We are pleased to announce that on March 4, 2025, an updated Rich Text Editor will be introduced in the MyFitnessPal Community. To learn more about the upcoming changes, please click here. We look forward to sharing this new feature with you!

Dorm living

Milocmolly
Milocmolly Posts: 23 Member
edited December 2024 in Food and Nutrition
I need some food ideas. I am currently living in a dorm at the moment, I only have a microwave and a refrigerator in my room. I need some healthy meal ideas that I can make while I am here. I have approx a month left so I don’t want to purchase and cooking appliances (ex: blender, rice cooker, etc). What are some ideas that I can do to create healthy meals? I have access to a dining facility on a military base however I have been eating there for the past several months and have gotten very sick of the food there. I just want to be able to make my own healthy meals. Any tips and ideas are very helpful.

Replies

  • lx1x
    lx1x Posts: 38,332 Member
    Premade/prepared dish that only require preheating.. salads.
  • jcraig10
    jcraig10 Posts: 477 Member
    Does your dorm building have a community kitchen?
  • steph_runn44
    steph_runn44 Posts: 28 Member
    Brown rice in the microwaveable bags/bowls, veggies you could steam in the microwave, frozen meals, fruit, yogurt and granola for breakfasts, string cheese and deli meat.
  • Milocmolly
    Milocmolly Posts: 23 Member
    lx1x wrote: »
    Premade/prepared dish that only require preheating.. salads.

    Thank you!

  • Milocmolly
    Milocmolly Posts: 23 Member
    jcraig10 wrote: »
    Does your dorm building have a community kitchen?

    I wish but it doesn’t. It would make things a lot easier.
  • Milocmolly
    Milocmolly Posts: 23 Member
    steph_runn44 wrote: »
    Brown rice in the microwaveable bags/bowls, veggies you could steam in the microwave, frozen meals, fruit, yogurt and granola for breakfasts, string cheese and deli meat.

    Thank you!
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member
    If your grocery has cooked rotisserie chicken, you could use that for several meals with different sauces, e.g. chicken mole, tomatillo enchiladas, chicken on just-add-water noodles, chicken salad, rice/quinoa bowl with steamed vegetables & soy sauce. Also some stores have already hard boiled eggs. Those can be pretty useful. I like an egg on a bow of canned black beans or a black bean/corn relish. Filling breakfast. Good luck in your next move!
  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,059 Member
    A rice cooker is a good investment in general, and can be a good kitchen gadget to have post-college; I had one while I was in college, and I cooked everythinggggg in it. I experimented once, and successfully cooked chicken in it. I added some microwavable pasta (the Barilla kind in a bag), and tossed that in the rice cooker with whatever else I wanted. It was a great way to work around not having access to a kitchen, especially because mine had a steamer basket on top as well. You can get a good deal on it if you shop around.
  • funjen1972
    funjen1972 Posts: 949 Member
    I rarely cook. Some of my lower calorie staples:

    Oatmeal
    Lunch meat
    Rotisserie chicken or chicken breast strips
    Low carb wraps (50-60 cals each)
    Light bread
    Laughing cow light cheese
    Greek yogurt
    Tuna
    Canned soup
    Fruits/veggies
    Canned beans
    Turkey sticks (like slimjims, only lower Cal)
    Hummus
    Eggs
    Turkey pepperoni
    Jar Pasta & pizza sauce
    Unsweetened almond milk (lower cals than cow's milk)
    Spices

    Get creative - chicken hummus wrap, bean quesadilla, turkey stick & veggie scrambled eggs, pizza wrap, etc...
  • bpotts44
    bpotts44 Posts: 1,066 Member
    Milocmolly wrote: »
    I need some food ideas. I am currently living in a dorm at the moment, I only have a microwave and a refrigerator in my room. I need some healthy meal ideas that I can make while I am here. I have approx a month left so I don’t want to purchase and cooking appliances (ex: blender, rice cooker, etc). What are some ideas that I can do to create healthy meals? I have access to a dining facility on a military base however I have been eating there for the past several months and have gotten very sick of the food there. I just want to be able to make my own healthy meals. Any tips and ideas are very helpful.

    I know you don't want to buy a blender, but a good blender like a vitamix or blendtec is a life long investment. Green smoothies are kind of a staple for me. Lots of recipes but I put a ton of greens, frozen fruit, water, and then some protein powder. I'm usually good for a long time.

    You can also cook eggs in a microwave. I used to do this at work everyday. Just line a glass bowl with a fat and then prick the yolks and cook.
  • bpotts44
    bpotts44 Posts: 1,066 Member
    Also, I lost something like 30 lbs doing the zone diet while deployed and eating only at military DFACs. I would skip breakfast and then eat any vegetable they had along with whatever meat they were serving.
  • Milocmolly
    Milocmolly Posts: 23 Member

    bpotts44 wrote: »
    Milocmolly wrote: »
    I need some food ideas. I am currently living in a dorm at the moment, I only have a microwave and a refrigerator in my room. I need some healthy meal ideas that I can make while I am here. I have approx a month left so I don’t want to purchase and cooking appliances (ex: blender, rice cooker, etc). What are some ideas that I can do to create healthy meals? I have access to a dining facility on a military base however I have been eating there for the past several months and have gotten very sick of the food there. I just want to be able to make my own healthy meals. Any tips and ideas are very helpful.

    I know you don't want to buy a blender, but a good blender like a vitamix or blendtec is a life long investment. Green smoothies are kind of a staple for me. Lots of recipes but I put a ton of greens, frozen fruit, water, and then some protein powder. I'm usually good for a long time.

    You can also cook eggs in a microwave. I used to do this at work everyday. Just line a glass bowl with a fat and then prick the yolks and cook.

    Thanks for the info. I am in the military and have a short assignment. I will be back home in approx a month. I have the kitchen appliances at home and didn’t think to bring any with me that is why I don’t want to purchase any while I am here. I do go tot he commissary to get groceries so thanks for the info about the eggs.

This discussion has been closed.

Categories