[jamil5454]

I've been making a lot of sandwiches recently, and ramen noodles got old real fast (even with an egg and some other little spices). Steaks and chicken are good, especially on my George Foreman™, but they tend to get a little expensive. I'm sort of running out of ideas.

Tonight I just bought a pound of some Gulf shrimp (on sale!), a bag of greens, a tomato, and an onion. I cooked the shrimp along with a little garlic and olive oil on a skillet, then put a little vinegar for taste and made a delicious grilled shrimp salad. Pretty healthy and pretty cheap.

So, what's your favorite cheap, healthy food for college students?

[macfantn]

Grilled Cheese can't go wrong with Cheese!!!

[air]

nothing is cheap and healthy unless its vegetables and fruit.

[macfantn]

better yet grow your own fruit and veggies, and distill your own water.

[Kerrigan]

edited

[Strupat]

Mac'n'Cheese with extra cheese in it. Mmm, cheese.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by air

nothing is cheap and healthy unless its vegetables and fruit.

In other words: NOTHING.

-t

[IceEnclosure]

those little vitamin c infused sharks. or the curious george ones.

[TheoCryst]

I'm not quite sick of Ramen yet, but I'm still only a sophomore. We'll see what develops in the future...

[hickey]

Food Carts


SOLTRRY DRUNBK

[IceEnclosure]

I used to cook two ramen packs at the same time. Double the noodles and double the sodium!

: |

[rickey939]

Pizza Shuttle.

[MOTHERWELL]

I lived off of this in college. They had a student deal - $5 for a burrito and a drink.

Actually, I still live off it even though I have to pay the normal prices now

[DeathToWindows]

I'd raid your local wholesale veg market... I'm in Boston, so this would be Haymarket (where I'm off to in a few... need veg).

[powerbook867]

2 boxes of mac and cheese, can of tuna, brocoli and cauliflower mixed in. cook. mix. eat dinner for at least a couple of days...

[alligator]

SPAM. Or homemade pizza.

[air]

Originally Posted by MOTHERWELL

I lived off of this in college. They had a student deal - $5 for a burrito and a drink.

Actually, I still live off it even though I have to pay the normal prices now

Chipotle Nutrition Facts Calculator - How healthy is your Chipotle?

healthy? they make good burritos, and the ingredients are fresh but an average burrito weighs in at 1100-1200 calories... i usually eat a bit more than that in a day now.

[ghporter]

I came across a student in a different program eating veggies for lunch-she was eating a green bell pepper like an apple. I couldn't figure out how she was dealing with the seeds, though.

The problem most students run into is that eating healthy takes time, while eating BAD stuff is quick and easy. And how many campuses have a grocery store nearby? I don't know of many around here. Sure, with a little planning and preparation, you can eat quite well, very healthily and for very little coin, but in my experiences, colleges are set up for junk food almost exclusively. Damn it.

[Cody Dawg]

Honestly?

I used to eat a lot of brown rice and chicken. It's delicious. WBuy chicken thighs (one of the cheapest cuts of chicken (6 thighs runs about $3) and remove the skin and cut them into pieces then throw them in a saute or frying pan with a little olive oil and some soy sauce or teriyaki sauce and brown them. While you're frying the chicken you put the brown rice on to cook and it's done just about at the same time.

Add them to your brown rice with a dash of soy sauce on the top - maybe throw some frozen then thawed chopped broccoli (like $2 for a big bag) in also - and it's delicious and very inexpensive.

Another way to make it is to throw in a tablespoon or two of peanut butter when you're frying the chicken, maybe a dash or two of red pepper flakes or hot sauce, and now you've got a Thai version of the same thing.

Makes more than one meal, also.

[Oversoul]

Wraps. Just like a sandwich, but with less carbs.

[MOTHERWELL]

Originally Posted by air

Chipotle Nutrition Facts Calculator - How healthy is your Chipotle?

healthy? they make good burritos, and the ingredients are fresh but an average burrito weighs in at 1100-1200 calories... i usually eat a bit more than that in a day now.

The thread asked for "cheap, semi-healty college food." Chipotle fits the decription.

Also, I excercise regularly, so I don't worry about calories/carbs/MSG/PCP/ETC.

[turtle777]

Originally Posted by Oversoul

Wraps. Just like a sandwich, but with less carbs.

I thought the low carbs hype was over...

-t

[d4nth3m4n]

holy hell man, it's like the first week of school

[Rumor]

You can always try raw foods. I had some pasta made from zuchinni from Living Light. It was pretty good.

Or (and my first choice)

[rozwado1]

Boca Burgers.

[olePigeon]

Originally Posted by MOTHERWELL

I lived off of this in college. They had a student deal - $5 for a burrito and a drink.

Actually, I still live off it even though I have to pay the normal prices now

Mmmm. Steak fajita burrito. Soooo gooooood. *drool*

Occasionally I'll get the Burrito Bowl and a side of chips, and eat it like an awesome taco salad.

[KeriVit]

Lo Mein is like an endless box o meals. Healthy? probably not.

Again, veggies.

[tooki]

Stir fries are cheap and easy.

1. Make rice to go with it. Rice is super-cheap.
2. Buy chicken breast or stir-fry beef when it's on sale. Cut the chicken into bite size pieces, then freeze it in portion sizes in ziploc bags. Then you can thaw just one meal's worth, yet take advantage of bulk prices.
3. Cut onions and some vegetable (cabbage is tasty and supremely cheap).
4. Saute one portion's worth of chicken in really, really hot oil until it's almost done through, then take it out and put it on a dish.
5. Heat the oil to really hot again and put in the onion and cabbage and let them brown for about 30 seconds.
6. Add 1-2 teaspoons of sauce (my favorite is Lee Kum Kee brand "Black bean and garlic sauce", but asian markets carry dozens of stir-fry sauces) and a bit of wine or sherry, and add back the chicken. Mix it all around to coat and cook for a few more seconds.
Serve with the rice.

Yes, you have to buy some ingredients first, but they last a while: a jar of stir fry sauce should be under $3 and lasts forever, and a cheap dry sherry is maybe $6 for a bottle that will also last forever. Chicken breasts in bulk can be as cheap as $1.50 a pound, and cabbage can be as cheap as 30 cents a pound, so you can eat CHEAP.

tooki

[Cody Dawg]

A Costco membership is always great.

I think that Costco has better deals than Sam's Club - and in fact most restaurants buy from Costco when they're able. Tooki's right - we bought chicken breast, skinless and boneless, 10 pounds for $12.90 there recently. We froze most of it. It's packaged so that you have two or three breasts in a package - and there are several packages attached together in a strip and you just tear one package off in the strip when you want to use it. We freeze the entire strip of packages and just tear one off and let it thaw when we need it.

The other thing is eggs. Eggs at Costco are supremely cheap - like 2 dozen for $1.99. Eggs are so good for you and cheap as can be. I always need snacks for my kids and one thing that they love are hard-boiled eggs. I'll boil a dozen at a time and just keep them in the refrigerator. They grab them as the week goes on - they're never wasted and they love them. Also, omelettes, scrambled eggs, or even egg casseroles are awesome (like green chile rellenos casserole made with eggs which is very easy and delicious). And who doesn't like egg salad sandwiches? Mash some hard-boiled eggs, add a little mayo and maybe a teaspoon or two of mustard (I use brown mustard), some celery and/or onions, a teaspoon or so of lemon juice (which keeps it fresher), and store in an airtight container. It'll keep for a few days and you can use it when you want it.

Another thing is quesadillas. Buy some big flour tortillas and cheese and all you do is throw the tortilla into the pan, put some cheese on it, then throw another tortilla on top. When the bottom gets toasted or brown flip it. Take it out and use a pizza cutter to cut into slices. You can eat it with sour cream and/or salsa (salsa is a great condiment since it's cheap). You can also add things to your quesadilla like chicken or beef or hamburger, vegetables, etc. They're really good, cheap, and fast.

Lastly, turkey is a great cheap food. Buy a frozen turkey at .89 a pound, thaw it out, and bake it. Have a nice supper or meal, then take the turkey and remove all of the meat and separate it and put it into Ziploc freezer bags in good meal-sized portions. Cooked turkey can be used in sandwiches, just for snacking, in soups, casseroles, or other dishes.

[Albert Pujols]

Originally Posted by tooki

Stir fries are cheap and easy.

1. Make rice to go with it. Rice is super-cheap.
2. Buy chicken breast or stir-fry beef when it's on sale. Cut the chicken into bite size pieces, then freeze it in portion sizes in ziploc bags. Then you can thaw just one meal's worth, yet take advantage of bulk prices.
3. Cut onions and some vegetable (cabbage is tasty and supremely cheap).
4. Saute one portion's worth of chicken in really, really hot oil until it's almost done through, then take it out and put it on a dish.
5. Heat the oil to really hot again and put in the onion and cabbage and let them brown for about 30 seconds.
6. Add 1-2 teaspoons of sauce (my favorite is Lee Kum Kee brand "Black bean and garlic sauce", but asian markets carry dozens of stir-fry sauces) and a bit of wine or sherry, and add back the chicken. Mix it all around to coat and cook for a few more seconds.
Serve with the rice.

Yes, you have to buy some ingredients first, but they last a while: a jar of stir fry sauce should be under $3 and lasts forever, and a cheap dry sherry is maybe $6 for a bottle that will also last forever. Chicken breasts in bulk can be as cheap as $1.50 a pound, and cabbage can be as cheap as 30 cents a pound, so you can eat CHEAP.

tooki

5 steps too many.

[brapper]

Falafel...mmm

[Peter]

Omelettes.

[tooki]

Originally Posted by Albert Pujols

5 steps too many.

Only to the supremely lazy!

tooki

[hyteckit]

Can of soup. Salad with chicken nuggets and dressing. Sandwiches. Cheap and simple to make.

[SpaceMonkey]

Assuming you're not living in a dorm, then making a big pot of stew is extremely easy, cheap in terms of cost-per-serving, and can last most people for the better part of a week, especially if you pad it with rice or noodles.

Just throw a bunch of meat, veggies, broth, and some water in a pot and let it cook for a while.

EDIT: Also, there's a good blog on the subject of cheap eats for people living alone, called...Cheap Eats.

[Chuckit]

Originally Posted by tooki

Only to the supremely lazy!

This thread was about college students, you remember?

[Cody Dawg]

Actually, the more time you spend with inexpensive foods such as lower-end cuts of meat, etc., the better it is.



I am always trying to feed our family on a budget. Sometimes I splurge and buy, say, NY strip steaks, but the rest of the time I'm trying to conserve or extend food and electricity. It all adds up.

[B Gallagher]

Originally Posted by tooki

Stir fries are cheap and easy.

1. Make rice to go with it. Rice is super-cheap.
2. Buy chicken breast or stir-fry beef when it's on sale. Cut the chicken into bite size pieces, then freeze it in portion sizes in ziploc bags. Then you can thaw just one meal's worth, yet take advantage of bulk prices.
3. Cut onions and some vegetable (cabbage is tasty and supremely cheap).
4. Saute one portion's worth of chicken in really, really hot oil until it's almost done through, then take it out and put it on a dish.
5. Heat the oil to really hot again and put in the onion and cabbage and let them brown for about 30 seconds.
6. Add 1-2 teaspoons of sauce (my favorite is Lee Kum Kee brand "Black bean and garlic sauce", but asian markets carry dozens of stir-fry sauces) and a bit of wine or sherry, and add back the chicken. Mix it all around to coat and cook for a few more seconds.
Serve with the rice.

Yes, you have to buy some ingredients first, but they last a while: a jar of stir fry sauce should be under $3 and lasts forever, and a cheap dry sherry is maybe $6 for a bottle that will also last forever. Chicken breasts in bulk can be as cheap as $1.50 a pound, and cabbage can be as cheap as 30 cents a pound, so you can eat CHEAP.

tooki

Hahaha that was basically my dinner every day for about 6 months or more at college last year. You want variation? Just change the sauce!

Shin-Ramyeon (Shin-Ramen), a korean brand of instant ramen are good. Add in an egg, some sausages, some cheese, and any vegies you can find, and it's decent. Don't forget a BIG drink though.

I miss fruit a lot.. it's so expensive over here. 1.53 USD for a single apple, or worse.

[turtle777]

You can't buy good quality food cheaper than at ALDI USA. Freakin amazing.

Btw, Aldi is owned by the same person that ownes Trader Joe's.

-t

[bstone]

thanks but it's treif. uggg.

[jamil5454]

Wow, a lot of great ideas. Thanks everyone.

Falafel, mmm, I have to say... I love Italian and Middle Eastern food, but there aren't very many good cheap restaurants for that here in Austin (or maybe I haven't looked?). I went to Phonecia and got some imported foods to make Houmos and Baba-Ghanoush, but prices were very expensive.

Chipotle is one of my favs; a burrito with nearly everything on it, and you'll be set for the day with maybe some fruit or other snack.

One thing I've found that's a good and cheap snack is tacos. One lb ground beef, $4, 12 shells and seasoning, $2, and some veggies, $3. Eat 3 tacos for lunch for 4 days. And they taste great too.

The biggest hurdle is that I don't necessarily live close enough to campus to come home and fix something, and carrying around a lunchbox is just more weight on my back. I try to avoid campus food as much as possible, but on MWF when I'm on campus all day, I resort to eating either fast junk food or semi-healthy $7-8 meals (think Quiznos). Note that when I say healthy, I'm not talking about calories or large amounts of fat, as these, to me, aren't necessarily unhealthy as long as you do a little exercise. Harsh chemicals (MSG) and fried foods are the things to stay away from.

It'll be nice when I graduate, get a job, and live on my own. Then, I can organize my grocery shopping and get some ingredients to cook a nice dinner every night, without worrying too much about price.

[volcano]

Originally Posted by jamil5454

Wow, a lot of great ideas. Thanks everyone.

Falafel, mmm, I have to say... I love Italian and Middle Eastern food, but there aren't very many good cheap restaurants for that here in Austin (or maybe I haven't looked?). I went to Phonecia and got some imported foods to make Houmos and Baba-Ghanoush, but prices were very expensive.

Chipotle is one of my favs; a burrito with nearly everything on it, and you'll be set for the day with maybe some fruit or other snack.

One thing I've found that's a good and cheap snack is tacos. One lb ground beef, $4, 12 shells and seasoning, $2, and some veggies, $3. Eat 3 tacos for lunch for 4 days. And they taste great too.

The biggest hurdle is that I don't necessarily live close enough to campus to come home and fix something, and carrying around a lunchbox is just more weight on my back. I try to avoid campus food as much as possible, but on MWF when I'm on campus all day, I resort to eating either fast junk food or semi-healthy $7-8 meals (think Quiznos). Note that when I say healthy, I'm not talking about calories or large amounts of fat, as these, to me, aren't necessarily unhealthy as long as you do a little exercise. Harsh chemicals (MSG) and fried foods are the things to stay away from.

It'll be nice when I graduate, get a job, and live on my own. Then, I can organize my grocery shopping and get some ingredients to cook a nice dinner every night, without worrying too much about price.

I haven't had many problems, actually. I usually make a weekly trip to a nearby grocery store (Wheatsville Co-op, Fresh Plus, and Central Market) and buy a cornucopia of different, healthy items that are on sale. Whole Foods is generally more expensive, but it's also completely out of my way and just plain inconvenient.

To be honest, though... whenever I'm on campus and pretty hungry around lunch time and don't feeling like waiting for food and/or spending the money, I just go to Jamba Juice on Guadalupe and get one of their smoothies with a protein boost in it... 7g of soy protein makes a difference. Unless, of course, I get my two usuals: an Orange Dream Machine and Protein Berry Pizazz, in which case I throw in a vita boost because it already has the protein boost in it. An original size Orange Dream Machine with a vita boost is $4.60 (which is one of the highest priced there), and it will definitely pull you through until dinner... and sometimes past it as well. You also get your daily value of fruit and even some dairy servings with each smoothie.

Also, you should check out Veggie Heaven on MLK/Guadalupe. They have some GREAT food there and it's healthy, too. Just ignore the pretentious vegan elitists that tend to occupy that spot, though. It's right next door to the Chase bank.

This also might sound, well.. odd. But when I want to knock out some food groups and balance it out, I go to Kerbey Lane & order a bowl of granola, a bowl of fruit, and some random vegetable from the menu. It sounds gross, but I enjoy it highly. And I can usually walk out of there spending no more than $7, minus the tip.

Have you tried Pita Pit, too? It's right down the street from Jamba on the drag, and they have a great selection of different pitas to choose from. It's healthy and it doesn't drain your wallet, either.

[Cody Dawg]

B. Gallagher

I miss fruit a lot.. it's so expensive over here. 1.53 USD for a single apple, or worse.

Well, where I live in Florida apples are $1.99 a pound so a large apple runs right about $1.50 so that price is actually not too bad.

[jamil5454]

Originally Posted by volcano

I haven't had many problems, actually. I usually make a weekly trip to a nearby grocery store (Wheatsville Co-op, Fresh Plus, and Central Market) and buy a cornucopia of different, healthy items that are on sale. Whole Foods is generally more expensive, but it's also completely out of my way and just plain inconvenient.

To be honest, though... whenever I'm on campus and pretty hungry around lunch time and don't feeling like waiting for food and/or spending the money, I just go to Jamba Juice on Guadalupe and get one of their smoothies with a protein boost in it... 7g of soy protein makes a difference. Unless, of course, I get my two usuals: an Orange Dream Machine and Protein Berry Pizazz, in which case I throw in a vita boost because it already has the protein boost in it. An original size Orange Dream Machine with a vita boost is $4.60 (which is one of the highest priced there), and it will definitely pull you through until dinner... and sometimes past it as well. You also get your daily value of fruit and even some dairy servings with each smoothie.

Also, you should check out Veggie Heaven on MLK/Guadalupe. They have some GREAT food there and it's healthy, too. Just ignore the pretentious vegan elitists that tend to occupy that spot, though. It's right next door to the Chase bank.

This also might sound, well.. odd. But when I want to knock out some food groups and balance it out, I go to Kerbey Lane & order a bowl of granola, a bowl of fruit, and some random vegetable from the menu. It sounds gross, but I enjoy it highly. And I can usually walk out of there spending no more than $7, minus the tip.

Have you tried Pita Pit, too? It's right down the street from Jamba on the drag, and they have a great selection of different pitas to choose from. It's healthy and it doesn't drain your wallet, either.

I almost went to Pita Pit, thinking it was more foreign/ethnic, but then just went to Chipotle. That smoothie idea sounds great, never thought of smoothies for lunch.

[Naaaaak]

Gushers. Box of 42 packets from costco is like $10. It will last at least 2-3 days. And you get your fruit group requirement satisfied.

Snickers. Box of 48 from costco is like $10. It will last at least 1-2 weeks. And you get your fiber requirement satisfied.

Nesquik + Milk. A huge container of Nesquik and 2 gallons milk from costco is like $12. The milk will last 1-2 weeks and the Nesquik 1-2 months. And you get your milk requirement

Pizza pockets A box of 18 pizza pockets from costco is like $10. It will last like 1 week. And you get your meat requirement from the pepperoni.

Blueberry muffins. A package of 12 from costco is like $6. It will last 1 week. And you get your bread requirements.

I'm still working on the vegetable group but I'm pretty well set.

[Cody Dawg]

I like this guy ^^^



Everything from Costco...

What a person.

[MacMan4000]

....................

[im_noahselby]

Quiznos, Subway, Taco Time, Taco Bell, and anywhere that will give me a student discount

Noah

[Stradlater]

Originally Posted by macfantn

better yet grow your own fruit and veggies, and distill your own water.

Why would you drink distilled water?

[Stradlater]

Originally Posted by air

healthy? they make good burritos, and the ingredients are fresh but an average burrito weighs in at 1100-1200 calories... i usually eat a bit more than that in a day now.

Consider the fact that one burrito is, basically, 2 servings to the average joe. Eat one half now, another later. Or get a burrito bowl.

Also: is 1100-1200 calories enough? Do you move at all during the day?