Here are some meal ideas for college students that want more ideas other than Ramen or Mac n Cheese.
Entree/Main Dish
Pancakes
Quesedillas
Adult Lunchables: Make your own version of Lunchables with
- Crackers
- Protein (Deli meat, cheese, hard-boiled eggs, or another type of protein)
- Fruit
- Vegetable
- You can also add a dip/dressing or condiments.
If you need ideas you can find a lot of ideas for DIY Adult Lunchables on the internet.
Pizza Bagels
Enchiladas
Tacos/Burritos
Chili
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Chicken and Waffles
Chicken salad sandwich/wrap
Sides
In addition to your entree or main dish, you can also make sides to supplement your meal. Some sides that I eat are rice and pasta because starches can help you feel full. I also do eat fruit with my meals and sometimes a vegetable. But I usually get my vegetables in by incorporating them into a smoothie a few times a week.
Ideas:
- Pasta
- Rice
- Quinoa
- Vegetables are versatile and you can do a lot of things with them including roasting, broiling, or baking them.
Snacks
- Rice Cakes
- Popcorn
- Cereal
- Low sodium pretzels
- Triscuits or whole-grain wheat thins
- Whole grain goldfish
- Apple sauce
- Peanut butter or sun butter with crackers. You can also do this with apple slices or celery.
- Peanut butter or sun butter on whole-grain bagel or toast
- Greek Yogurt with granola or fruit if you want to make it a parfait
- Carrots, Cucumbers, or pita bread with hummus
Extra information and Resources
- Leanne Brown’s Good and Cheap Cookbook created for people with limited budgets. The PDF version of the cookbook is free and you can also buy it online at Cookbooks | Leanne Brown.
- All Recipes is a great resource to find recipes because the website is organized by meal types and cooking styles including Vegetarian and Vegan. You can also find recipes to fit your budget and the ingredients you already have at home. Learn more at Quick and Easy Recipes | Allrecipes
- Buy your fruits and vegetables frozen or canned. You still get the same nutritional benefits and they are picked and frozen/preserved at the peak of freshness.
- Buying produce in season is another great way to save money
What are your favorite frugal recipes or ways to save money on food?
