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Simple but nutritional dishes for students?


Abir

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I am a student and like many I am not very good at cooking. Know how to make very simple dishes, however I wouldn't consider them very healthy.

 

 

So are there any fellow students on this forum, who know how to cook a few simple and nutritional dishes? :)

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I'm no longer a student, but a few simple meals I still make now from my student days. If you don't already have one, invest in a slow cooker - they're great for chucking stuff into in the morning and having your diner ready when you come in at night! I also like to batch cook when I get the chance, and portion stuff up to freeze. I don't know if you're vegetarian, but as I'm not, here are a few meals I make. Most of them can be made vegetarian by just leaving out the meat and using an alternative source of protein, such as quorn, tofu, or pulses.

 

I make a huge batch of basic bolognese base (mince, tomatoes, onion, garlic, whatever other veg I have - usually courgette, peppers, mushrooms, etc), then I split it into 3.

 

1/3rd gets portioned up as bolognese.

1/3rd gets made into individual lasagnes (make a basic white or cheese sauce, and layer up with pasta sheets, top with cheese - these can be frozen without pre-cooking the pasta, and just defrosted and popped in the oven).

1/3rd gets kidney beans, chillies, and chilli powder added, and is portioned up as chilli.

 

I don't add pasta or rice to these dishes, as they're quick and easy to cook in whatever quantity I want on any given day. Serve with chips or baked potato, or salad for a healthy, filling meal.

 

Other meals I batch cook are:

1) curry (chicken, beef, fish, vegetarian - whatever you like) with loads of veg in, sometimes with chickpeas or butterbeans or lentils in too, so extra protein. I freeze as is without rice, because sometimes I have something else with it.

2) corned beef hash (cook potatoes, swede, and carrots, then mash them all together with some fried onion and corned beef). Serve with whatever extra veg you like, add sauce or gravy as preferred. You can serve as is, or grill it for a crispy top. Very nice with cheese melted on top too. Freezes well.

3) corned beef stew (corned beef, potatoes, and veg, bunged in the slow cooker with whatever veg I fancy - usually root veg - and some beef stock). Again, freezes well, and you can serve with extra veg, or as is. I often steam some cauliflower and broccoli to have with it, as it works better that way than putting it in the slow cooker (they kinda turn to mush if you cook them in the dish!).

4) soup (honestly, any kind of soup you fancy, or just chuck veg in and hope for the best - great for using up leftovers of veg at the end of the week, when you have a lone carrot, a sad onion, and some leftover chicken or whatever).

 

There are also loads of quick, simple, healthy meals you can cook within about 20 minutes including prep. I love stir fries for this very reason. I also often cook chicken or salmon in a mixture of soy sauce and honey, then add that to the veg I'm stir frying. Again, I just tend to use whatever I have to hand - peppers, onion, garlic, courgette, mushrooms, baby corn - whatever I have in.

 

A roast chicken can provide meals for several days, as you can make curry and soup with leftovers.

Don't be afraid to use frozen or tinned veg - they all count as your five a day too, and can help keep things economical (especially with frozen veg), as it lasts longer and you can just take out what you're going to use.

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10 hours ago, Kell said:

I'm no longer a student, but a few simple meals I still make now from my student days. If you don't already have one, invest in a slow cooker - they're great for chucking stuff into in the morning and having your diner ready when you come in at night! I also like to batch cook when I get the chance, and portion stuff up to freeze. I don't know if you're vegetarian, but as I'm not, here are a few meals I make. Most of them can be made vegetarian by just leaving out the meat and using an alternative source of protein, such as quorn, tofu, or pulses.

 

I make a huge batch of basic bolognese base (mince, tomatoes, onion, garlic, whatever other veg I have - usually courgette, peppers, mushrooms, etc), then I split it into 3.

 

1/3rd gets portioned up as bolognese.

1/3rd gets made into individual lasagnes (make a basic white or cheese sauce, and layer up with pasta sheets, top with cheese - these can be frozen without pre-cooking the pasta, and just defrosted and popped in the oven).

1/3rd gets kidney beans, chillies, and chilli powder added, and is portioned up as chilli.

 

I don't add pasta or rice to these dishes, as they're quick and easy to cook in whatever quantity I want on any given day. Serve with chips or baked potato, or salad for a healthy, filling meal.

 

Other meals I batch cook are:

1) curry (chicken, beef, fish, vegetarian - whatever you like) with loads of veg in, sometimes with chickpeas or butterbeans or lentils in too, so extra protein. I freeze as is without rice, because sometimes I have something else with it.

2) corned beef hash (cook potatoes, swede, and carrots, then mash them all together with some fried onion and corned beef). Serve with whatever extra veg you like, add sauce or gravy as preferred. You can serve as is, or grill it for a crispy top. Very nice with cheese melted on top too. Freezes well.

3) corned beef stew (corned beef, potatoes, and veg, bunged in the slow cooker with whatever veg I fancy - usually root veg - and some beef stock). Again, freezes well, and you can serve with extra veg, or as is. I often steam some cauliflower and broccoli to have with it, as it works better that way than putting it in the slow cooker (they kinda turn to mush if you cook them in the dish!).

4) soup (honestly, any kind of soup you fancy, or just chuck veg in and hope for the best - great for using up leftovers of veg at the end of the week, when you have a lone carrot, a sad onion, and some leftover chicken or whatever).

 

There are also loads of quick, simple, healthy meals you can cook within about 20 minutes including prep. I love stir fries for this very reason. I also often cook chicken or salmon in a mixture of soy sauce and honey, then add that to the veg I'm stir frying. Again, I just tend to use whatever I have to hand - peppers, onion, garlic, courgette, mushrooms, baby corn - whatever I have in.

 

A roast chicken can provide meals for several days, as you can make curry and soup with leftovers.

Don't be afraid to use frozen or tinned veg - they all count as your five a day too, and can help keep things economical (especially with frozen veg), as it lasts longer and you can just take out what you're going to use.

Seems like you knew what you were doing in the kitchen :p.

 

Did you find the first couple of days of cooking meals for yourself difficult?! 

 

Frozen veg, yeah economical, but I prefer fresh veg, but you don't have to prepare frozen veg, so quick and easy to prepare during exam period and stuff. I just boil frozen veg without any seasoning (yes really) and have it with chicken.

 

I am a big fan of instant noodles, not the best food around and I know that, but hey they are ready within 5-10 mins :p.

 

Have chicken 2-3 times a week, they are not too difficult to prepare at least the way I prepare them.

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 7/8/2017 at 8:15 PM, Kell said:

I'm no longer a student, but a few simple meals I still make now from my student days. If you don't already have one, invest in a slow cooker - they're great for chucking stuff into in the morning and having your diner ready when you come in at night! I also like to batch cook when I get the chance, and portion stuff up to freeze. I don't know if you're vegetarian, but as I'm not, here are a few meals I make. Most of them can be made vegetarian by just leaving out the meat and using an alternative source of protein, such as quorn, tofu, or pulses.

 

I make a huge batch of basic bolognese base (mince, tomatoes, onion, garlic, whatever other veg I have - usually courgette, peppers, mushrooms, etc), then I split it into 3.

 

1/3rd gets portioned up as bolognese.

1/3rd gets made into individual lasagnes (make a basic white or cheese sauce, and layer up with pasta sheets, top with cheese - these can be frozen without pre-cooking the pasta, and just defrosted and popped in the oven).

1/3rd gets kidney beans, chillies, and chilli powder added, and is portioned up as chilli.

 

I don't add pasta or rice to these dishes, as they're quick and easy to cook in whatever quantity I want on any given day. Serve with chips or baked potato, or salad for a healthy, filling meal.

 

Other meals I batch cook are:

1) curry (chicken, beef, fish, vegetarian - whatever you like) with loads of veg in, sometimes with chickpeas or butterbeans or lentils in too, so extra protein. I freeze as is without rice, because sometimes I have something else with it.

2) corned beef hash (cook potatoes, swede, and carrots, then mash them all together with some fried onion and corned beef). Serve with whatever extra veg you like, add sauce or gravy as preferred. You can serve as is, or grill it for a crispy top. Very nice with cheese melted on top too. Freezes well.

3) corned beef stew (corned beef, potatoes, and veg, bunged in the slow cooker with whatever veg I fancy - usually root veg - and some beef stock). Again, freezes well, and you can serve with extra veg, or as is. I often steam some cauliflower and broccoli to have with it, as it works better that way than putting it in the slow cooker (they kinda turn to mush if you cook them in the dish!).

4) soup (honestly, any kind of soup you fancy, or just chuck veg in and hope for the best - great for using up leftovers of veg at the end of the week, when you have a lone carrot, a sad onion, and some leftover chicken or whatever).

 

There are also loads of quick, simple, healthy meals you can cook within about 20 minutes including prep. I love stir fries for this very reason. I also often cook chicken or salmon in a mixture of soy sauce and honey, then add that to the veg I'm stir frying. Again, I just tend to use whatever I have to hand - peppers, onion, garlic, courgette, mushrooms, baby corn - whatever I have in.

 

A roast chicken can provide meals for several days, as you can make curry and soup with leftovers.

Don't be afraid to use frozen or tinned veg - they all count as your five a day too, and can help keep things economical (especially with frozen veg), as it lasts longer and you can just take out what you're going to use.

This is a great recipe, Kell! Thank you very much for sharing it with us! :)

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