College Student in need of low calorie recipes

When I was in college my rice cooker/steamer combo was the best thing ever. You can make anything in it. I would regularly buy a bag of cheap, frozen chicken, canned beans, rice, pasta, chicken broth, etc. and make different meals each week. You can easily make chicken and veggies, rice and beans, pasta and meat sauce, chili, etc. You can also use it to boil eggs for salads, make soup, and much more. I would invest.

Learn to make a big pot of something and save it for the week. Soups, chili, pasta, etc are all easy to do that with. You will save ton of money cooking this way.

brb

Hey! I'm in college, too and low cal is kind of my motto lol

I like Bird's Eye Steamed Rice. Half of one package is a serving. If you add some steamed vegetables on top and have a little bit of (optional): tofu <--this can be diced and sautéed then used in various yummy dishes, tiny bit of soy sauce or teriyaki sauce--myself I prefer teriyaki, you've got a pretty low-sodium, calorie, and healthy meal!

Or there's always tortilla pizza. I leave out the pizza sauce because I like to slice tomatoes on top and I put a minimal amount of cheese on (I like to season this with basil), and adding some sliced mushrooms from the grocery aisle (not the can!) is never a bad thing either. The pizza can be cooked in a skillet so it's more crispy (use medium heat and be sure to check under every so often so it doesn't burn) or it can be microwaved.

Spaghetti squash makes a very filling meal for 2-4 people, or a side dish (depending on the size of the squash). Very low-calorie, but treat it like a vegetable. I wouldn't use it as an entree (but then again, my appetite is smaller now than it was in the beginning). Add some spaghetti sauce! (Half cup is for two cups of squash. 1/4 cup is for one cup.) Add some mushrooms, basil leaves, and I like to add pepper and a little grated parmesan cheese. Only 20 calories for 2 teaspoons of Kraft!) Then for a side I like a fillet of fish. Yum! To microwave, stab (yes, stab) squash with sharp knife at least 7 times around the outside of the squash. Put some paper towels in bottom of microwave. You probably will have to clean up a little excess squash juice from the bottom, but not much. Microwave 8-12 minutes in microwave, rotating halfway through. Outside of squash should give a little when pushed if done at end and should be VERY hot. Use knife to slice squash in half, let cool a little. Scoop out seeds. Use fork to scrape squash like spaghetti.

I've got lots of ideas, including an amazing recipe for stuffed eggplant, but they kind of come to me gradually. Hope these help!
And I'm always open for a friend request if you want to share ideas! (I love recipe ideas!!!)

How about a Salmon Salad?

http://myhealthydietfood.com/recipes/southwest-salmon-salad-deliciously-low-calorie/326/

Portion has about 540 calories (about half of it from 6oz of salmon)

If you buy the salmon in quantity, it should be around $9 a pound.
So the cost of 6oz is about $3.38, and the cost of the salad kit is around $2.5, so for less than $6 you can have a very nutritious, and fast meal !

Angel Hair Pasta with Eggplant-Tomato Sauce

1 medium uncooked eggplant(s), baby-variety, sliced into 1/3- to 1/2-inch-thick rounds
1 medium sweet red pepper(s), cut into 8 strips
spray(s) olive oil cooking spray
3/4 tsp table salt, divided
1 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s), minced
2 large fresh tomato(es), coarsely chopped
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp black pepper
2 Tbsp basil, fresh, minced
2 Tbsp chives, fresh, minced
1/2 cup(s) fat-free chicken broth
8 oz uncooked angel hair pasta, cooked according to package directions, drained
4 oz reduced-fat feta cheese, crumbled

Instructions
Preheat grill to medium.*


Place eggplant slices and pepper strips in a grill basket (or place vegetables on a sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil with holes poked in it to allow smoke through). Off heat, coat vegetables with cooking spray; season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Place on grill and cook until lightly browned and tender, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Cut vegetables into bite-size pieces; set aside.


Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat over low-medium heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and cook until slightly pulpy, about 1 minute more. Stir in vegetables, remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt, red pepper flakes, black pepper, basil, chives and broth; increase heat to medium-high. Cook until broth is slightly reduced and mixture has a sauce consistency, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add pasta and toss to coat. Stir in cheese just before serving. Yields about 1 1/2 cups per serving.

7 can tortilla soup

1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
1 (10 ounce) can chunk chicken
1 (15 ounce) can black beans
1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chile peppers, drained
1 can of sliced olives

Cilantro, garlic powder,salt pepper to taste.

Directions
1. Open the cans of corn, chicken broth, chunk chicken, black beans, and diced tomatoes with green chilies. Pour everything into a large saucepan or stock pot. Simmer over medium heat until chicken is heated through.


Pour over broken tortilla chips and top with grated cheese/sour cream

Loving some of these recipes! I'm going to have to try them!

I always found my best investment was to buy a good selection of herbs and spices, if you have an asian/Indian market near you they are a lot cheaper.
It does mean paying out a bit to begin with but they usually last a long time and add a lot of flavour without having to buy expensive, high cal sauces.

i adore Indian food and these are some of my favourite (adapted) recipes

Onion Bhajis
makes 12 (Can be frozen)

Ingredients
198g (7oz) onions peeled, halved and thinly sliced
57g (2oz) gram flour (chickpea flour)
1tsp lemon juice
2tsp ground cumin
1bsp coriander seeds, crushed
1tsp deseeded and chopped green chilli
1tbsp chopped corriander (dried works as wel as fresh)
1/4 level tsp baking powder
salt to taste
low calorie cooking spray
a pinch of paprika

Method
1. Place the onions, gram flour, lemon juice, ground cumin, corriander seeds, green chilli, chopped corriander and baking powder in a mixing bowl. Season with salt and add a few tbsp water to make a thick batter that coats the onion.
Leave to rest for 15 minutes, then using your fingers, mix again to ocmbine thoroughly.

2. Preheat the oven to 220C/gas mark 7. Line a baking tray with grease proof paper and using your fingers or a dessert spoon drop small mounds of the mixture onto the prepared bakign sheet to give you 12 bajhis.

3. Spray with a low calorie cooking spray and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden. Remove from the heat and serve sprinkled with paprika.


Curried parsnip Soup
Serves 6 (Can be frozen)

Ingredients:
2 onions peeled and chopped
low calorie cooking spray
2 garlic cloves peeled and crushed
1tbsp mild curry powder
1tsp ground cumin
1tsp turmeric
1tsp ground corriander
1tsp ground ginger
2pt vegetable stock (from a cube is fine)
1lb 8oz parsnips, peeled and diced
salt and freshly ground black pepper
a dash of tbasco sauce (optional)
a pinch of cayenne pepper

1. Fry the onions with a couple of sprays of the low calorie cooking spray until softened . Add the garlic, curry powder and spices and fry for a further 3 minutes, add a little stock if the mixture becomes too dry

2. Add the parsnips and stock to the pan and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook gently for about an hour. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool a little.

3. Transfer the soup to a food processer, season well and blend until smoot. Return the soup to the pan, add a dash of tabasco sauce, reheat gently and serve garnished with a pinch of cayenne pepper.


Jalfrezi Chicken
Serves 4 (Can be frozen)

Ingredients
5oz boneless, skinless chicken (thighs are usually cheaper than breasts)
low cal cooking spray
1tsp cumin seeds
1 onion peeled and finely sliced
1 red pepper and 1 yellow pepper thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1tsp peeled and finely grated ginger
1tbsp medium curry powder
1/2tsp medium chilli powder
1tsp ground cumin
1tsp ground corriander
salt and pepper to taste
400g chopped tomatoes
fat free natural yogurt and chopped cucumber to serve

Method:
1 Place the chicken between sheets of cling film and flatten with a rolling pin. remove the cling film and cut the chicken into thin strips.

2. Spray a large fryign pan (I use a wok) with the low cal cooking spray, palce over a medium heat. Add the cumin seeds and stir fry for 1-2 minutes. Add the onion, peppers, garlic and ginger and cook for a further 6-8 minutes

3. Add the curry powder, chilli powder, ground cumin and corriander. Season well and stir fry for 1-2 minutes

4. Throw in the chicken, increase the heat to high and stir fry for 4-5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoesalong with 100ml of water. Cover, reduce the heat to low and cook gently for about 15 minutes or until the chiken is tender.

5. Remove from heat, season to taste and serve immediately with a bowl of yogurt and chopped cucumber.