[AlphaSigma]

Anyone have good suggestions for Dorm friendly meals. Ones that are simple but satisfy?

GO!

[Pre-Ex-Girlfriend]

I think it would help us to know what kind of kitchen facilities you have access to.

Myself, I tended to eat a ton of pasta and salad this last year at university. And when it comes to meat, I find my George Foreman grill to be very handy (and simple to use). I mostly grill marinated chicken; it's very satisfying. Ooh, and sometimes I grill chicken and add it to my pasta! Yay for complete proteins!

[H.M. Murdock]

Tuna is your friend. Boil an egg, remove the yolk, chop up the egg and throw it in with a can of tuna. Then add 1/2 a gala or fuji apple, finely chopped, 1/4 cup red onion, and add miracle whip, mayo or whatever version of the stuff you like until the mixture will spread nicely over bread. Voila.

If I am just cooking for one person, I usually stick a chicken breast in a skillet with a tablespoon or two of extra virgin olive oil, some lime juice, and about 1/2 ounce tequila. Then I cover that with some cubed red potato, some onion, beans, brocolli and whatever other veggies I can find. Then cover it and just let it cook until the chicken's done and the vegetables are thawed/cooked. Yum!
Of course, you don't need the tequila...

[Boy Genius]

Ramen noodles are the typical freshman way to go.
Refrigerated sandwich meat is always good (in one of those little dorm room refrigerators).
George Foreman is a wonderful thing to have, be it in the dorm or out.

[tropicana]

GUINNESS.

[SecretAgentRat]

I have a friend who makes grilled cheese sandwiches using a clothes iron....

[Ordinary Sarah]

Hey! That's from Benny & Joon. Sam makes grilled cheese with an iron.

Microwave mac & cheese is really great to use. And relatively inexpensive.

[H.M. Murdock]

Mr. Mom (Michael Keaton) did it first. *wink*
Actually, it goes back to silent films. Probably the Marx Brothers or... that fat guy and that skinny guy. What were their names?

Just... don't go the easy mac route. Limited resources doesn't mean you have to eat crappy food. It just means you have to be creative. Even if it does mean making toast with a hair straightener.
Uh. Not that I've done it.

[Pre-Ex-Girlfriend]

Abbott and Costello?

And I agree... don't go the easy mac/ramen route. An inexpensive price does not justify the atrocious amounts of sodium packed into those little instant noodle cups! Eww.

[H.M. Murdock]

Nooo.
Oh! I got it! Laurel and Hardy! There we go. Old school, that stuff is.

[tht00]

Yeah, I've been getting tired of ramen...

I just picked up a ton of tomato soup, as well as some chicken tenders (and some Buffalo Wild Wings sauce ).

We've got a kitchenette in the apartment, but I'm curious with what I can make really cheap/easy. I still have a meal plan, so I don't rely on my cooking... which is likely a good thing.

[FTS]

Man, it's all about the basics. Your basic stock of food, and your basic cooking techniques.

Meat and potatoes, classic Then just expand a bit. Frozen veggies, pasta and rice, canned food like baked beans, tomatoes etc. Basically you want things that'll last a while, so you can stock up. Pasta usually doesn't last very long though. Oh, and eggs. Eggs go good with almost any leftover possible. Just whip up some eggs, throw some last night's leftovers in a pan to heat through a little, pour the eggs in, and when it's done you have something like a spanish omelette

Oh, and don't be afraid of spices. They don't cost much, and they'll enhance the flavour of your food. Just don't use too much

Just use the basics to put things together

[tropicana]

My favourite so far: tofu, frozen veggies and ramen. It costs about $2.00 to make and is perfectly edible.

1) Put water into pot.
2) Bring water to boil.
3) Add desired amount of vegetables. (I prefer the "Asian-Style" mix from Safeway, but you can use whatever your little heart desires)
4) Boil for 1-2 minutes.
5) Meanwhile, cube up approx. 1/3 lb. tofu and let it soak in soy sauce (hopefully low-sodium, otherwise this meal is like a sodium bomb for your poor circulatory system) and soup base from the ramen package. I also like to add ginger and garlic. I like to put it in the same bowl that I'm planning to eat my ramen from, but I am a lazy person who hates to do dishes, even though "doing dishes" usually only entails putting them in the dishwasher.
6) Chop up some green onion; set it aside.
7) Add the ramen to boiling water; boil for three minutes or whatever the ramen package says to boil it for.
8) When the ramen is done, add the tofu mixture. It might threaten to boil over when you add all that salt, but just take it off the heat. You don't want to eat boiling hot ramen, anyways. Top it with the green onion, and whatever else you feel like adding.
9) Eat. You're probably starving by now, anyways.

Also, I like curry, which is slightly more expensive but more interesting than ramen. Because I am really busy and lazy, I usually just buy Patak's curry sauces and add them to stirfried vegetables and meat/tofu, and serve it over brown rice. Omlettes are good as well, and eggs tend to be a cheaper source of complete protein than almost all meat. Canned fish is good too; I love sardines. Pasta is still cheap, even when you buy the healthy, whole grain kind. And, at least on my campus, there are loads of places to buy inexpensive, usually organic vegetables. Don't buy fruits and veggies at the supermarket; they are overpriced and usually not as fresh.

[Gwenny]

Bill Engvall had a good idea..
Mac&Cheese w/Spam!
Of course you have to make it with water, since Milk is an expensive commodity.

[teena01]

Spaghetti noodles, butter, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper.

mmmm.