Help from the food preppers out there.

I suggest getting a student cookbook. What kind of food do you like to eat?

A fast, low calorie and healthy food is the frozen stir-fry veggies. A cup is from 33 to 55 calories, and they will fill you up. Also cooks in about 4 minutes in the microwave. I would add precooked chicken breast to it for the last few seconds. Also the frozen green beans and mixed veggies are good. And a tip for plastic containers. If you ever buy cold cuts, buy the ones in the plastic containers. I have a stack of them that I use to take food to work in. If they get lost or thrown away, no pain as they were free.

Good luck with your life style change, and with classes.

Larro

If you're new to cooking and need recipes, use sites online that give reviews and try the recipes that appeal to you that have many positive reviews.

An easy way to keep calories low is to build meals around lean protein and produce, with not much starchy stuff like potatoes and breads and sugar. Nothing wrong with those but they're calorie heavy and not as filling as protein and produce. Alcohol, too.

If you don't have time to cook, or find you don't like it, stick to basics. A healthy sandwich or omelet or soup. Grill a piece of meat or fish and a veggie. A filling salad with meat and cheese and healthy fats. A protein bar or powder for a quick meal in a pinch. Apples or bananas with nut butter and string cheese can be a meal. You don't have to always cook.

Good luck!

Stir-fry would require a wok (and a pan if you like to include noodles or rice) and therefore a hob.

With only a fridge and microwave you could do passable jacket potatoes with a variety of fillings.

With some prep time you could add pasta and sauce dishes, stews and casseroles to that. I'd make fried and grilled meals my kitchen time treat.

Use MFP to plan ahead and prepare the meals that you'd like to eat...

Skinnytaste.com

Look this one up.
http://www.skinnytaste.com/2009/02/crock-pot-santa-fe-chicken-425-pts.html
Awesome - My wife, kids, and I all love this one.

Freeze the extra in single serving containers.

The holy pinterest has many batch freezing, portioning + crockpot recipes.

I am getting mine from there.

For easy microwave meals ,they have the Knorrs flavored pastas and rice that you can microwave, till mostly done , then add in some canned or some pre cooked chicken, or tuna from the pouch or can. Also you can always add in some vegetables. A good dinner in only app 20 minutes. You can vary with other meats , such as frozen turkey sausage.The variations are endless, for easy microwave cooking.

And sodium goes to the moon and back. Freezing is the best option.

I also rely on Pinterest for idea on meal prep (lots of great ideas using plastic/glass containers for grab and go). There is also nothing wrong with eating the same thing a few days in a row. I would grill some chicken breasts flavored with Mrs. Dash. Buy some frozen brown rice from trader joes, cans of black beans, frozen corn, Hard boiled eggs, pre-made salad, Stir fry veggies, whole grain bread and cold cuts, condiments. You can mix and match all of these for cold or hot lunches. I also love overnight oats for a grab and go breakfast.

As far as portions, you have your scale. I usually go for 3oz of protein a meal and keep each meal at about 400 calories with snacks in between. Weigh and measure everything!! This is where meal prep is so handy, no guessing because you are in a rush.

I used to mass prep chicken and talapia and buy those veggie steamer bags.....thats a 5 minute meal right there. You can also prep salads using "salad in a jar method". I don't meal prep anymore but that is because I eat very very simple foods and found a way to make dinner in under 10 minutes. Ziploc makes these steamer bags....I throw in my fish or chicken in with a veggies of my choice and -BAZINGA- 10 minute meal Good lock, doll!

I stir-fry in the microwave all the time. Once you have a heat resistant microwave bowl. You can heat the oil in the bowl take it out add whatever you like. If you don't want to add oil then it works just as good. I think stir-frys taste better when nuked,

Plus the added bonus of less mess.

Portion size depends on the amount of meals you eat per day diveded into your goal calorie intake. A quick search of the net and you can figure out what calories are in the foods you want to eat and work from there.

I stir-fry in the microwave all the time.

I think our definition of stir-fry differs

In your situation, here's what I would do:

- A big pot of soup with protein (chicken and wild rice, sausage and lentils, turkey chowder, minestrone, harira, coconut and red curry broth with shrimps or shredded chicken, italian wedding soup with turkey meatballs, caldo verde with chorizo, chickpeas and merguez with lamb broth, etc.)
- A big batch of grains or legumes salad with protein (beans and tuna salad, roasted sweet potatoes with red kidney beans and corn, couscous with chickpeas and merguez and roasted veggies, brown rice or brown rice noodles with chicken, bean sprouts, carrots and peanut sauce, lentils du Puy with mustard vinaigrette, nuts and cheese, quinoa with grilled shrimp, corn and cherry tomatoes, etc.)
- One batch of protein you can reheat fast or use cold in sandwich, like grilled chicken breast on the bone, pork roast or a side of salmon (be sure to have whole wheat tortilla on hand to make your self quick wraps in the morning). You can also bulk your soup with these.
- Any skillet meal or batch cooking meal that reheats well: chili, casseroles (i love the zucchini tian from Julia Child - I add some chicken to make it a complet meal), one pot pastas (you can make a pretty healthy macaroni with whole wheat pasta, extra lean beef and veggies, and if you're like me, you will never grow tired of eating it), ratatouille with turkey sausage (this is good with some cheese on tops, yum), beans in tomato sauce with italian sausage and kale (or broccoli rabe, if you like bitter greens), seafood boil with corn, potatoes and green beans, thai or indian curries, etc.
- I would keep on hand at least half a dozen boiled eggs, part skim cheese and some turkey breast or ham
- A quiche (crustless, which is technically called a frittata) can be delicious in the mornings and can be used as a sandwich filling if you have leftovers
- I would also keep hot sauce and mustard on hand to spike up anything I may grew tired of eating.

Websites you can check for recipes: Food 52, The Kitchn, Cooking Light, Jamie Oliver, Men's Health (I often find the recipe more interesting in the Men's Health than in the Women's Health, I still don't know why), Saveur, Bon appetit, Ricardo cuisine and blogs with a focus on easy cooking, like Budget Bytes, Closet Cooking, Iowa Girl Eats, Fuss Free Eating, Simply Delicious (...).

Join Pinterest. Seriously.

I hope this helps a little! Good luck.