Quick, easy, cheap dinner/lunch ideas???

[crazytimes]

Hi guys. I'm going to be starting my second year of school next week, but this year I wont have a meal plan - couldn't afford it! I will have a full kitchen though, so I can do all my cooking.

I love to cook and I try and eat as healthy as possible, so I am looking for meals that are healthy, but also quick and easy and don't require many fancy ingredients.

I don't mean things like ramen, lol, as I already have a lot of that, but I am looking for dinner/lunch ideas.

Anyone have any recipe ideas?

[cujo0123]

I'm a student too and live on my own. I'd love to see some new ideas too.
I go to the bread stores because they are dirt cheap. I live in the country so I can get veggies and fruit from the farms for cheap and my mother has a farm so I get her fruits and veggies and eggs for free.
Recipe ideas: I buy the large pasta shells which are about $1 and stuff them with whatever may be on sale. I get lean hamburger when its on sale and stock up. Then put some sauce on it and bake.
If you add scrambled eggs to mac n cheese it makes it go further and if the deli has a sale on meat that is going to expire I'll buy that and add it to the mac n cheese. At first I though eggs would be disgusting in it but its like an egg and cheese omelet.
I buy the extended shelf life (ultra-pasturized) milk because I don't use much and that helps me from wasting milk.
I get meat from the deli on sale and make sandwiches.
Where I work I can get an employee meal for $2.50 and if I work a double shift I get it for free.
If you go out to eat, buffets are good. But, if there is no buffet I try to go to a place that serves bread before the meal. I fatten up on bread and eat some of my meal and take the rest home for leftovers.
I use coupons and store cards to save money and stock up when there is a really good sale with as much as I can.
You may qualify for food stamps which could help.
Food is one of my biggest expenses because its so hard to eat healthy and cheap. Sometimes I go to McDonalds on Wednesdays to get their deal on burgers for 59 cents. The burgers can be frozen for later. Not super healthy, but it can be put with a salad or fruit for dessert.

[crazytimes]

Thanks for the ideas! I am going to have to try that mac-n-cheese/egg idea and I like the pasta shells idea too.

It IS hard to eat cheap AND healthy, but I am going to try.

If you really want to have a yummy meal when you get out of class in the evening invest in a crock pot. You can find them at second hand stores and also at yard sales, they are very inexpensive. Stick a few items like onion, tomato paste (cheap) and the cheapest cut of meat you can find at the store (I like chuck steak) add 1/2 cup vinegar (also cheap) and this will make the meat very tender. Cook on low about 5 or 6 hours. When you get home you can serve this over rice (cheap) or the cheapest thing yet Ramen noodles. This is the easiest thing in the world to make and you will have leftovers for the next meal. You can also cook things like pinto beans (very cheap) in a crock pot, add a little bacon for taste. This takes around 6 - 8 hours on low. You can have them leftover and can fry them and eat them with nachos.
If you get the ramen noodles, why not try them without the spices and add pepper, salt, and mayo. Then add a can of drained tuna. Makes a wonderful pasta salad.
When our son went to college he befriended a professor who had a garden. That professor kept him in produce and in exchange he helped out. Just some ideas.

[cata5]

Comments/random thoughts :

If you will have freezer space, you will be able to do more and save money.

Soups, stews, and casseroles can be made cheaply and frozen in individual containers. It may seem that you will spend a little more to put it together, but several meals later it will save you money. The crockpot idea is great. Plan to separate into portions for later.

Also, find out what items freeze well so that you can have certain ingredients on hand...such as shredded cheese. Make some taco meat and freeze in baggies. When you feel like some just thaw and reheat. This is where the frozen shredded cheese works well, too, You can take out just what you need. If you need to buy a tomato and lettuce for this meal, plan to use the leftovers the next day as a salad. Planning will save money, too. Tortillas are pretty cheap and can be used in the traditional mexican meals as well as for roll ups. They seem to last a long time in the fridge and can also be frozen, but I find they sometimes don't come apart as easily once they have been in the freezer. Maybe it depends on the brand. A tortilla filled with scrambled eggs is a great breakfast, too!

Do you have roommates? Or maybe some friends who might want to cook/eat together? If you took turns making a meal you all could benefit!

Are you a good cook or a beginner? It would be nice to know what you already make. I mean, are you mainly a ramen cook or do you like to use spices and really make something?lol Do you live on hot dogs or lasagna? Are you a big eater? Are you able to grill?

Baked potatoes are great in the microwave!
A salad can be a meal. Jazz it up with grilled chicken from a previous meal.
Pasta with different sauces...

If you do eat out on occasion, you may want to save any condiments that might come your way. I am talking about McDonalds sweet and sour sauce or maybe the soy sauce from take out places or whatever. Something like that could help you out when you don't want to buy a large amount.

I like the idea of bartering. Maybe someone could provide a meal for you in exchange for tutoring. Or something like that.

What a great idea, the bartering system works great. Have you signed up for some of the survey sites. I know pinecone research is good for me for at least $10 or $20 a month, plus you get free samples. Memolink is tailored around college students but they don't pay as well. Start Sampling will send you samples. Another idea I came up with is churches in the community. I know our church has a weekly meal and you can either bring a covered dish or make a small donation or if you don't have it, just come, your presence is all they require.

[cujo0123]

When I had roommates we would share meals and make meals for each other. Its very hard to find meals for one and hard to find meals for two but not as bad. We bought our own groceries and only "borrowed" if we ran out of something...milk, spices, etc. We didn't do it every day but about once or twice a week and that really makes a difference. If your roommate hates leftovers ask for them "so they don't go to waste". There are not just starving people in China!
Have a "dinner party" where each person brings a dish. You could end up with the leftovers.
Another thought....I just made muffins. You can buy the martha white brand muffin mix that are in a bag for less than a dollar on sale and all you have to add is milk so its quick for mornings. When I know I'll have a busy week ahead (such as exams) I'll make a lot of them and freeze them for later. They are a quick and somewhat healthy breakfast.
I have an omelet maker and a sandwich maker, which are worth the investment. Omelets are cheap, easy, and quick before class and with the omelet make the clean up is fast. I also have a sandwich maker which is easy to clean up and makes sandwiches fast. Grilled cheese and tomato soup are "comfort foods" and a healthy meal, its also very cheap.
I saw the crock pot post, I do that too. I get cheap meat and use meat tenderizer to make the meat a little better and buy whatever is on sale to throw in there. If you start it in the a.m. the meat with be falling apart and tender by dinner. Chicken soup in the crock pot is good too. I get chicken on sale and cut it up into bite size pieces and mix in tomatoes or carrots or whatever I have. I let it cook all day and then to make it go further I make some noodles at night to go with it. The noodles get soggy (IMHO) if they are in the crock pot all day. Pasta/noodles are VERY cheap and according to the food pyramid you can have the most servings of that in a day and still be "healthy". Same with carbs, unless you are doing Atkins!
I'll keep thinking.....

[jlieb88]

Originally Posted by mbclark1

What a great idea, the bartering system works great. Have you signed up for some of the survey sites. I know pinecone research is good for me for at least $10 or $20 a month, plus you get free samples. Memolink is tailored around college students but they don't pay as well. Start Sampling will send you samples. Another idea I came up with is churches in the community. I know our church has a weekly meal and you can either bring a covered dish or make a small donation or if you don't have it, just come, your presence is all they require.

Hey I was wondering how to become a member at the Pinecone Research place you mentioned. Thanks

[katlnhats]

Hi,

Someone awhile back had asked in this forum, what was OK and good to freeze and there's a few recipes in there -- if you can make ahead and freeze for later in portions for you, that makes it much easier in the long run.

Hey, it's summer - stir frys with fresh veggies and pasta? Or a fruit salad - they last a few days, or potato or macaroni salad is good too. If you have even a decent sized freezer over your fridge, there's lots of things you can make

Kat

PS: Also check out the thread in here on ground beef - there's recipes there too! I cook "all" the time, so if you want, I have no problem sharing any recipes as long as you don't mind that I'm ballparking the (spices and herbal) ingredients, as I've been cooking so long, I just DO it! lol

[katlnhats]

Originally Posted by mbclark1

What a great idea, the bartering system works great. Have you signed up for some of the survey sites. I know pinecone research is good for me for at least $10 or $20 a month, plus you get free samples. Memolink is tailored around college students but they don't pay as well. Start Sampling will send you samples. Another idea I came up with is churches in the community. I know our church has a weekly meal and you can either bring a covered dish or make a small donation or if you don't have it, just come, your presence is all they require.

Hi,

We have one church in town, that's paired up with a bunch of others and 3 times a month, they do full meals - totally free, from the salad to the main course to the dessert. All they want people in town to do is show up!
Lots of people go and we've gone and seen all kinds of nice people we know as we're from this little town To find out if an area has anything like this, usually the Town Hall knows all the details

Kat

That is true. We have several churches in town that have full meals every other day. One is only on Wednesday, and they just ask members to bring a dish. It is a way to get people into the church and it is a great program.

[jagirl]

you can try some salads. CHeck out the[Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now] site for some cheap and easy healthy recipes.

[jill_elvish]

I have one! You need only four ingredients. A bag of Toyfouan (sp?) pita bread (I use whole wheat), cut in half or precut; garlic-flavored oil; canned water-packed tuna, and shredded Parmesan cheese (I use the moist fresh bagged, not the dry canned).

Combine tuna and a little Parmesan, stuff pitas; brush pitas with garlic oil. Bake at 400 degrees until crispy. If you want to go gourmet with it, you can chop fresh herbs and throw in the mix, like basil and parsley, and zip it up with a dash of white cooking wine.

[freefinder]

Back when I was in school, during the week my dinners all came out of a steamer.Whatever veggies were on sale that week was what I ate.On weekends I would make a lasauna or stew, plus garlic bread or rolls.I would freeze some for latter in the week.I lived in a dorm so somebody always asked if they could buy or trade for some.I ended up cooking for other students as a way of getting extra money to buy art supplies.

[Leslie_McGinnis]

Go to [Only registered and activated users can see links. Either login above or Register Now]. They have a food club ministry set up in Churches all over the country. You can get $70 worth of food for $30. It is great.