Suggestions for Packaged/Microwave Meals? Can't really afford anything else

[The Anarchist]

I'm not gonna have a job until next semester and that will be going into paying for part of my tuition. I've recently stopped getting "clean foods" (chicken, steaks, fruits, trail mix, etc) and have stopped eating in the dorms cause its gotten way too expensive and I just can't afford it but I still want to keep bulking and stay in good shape.

So I've started going to Wal Mart and getting cheap freezer/microwave dinners and canned soup cause I don't have a kitchen in my dorm so I can't cook, so first of all, is there an alternative to this thats going to save me money and 2nd, any good suggestions for more healthy and cheap freezer meals?

 

[jjohn]

These foods are mostly full of sodium and very unhealthy.

Brown rice, sweet potatoes, oatmeal, and buy whole chickens, cook them in the oven. Find someone to cook them for you. I am sure you have some friends around that can do you a favor. This is really cheap, and great food.

 

[Rugger]

Some good cheap foods
Rice (go to an Asian market and get a 25# bag)
Pepperoni
80% beef
Tuna
Eggs
Pasta
oatmeal
Peanut Butter

You get the idea. You can cook, too. Just go to walmart and get a hot plate and a pan. If you have a thrift store around they probably have some used ones. How much can you spend on food per week?

 

[The Anarchist]

Some good cheap foods
Rice (go to an Asian market and get a 25# bag)
Pepperoni
80% beef
Tuna
Eggs
Pasta
oatmeal
Peanut Butter

You get the idea. You can cook, too. Just go to walmart and get a hot plate and a pan. If you have a thrift store around they probably have some used ones. How much can you spend on food per week?

Eating at the dorms was costing me at least $10 a day just to keep full, I've had to refill my dining bucks card at least 5 times this semester and I had a $800 meal plan to start with. Its so ridiculously expensive (especially in my building cause its a sophmore+ dorm) its insane.

 

[Rugger]

Go to the financial aid office and see if they will supplement your meal plans. You may be able to file for assistance arbitration if they're originally denied you any help. If you can't feed yourself hopefully they will listen up.

It will be fairly difficult for you to get cheaper than 10 dollars a day, especially with microwavable meals. Maybe a **** load of rice a day, 3 cans of tuna and a pound of beef. That's still cutting it close to 10 dollars, though.

 

[The Anarchist]

Go to the financial aid office and see if they will supplement your meal plans. You may be able to file for assistance arbitration if they're originally denied you any help. If you can't feed yourself hopefully they will listen up.

It will be fairly difficult for you to get cheaper than 10 dollars a day, especially with microwavable meals. Maybe a **** load of rice a day, 3 cans of tuna and a pound of beef. That's still cutting it close to 10 dollars, though.

Whoops I meant more like $15-$20, a friggin side salad costs $4 downstairs. A decent meal (pasta and a side) is usually around $6-$7.

Anywho, I think my roommate will actually let me use his skillet grill thingy and he also has a toaster oven, and I'm probably gonna buy a rice cooker as well.

 

[Rugger]

Your school doesn't offer a free-for-all buffet meal plan?

 

[ThomasRivera]

Whoops I meant more like $15-$20, a friggin side salad costs $4 downstairs. A decent meal (pasta and a side) is usually around $6-$7.

Anywho, I think my roommate will actually let me use his skillet grill thingy and he also has a toaster oven, and I'm probably gonna buy a rice cooker as well.

4 dollars for a salad? That's insane. Buy your own meat, your own rice.

 

[Dietfreak]

Buy whole grains in bulk. Avoid beef. Chicken is reasonable. frozen vegetables like spinach and broccoli are cheap.

 

[nofx4110]

steal.

 

[The Anarchist]

Your school doesn't offer a free-for-all buffet meal plan?

No, though there are buffet cafeterias on campus but its too far from where my building and I just don't have time to walk to the other side of campus to eat everyday.

4 dollars for a salad? That's insane. Buy your own meat, your own rice.

Its usually $8-9 for a decent salad cause they weigh it and they purposely dump a **** load of dressing in there for the extra weight.

 

[oxman]

WALK! or have a friend drive you...

 

[Rugger]

buy a bike

 

[nofx4110]

steal a bike.

 

[wontdie]

The prison diet: He told me he never eats in the mess hall where the rest of the inmates eat; instead he gets all his food from the commissary. It had been over eight years since he'd eaten with the rest of the prisoners. He didn't get too detailed about his specific foods, but he mentioned that he made a lot of it in his own cell. He mentioned soups, vegetables with every meal if possible, pasta, and meatballs.

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance_investigative/training_behind_bars_i

 

[Manimalia]

I'm not gonna have a job until next semester and that will be going into paying for part of my tuition. I've recently stopped getting "clean foods" (chicken, steaks, fruits, trail mix, etc) and have stopped eating in the dorms cause its gotten way too expensive and I just can't afford it but I still want to keep bulking and stay in good shape.

So I've started going to Wal Mart and getting cheap freezer/microwave dinners and canned soup cause I don't have a kitchen in my dorm so I can't cook, so first of all, is there an alternative to this thats going to save me money and 2nd, any good suggestions for more healthy and cheap freezer meals?

:rofl: YOU ARE INSANE. Buy a big container of dried oats, a couple bags of boneless skinless chix breasts (microwave them too if you gotta), a couple cartons of eggs, a bag of walnut pieces, a 2 lb. whey jug and some v8 juice 2 liters. That'd all cost you, on average, and I KNOW FOR A FACT about 45 bucks. It'd be enough to last you about two weeks. So really, you'd spend about 100 bucks PER MONTH on groceries, 25 bucks a week.

I know you're spending about that on that packaged crap.

*hint for the eggs. nuke them in a bowl for about 30 seconds. scramble them. nuke them another 30 seconds. eat them. it sucks, but it works.


OH YEAH, EDIT, I FORGOT......YOU'RE IN COLLEGE, BROUGHAMS. Get some tupperware and put it in your backpack and STEAL stuff from the cafeteria. No shame in the game, bro. Just do it like Nike.

 

[Steveoph]

OH YEAH, EDIT, I FORGOT......YOU'RE IN COLLEGE, BROUGHAMS. Get some tupperware and put it in your backpack and STEAL stuff from the cafeteria. No shame in the game, bro. Just do it like Nike.

I think he said he pays for individual food items, so this may not be an option. Many other posters have give great advice. Nuts are a great way to get in fats (and require no cooking). Oatmeal can be microwaved; you can grill those chicken breasts/beef pretty easily.

 

[mixedup]

I get 4lb bag of boneless skinless chicken thighs for 7 bucks buy like 2 or 3 bags find someone with a stove boil them up and freeze them then just unthaw and put on a sauce bbq etc. stock up on Tuna cheap and easy eat right out of the can just need a can opener

 

[Manimalia]

I think he said he pays for individual food items, so this may not be an option. Many other posters have give great advice. Nuts are a great way to get in fats (and require no cooking). Oatmeal can be microwaved; you can grill those chicken breasts/beef pretty easily.

It's in the OP's power to do all the stuff we've all posted. Balanced diets are possible in most all situations. EVERYTHING can be microwaved. You just have to know how to do it. Eggs will either be overcooked or runny. I prefer runny, so that the nutrients aren't jacked up. Chicken when defrosted and chopped into little bits and then cooked covered for 20 seconds at a time and stirred will work well, too. You have to be real careful not to ruin stuff by using a microwave, but I find that short cook times and stirring makes everytyhing work out. I'd had to do this a short time in the past.

 

[dpfisher]

No shame in stealing from the college cafeteria... they charge you out the ass every chance they get, take some back. Helps if you make friends with the people on the registers or doing the cooking... like I could get a triple patty cheeseburger wrapped as a single hamburger and milk instead of soda (was supposed to cost more) for the price of a hamburger, really helped stretch the meal plan.

 

[nofx4110]

I had food stamps for a while in college, but its really humilating bust out that plastic card with the american flag and it not work for certain things... Doesn't please the ladies either.

Frozen foods are also hydrogenated.

Eggs, nuts, oats, sweet potatoes are all great ideas. As far as the meats go, I had a small George Forman grill I got at big lots, don't know if they have them anymore. It was easy to hide during a safety inspection.

 

[raginfcktard]

i go to the store almost every day...this is how i find chicken and steak for 2 bucks a pound! carb sources are cheap as hell anyway so i am not going there. just go everyday and stock up when when its cheap.

 

[ABNRanger]

I would tell you to try MRE's, but there may not be an army surplus store around where you live. They come 12 in a case, and you don't even have to worry about microwave; they have their own heaters in each pack. Get you a two burner hot plate, and a big pot. Go to sams, and buy a big bag of skinless chicken breast, then you can pre cook about two or three days worth of chicken, then refrigerate them. Buy bulk oats, nuts, rice. Or if you sit around long enough, your room mate will start to look like steak, nothing like nice rommate burger jk.

 

[joeyamma]

tuna, eggs, rice, and oatmeal are about as cheap as you can get, bought in bulk.
tuna doesn't need to be cooked, and the eggs, rice, and oatmeal can be cooked in the microwave.

with a hotplate and a skillet, you can buy value packs of ground beef, chick breast, premade burgers, etc and cook them right in your room.
cook up a bunch of stuff sunday and weds nights to get you through the week and put it in plastic containers.

big containers of whey protein, mixed with milk or water also work.

all of this stuff is waaay cheaper than those microwave meals and will do you well.
c'mon man, you got to want to do this.

 

[b unit]

tuna

oatmeal

 

[ffmedic32]

When I am pressed for time I use the good ol microwave like this.....Check in the frozen veggie section at the supermarket, STEAMFRESH they have a 2 serving bag of veggies and a bag of brown rice. Toss in the microwave for 5 minutes and you have brown rice add a can of tuna of its a good meal. At my supermarket they bags are $1.55 each and alot of times the put them on sell for a buck and I stock up....

 

[Aggravated]

Yeah. The pre-packaged meals, while some are low card and low calorie, are packed pull of sodium. There are so many other options, as stated above, that you can go with.

 

[Pioneer]

I would tell you to try MRE's, but there may not be an army surplus store around where you live. They come 12 in a case, and you don't even have to worry about microwave; they have their own heaters in each pack. Get you a two burner hot plate, and a big pot. Go to sams, and buy a big bag of skinless chicken breast, then you can pre cook about two or three days worth of chicken, then refrigerate them. Buy bulk oats, nuts, rice. Or if you sit around long enough, your room mate will start to look like steak, nothing like nice rommate burger jk.

haha how could you suggest a MRE to someone? thats more torture than a microwave dinner.

 

[bigschmidt821]

one ok packaged meal are south beach diet pizzas

 

[Aggravated]

haha how could you suggest a MRE to someone? thats more torture than a microwave dinner.

Man those things are sick. I guess you would get used to them though, and I eat anything when I get hungry lol.