Eating well in a dorm.

Not sure, but I'm probably not the only person going through this little problem right now.

I'm a fresh arrival at a dorm...so far, the dorm I'm staying in seems a lot nicer than I expected...fairly quiet as long as the windows are closed, a lot bigger than I expected, and nice and clean. Unfortunately, the university has very strict limits on what kinds of kitchen appliances we can bring to the dorms. I have a microwave and a small refrigerator with a really tiny freezer...pretty much everything else is banned as a fire hazard. It doesn't help that the cafeterias close at 7:00 and aren't very good anyways.

I've been trying to figure out how to make and store halfway-healthy foods, without much luck so far...I guess it doesn't help that I'm a vegetarian, to be honest. I mean, fruit is great to have, but a banana isn't going to keep me going through four hours straight of classes. I haven't had a whole lot of luck finding vegetarian TV dinners, either...most of them are either horribly bland or really unhealthy AND bland. And as much as I'd love to just eat at Z'Mariks for every meal, I can't really afford to spend $6.00 and change every time I'm hungry.

So, does anyone here have any recipes or ideas on how I can make a decent meal, given my rather limited kitchen-thingy? Prepackaged foods, frozen dinners, fresh foods, anything that I can make is fine.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by galen

Check out Amy's Kitchen for vegetarian and vegan TV dinners, frozen burritos, soups, etc. I'm neither vegan nor vegetarian, but I like their stuff quite a bit. They are a little more expensive, but I think it's worth it.

Um...I think I've seen those a couple of times before. I've kind of ignored them so far because they are a bit more expensive than the cheap and nasty brands, as you say. I'll have to try some out next time I walk out to the store...if they taste good and they're edible (I kind of wonder about the really cheap TV dinners), it's probably worth it!

Originally Posted by AliceNWondrland

Steamed broccoli and carrots is cheap and easy to make in a microwave. Just add soy sauce or garlice butter or whatever you like. Soups are good because they don't take up room in your tiny refrigerator. Yogurt, sandwiches, and pasta with red sauce (and squash/zucchini) are all easy things that would work in a limited kitchen like yours.

This is a bit embarassing to ask, but what is the easiest way to steam vegetables in a microwave? My parents had some sort of plastic microwave steamer, and a really fancy bamboo...thingy, but I have nothing except for plastic forks and bowls right now. I'm guessing that I'll at least need to pick up some microwaveable bowls and plates?

I do have a meal plan, by the way. The university makes everyone buy at least 10 meals unless they live in Mayflower, which has kitchens shared between two rooms. The cafeteria food isn't that bad, but the halls close at either 7:00 or 8:00 (they don't seem to be quite sure which time), and the food selection is very limited (especially for a vegetarian) between lunch and dinner hours, which is pretty much the only time that I can eat on most days. I don't expect to eat everything in my room, but it would be nice to at least be able to make a decent meal here.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Ah, thanks for the suggestions everyone!

Originally Posted by ava lilly

if you're going to be mircowaving a lot, I suggest getting some glass bowls. I know stuff like gladware says it's microwave safe, but over time all that microwaving apparently releases toxins or what-have-you into the food. it's probably not dangerous levels, but probably not a good thing none the less.

I suggest keeping a lot of canned soups on hand. you could keep cereal or bagels for breakfast, which should keep for a while so long that you've kept them properly sealed. keep a lot of bottled water and juice around, even if it doesn't fit in your fridge, just have it stacked somewhere and refridgerate what you've opened.

when you go home to visit parents or whoever, try making a bunch of healthy food while you're there and just bring it back in plastic containers. whether it's something that needs reheating or something you can just eat cold it's probably not a bad idea to try doing that. plus it's free for you and a lot healthier because it won't have the preservatives and MSG that a lot of premade food you buy from the store will.

I'm going to have try and figure out the whole healthy eating thing too since this'll be my first year, I'm moving out on sunday. =o

Wow, I didn't know that plastic bowls would melt down and poison you. I'm going to have to find actual dishes somewhere, I guess. I've already been stocking up on soup and juice, but taking leftover food from home is a great idea...don't know how often I'll see my parents, but I'm sure that I can wring at least a few meals out of them.

Originally Posted by AliceNWondrland

Here's how I do it. I put the broccoli and carrots in a microwave-safe bowl, put about 2 tablespoons of water in it, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and cook it on high for about 3 minutes. I buy that Butter Buds seasoning and put some of that with some salt and pepper on it. It's pretty good.

That shouldn't be embarrassing. You're new at this. How would you know if you've never done it before?

Ah, thanks. I think I've got it. I am pretty clueless when it comes to cooking anything more complex than microwaving junk food...I kinda feel like I should know how to cook something by now. Guess I have to learn sometime, though!

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

I love toaster ovens, but they're banned in my dorm...since my RA loves to pop into peoples' rooms all the time, I don't think I could get away with sneaking one in. Actually, everything but microwaves, very small refrigerators, and, oddly enough, crock pots seems to be prohibited.

My freezer actually seems to keep things frozen...it even manages to keep the refrigerated stuff not-frozen most of the time! Unfortunately, the freezer is so small that it's useless for anything other than frozen dinners (it can fit...maybe four of them total) and Cuties...which are really good if you've never tried them before.

Originally Posted by nadienne

Another thing that will keep you from snacking on whatever unhealthyness you can get from a vending machine is to have a large quantity of fresh fruit on hand. Bananas are good to have around because of the high potassium content, which will give your brain a boost.

Ah, one unexpected advantage of moving to college is that I've been eating a lot more fruits than I did at home...bananas and oranges are convenient, taste good, and they're healthy. Now I just need to force myself to like apples.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by RacinReaver

Try getting different kinds of apples every time you go to the grocery store. I've found that of all the varities the ones I like best are Granny Smiths and Fuji. Golden Delicious are pretty good, though I don't like them as much as the other two. Most the rest of apples I could do without.

Ah...good advice.

I went a bit nuts and bought one of each type of apple that my favorite store had in stock, and the Fuji and Braeburn apples were actually pretty tasty. I still hate Red Delicious apples, though...a bit unfortunate, because those are the only kind that the university cafeteria has most of the time. In any case, it's nice to have something besides bananas for quick snacks!

I was speaking idiomatically.

Unfortunately, I don't have a crock pot right now, though I can probably borrow one from my parents. Actually, a crock pot wouldn't be a bad way to cook food given my schedule. I think that I could just start cooking something, go to classes, and it would be done around the time I got back.

Originally Posted by Mucknuggle

How vegetarian are you? Are you the absolutely no animal projects kind, the milk/cheese/eggs are ok kind or the fish aren't animals either kind?

Your dorm is retarded though. Fire hazard. ARE THEY SERIOUS?!

I'm not a hardcore vegan...but I am lactose intolerant and really don't like eggs, so I only really eat certain types of cheese. I'll sometimes eat seafood, like if I'm at a restaurant that doesn't have vegetarian meals, but it's not something that I particularly like to do.

And...well, I find it a bit hypocritical that the school lists toaster ovens as a fire hazard, but still allows people who live in the expensive kitchen-equipped dorms to use them. I guess that the university need to sell rooms in Mayflower dorm somehow, since no one would move in there otherwise...it's noisy, it's ten minutes' bus ride away from campus, and some of the rooms are really beat up. I have a few friends who live out there, actually. Some of them have pretty nice comfy rooms, but one of my friends got a really terrible place. It's noisy, the oven, refrigerator, and air conditioning are all broken, and her bed is right under a ceiling beam with one HUGE crack in it...kind of scary to sleep under every night!

...of course, this doesn't mean much unless you happen to go to Iowa, I guess...um...BEAT STATE!

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?