university student without mealplan

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borjanap
borjanap Posts: 232 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I am in school and I am not on the meal plan anymore. I have a microwave, crockpot, blender. Any ideas on easy nutritious and yummy food I can cook?

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  • borjanap
    borjanap Posts: 232 Member
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    I am in school and I am not on the meal plan anymore. I have a microwave, crockpot, blender. Any ideas on easy nutritious and yummy food I can cook?
  • rosiesantos7
    rosiesantos7 Posts: 137 Member
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    smoothies, beef stew
  • Fab140
    Fab140 Posts: 1,976 Member
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    Lean Cusine has some great frozen meals that have no preservatives. In the crockpot, you can make some awesome stews and meats that are low in fat/calories. Google "Healthy Crockpot Meals".

    Another great option is using your blender to make yummy smoothies (search the recipes on MFP and Google! It's amazing what you can do!)

    Steaming veggies is possible in the microwave (i personally buy the family sized frozen veggie packs and nuke up enough to last the entire week so I don't have any excuses! I also make rice for the whole week :laugh: )

    Also, not having too many options in the form of an oven, you'll find how very inventive you can be with "raw" foods.

    :flowerforyou:
  • conniptionfits
    conniptionfits Posts: 82
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    im no good with cooking. I'm glad my brothers wife is around. :laugh: If you like the T.V dinner thing id suggest things like smart ones and lean cuisine. Soup is a fav of mine when the kitchen skills and are limited and it will go well with your microwave :D
  • banks1850
    banks1850 Posts: 3,475 Member
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    Turkey Chilli. Easy to make, very nutritious, and lasts forever in the fridge. Just check the tomato paste you use, some have lots of sodium, you don't want that.
  • smalla
    smalla Posts: 11
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    I bought a great crockpot cookbook and you can pretty much cook anything in that, from soups & stews to desserts. Look for one with caloric breakdowns. A toaster oven might be a good investment....
  • metco89
    metco89 Posts: 578 Member
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    Micaelina's lean gourmet frozen entres (spelled wrong) are good and only a $1.00 a piece here so good on the budget to. :flowerforyou:
  • mjfer123
    mjfer123 Posts: 1,234 Member
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    i think i ate salad every other day in college.
    If you can't afford the bags, just buy a head of lettuce and all the veggies you want.
    Its much cheaper and you can get several days out of it, but it goes bad quickly too!
  • kerrilucko
    kerrilucko Posts: 3,852 Member
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    you can roast pretty much anything in a crockpot! I love doing whole chicken, the meat comes out so tender and if its only you eating, the leftover meat will make sandwiches for a few days :happy:
  • mlillie
    mlillie Posts: 302
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    The local health food store in your area or Trader Joes if you have one- may have more nutritionally balanced frozen food options. I like Amy's- both the frozen wraps and meals- they are full of veggies.

    Also when making soothies- throw some spinach, celery etc in with the fruit- you cannot taste it but you get added nutrition!
  • Poison5119
    Poison5119 Posts: 1,460 Member
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    You can also do a lot of rice dishes in a crock pot.

    Try a Geo Foreman grill - you can get one of the small ones, at a thrift store for around $5, and you can cook turkey burgers in it. It can also be used as a pannini press. I got one recently and it gets more action than any other one-trick pony I've ever owned.

    Also, don't be afraid to keep fruit on hand - it can be kept at room temp for awhile, as well as eggs - they will keep for about 10 days outside a fridge. If you don't have one, try for a hotplate and a dorm size fridge.

    Also to add FIBER to your foods, buy some milled flaxseed and it can be mixed into just about anything - yogurt, salads, rice dishes, stews, frozen entrees, PBJ sandwiches - and it keeps wonderfully - approx $2.49 for a lb sack.
  • mlillie
    mlillie Posts: 302
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    Oh and you are in Atlanta! You have a lot of options for self serve food from Whole foods or something like that- lots of good options for sure!
  • mknipp
    mknipp Posts: 106
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    All these replies are great ideas, but I'd also keep some Atkins or SlimFast Shakes in the fridge for meals on the run. Never skip meals. That messes up your metabolism. Drink lots of water and green tea (has antioxidants to keep you healthy and also boosts your metabolism).

    Best of Success with school and your diet! :flowerforyou:

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