re: Cheap eats for college kids. What you got?

Freshman year was a lot of Pentagon Dining Hall and Gatti's Buffet on Thursday nights. While Pentagon wasn't terrible, it was the same stuff over and over. Plus their burger would give you the shits before you could even hit the door. Panic and sweats would hit within 10 minutes.

If you want a healthier alternative to hamburger helper that'll stretch a long way for about $10, get a pack of ground turkey (93/7), two boxes of Uncle Bens Wild Rice Original Recipe (discard one seasoning pack - extremely high in sodium) and one container of shaved parmesan cheese. Brown turkey with onions and bell peppers in a skillet, and cook rice according to box in separate pot. Then combine meat and rice with half container of parmesan and serve it with some sliced cucumber on the side. It makes about 10 servings so $1 serving. 430 calories, 40 g protein, 18 g fat, and 38 g carbs per serving (all approx).

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Buy a crock pot, it will be the greatest purchase you ever made. I got a shite ton of recipes from the internet. I just throw the stuff in there, leave it all day, and when I come back from work/school its good to go. It makes good meals with alot of leftovers.

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Yes. Once I wised up, I would do a roast fairly often.

I don't think it is too difficult to eat cheap in college without resorting to Ramen. I think a good majority are just lazy and don't want to cook. So, they settle for Ramen, Tyson chicken strips, and Lean Cuisines.

For example, it's not hard, expensive, or time consuming to cook red beans and rice. It also will last a good while. They same can be said for gumbo. Even if you don't want to make the roux, buy a can of Blue Runner roux and go from there. Buy a bag of frozen chicken breasts, seasonings, and some rice and vegetables. That'll last a few days. College kids should also cook breakfast foods. Skip the Ego waffles. They are too expensive. Make your pancakes from scratch. It is cheaper and the mix will last you a lot longer. Make some eggs, bacon, and sausage. A dozen eggs will cost you $2. It isn't too difficult guys.

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Supposedly Fred's just started a thing a few weeks ago where you have to show your student ID.

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Probably only done to undesirables, as bad as that may sound. My roommate and her bf went to Fred's two Fridays ago and neither one attend lsu.

I worked at the old Mike Andersons on Highland, if you grabbed a hush puppie that was being tossed into the garbage can and he saw you, BAM you were fired.

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leftovers and forgotten doggy bags were always meal options.

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frick that.

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I think a good majority are just lazy and don't want to cook. So, they settle for Ramen, Tyson chicken strips, and Lean Cuisines. For example, it's not hard, expensive, or time consuming to cook red beans and rice. It also will last a good while. They same can be said for gumbo. Even if you don't want to make the roux, buy a can of Blue Runner roux and go from there. Buy a bag of frozen chicken breasts, seasonings, and some rice and vegetables. That'll last a few days. College kids should also cook breakfast foods. Skip the Ego waffles. They are too expensive. Make your pancakes from scratch. It is cheaper and the mix will last you a lot longer. Make some eggs, bacon, and sausage. A dozen eggs will cost you $2. It isn't too difficult guys.

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Yup, however, this is not always the case, and I can attest to that, because I love to cook. The first year out of high school, my dorm room (and it was just a room) shared with another person was extremely limited in space. Barely enough space for books and clothes, much less the cookware needed for any substantial cooking. We were lucky to have enough space to be able to have a mini fridge, while the elite actually had a microwave. The kitchenette that we were able to use wasn't ideal at all. No drying rack or something simple like a grill towel or anything else that we now take for granted.

Did a lot of Waffle House way back when I was right out of HS. I worked part time at a local restaurant while in school so I'd drop in from time to time for a meal there too. The usual cheap stuff, cold cut, wonder bread, etc.