit of liquid (you can use a bit of wine, beer, broth, dash of soy sauce, or plain filtered water). NOW you can cover the pan, turn the heat way down and just let it cook very slowly.

    When celery and cabbage are at desired texture, your veggies are ready to eat or add to your recipe. I like to add a bunch of vegetarian broth (or you could use chicken or beef broth) and it makes such a rich flavorful soup that you could swoon. You can use powdered or the pre-made organic liquid broth. You simply can't go wrong because you started with a dry pan and cooked and scraped all the flavors back into the mixture. You will see such a difference from making a vegetable dish by boiling your veggies.

    I hope I've explained it well. This is my first time writing up a recipe. I should do better next time.
  • cshern
    cshern Posts: 55 Member
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    Oh yeah, one more thing. I assumed that you didn't want to use oil. For 100 calories, you can experiment. You'll notice a slight difference in the flavor and can see which you prefer. I find that cooking the veggies in oil retains their bitter properties better and dry pan cooking draws out more sweetness. :smile:
  • iowalinda
    iowalinda Posts: 354 Member
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    cshern wrote: »
    Yes, you can absolutely use a stainless steel pan, however I haven't tried it, so you will have to play with the technique. Basically get your pan really hot and then put the veggies you want to pan roast into the pan and keep them moving in the pan so that they do not stick.
    As you stir the mixture, little bits will stick to the pan. just scrape them off and add to the mixture. This is called carmelization and it's what will give your veggies delicious flavor.

    Add a bit of liquid (you can use a bit of wine, beer, broth, dash of soy sauce, or plain filtered water). NOW you can cover the pan, turn the heat way down and just let it cook very slowly.

    Thanks so much!