Simple things to cook

When i first lived on my own i lived on omelette's and toast

 

I tried that but put on 3 stone in a season

 

Spaghetti is a good one. Very easy to make, and you can make a ton of it at once and have left overs. You can freeze it too. Another good idea is to grill or bake a couple chicken breasts. Then you can use the meat for everything from sandwiches to pastas to whatever. Can't go wrong with PB&J or grilled cheese though..

 

You can make a versatile cheese sauce with a little milk and whatever leftover cheese you might have. Cook at low temps until everything is melted and homogeneous. It will be better than any packet or powder for macaroni, or mixed with salsa can be a meal in itself with chips. Spinach tortellini, about $2 dried in a bag bag the size of your fist, makes enough tortellini and cheese for three meals easy. Tortellini and some sauteed chopped tomatoes is pretty good too, and very easy to make.

I found that I ate much healthier overall if I cooked for myself. I didn't even own a salt shaker for a couple of years.

I lived on $150/month for food and discretionary spending while in college 15 years ago. You can live and eat well on $5/day even now if you plan.

 

grilled cheese, tuna in a can, buy some bread and pre-packaged meats, ramen, soup out of the can, yup, when i have to cook, i love the canned food isle,

 

http://www.amazon.com/101-Things-Do-Ramen-Noodles/dp/1586857355/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1213210034&sr=8-1

 

When I was young and poor I lived on baked potatoes and tuna casseroles. With the casseroles I would buy a bunch of veggies , carrots, asparagus, broccoli, green beans, etc and put them all in.

 

Hahah...We had a kitchen in our apartment, never touched it. Lived off of the dinning halls and spent all my 2500 on my card. lol. Good times.

 

If i am in a rush and need a quick snack cheese or beans on toast does the job.

 

Crackers and ketchup from the local restaurants--free...

 

Based on your criteria, you'll find a few stores in Phoenix by the name of "Trader Joe's" very much to your liking. Healthy selection of foods - [lots of poultry selections, for example], whether fresh, frozen, baked, raw, canned or bottled... at extremely reasonable prices. Plus, they carry a wide range of wine and "designer" beers, also priced extremely well, and employees take extra care with service and cleanliness.

One thing you'll need to get elsewhere is a George Foreman Grill. Quick cooking, doesn't heat the place up.

Here's a Collegiate Special I call "3 beers and dinner in 20 minutes" By way of comparison, Rachel Ray would take half an hour.

Have a beer.
Season boneless, skinless chicken breast [only chicken I eat] however you want
Boil water
Put chicken on grill
Put pasta in water. Stir.
Take a leak [Important> not in sink <Important]
Guzzle beer number 2.
Drain pasta water in sink {See step 6 for Important notice}.
Mix pasta with green pesto sauce.
Take chicken off GF Grill, unplug grill.
Put pasta and chicken on plate.
Crack open another beer.
Eat.
Postpone studying until tomorrow...

 

My ex GF was the same...loved her beans on toast. Of course she was from the UK as well.

 

Salads in a bag, frozen veggies that just need steaming, a rice cooker for the brown rice, perogies {frozen, just 6 minutes in a pan with butter and then flip for 5 mins}, meats for whole wheat sandwiches, a few slices of meat in an electric frying pan {so you know the meat is at the appropriate temperature}, bacon, eggs, bread, whole wheat pasta just boil and mix in a touch of sauce or butter etc. When you think about it, there's a lot that's easy to make.

 

Chicken noodle soup & grilled cheese sandwiches.

 

Pork loin (a big lean cut) on sale.

Put in a crock pot. No water, no seasoning, nothing.

Put crock pot on your porch. Do NOT do this inside.

5 hours later pull it apart, add BBQ sauce and coleslaw.

A lot dang better than it has any right to be.

 

Rotisserie Prime rib

Some Lawry's seasoned pepper, salt and garlic powder.....

Set it and.....................................

 

Buy a grill... Buy any kind of meat... Season the meat with basic sauces and marinades...grill/cook the meat to your liking -
repeat this until you feel comfortable enough to make your own sauces - cook any startch to be served with the grilled meat (potatoes, rice, beans, etc.) or just eat the meat with basic veggies like onions, hot pepers, tomatoes (fresh tomatoes), etc.

If you start with those basics you will eventually learn how to prepare your own dishes, then in turn begin to enjoy it.
Besides, its better than eating omlettes and cereals.. Something i always made was grilled or fried jerk chicken (chicken itself with jerk hot sauce) and rice with dry roman beans... good, if you are into hot foods

 

I heard of people using ketchup in hot water to make tomato soup. Never tried it though.

 

I have a ground meat mix I fix & freeze every couple weeks:

2 packs ground sirloin, round (low fat)
1 giant sweet onion
1 lg green pepper
2 sm cans sliced mushrooms
1 can black beans (opt)
Anything else that strikes you at the moment

Cook it all in an ex large deep pan & season to taste (salt, pepper, grill seasoning, etc). Let it cool then bag in single-size portions & freeze. Nuke & eat in 5 minutes. I use to make tortillas or tacos w/ grated cheese (bagged) & lettuce, mix w/ baked beans, serve on microwave rice or noodles, in an omlete. I could go on.

 

I get my cooking tips from Kevin from "The Office."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THR921LzoHg

 

Great choices but lets not forget Hamburger Helper!! lol