Simple Recipies for a College-Bound Guy

[seyirci]

Seconding all the pasta suggestions.

Rice is also good, and it's just as easy to make as long as you don't forget it and leave it to burn: One cup of rice to 1.5 or 2 cups of water, put on stove. When it's boiling, add salt and pats of butter to taste (or leave butter out altogether if you're going for particularly light), reduce the heat, cover the pan (but not completely, leave a crack or it will overflow). The rice will soak up the water. In approximately 10 minutes it will be ready; poke the middle with a spoon, if it's still too damp inside give it a few minutes more.

Or use a rice maker, I've never used one but I have friends that swear by them.

Rice goes with everything. Boil some frozen mixed vegetables in another pan, drain, mix with rice. Lightly fry thinly-sliced meat or chicken in a frying pan, mix with rice. Experiment with heating some canned beans in tomato sauce, mix with rice. Boil hot dogs, slice, mix with rice. Pretty much anything except a starch (potatoes or pasta) goes with rice, and they would too, except that would be redundant. I sometimes eat rice with plain yogurt, or yogurt mixed with a few drops of hot sauce.

Cooking hint #1: Do not forget to add the salt while cooking. It will take you a little while to learn the correct amount of salt for a given amount of food, but you will gain some insight soon enough.
Cooking hint #2: If you are not allergic to them, there is a reason onions are the base in so many things. They soak up flavor beautifully. When you are feeling more adventurous, chop onions up finely and fry or broil them first in the pan before putting other things.
Cooking hint #3: Spices do make things more interesting. Thyme and sage and basil are a good starting point.

Have fun.

 

[Levziemuch]

Ramen---> dont rely on it entirely or else your health will suffer
Instant Oatmeal- delish and awesome easy to make
Canned food- if you can eat it out of the can bonus points for simplicity =P

 

[rockingnic]

Mac 'n' Cheese
Ramen Noodles
Pizza (home-made, pre-made, or take-out)
Chinese take-out (it's easy, all you need is a phone book, a phone, phone service and an address, oh and money 'cause it's expensive)

 

[Aur0ra145]

Keystone Light works for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It's good served either cold or at room temperature. It can be used as a currency and a weapon if needed.

Now seriously, when I was at college a year ago, we had spent all of our money on beer. So each night for dinner we would drive to the edge of town and shoot a jack rabbit or two.

Though this back fired on us once. We'd just gone out and hunted up some supper and I cleaned the rabbits back at the apartment in the bathroom's tub. I quartered out the rabbit and started cooking. In the mean time, my room mates decided to throw a party. Soon enough party goers started showing up.

Then, one girl asked if she could use our restroom and I politely pointed her in the right direction. Next thing I know, I hear a scream from the depth of hell come from the bathroom. I'd forgotten to clean the tub out and had left the guts, blood and pelt in the tub. xD

There was a scene, but we finally convinced everyone, we were in fact not hitmen. Though that would be totally awesome. We had just made some sacrafices, like having to shoot rabbits, to throw our guests a party.

 

[MrSnugglesworth]

Ramen. Believe me, you won't have the time or money for anything else.

 

[Aethren]

Ramen, 5 cents a bag.

Rice, about 10 bucks for a bag you won't have the strength to carry home.

Basically, look to japanese food, they're the masters of college food.

 

[Ophiuchus]

Pitta bread + tomato puree + grated cheese. Under the grill for a minute or two = mini pizza, stupidly cheap.

My other quick snack thing... boil up a pan of pasta, drain the water, stick it back on the heat with some butter and herbs, stir 'til the butter melts. Olive oil is just as good but more expensive than butter.

 

[r4ndom]

Step 1, cut a hole in a box...

But seriously...

Pitta bread + tomato puree + grated cheese. Under the grill for a minute or two = mini pizza, stupidly cheap.

this.

 

[Teh_Doomage]

Ramen noodles

Lots of Ramen noodles....cups of mac.....water...lots of water.......and maybe a keg if you can get away with it.

 

[Zildjin81]

Ramen noodles and hot dogs.

 

[Gromril]

Tinned tomatoes go with everything

 

[Trivun]

Pasta and rice. They will be your staple foods this year, and believe me, as a university student myself, just finishing my first year, I should know. Here's a pretty good thing I had myself today. Cook some pasta shells for about ten minutes, then drain under boiling water. return the pasta to the saucepan, without any water. Stir in some tomato and basil sauce, you can make your own or buy it in a packet (Dolmio is pretty awesome). Simmer for about 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile, cook two pieces of chicken breast in the oven for about 25-30 minutes at the same time. Serve with the pasta, it's delicious, easy, cheap and healthy to make

As I said before though, pasta and rice will be the staple foods in your diet from now on. Always make sure you have cereal and milk too, since that always does well in a pinch

 

[Frank_Sinatra_]

Pasta, rice, canned food, and sandwiches.
If you follow that you will lose weight instead of getting the 'Freshman 15.'

 

[plastic_window]

Spaghetti on toast.

Self explanatory really. Been living off it for about 2 months now.

Hot Tip: Butter your toast before you put the spaghetti on it, it tastes about a thousand times nicer.

To actually answer your question, noodles, tinned foods, rice, pasta and anything that will last a long time and can be cooked using only the following equipment:

Bowl
Fork
Microwave

 

[ZZ-Tops89]

Ideally you need something healthy thrown in with all the pasta, toast, deep fried crud, and ramen noodles. My experience has been that buying some lettuse, tomatoes, and carrots (all fairly inexpensive) can lead to some nice lunches. Also, you can put lettuce on a sandwich, or add tomatoes to some other recipe. In short, get the cheap food everyone else is suggesting as well as a few veggies.

EDIT: And by veggies I mean the kinds that go well when combined with other foods. The point isn't to have a salad for a meal, but to add veggies into a meal.

Another edit: by the way I'm an incoming sophomore and I not only avoided the "freshman 15" last year but instead lost about 5 pounds over the course of the year. The secret is to finds friends with ADHD. they will drag you all over the place, which involves walking.

 

[Nemorov]

Here here. One of my friends was hospitalized because he decided it was a good idea to live on Ramen. The sodium content in that stuff is WICKED. Don't do it. There's tons of quick, retardedly easy stuff you can prepare yourself out there.

 

[Summerstorm]

While i love good food and can cook (GASP)., i was once so poor, i needed to live on 10 Euros for two and a half weeks. Surprise recipy:

Cook rice, throw a bit curry in: TAADAAA. One bowl of rice for about... 10 cents? (if you get the rice cheap) Perfect with green tea, or just water out of the kitchen sink... Did i mention i lost about 30 KG weight in the 3 months were i was struggling with the money? Nothing beats beeing poor when you need a diet. (But make sure to have at least some juice or such for vitamins every few days)

But yeah: frozen Pizza... nearly 3 days a week, Sunday is yummy-day (Steaks, freshly baked bread, cake, no matter the cost)

Well but a real recipy:
250 gr. bavarien Leberkäse (sausage), 150gr greek Feta cheese, 1 or 2 slices Gouda cheese, on american sandwich. With good mustard. (Leberkäse frying on high setting just very short. (In italian olive oil) then on very low settings give both cheese on it and let it melt. Season with Oregano, and what you like) Serve on sandwich with loads of medium mustard. AWESOME taste, and energy for... well a marathon or such?

I call it the international Sandwich of Fatness.

 

[Kajin]

anything that involves strip clubs is a recipe for disaster. Trust me, that memory is still particularly fresh.

fun facts aside, Couscous is a cheap and easy to fix dish if you like pasta. Instructions are on the back of the box.

 

[Kajin]

Here here. One of my friends was hospitalized because he decided it was a good idea to live on Ramen. The sodium content in that stuff is WICKED. Don't do it. There's tons of quick, retardedly easy stuff you can prepare yourself out there.

I've lived on ramen for most of my life and I've never had a problem. I'm serious, it was my favorite snack food for the longest time. I'd eat it as dessert after family meals. Just be sure to eat other things with it and it wont be a problem

 

[Ignignoct]

PB&J.

Healthy cereals and milk.

Curry/rice.

Oatmeal and honey.

Beans/rice to form complete amino acids.

Pasta/sauce.

Multivitamin a day.

These are things that have high value, in that, you're receiving a good meal for the cost.

Mass-manufactured artificial food-products from assembly lines may be cheaper, but you need to understand that cheaper does not equal better to eat.