Cheap & Healthy: The College Way

I recently moved out of my parents house, out of state, and near my new campus. I have some savings, but of course I want to SAVE them, hence the name savings. I'm used to eating healthy whole foods all the time because that is all my mother would allow in the house. I've been trying to eat Top Ramen and other cheap unhealthy foods, but it just isn't doing it for me.

Can anyone suggest some foods that are cheap, healthy... and please, not too difficult to prepare. So far I've bought some plain almonds, and I found some local apple farm that makes apple juice that seems to check out... but that's seriously it. Suggestions please!

P.S. I shop at Costco mostly.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Shop at supermarkets and only buy things on sale or you have coupons for.

If you're willing to actually cook it's not that difficult to eat healthy for cheap. Rule of thumb is anything premade or prepackaged isn't worth the money.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Costco probably isn't the first place on my list as far as healthy food goes.

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

Originally Posted by Divest

Costco probably isn't the first place on my list as far as healthy food goes.

Nor the first choice on mine either, but that's where the cheap part comes in. I'm sure there are hundreds of healthy meals you could make from costco products... I just don't know what yet.

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

Unless there's fresh vegetables, I don't know. I've never been there but pretty much anything that isn't fresh is usually packed with tons of preservatives and sodium.

I was speaking idiomatically.

You could check to see if there's a farmer's market nearby. Buying from there is usually much cheaper than the supermarket.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by horseman85

You could check to see if there's a farmer's market nearby. Buying from there is usually much cheaper than the supermarket.

The problem with that is that I don't really know what to buy because I don't know what recipes I should cook. I really just need someone with experience in this type of situation (poor, in college, wanting to live healthily) that can give me a recipe or something along those lines. I'll look into the farmers market since you can eat most of that stuff plain without cooking it anyway... which I'm sure is healthier.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by DeLorean

The problem with that is that I don't really know what to buy because I don't know what recipes I should cook. I really just need someone with experience in this type of situation (poor, in college, wanting to live healthily) that can give me a recipe or something along those lines. I'll look into the farmers market since you can eat most of that stuff plain without cooking it anyway... which I'm sure is healthier.

Alright then, a good suggestion along those lines is the vegetarian stir-fry. Get some chopped veggies (and meat if you have the money) into the pan. Add some sauce (soy, teriyaki, louisiana, anything goes really). Cook on medium until veggies are soft/meat cooked. Cook up some rice to go along with the stir-fry.

That is relatively cheap depending where you shop and healthy.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Oats, eggs, instant brown rice, legumes, tuna, ALMONDS, peanut butter, chicken breasts, spices, a george forman grill and lots of topperware to prepare everything in advance in case you don't have enough time between classes. This is how I made it through without resorting to the dreaded campus cafeteria or fast food.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Definitely good advice guys... I can't image what that cafeteria food does to my body. It's disgusting.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Originally Posted by horseman85

Alright then, a good suggestion along those lines is the vegetarian stir-fry. Get some chopped veggies (and meat if you have the money) into the pan. Add some sauce (soy, teriyaki, louisiana, anything goes really). Cook on medium until veggies are soft/meat cooked. Cook up some rice to go along with the stir-fry.

I couldn't agree more. You can also use a slightly different cooking method with this to go with either pasta or curry. Instead of stir-frying, just put things in a saucepan with a tiny bit of oil and the turn the heat to low and let them simmer until they look edible. You can get pasta/curry sauces in pretty much any store, although you can also make your own.

I do suggest that the first thing you put in should be your onions and spices. There should always be lots of chopped onion. If you're cooking stir-fry, the essential spice is ginger, for curry it's chili and for pasta, garlic. You can add others to your taste, of couse. After that, it's root vegetables next, and then others in the order according to how soft they are. Soft things take less time to cook. Mushrooms and salad peppers barely need cooking at all.

That's all there is to the cheap (and tasty) eating for students. If you're not getting any/enough meat, please be sure to include veggies that contain iron and some cheap form of protein in your diet. I'd suggest tofu but that's pointless because for one thing it's not cheap and for another, only vegetarians really enjoy it.

Most amazing jew boots

There's an apple farm near you . . . You could make applesauce.

Core and peel the apples. Slice them into quarters. Put the apples into a pot of water and boil. Once at boiling, bring it down to medium. Keep it that way untilt the apples are very soft. Drain the water off. Mash apples. Put some sugar in for taste if you want.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by Soluzar

I couldn't agree more. You can also use a slightly different cooking method with this to go with either pasta or curry. Instead of stir-frying, just put things in a saucepan with a tiny bit of oil and the turn the heat to low and let them simmer until they look edible. You can get pasta/curry sauces in pretty much any store, although you can also make your own.

I do suggest that the first thing you put in should be your onions and spices. There should always be lots of chopped onion. If you're cooking stir-fry, the essential spice is ginger, for curry it's chili and for pasta, garlic. You can add others to your taste, of couse. After that, it's root vegetables next, and then others in the order according to how soft they are. Soft things take less time to cook. Mushrooms and salad peppers barely need cooking at all.

That's all there is to the cheap (and tasty) eating for students. If you're not getting any/enough meat, please be sure to include veggies that contain iron and some cheap form of protein in your diet. I'd suggest tofu but that's pointless because for one thing it's not cheap and for another, only vegetarians really enjoy it.

This post was extremely helpful, since I've never really made a stir-fry before. It makes sense that you put the softer things in last, but I had just never thought about it. What kind of vegetables contain iron? My grandma sends me homemade beef jerky... but I certainly don't get enough of it to fulfill my iron needs.

Originally Posted by horseman85

There's an apple farm near you . . . You could make applesauce.

Core and peel the apples. Slice them into quarters. Put the apples into a pot of water and boil. Once at boiling, bring it down to medium. Keep it that way untilt the apples are very soft. Drain the water off. Mash apples. Put some sugar in for taste if you want.

I love apple sauce... I bought some made by a local apple orchard. I'm definitely going to give that a try... but with cinnamon, not sugar

Most amazing jew boots

Dude, your problem is you don't like to cook, or think you don't have the time.

I'm not criticizing. A lot of guys are like this. What you need to do if find 5-7 meals that you like, are healthy enough for you, and you don't mind eating consistently.

Cook these meals and these meals only. Rotate them. What makes a meal easy to prepare is how familiar you are with them. If you cook something all the time, it'll take you no time flat to fix it.

Don't buy a bunch of lunch items, cuz you'll be eating your leftovers for lunch. You can get a really good Rubbermaid tupperware set at Target for really cheap, last I checked.

Buy deli bagels or whatever for breakfast. Buy a toaster (pretty cheap), and get cream cheese, butter, jelly, or whatever the fuck you like to top them with. Takes 3 minutes to prepare breakfast and you're out the door. Make 2 bagels if you're really hungry.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by Zephyrin

Dude, your problem is you don't like to cook, or think you don't have the time.

I'm not criticizing. A lot of guys are like this. What you need to do if find 5-7 meals that you like, are healthy enough for you, and you don't mind eating consistently.

Cook these meals and these meals only. Rotate them. What makes a meal easy to prepare is how familiar you are with them. If you cook something all the time, it'll take you no time flat to fix it.

Don't buy a bunch of lunch items, cuz you'll be eating your leftovers for lunch. You can get a really good Rubbermaid tupperware set at Target for really cheap, last I checked.

Buy deli bagels or whatever for breakfast. Buy a toaster (pretty cheap), and get cream cheese, butter, jelly, or whatever the fuck you like to top them with. Takes 3 minutes to prepare breakfast and you're out the door. Make 2 bagels if you're really hungry.

I think you're right, except that I don't MIND cooking, I just don't really know how. I think having those meals to rotate that I am proficient in cooking is exactly what I need, and thanks to the pasta/stir-fry/curry post I think I have 2-3 there. I'm on my way! Thanks guys.

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by DeLorean

This post was extremely helpful, since I've never really made a stir-fry before. It makes sense that you put the softer things in last, but I had just never thought about it. What kind of vegetables contain iron? My grandma sends me homemade beef jerky... but I certainly don't get enough of it to fulfill my iron needs.

Anything that has dark green leaves has a decent amount of iron, I suppose. I often use savoy cabbage and spinach to make up a decent iron content in my food. Various kinds of beans, peas, and lentils are good for iron. If you have a taste for them, all that sort of thing are great nutrition on the cheap. Lentils are also a good source of protein, and can be used to add thickness and bulk to any sauces or casseroles you make. you can usually find dried lentils very cheap if you're willing to buy in bulk.

Additional Spam:

Originally Posted by Zephyrin

Don't buy a bunch of lunch items, cuz you'll be eating your leftovers for lunch. You can get a really good Rubbermaid tupperware set at Target for really cheap, last I checked.

So very, very true. I always end up making enough for two meals, even when I'm cooking for two. It can be easier to make large quantities anyway, and the leftovers save me buying an expensive sandwich of questionable nutritional value for lunch the next day.

This is a key to thrifty eating, and I'm vaguely ashamed I didn't mention it.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

I can't help you with the healthy cooking since I barely cook but if you're looking for cheap solution to healthy bowel movements, bananas will scrub your system clean. They also have quite a bit of Vitamin B6, vitamin C and a bit of protein, and the texture will fill you up. Other fibrous foods that can help you with that are apples and oranges. Cherries, blueberries and raspberries also have a lot of fiber in them but tend to be more expensive.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Chinese Style Corn-Soup
1 16-oz can sweet corn
1 16-oz can chicken broth
2 16-oz can water (just use one of the cans above to re-fill it with water)
1/2 onion, sliced thin
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp corn starch, dissolved in 2-3 tbsp cold water

1 // Chop/slice the onion, very thin. Add to your soup pot over med-high heat and swish around until golden (do not burn, brown or blacken!)
2 // Add the corn (all of it, including the canned juices), the chicken broth, and water
3 // Let the above come to a boil, add the soysauce, salt and pepper to taste. If desired, you can add more chicken bouillon (sold in either powder form or cubes, very cheap. I recommend Knorr brand.)
4 // While still boiling, add the corn starch mixure and bring down to about medium heat. Let it simmer and stir continuously.
5 // Once you see that the starch has started to thicken the soup, bring the heat of the soup up a bit, and slowly add the beaten egg. For a more consistent egg-flower-drop looking soup, pour the egg out of a small bowl, letting the liquid egg trickle through prongs of a fork pressed against the edge of the bowl. Move the bowl around with your arms, as if to draw circles in your pot with the egg. If the egg liquid lands in thin layers evenly throughout the survace of your soup, you should succeed.
6 // simmer for 10 minutes, test the flavor, add salt/pepper to taste, and serve.
* This soup will be kind of sweet due to the corn and the onion. If you desire a more savory / spicier soup, this is the wrong receipe for you. However, I'll let you know this pot of soup takes all of maybe $2 to make.

To accompany your soup:
Teri-stew Chicken
1/4 lb. Chicken (about 3-4 drumsticks and 2-4 wings). I prefer the party drumstick packages, but those are kind of expensive. If you can learn to bone your own chicken that's probably the cheapest option. However, if all else, just buy the package that has the wings and small drumsticks and divide them up into servings. Freeze what you don't use.
Other ingredients: garlic, onion (optional), ginger, crushed red pepper, salt & pepper, soy sauce, mirin, sake, honey (optional)

1// Take the chicken and salt & pepper lightly. Pat down with a paper towel to get excess water off.
2// In a bowl, add in a tablespoon each of grated garlic, onion, and ginger. It's about 3 cloves of garlic, a 1/4 small onion and peeled ginger about the size of a tic-tac case (maybe smaller). Add 2 tablespoons each of sake, mirin (sweet rice wine), and soy sauce. Sprinkle in a drop of honey and a general sprinkling of crushed red pepper for some heat (cayenne pepper would work also, just don't use too liberally). Make sure your chicken is all incorporated and marinated in this for about 20-30 minutes.
3// In a saucepan, heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil and toss in freshly chopped 1 clove of garlic and about the same amount of ginger. Put in the chicken parts immediately after, putting the "pretty-skin" side down first.
4// Once the chicken is all browned and nice and chrispy on all sides, put in 1 cup water, 1/4 cup sake, 1/4 cup mirin, and 1/3 cup soysauce. Make sure the liquid is just enough to cover the chicken, and let it simmer on medium heat.
5// Let the liquid simmer for 20 minutes. Keep the saucepan some what covered but not entirely, enough to let some steam out. A piece of foil does this nicely.
6// After 20 minutes and the chicken is cooked through, take off the heat and let it cool for 3-5 minutes. Serve.


Easy side-dish veggie: Broccoli with mayonnaise sauce
1// cut Broccoli into easy-to eat sizes (or if you're lazy like I am just buy the package with just the flowerlettes)
2// place your broccoli in a plastic, microwave-safe colander and wash.
3// after you drain out most of the water, put plastic wrap over the colander, microwave high for 1 minute. Let it stand about half a minute before you take out (!Caution!, Hot)
4// Dipping sauce: 3 tablespoons Best Foods Mayonnaise, 1/2 tablespoon soysauce

15 minute Fried-Rice
NOTE: This recepie requires you to have some amount of left over rice. Depending on how much you have, the cooking process may take longer.
Ingredients:
Left over rice
1/2 chopped onion
2 cloves chopped garlic
1 handfull chopped green onion (about 1 stalk)
1/2 small carrot, chopped finely
1/4 green bell pepper, chopped (optional)
1 slice ham, chopped (Bacon works too, essencially any meat is possible)
1 egg, beaten

1// In a large frying pan, saute the garlic and onion with 1/2 tablespoon of butter (yes, butter). Once tender and opaque, add the carrots and ham, then a little after, bell peppers if you have any.
2// Once the above is mixed and heat has gone through somewhat, set aside in a bowl. Heat up the pan again, and add the beaten egg.
3// As soon as the egg starts solidifying on the bottom, add the rice. Add back in the fried veggies.
4// Add in a teaspoon of butter if desired, and the green onion. Mix the rice well with the rest of the ingredients. Slowly at a total of 3 tablespoons soy sauce, little by little, while constantly stirring the contents of the pan.
5// Salt and pepper to taste and serve.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by Zephyrin

Dude, your problem is you don't like to cook, or think you don't have the time.

I'm not criticizing. A lot of guys are like this. What you need to do if find 5-7 meals that you like, are healthy enough for you, and you don't mind eating consistently.

Cook these meals and these meals only. Rotate them. What makes a meal easy to prepare is how familiar you are with them. If you cook something all the time, it'll take you no time flat to fix it.

Don't buy a bunch of lunch items, cuz you'll be eating your leftovers for lunch. You can get a really good Rubbermaid tupperware set at Target for really cheap, last I checked.

Buy deli bagels or whatever for breakfast. Buy a toaster (pretty cheap), and get cream cheese, butter, jelly, or whatever the fuck you like to top them with. Takes 3 minutes to prepare breakfast and you're out the door. Make 2 bagels if you're really hungry.

I totally agree. Just find some meals you like and rotate em like crazy. I normally choose it based on what meat is involved. That way I don't get bored with it and it's still easy to make.

Almonds will make up for a good chunk of the vitamins you're missing. Please, correct me if I'm wrong so I can stop shoveling them in my face.

If you're short on ideas, find some time to stop by a book store and thumb through the cook books. Look for recipes that look tasty, use only a handful of things, and take 5 steps to make or less. It'll probably be good if it only takes up half the page. You will have the best left-overs ever.

It took me till my 8th semester of school to learn how to cook and I wish I would've figured this out earlier. I think it's a lot of fun to play around with recipes and see what works.

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

i would suggest hamburger helper and buy a 2 dolllar 1 pound of meat and seriously it takes like 20 minutes to make. Easy. That's what I would do for dinner everynight if I didn't have to worry about gaining weight or making sure my husband is fed. I love easy.

We go to the store and buy bulk noodles(10 minutes to make), sauce and corn(easy & cheap). Chicken breasts and rice pilaf will take a little longer but require nearly no ingredients. If I'm really lazy I buy those .94 cent tonis pizza's.

There you have it, dinner for a couple days =)

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

Shorty - Thank you so much for the recipes, I've already tried one of them, semi successfully.

As for the hamburger helper... I'm not sure that that is the dish for me, but I'll give it a try. Thank you so much for all replying. Does anyone else have any easy/healthy recipes to contribute? Thanks again guys!

I was speaking idiomatically.

Here's one I tried this morning, took me all of 15 minutes and enough time for me to toss a serving in one tupperware to take to lunch, save the rest for dinner tonight, and get out the door. Clean-up is a snap too.

1// Bring a LARGE pot of water to boil; toss in a small spoonful of kosher salt (reg sea salt is fine too) and put on high heat. (I took a shower while I waited for the water to boil)
2// Cut about a half bunch of asparagus into 2-3 inch pieces and wash/rinse well.
3// Once the water boils, add in 2-3 tablespoons of Olive Oil, then toss in pasta (I chose Penne Rigate this morning)
4// The penne was 11~12 minutes of cooking time (as instructed on the box), so after 5 minutes I tossed in the asparagus in the same pot.
5// Six minutes after I tossed in the asparagus, I saved 1/2 cup of the pasta water, drained the rest, then put the drained pasta and asparagus in a big bowl.
6// Add back the 1/2 cup of the pasta water, 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of butter (oh hush up, the recepie feeds at least 3 people), salt and pepper (freshly ground/cracked is best) to taste, and some good old fashion hard cheese (Parmesean was all I had), a sprinkling of some italian seasonings because I felt like it, and voila, finished.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by Shorty

Here's one I tried this morning, took me all of 15 minutes and enough time for me to toss a serving in one tupperware to take to lunch, save the rest for dinner tonight, and get out the door. Clean-up is a snap too.

1// Bring a LARGE pot of water to boil; toss in a small spoonful of kosher salt (reg sea salt is fine too) and put on high heat. (I took a shower while I waited for the water to boil)
2// Cut about a half bunch of asparagus into 2-3 inch pieces and wash/rinse well.
3// Once the water boils, add in 2-3 tablespoons of Olive Oil, then toss in pasta (I chose Penne Rigate this morning)
4// The penne was 11~12 minutes of cooking time (as instructed on the box), so after 5 minutes I tossed in the asparagus in the same pot.
5// Six minutes after I tossed in the asparagus, I saved 1/2 cup of the pasta water, drained the rest, then put the drained pasta and asparagus in a big bowl.
6// Add back the 1/2 cup of the pasta water, 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of butter (oh hush up, the recepie feeds at least 3 people), salt and pepper (freshly ground/cracked is best) to taste, and some good old fashion hard cheese (Parmesean was all I had), a sprinkling of some italian seasonings because I felt like it, and voila, finished.

That sounds REALLY good. I'm totally trying this, but I think I'll add some chicken in the pasta or grill up a pork chop to go with it. Thank you!

Lemon zest Mac & Cheese:

1 small lemon, block of cheese (cheddar works great, mozzarella or parmesan are a bit better), your favorite pasta shells, butter, oil, salt (pepper if you want)

1) Boil up some water with a bit of salt.
2) Toss in the pasta shells when it's ready, add a bit of olive oil. Put a small sauce pan on med-low heat with some olive oil, a splash of water - toss in a bit butter once it gets hot (more butter = richer sauce).
3) Let the sauce simmer for a bit, toss in some lemon zest and lemon juice (half the lemon is more than enough). Let this simmer about 5 minutes. Toss in some shredded cheese if you want.
4) Strain the pasta, toss it back into the pot and drizzle lightly with oil (pepper if you want). Pour in the sauce and mix. Toss in some more cheese if you want!
5) Serve it, put on lots of shredded cheese, and just let it melt and be beautiful!

FELIPE NO

Here's how you can dress up your regular old bowl of ramen without having to buy any new / expensive items.

main ingredients:
1 packet ramen (Any brand you like, I like Sapporo brand. Maruchan brand is the cheapest around)
1 stalk green onions, chopped
1 egg
1 handful bean sprouts (it's about 50 cents per bag for the pre-packaged stuff, but for the amount you need for this recepie, if you can find a grocery that sells it loose by the pound, it literally costs just pennies.)

optional stuff you can throw in later
sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds
1/4 sheet of nori (dried seaweed), cut/torn in bite size pieces
teaspoon of pickled red ginger
Menma - pickled bamboo shoots

1. Bring about 3-4 cups of water to a boil. Toss in the bean sprouts while you wait for it boil.
2. Once the water bubbles and boils vigorously (without putting the top on), break open /& drop in the egg. You can also hardboil the egg before hand and add it later if you wish. I just like dropping the egg better; letting it cook in the hot water for a bit before you add in the noodles will also help it be less of a mess. =P
3. Add in the noodles once the egg white around the yolk becomes white. You can also break the ramen square in half before putting it in the pot if you feel space is an issue.
4. Two minutes after you toss in the noodles, add the soup base that came with the packet and chopped onions. Let it incorporate.
5. Ramen really only takes 3 minutes to cook, so by the time you start to see the green onions wilt with heat, it should be ready. For easy serving and better presentation, just take the noodles out into the bowl with either chopsticks or a pasta server if you have one, then dump the rest of the soup/egg/beansprouts on top.
6. Add the optional stuff if you have any on hand. You can also spice this up to your liking with various spices.

Additional Spam:

Originally Posted by DeLorean

P.S. I shop at Costco mostly.

The only thing I'd buy there in your case is non-perishables (like toilet paper) and meat. Like others have said, stick to buying vegetables at the local farmer's market. Your veggies will taste better, cost less and last longer. However, you'll have to be conscious of your freezer storage space & how often you're going to want to eat it if you're buying meats at costco, especially because they come in huge packages.

As soon as you come home from costco, you'll want to separate the meat out into single/double serving freezer bags (make sure you pack it REALLY well and squeeze out all the air as much as possible to ensure your meats last longer in the freezer). Ground meat is very versatile and easier to handle in most cases, so I'd recommend that if you want to start off. If you want to keep to healthier options, turkey is the way to go.

*Note: When you buy a package of butter, place the rest of the sticks of butter you don't intend on using immediately in the freezer. This will prevent the grease/oil in the butter from oxidizing in your refrigerator while you're not using it, so when it comes time to use the 2nd, 3rd or 4th stick of butter, you'll know it's in better quality if it came out of the freezer than the fridge.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Originally Posted by DeLorean

Definitely good advice guys... I can't image what that cafeteria food does to my body. It's disgusting.

I'm sorry I had to relate to this. My brother signed up for the meal plan and one day they were served deep fryed steak and deep fryed corn *blek*.

Jam it back in, in the dark.