Food Talk And Fabulous Finds - Dorm-friendly lunches?

Hi all. I'll be returning to school soon, and I'm looking for "dorm friendly" lunch foods...not only will my only means of cooking consist of a microwave, but my fridge will be about 1/3 the size of the one at home! :lol:


Right now, at home, I'm eating "casserole" type dishes for lunch, because they're easy to make, and easy to figure out servings for...but I don't forsee any way to make them at school, so I'm looking for hints and tips on how to survive!

Eating away from home is never easy - especially when you only have a microwave! Here are some ideas to get you started.

I'll try to post as many as I can find.

Enjoy,

Tobey

Overnight Oatmeal

No cooking required!

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup skim milk
1 Tbs raisins
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup diced seasonal fruit (optional)

In a cereal bowl, combine the oats, milk, raisins, and cinnamon. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
In the morning stir in fresh fruit if you desire, and breakfast is ready!
Serve chilled.



Yogurt Fruit Shake
(not sure if you will have a blender or not)

¾ cup plain nonfat yogurt
1 cup chopped fruit (pear, pineapple, banana – the riper the better)
½ tsp vanilla
1 tsp sweetener (optional)

Place ingredients in blender and process until smooth

Salad with Oranges

2 cups romaine lettuce
½ large orange
1 Tbs red onion, chopped

Tear greens into bite-size and arrange them on a plate. Top with the oranges and sprinkle with the red onion. Splash with Honey-Yogurt dressing (see recipe below) and season with salt and pepper.


Honey-Yogurt Dressing
(also good on fruit salads)

1/3 cup plain FF yogurt
1 tsp honey
1/8 tsp vanilla

Combine the ingredients in a small bowl.
If tightly covered and refrigerated, it will keep for about a week.


Marinated Vegetables

2 cups vegetables (i.e. carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, bell peppers)
¼ cup canned chick peas or kidney beans, drained
2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic minced
¼ tsp basil

Microwave vegetable in a small amount of water for about 1 to 1 ½ minutes or until they are tender crisp (not mushy!). Drain.
Place vegetables and beans in a container and add remaining ingredients. Cover with a tight fitting lid. Refrigerate. Shake container from time to time to even coat the vegetables.


Pineapple-Orange Yogurt

2 servings

1 cup FF vanilla yogurt
¼ cup raisins
½ cup unsweetened pineapple chunks, drained
1 small orange, peeled and sectioned

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Spoon into a serving dish and enjoy!

Corn-Stuffed Tomatoes

1 med. Tomato
2 oz corn (canned or frozen – if frozen be sure to defrost first)
1 Tbs green onion, chopped
salt & pepper to taste
1 Tbs breadcrumbs
1 Tbs lite parmesan cheese (optional)

Cut off tops of tomatoes. Scoop out pulp. Salt in inside of the shells. Turn over to drain.
Put remaining ingredients in a small bowl and microwave for about 2 minutes (stir after the first minute).

Fill tomato and microwave until warm, about another 2 minutes.



Eggplant Italiano

1 med eggplant
1 cup chopped onion
1 green pepper, chopped
1 can tomatoes, partially drained
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper
3 slices “lite” mozzarella cheese

Cut eggplant in half lengthwise. Scoop out pulp leaving shell about ½ inch thick. Chop eggplant pulp coarsely. In an 8x8 microproof dish add onion and green pepper. Spray with cooking spray. Microwave for 3 minutes or until onions are transparent and pepper is tender. Add eggplant, tomatoes, and seasonings. Cover and microwave 6 minutes until eggplant is tender, stirring after 3 minutes. Drain excess juices. Fill eggplant shells with vegetable mixture. Top with cheese and microwave until cheese melted (about 1 minute).

Here is my last is post for tonight. I try and dig up some more ideas for you tomorrow or Monday.

Tobey

Presto Pizza

1 English muffin
2 slices of tomato
Pinch of dried basil or oregano
2 slices of light Mozzarella cheese
Choose your own toppings: Veggie Pepperoni, mushrooms, etc. (optional)

Split muffin in half and place tomato slice on each half. Sprinkle tomato with basil or oregano. Top with cheese and toppings. Place on paper or microwave-safe plate. Microwave on Medium-High (70%) power for 2 to 3-1/2 minutes or until cheese melts.

Wow!!!! This is great!!! I've printed them all out and will give them a trial run-through here at home to see that I like them, and see what "accessories" (dishes, silverware, etc) I'll need!

I wasn't going to take my blender, but I might, now! Smoothies seem like a really good breakfast for those days I oversleep! LOL

Egg Beater Breakfast Sandwich

1/4 c. Egg Beaters (1 points) or 1 egg (break yolk)
1 LF slice veggie cheese (1)
Could add any left over veggies or mushrooms, or ??

I like it between 2 slices of lite bread toasted or in a Wonder Lite Bun (1 point)

Spray a cereal/soup bowl with Pam (I like butter flavored). If you don't spray, it sticks and is hard to wash off.
Microwave covered a minute or longer until egg is set.
Add cheese and microwave just long enough for cheese to melt.

A good breakfast for on the go.

1 FF tortilla (2 points)
1 T Better Than Peanut Butter (1 point) or regular PB (2 points)
1 banana (2 points)

Spread BPB on tortilla. Wrap banana in the tortilla, like you would a burrito.

Viola' ! Quick, easy, sticks with you.

Thanks for the suggestions, they sound delicious! :)

Here's one of my favorite breakfasts. It really sticks with me:

Cream Cheesy Eggs
2 hardboiled eggs (4 points)
2 T non or low fat cream cheese (1 point)
Boil eggs, and while still warm, mash together with cream cheese, spread it on 2 slices or Orrowwheat lite toast (1 point).
Total of 6 points.

If you microwave the whole eggs, be sure to puncture the yolk first and cover while cooking - then mash with cream cheese.

When I want to save points I microwave 1/2 c. Egg beaters (2 points) in a small bowl (spray with Pam first - I like the buttery flavored). When cooked, mash egg beaters up and mash the low fat cream cheese in with it. The texture and taste is just slightly different. (Using these variations makes it 4 points, rather than 6)

No-Cook Chili

2 servings

If you don't want to eat this cold, you could easily do a quick warm up in the microwave.

1/4 jalapeno pepper,
1/2 lb canned baked beans
1/4 lb canned corn kernels, drained
1/4 lb canned white beans, drained
1/4 lb canned black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 lb canned chili style chunky tomatoes
1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced

Sliced the peppers in half lengthwise, remove the seeds.
Combine all ingredients in a bowl.
Cover tightly and refrigerate 1 hour allowing the flavors to blend.

Express Ratatouille

4-8 Zucchini, depending on size of zucchini and appetite
1 can of chopped Italian style tomaotes

Cut up zucchini into about 1/2 to 1 inch pieces. Put into plastic lunch container. Add tomatoes. Mix.
Microwave for 3-5 minutes, depending on amount and on how soft you like the zucchini.

Zucchini and Corn Curry


4-8 small zucchini in 1/2 inch slices (leave peel on)
1/4 - 1/2 pound frozen corn kernels (1/4 - 1/2 bag)
curry powder of your choice (I use 1-2 teaspoons)
salt (optional)

Fill a microwave container with the zucchini. Top of with corn. There should be more zucchini than corn. Generously sprinkle with curry powder. Add some salt, if you like. Before cooking, mix thoroughly. Microwave on high for about 8 minutes.

Bean Burritos

Canned pinto or black beans
1 yellow onion
garlic cloves
flour tortillas

Finely chop onion and garlic. Place in microwave dish and spray with cooking spray. Microwave until soft (about 1-2 minutes). Add canned beans, cook few minutes to soften and heat. Mash with fork to make beanie paste delight. Put in warmed flour tortilla and add toppings to taste (i.e. lettuce and salsa).

Quick and Easy Stuffed Peppers

2 servings


2 large red bell peppers
1 (10 ounce) can stewed tomatoes, with juice
1/3 cup quick-cooking brown rice
2 tablespoons hot water
2 green onions
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels
1/2 pound kidney beans, drained
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup shredded lite mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese


Directions

1 Cut peppers in half lengthwise and discard seeds and membrane. Place cut-side down in a 9-inch glass baking dish or microwaveable casserole dish and cover with vented plastic wrap. Cook at high power for 4 minutes.
2 While the peppers are cooking, combine tomatoes, rice and water in a microwaveable bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap.
3 Remove peppers from microwave oven and set aside. Cook tomato mixture at high power for 4 minutes.
4 While the tomato mixture cooks, thinly slice green onions.
5 Place corn in strainer and run under hot water to thaw. Add beans to strainer and rinse under hot water.
6 Stir green onions, corn, beans, and pepper flakes into tomato mixture and cover with vented plastic wrap. Cook at high power for 3 minutes.
7 Drain peppers and turn cut-side up. Spoon hot tomato mixture evenly into peppers, cover with vented plastic wrap, and cook at high power for 3 to 4 minutes or until hot.
8 Uncover peppers and sprinkle with cheeses. Let stand for 1 to 2 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve hot.

Thanks again! Some of these sound delicious :)

Ahh yes...dorm friendly foods. I suppose college could go either way, eh? I mean...first of all if you're smart you wouldn't leave a lot of "snack" type food in your room. I never did...cause as soon as I got in the habit of munching while studying...I ended up ALWAYS craving snacks no matter WHERE I was studying!! Argh.

Hmm...you know those cool wal mart waters?? I reccomend stocking up on those things...they saved me many times!!!

It's just so hard to eat healthy when A: you don't have time to eat (especially when the cafe stops doing breakfast at an absurd hour). Anyways...I think you got a lot of cool recipes and since you like to cook so much...you should be ok.

:-D

LOL Thanks Melissa..and yeah, I love to cook, but I love to cook on a STOVE and in an OVEN :lol:

i don't know if you can splurge on an appliance, but you can get a convection/microwave oven so you can actually cook food for reals. it's sorta sneaky (and probably dorm illegal too), but it looks just like a microwave.

*cup of things...you know, add water type things. the pasta aisle has a huge assortment of things, and most aren't too bad, if eaten with a salad
*oatmeal or cream of wheat
*cereal
*salad
*tuna sandwiches
*eggs made with eggwave things
*popcorn
*ramen soup
*energy bars (luna, cliff, power, etc)
*peanut butter sandwiches
*potatoes in microwave (3min or so)
*rice in microwave
*pasta and sauce
*smoothies if you have a blender (just don't thaw the fridge for a bit, then it'll be perfectly frozen fruit)
*tv dinners if store is close by.

i suggest using those gray cement cinder blocks to raise your bed a bit. my friend did that, and was able to raise his bed high enough to put his fridge and microwave under it..along with a file cabinet.
christmas lights are nice for light.
plants make room seem liveable.

have fun!

andrea

Microwave Fruity Oatmeal

1/3 cup oatmeal, uncooked
2/3 cup water
1/2 tsp. sugar substitute
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 apple, chopped
1 tsp. currants or raisins
1 tsp. chopped walnuts
1/4 cup skim milk

Combine all ingredients, except milk, in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on High 2 minutes. Serve with milk.

Mexican Watermelon Juice

2 cups watermelon, peeled and cut into small chunks
1 Tbsp sugar substitute
juice of 1/2 lime
handful of ice cubes

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and whiz until smooth.

Tzatziki

1/4 cup grated cucumber
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 cup plain FF yogurt
salt
pepper

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and stir until well-combined. For a more garlicky taste, let sit 1/2 and hour before serving

Serve with Pita bread (cut into triangles for easy dipping) or raw veggies.

Dillweed also goes will in this dip if you happen to have some on hand.

Aparagus Roll-Ups

6 lasagna noodles
12 slender asparagus spears -- halved
1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1 Teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 Dash Worcestershire sauce
2/3 Cup skim milk
3 Ounces shredded lite cheddar cheese
1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley for garnish

1. In 11X7 inch microwave safe dish, combine lasagna noodles and 4 cups boiling water. Cover tightly with vented plastic wrap. Microwave on High 6 minutes, rearranging noodles after 3 minutes. Let stand 1 minute; drain and rinse. Cover with damp paper towel; set aside.*
2. Place asparagus in same dish; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons water. Cover tightly with vented plastic wrap. Microwave on High 3 minutes.** Drain and cool slightly.
3. Cut noodles in half; roll 2 asparagus halves in each noodle half. Place seam-side down in same dish.
4. To prepare sauce, in 2-cup glass measure, stir together remaining ingredients except parsley. Microwave on Medium-High, until thickened and cheese is melted, stirring once.
5. Pour sauce over asparagus rolls; cover tightly with vented plastic wrap. Microwave on High 2 minutes, until heated through. Sprinkle with parsley.

Nonfat Potato Chips

1 potato
Seasoning as desired (i.e., salt, onion salt or powder, garlic salt or powder)

Slice your potatoes paper thin on a grater or slicer.

Place a sheet of parchment paper on the bottom of the microwave. Place sliced potatoes on the parchment paper but DO NOT OVERLAP or place on a baking stone. Sprinkle with whatever seasoning you want. Microwave four to eight minutes, depending on your microwave. When chips begin to curl on the edge and start to turn brown they are done. After each batch the time will decrease because the cavity of the microwave will become hot.

Note: Thin potato slices may not be enough food in your microwave to prevent damage to the microwave. It is not recommended to do multiple batches of chips in the microwave at one time.

Microwave Squash

1 medium acorn or buttercup squash
1 tablespoon lite maple syrup
1 tablespoon brown sugar style sugar twin
3 tablespoons orange juice

Cut squash lengthwise into quarters; remove seeds and fibers. Arrange squash in 12x8-inch (2 quart) microwave-safe dish.

In small bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Spoon mixture onto each squash section, allowing excess to run over sides. Cover with microwave-safe plastic wrap. Microwave on HIGH for 10 to 12 minutes or until tender. To serve, spoon syrup mixture from bottom of dish over squash sections

Mexican Pita Melt

1/2 whole wheat pita pocket
2 Tbl. grated, low-fat Cheddar or Jack cheese
1/2 cup canned kidney, pinto or black beans, drained and rinsed
2 Tbl. chunky salsa

Put the beans, cheese and salsa into the pita bread. Microwave until cheese melts.

Yield:1 serving

GARLIC MUSHROOM ROLL

1 clove garlic, crushed
1/4 lb button mushrooms
1/2 tsp lemon juice
pepper
2 tsp chopped parsley
1 crusty roll

Place garlic in a bowl and spray with cooking spray. Cover and cook on HIGH 20 - 45 seconds. Add mushrooms, lemon juice and pepper to taste, blending well. Cover and cook on HIGH 2 minutes, stirring once.

Cut a thin slice from the top of roll and reserve. Pull out
the soft crumb centre and use as breadcrumbs in another dish.

Stir the parsley into the mushroom mixture, mixing well. Spoon
the mixture into each roll and replace the lids. Place on a
plate lined with absorbent paper and heat on HIGH 30 seconds
to heat through.

Vegetable Kabobs

Serves 4

1/2 medium yellow crookneck squash
1/2 medium zucchin1 squash
1/2 medium sweet onion
1/2 medium eggplant
8 medium mushrooms
1 medium tomato, quartered
1 tablespoons FF Italian dressing
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoons Creole seasoning.

Cut yellow squash, zucchini, onion and eggplant into cubes. Combine with mushrooms and tomatoes in a medium mixing bowl. Combine FF dressing, garlic and seasoning in a small bowl. Drizzle over vegetables and toss lightly to coat. Thread vegetables on wooden skewers. Place on microwave-safe tray. Cover with waxed paper. Microwave on High 4-5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

What you can do with your microwave:

COOKING POTATOES:

puncture a potato with a fork, and wrap in a paper towel. Microwave for about 5 minutes or until done. If cooking 2 potatoes, microwave for about 8 minutes.

Meal ideas:

* Cut in half, and put some some salt and low fat sour cream on it
* Cut in half, put some shredded cheese on it, and microwave for 30 seconds to melt the cheese.
* Cut in cubes, and make a potato salad out of it with some low fat mayo, or mustard, or sour cream, spices, etc.
* Mash with potato masher and add some low fat sour cream to make mashed potatoes

SWEET POTATOES:

If you like sweet potatoes - microwave them the same way as regular potatoes.

Meal ideas:

* Mashed sweet potatoes - mash with potato masher and add some apple sauce.

PASTA:

Spagetti, noodles, and other types of pasta can all be cooked in a microwave (just put them in a microwave-safe dish, add some water, and microwave them... see package directions for exact instructions)

RICE:

You can cook rice in a microwave. For 1 cup of rice: rinse rice under cold water for several minutes. Put rice in a microwave-safe dish, and add 2 cups of water. Cover, and microwave for about 20 minutes... You'll have to practice with this one several times to get it right - the exact timing depends on your microwave.

FROZEN VEGETABLES:

They are microwaveable... Just defrost them according to package directions.

CORN ON THE COB:

Wrap in paper towel, and microwave for 4 minutes. Great with some salt on it.

HOT DOGS:

You can buy the low fat kind... Put them on a plate, and microwave for 1 minute (2 hot dogs)

Meal ideas:

* Put them on a bun and make a sandwich
* Cut in small pieces, and mix with cooked rice
* Cut in small pieces, and mix with cooked pasta
* Cut in small pieces, and mix with defrosted frozen vegetables
* Cut in small pieces, and mix with diced cooked potatoes

When mixing with rice, pasta, vegetables, potatoes, etc. you can add spices, or ketchup, or barbeque sauce, or sour cream, etc.

MEAT:

You can microwave ground meats or meats cut in SMALL pieces (the key here is the pieces should be small enough to cook through). The exact times depend on your microwave - just check the meat periodically until it looks cooked.

Meal ideas for ground meat - same as with hot dog pieces (see above)

FISH:

Fish cooks very well in a microwave. Check periodically until it looks cooked and flakes easily.

Try adding various spices, lemon juice, low fat sour cream, plain yogurt to fish for different variations.

PITA POCKETS AND TORTILLAS:

Great for making hot sandwiches with some of the ingredients above. Just put stuff in pita/ roll stuff in tortilla and microwave for 30 seconds.

HOT DRINKS:

You can heat water in a microwave-safe cup and make:

* Hot tea (add a tea bag - regular tea or green tea)
* Hot cofee (add a teaspoon of instant cofee)
* Hot chocolate (add a bag of hot chocolate mix)

-----------
Without microwave:

* Sandwiches
* Yogurt
* Low-fat/fat-free cottage cheese (tastes good when you mix some jam into it)
* Salads

Assuming you can buy a toaster (they sell some small cheap 2-slice kinds)
* Bagels with cream cheese
* Bagels with jam
* Store-bought waffles with cream cheese
* Store-bought waffles with jam
* Store-bought pancakes with syrop
* Toast with jam
* Cereal

Thanks for all the ideas! I've saved them all :)

About ramen soup though...that stuff is really bad for you, isn't it? Seems a lot of pre-made foods are so high in sodium you aren't really gaining anything by it. :(

About concrete blocks---I thought about doing this...but...I'm not sure I like the unstability of having my bed on those things. A normal mini fridge would fit under our beds with it on its highest setting, but our fridge is a little taller than a usual one, so it doesn't fit :(
Maybe I'll try the blocks, though, just to see!

I wish our beds were lofted, I'd have so much more space if I could put my desk, fridge, and microwave UNDER my bed! :)

Hi Kelly

Ramen soup is very high in sodium. One serving has 236% of the recomended daily amount (based on 2000 calorie/day diet).

Tobey

Ramen is a bad idea. It has loads of points and it doesn't even taste that good. What I do is I get Health Valley vegetarian Chicken Soup and then put the ramen noodles in without the flavor packet. It's 6 points, is very filling, and is excellent.
I've been taking summer classes, and since there are no meal plans offered over the summer, I've been eating all my meals out of my dorm room. The essentials: a mini coffee maker, a toaster, a microwave. A freezer is really nice to have too. The coffee maker doubles as a hot pot - just run the water through without any coffee or a filter and it comes out good and hot for tea or soup. The toaster is great for English Muffins (great lowpoint snacks) and Crumpets (ditto). The microwave cooks my frozen foods, potatoes, broccoli, etc. It's really nice to have a freezer so you can stock up on Red Ones, Lean Cuisine, and Healthy Choice meals, as well as frozen vegetables. You'll probably want a Brita filter also - water in dorms is invariably gross. Some tupperware - for the frozen vegetables and the soups is a good idea. Silverware is a must - but it's cheap at Walmart. I bought a set of dishes - bowls, plates, bread plates and mugs, but I only really use the bread plates and the bowls. Buy really big mugs so you don't have to get up and refill your tea (or coffee) 20 million times when you're studying. Getting a water bottle is good so that you can carry around lots of that Brita-filtrated water, and not have to buy $1 a bottle Aquafina water. I also like having my little tupperware pitcher for mixing my lemonade crystal light. That's about it for utensils. Don't bother getting a mini convection oven. The RA's (resident assistants) are usually ****s and you'll get it taken away and you might get a fine. Not worth it.
Hope this was helpful. Have fun your freshman year - it goes by so quickly!!;)

Thanks for the tips--I'll be a sophomore this year, though...I just didnt watch my food intake last year LOL

Check before you bring a toaster to school. My school doesn't allow them (some stupid frosh set his room on fire, i think), and if you are caught with one, you void your housing contract (which is very bad cuz there aren't many rental options nearby).

Brita has a water bottle that has a filter built in. It's pretty cool. It's like a bike bottle size. That way, you can add water throughout the day from any faucet.

Make sure you get microwave proof dishes. Pyrex is pretty good to get, if you can afford it, cuz it's oven/microwave/dishwasher safe. It's the ultimate in laziness. Prepare it in the dish, eat it from the dish, store it in the dish, and then reheat it again later on.

Some convection ovens look like convection ovens, but my sister had one that looked just like a microwave. You could not tell by looking at it that it was a convection oven. But they are pricey.

For the concrete blocks, you put them down the short way, not the tall way. You can run into stability problems if you start stacking them. Your school may also have loft kits for the students to use. I fall out of bed too much to even try that.

Oh, and get a mattress pad. Those beds are very very firm. And bring a bunch of pillows. That way, you can make your bed look more sofa like when people visit, and it's nicer to read in bed.

I know ramen isn't the healthiest, but it is cheap, and it's a lot lower in points than most of the stuff I could find in the dining hall. I think the stuff I found was 9pts for the entire bag, but it filled me up for a long time. It was definately a better food choice than the pepperoni pizza, chicken burger and fries. :-)
You can add a bunch of frozen veggies and beans for more bulk and a healthier meal.

Oh, and go to as many free dinner events as you can, cuz you can generally get extra bottles of water and soda for a fraction of your time. My friend did this, and had a huge stockpile of drinks in his room. Hee hee. Also, if you get a meal plan, try to find out when important people are visiting the campus, cuz the dining hall food tends to be better than normal. They want to impress the visitors, I guess.

And bring lots of quarters. The mini M&Ms tubes fit $13 in quarters. And check the washers before you put your laundry in. I got rust stains over all my clothing, while my roomie had ink stains over all her laundry (someone left a pen in the washer). Stay with your washing too. My sister had sweatshirts and underwear stolen constantly.

Try to get involved with some academic type departments at your school too. If you need a reference for a campus job, you have people to do that. They also will put you into the loop for scholarships and all sorts of insider info. If you want to try doing the RA thing (free housing), get involved with the housing dept and help them out with their events. When hiring time comes around, they'll remember you, and be more inclined to choose you. Network with the staff and faculty. You will be very glad you did it.

thanks for all the tips! last year I bought great big velour pillows, for that reason!
Our school doesn't offer any type of lofting kit, and only one dorm has lofted beds. I'm still trying to figure out how the heck i'm supposed to get in my bed if its on blocks :lol: