by Diane Callahan

Created on: May 07, 2011

It is no surprise that many college students on a budget rely on noodle soup and microwaved popcorn to sustain them through each semester.  These pseudo-meals have the dubious properties of being both filling and cheap, but that is not enough to keep a busy college student running on all cylinders for the full school year.  Consider these ideas for cooking that are also filling and cheap, but healthy and delicious, as well.

STIR FRY
Making a stir fry is one of the easiest and, by the way, healthiest meals you can make on a budget.  There is no need to purchase a bunch of expensive fresh vegetables that you may never use again.  Frozen vegetables come in stir-fry mixes and are just as healthy and tasty as fresh.  Use a stir-fry seasoning mix and you have a delicious and healthy meal for a fraction of the cost of buying from the local take-out.  Add some cooked chicken or tofu, and if you want, prepare some rice and you have a full-blown meal.  The best part?  Make a large batch and freeze the leftovers in single-serving portions for later.

CASSEROLES
The beauty of casseroles is that they are basically one-pot meals.  With a box of ziti pasta, some mozzarella cheese and pasta sauce, you have yourself about four meals at a cost of less than what you would pay for a sandwich at the local deli.  Baked ziti is probably your cheapest option, but you can mix it up by adding any type of cooked  meat, vegetables, and spices.  Ground turkey is a good substitute for ground beef and can be less expensive depending on fat content.  Cook it up with some jalapeños for a spicy twist on your casserole.  Experiment with your favorite flavors.  Go to the frozen food section for vegetable mixes that you will enjoy.  The options are limitless and whatever you choose, the directions are the same: dump it in a dish and stick it in the oven.  Again, a large batch will yield more than one meal.

SANDWICHES
What is more delicious than a hot sandwich?  Grilled cheese is good in a pinch, but you can easily ramp up the flavor by taking some tips from panini recipes.  Use mozzarella or cheddar instead of American cheese, add tomatoes or spinach, avocado or eggplant.  Cook up some sweet onions and caramelize them in butter before adding to your sandwich.  

OMELETS
If you enjoy eggs, omelets make an excellent and budget-friendly meal.  Omelets are very much like casseroles, in that you can add pretty much whatever you like to them.  Try adding breakfast sausage, veggies, salsa, herbs, or fruit.  How about a cheese omelet with horseradish?  A peanut butter omelet?  Again, find flavors you enjoy and experiment.  

It doesn’t take a lot of money to cook a delicious and satisfying meal.  So, the next time you are ready for dinner, put away the popcorn and cook yourself a real meal.

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