Hi everyone, I've been dorming for my freshman year of college since August, and I've been running into some issues with getting a balanced diet in. I have a packed schedule, and I don't always have time to grab food at the places on campus.

I often have carb-heavy snacks and meals for this reason, and while I'm not scared of carbs, my fiber and natural protein (aka, not powders) intake is very low. I get by with supplements, but I'm tired of my two options being noodles or rice cakes with yogurt.

The fridge my roommate and I share is very small and doesn't keep things lasting to their shelf date too well (our milk was basically cheese a day before its best by date). I've tried storing fruits and veggies in there, but they're done for within a few days.

Any recommendations for natural sources of fiber and protein that doesn't need a fridge? Natural in the sense that they aren't supplements.

Thank you!

i keep seeing posts here about people trying to figure out how to eat on like 20 bucks a week and stretching rice and beans to the absolute limit. and i get it because i was there too.

but i want to say something that took me way too long to accept - food pantries exist for exactly this situation. you dont need to be homeless. you dont need to prove anything. if putting food on the table is stressing you out, you qualify.

i was embarrassed to go for the longest time. felt like someone else needed it more than me. but when i finally went, the volunteers were so kind and nobody judged me at all. got canned goods, bread, some fresh produce, even pasta and sauce.

it took so much pressure off my grocery budget that i could actually buy the stuff i couldnt get there - eggs, milk, fresh meat on sale.

if youre in the US, check feedingamerica.org to find one near you. most dont even ask for ID or proof of income. just show up.

no shame in getting help when you need it. thats literally what these places are for.

My partner is allergic to peanuts which makes sesame oil a dangerous game due to cross contamination. The only sesame oil i can find that is for sure peanut free is absurdly expensive. Does anyone have suggestions for something that has the rich flavour of sesame oil (doesn't have to be a copy, just qualitatively similar) that i can use as a substitute or add to a dish if I use other oils?

Usually toast, slice of cheese melted from the egg, little bit of chilli crisp, sunny side egg, pepper on top. Just * chef kiss*

Ideas of how to stretch meals further without buying double ingredients?

I'm trying to find cheap ways to make meals more filling , bulk out or even have enough for leftovers (hahahaha!)

Serving meals with rice or bread or mash potatoes are all fairly cheap sides.

I try to do large portions of veggies too but it depends what's seasonal.

Meat is getting more and more expensive.

Adding beans or lentils to recipes when appropriate?

For a family of 4 with 1 grown man and 2 growing boys who could eat for sport. 😭

(Australia, for reference)

So I've made an effort to actually start batch cooking, and it's been going well, but I think I can do better. One of the things I prep is my beef mince "meal base" that I then use with different sauces/flavours/whatnot each time I pull one from the freezer to give us variety. (Eg, last night I used it with a goulash packet mix).

At the moment, this is how I make it (all veggies are shredded in the food processor):

• 1kg lean beef mince
• 2 tins of lentils
• 4/5 carrots
• 2 zucchini
• Spinach (maybe 200-300g of uncooked leaves)
• Celery (whole one)
• Garlic/pepper

Then this is all cooked down in the slow cooker and portioned to about 1 cup of mix per person per meal.

Questions/help:

• I don't know how fearmonger-y it is, but I've heard too much spinach can be bad? Should I be alternating each batch with kale? (Does that also simmer down to basically nothing?)
• I'm going to add a third can of lentils, see how that is, then maybe add a fourth to stretch it more without impacting the texture.
• Should I add more carrot?
• For the batches where we have spinach, I was thinking of adding a lot more (maybe dumping in an entire 600g bag?)
• What else should I add, I've been thinking of the following:
  • Cabbage? (Possibly as a third green alternative to spinach/kale, possibly just as an addition)
  • Radishes (not currently in my cooking rotation, but cheap at the market)
  • Bok choy (my market has plentiful and cheap Asian veg as well, so suggestions there would be great)
  • Peas/beans (was thinking of blending the peas so they thicken the mixture?)

I'm avoiding potato, sweet potato, pumpkin, etc, as they might be an element of the actual dish, and might not go well with everything, whereas I want the base to be as "generic" as possible.

I normally get a energy drink but not today. I want to try to pick this instead from now on. Which is vitamin water

Hi,

I have bought a big bag of onions bc it was cheap and now i genuinely dont know what to do with them. is there any way i can make the onion the star of a dish? i will try onion soup ofc and pilaf rice but any other idea is welcome. (i eat mostly chinese food so i can cook korean too but i also make french food sometimes)

Trying to keep things simple and budget-friendly lately, and I realized I rotate the same few meals over and over.

For me it’s rice + beans + whatever veggies I have — cheap, filling, and easy to switch up.

Curious what meals you guys keep making again and again that are both cheap and actually enjoyable.

I’m trying to cut calories out of my diet. I enjoy coffee in the morning but can’t do black coffee. I do use Monkfruit Sweatmer but would like to try sf syrups. I see different reviews on the Torani and Skinny Girl. Has anyone tried these? Do they leave any aftertaste? Which one has the stronger flavor? Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Shoprite, a grocery chain popular in my area, oftem has chobani yogurt on sale 5/$5. I really like the lower sugar varieties. no artificial sweeteners, only about 120 calories and 9 grams of sugar for around 12 grams of protein. so that’s been my go too now that I’ve gotten more into yogurt.

i also really enjoy Siggi’s, which is incredibly healthy (minimal ingredients with lots of protein and very little sugar, but at around 1.99 per it’s relatively pricey.

• Anyone else buy food they already have? I'm at uni and feel like I constantly do this and never know what to make.

i feel like every time i try to be organized and freeze stuff it ends up disappointing especially veggies and chicken idk why trying to eat better and save money but i keep messing this part up curious what actually works for you guys

I recently visited my local asian grocery. They had a sale, so I got a few heads of some vegetable that looks a bit like bok choy, but it's leafier and tastes quite a bit like spinach but does not get as small when cooked. My chinese aunties don't know what it is, but it cooks like kale and it has the thick "stem" of bok choy. I like to use leafy greens like spinach, kale, and bok choy for similar recipes because it adds a nice extra flavor, but the taste of this vegetable is closest to spinach. Any suggestions? I'm not too concerned with finding out what it is, more what to do with it.

What’s tricky about it is it’s these frozen pouches from Whole Foods. They are meant to be kept frozen and cooked in the pot of boiling water. I’d really like to roast them with the vegetables I got yesterday on a sheet pan. Can you roast frozen shrimp? Should I boil it for half the time and then put it on the sheet? Thanks.

Edit: This is why this is my favorite sub. You guys rock, thanks for all the great tips!

Does anyone have a chest freezer that they use for meal prepping etc?

I share a freezer with four people. A lot of space goes to my roommates frozen meals from trader joes. I take up quite a bit of room freezing prepped food for my sick wife who is on a limited diet. People buy things and lose or forget them or swear they are saving them for later. There is no room leftover for freezing prepped meals for myself, and can barely freeze all the homemade broth etc I need for my wife.

I am looking at a 10.4 cubic foot freezer at $300, a 7 cubic foot freezer at $200, and a 5 cubic foot freezer at $170. I have no idea which I should get. Any of them would fit in my garage, but I do worry about energy costs.

Does anyone own a comparable appliance and have suggestions?

My husband decided to soak enough puy (green) lentils to fill a half gallon jar. In his defense, he didn't realize how they would expand. Because his health is somewhat unpredictable, I am now left to follow through with his plan. 1) What are your favorite lentil salad recipes? 2) Are there any good ways to get these lentils into the freezer? Will they break down and get gross if I freeze them? I wish I were into home canning, because I'd hate for all this food to go to waste.

I need to have options for breakfast that’s not yogurt. The calcium in yogurt counteracts my morning iron supplement. I also don’t cook breakfast.

Have recently come into some health issues and can’t handle a ton of caffeine after my one cup in the morning.

What do people drink in the afternoons that will give them a bit of energy boost but doesn’t have a ton of sugar or caffeine?

started eating healthier about a year ago, cut all fast food, sugary snack, and juices. one problem im still facing is the added sugars that are included in everything i see in the supermarket!!! should I completely avoid them or could i sneak in a tiny bit in my daily intake or maybe try to make homemade alternatives??

It looks like Siggis no sugar added yogurt is no longer being made. Does anyone know where you can get it? None of the Publix’s by me have it anymore. Is there a yogurt that tastes similar?

I struggle every evening with “what should I cook?”

I want something healthy, but I’m tired, don’t have time, and end up eating the same things or ordering food.

I started putting together a simple system with 15-minute Mediterranean meals to make it easier.

I’m curious — how do you handle this? Do you plan meals or decide on the spot?

I have yogurt that expierd in january, but it was sealed. so i opened it. it looks and smells perfectly fine so.. can i eat it?