The Residence Section covers recipes that require very minimal resources, just a microwave and some basic dishes.
The student kitchen section covers recipes that require a little more, but still very common items in a kitchen.
Daiquiris and Margaritas
These are great summer drinks that you can make at home on the cheap. Men, if you don't want to be seen drinking colourful fruity drinks at the bars then home is the best place to do it. The easiest way is to buy frozen drink mix, then all you need to is add ice and alcohol if you so choose. Typically rum is used in daiquiris and tequila in margaritas. Blend it all up to a fine but icy consistency. Drop a straw into your drink and go!
Taco Salad
Taco Salad
This is a great recipe, it is healthy and delicious and it is super simple.
Ingredients:
-Tortilla Chips
-Black Beans
-Corn
-Romaine Lettuce
-Ground beef
Directions:
Line the bowl in tortilla chips then add lettuce in small pieces. Brown ground beef with taco seasoning and add it to the bowl. Add black beans and corn and top with cheese.
Keeping Food Fresh
It's great to buy your food on sale, or even in bulk, but if the food goes bad then you really aren't saving any money. Keeping track of your food and making sure it doesn't go bad is an important money saving technique.
Below I will list a number of helpful tips to keep a variety of foods fresh longer.
Bread - Most people I know will leave their bread out on the counter, this often results is stale or even moldy bread. I freeze all of my bread as soon as I buy in and it will keep for a good long time. All it takes is a few seconds in the microwave to defrost it when you are ready to eat. This also allows you to buy the "bakery specials" without fear that it will pass the best before date before you eat it.
Bananas - As you probably already know, bananas should not be stored in the fridge, the cold actually accelerates the ripening process and turns them brown faster. Leave your banana's out and eat them in a timely manner. If some of them happen to get too brown for your liking put them in the freezer and you can store them to make other things like banana bread or banana "ice cream".
Meat - If you go to the store to buy steaks or chicken breasts or any other pre-portioned meat, then it is always cheaper to buy in bulk, the problem is you will probably only want individual servings. The solution is to remove the store packaging and make your own servings before freezing. If you try to separate them after freezing it is always more difficult. If you happen to have some extra time you can even cook up a bunch of chicken and freeze individual cooked portions. Then all you have to do is thaw the chicken and it is ready to eat!
Lettuce and other leafy Greens - The main difficulty that I have had with keeping lettuce fresh is having it freeze in our cheap poorly maintained student fridge. There is nothing worse than throwing out food that you just bought a couple of days ago. The secret to this one lies in where you fridge is coldest. Your vegetables should be kept in the crisper drawers, but what if those are broken or full? The next best place is a middle shelf near the front of the fridge. Cold air generally comes down from the freezer, so it is cold right near that vent. Also because the cold air is more dense it settles at the bottom of the fridge . The front is a little bit warmer yet because of the constant opening of the door.
More will be added as I come up with them...
Sacklunch Sandwiches
University students are often busy people who can't afford to take too much time out of their days to make and eat lunch. As a result we often end up buying lunch at one of the many places on every university campus.
Yet university students are also among the most cash strapped people I can think of... Preparing a quick sac lunch can save you loads of money and may even save you from waiting in ridiculous cafeteria lines.
Your local grocery store almost certainly has a deli section where you can buy all sorts of cold meats. Anything from turkey, ham or chicken to smoked meat or salami. Every time I go to the grocery store I buy some lunch meat and some bread and I have sandwiches for the week.
I love spicy salami sandwiches as well as real smoked meat sandwiches, mmm mmm...
Coffee Cup Scramble
This is a great breakfast for those in a hurry or for those with limited cooking appliances. All you need is a coffee cup and a microwave and you are on your way! This is great for students in residence that do not have a full kitchen.
try scrambled eggs in a cup today
Meatballs and Rice
This is a takeoff of the Spaghetti and Meatballs posted a little while ago. It gives you another option if you don't have (or don't want) noodles. Just cook the meatballs according to the instructions on the package. While they are cooking cook up some instant rice according to the directions
(usually simmer for 5 minutes on the stovetop or cover and microwave for about 5 minutes but times vary with brands and amounts)
Then put the meatballs on top and pour your favorite sauce over top. I like to use barbecue sauce.
Enjoy!
Berry (good) Pudding
This is a simple dessert that is really good and could almost pass as a healthy option. Mix up some pudding (Chocolate is always a good choice) it will say to use an electric mixer but i have had some success with a whisk or even just a fork. Toss in some frozen berries (whichever you like best) and top with some whipped cream if you have it. If you want to get fancy you can serve in a martini glass, but a bowl or container works just as well.
Fruit Smoothie
This is a great replacement to "Booster Juice" types of drinks that are easy to make at home if you have a blender. Mix yogurt, frozen fruits, some milk and some fruit juice. The more milk/juice that you include the more liquid the drink will be. If you want it to be thicker and colder, throw in some ice cubes.
I like to use berry yogurt, mixed berries (blackberries, strawberries, raspberries and blueberries) and just a little milk and orange juice. This is a great fruit drink that can even serve as a meal replacement in a pinch.
Spaghetti and Meatballs
A student's take on a classic. This is a very simple way of making spaghetti and meatballs very quickly. Boil some water and add your pasta. While that is cooking cook some preprepared meatballs according to the directions on the packaging. When the noodles are soft strain them and put the meatballs on top. Pour pasta sauce over the whole thing and enjoy!
Pita Pizza
Mmmm Tasty
This one is very simple but really good, my family makes them on a regular basis. The idea is Simple, take a pita, or any other flat bread, and use it as a pizza crust. All you have to do is put some pizza sauce (this can be bought in small cans at the grocery store) and some cheese and whatever other toppings you like. I like to use salami and banana peppers but anything goes! Just pop them in the oven on a baking sheet at about 400 deg. F and cook till the cheese is melted and the crust is crispy.