College student on a budget needing recipes!

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!

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.