In college, sick of ramen noodles

Brown rice keeps good for just about 7 days (taste as fresh reheated as the first day, as long as you place it in a sealed plastic or glass container) you can get frozen chicken breast which is a bit cheaper... freezer bags do wonders, I buy pork chops and season and separate them in freezer bags - defrost cook and go... there are options, you just have to prep a lil ahead of time

Maybe try buying somethings that have multiple uses. That way they work for more than one meal and can taste very different depending on how you use it. Examples:

Flour tortillas can be used to make wraps, tacos, burritos, breakfast tacos, as pizza crust, quesadillas.

Turkey breakfast sausage can be used for breakfast loose in eggs or as a patty, use it in pasta sauce for spaghetti, use it on pizza, use in mexican dishes, use it in stir fries ( great with greenbeans and soy sauce). Here is an inside out egg roll recipe. soupspiceeverythingnice.blogspot.com/2013/12/inside-out-egg-roll-re-post.html

I often buy chicken and bake or poach(sometimes I buy a rotisserie chicken). I will eat it hot that night then use the leftovers in a ton of ways. Add BBQ sauce for sandwiches or baked potatoes, make chicken salad, use in soup, use in salads, use in tacos, etc.

I hope this helps. It just takes time to decide what works for you. Good luck in your search.

mick1988burrows wrote: »

Frozen chicken, you can pick up a kg for cheap.. Just take out what you need and cook it the night before . Pop some chicken and vegetables in a sandwich box and your good to go for college the next day.

Protein supplements are handy , especially when your at college and you find it hard to fit food in , I used to have a protein shake with an
apple when I was at college at one of my breaks..

For dinner I sometimes made chicken salad sandwiches with lighter than light mayo for the flavour on whole wheat bread. Tuna pasta , rice etc the list goes on lol ..

i really like beans. Try getting a package of 15 bean soup.

Get a crockpot and make yourself up a nice batch of chili. It's great by itself, on baked potatoes, mixed with mac and cheese or quinoa and veggies, over scrambled eggs and even salad. Won't break the bank to make and a batch can go a long way.

I really recommend you try tofu or similar - lupine seitan has 30g of protein per 100g and dried soy chunks around 20g - you just need to marinade it . I chuck in some fried tofu flavored with teriyaki sauce,7 spices,pepper with almost all my meals for the protein and something to "chew" . Consistency is close to sometimes potatoes or chicken and it just takes whatever flavor you put it with. Even my boyfriend who is huge on all kinds of meat likes my tofu dishes. Chickpeas and lentils are also very versatile and have around 14g of protein/100g.

RaijinPapi wrote: »

pinggolfer96 wrote: »

Sounds like you need the chicken. Your diet lacks protein it seems like.

Do you have "chicken" money? Because I don't. I barely make rent

Food costs money, man. If you are just barely making rent without feeding yourself adequately, you need to look at either how much you are spending on rent or how much you're making between work and student loans. Last resort, check into welfare or food shelves. If you're really that hard up that you can't buy chicken, rethink your situation.

Google, low cost healthy recipes. There are plenty on line.

RaijinPapi wrote: »

mick1988burrows wrote: »

Frozen chicken, you can pick up a kg for cheap.. Just take out what you need and cook it the night before . Pop some chicken and vegetables in a sandwich box and your good to go for college the next day.

Define cheap. My budget for one month on food is $30

$30/month??? That's $1/day. You seriously need to think about picking up a part time job or reworking your living situation to lower your rent. When I was in college I was on a shoestring budget. Good cheap meals that I ate often were:

microwaved sweet potato ($0.50), can of black beans or pinto beans ($0.69) and salsa ($2/jar-lasts 2 weeks)
spinach & cheese quesadilla made with 2 flour tortillas ($1/pack of 10), 1/2 cup cheese ($2/2 cups), frozen spinach ($1/bag)
Wendy's chili and baked potato ($1 each on value menu)
Ramen noodles ($0.25) with frozen veggies ($1/bag)
Canned tuna ($1) and rice ($2/bag)

All of these meals are less than $2 and might not be optimal nutrition wise, but you could do worse.

RaijinPapi wrote: »

Justifier wrote: »

RaijinPapi wrote: »

pinggolfer96 wrote: »

Sounds like you need the chicken. Your diet lacks protein it seems like.

Do you have "chicken" money? Because I don't. I barely make rent

Food costs money, man. If you are just barely making rent without feeding yourself adequately, you need to look at either how much you are spending on rent or how much you're making between work and student loans. Last resort, check into welfare or food shelves. If you're really that hard up that you can't buy chicken, rethink your situation.

I am cheap I have little money so I am trying to find something cheaper than chicken.

Buy dry beans and legumes. These are protein options for vegetarians. Much cheaper when you soak them yourself.

Dark meat chicken is always going to be cheaper than chicken breast. Buy chicken thighs and throw them in a crock pot. Strip off the meat & freeze portions in zip-lock sandwich bags. 2 layers of bags will work like a freezer bag. The outside bag can be used over again (no need to buy expensive freezer bags).

RaijinPapi wrote: »

I am in college. I live off campus so I don't have a meal plan. For breakfast I am fine, oatmeal, eggs, cereal, French toast. However, for lunch and dinner I find myself having to eat noodles or rice. I don't know what to buy for that time. Chicken is good but it only lasts 2 days for like $5 and I don't have that luxury. What are some recipes?

I ate a ton of ramen in college. WORST decision I ever made.

Find a way to eat whole foods for dinner. Don't think in the box, there are no "breakfast foods", eat nutrient dense foods at meal times, don't label them.

Ramen is NOT a nutrient dense food.

Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »

TinyTexn59 wrote: »

peanut butter, tortillas, dried beans, rice, lentils, corn,

Check out hillbilly housewife website, this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hMcMiIIAgA

Don't do this.

What She said!!! So much sodium, I may have missed it but I don't recall seeing veggies or fruit...maybe they were there? Even canned veggies rinsed in water, in the dent and bent stores have some nutrition... 4/$1 sale veggies... gotta look and keep asking around.

Food pantries
FoodNetworks
Gotta be something in your area? Some is based on income, some isn't...a lot of time students get first pick on give away, clothes, food etc.

Assuming you are not living in some country where $30 is a lot of money, then you need a job. Or a roommate to help with rent. Or to cut down any other expenses. Or figure out if there is any financial aid program. Or most probably all of the above. You are not going to survive on $1 per day for food.