Cheap meals I ate in college | Cook with me on a budget

[@Lizquiz7]

Louisiana native here. My mom made red beans like this and they were fine, but red beans are REALLY elevated by adding some thyme and sage. It gives such a depth of flavor and reminds me of red beans served in New Orleans.

[@Isabella66Gracen]

When I was growing up and we'd go through a time when things were super tight, my mom fed us cocoa and toast for breakfast. The cocoa was homemade, and was always a very special occasion type thing...so we always thought it was a magical special breakfast, when in reality we were out of food.

[@sherlynpatterson4304]

Fun video idea: give each child a five dollar meal challenge they have to plan and cook for the family dinner. Will be interesting to see what they have learned and how they succeed.

[@artandsoul2]

Yes!

[@Razdasoldier]

Special rule: they can pick 1 ingredient already at home.

[@jillgott6567]

I suggested this before and have the kids work in teams. I have also suggested it to other channels with kids if it became a regular thing they would learn cooking, purchasing, nutrition, and budgeting skills

[@alisonwillis13]

Yes! I love this idea! 🖤

[@wildgooseworks]

The nonjudgmental way you approached this video was so kind. When you weren’t taught how to cook growing up and you’re on your own for the first time, it’s easy to feel ashamed for resorting to some pb and apples, but I really appreciate how you recognize that meal is sometimes a reality and that’s okay. Love the videos 😄

[@ritalawson7020]

If you like pasta make this in a baking dish put cooked pasta open a tin of tuna spread over pasta sprinkle with peas and corn tip cheese sauce over and put grated cheese on top bake in oven 180 for 30 mins you can swap the tuna for cooked chicken or turkey or sausage you like and mushrooms too cheers from Aussie 🐨🐨🐨🐨🦘🦘🦘🦘

[@Aubxee]

Thank you for the continual reassurance that it's okay to make basic, simple meals, especially when you're starting out. It's very helpful to not be looked down on for using things like knorr pasta sides or similar

[@Crackrzz]

Especially these days in quarantine and if you're short on money.

[@jeannehunter5344]

Basic meals made of fresh ingredients are often healthier than the prepackaged stuff.

[@thesweethunnybunn]

I’m currently in college and 4 of us rent a 3 bedroom house. I grew up cooking with my mom so all of us split the cost of things like flour, eggs, and milk and then I make things like bread or waffles and then freeze them. It’s cheaper and healthier than eggos and we know all the ingredients in it. We also frequent the clearance isle and discount store down the street.

[@jaredfromhr2711]

Frugal fit kids: if you're doing any camera work or helping in a video, make sure to put on your resume "interned with local entertainment company" (Frugal fit Cinematic Universe?) and write down all the tasks aka skills you learned. It's really good for college/honors program applications as well as jobs and whatnot!

[@viviannichols3582]

Great advice for any kid just building their resume! You can include almost anything you do, even if you aren’t getting paid. 🙂

[@geertruidafoard7898]

This brings back so many memories. When I was first married 40 years ago , I got pregnant right away and we survived on generic mac and cheese, 19 cents a box and tuna cakes. Basically, a drained can of tuna, a slice of bread torn into little pieces and an egg. Shape into patties and fry in a little oil. My son came out looking just fine!

[@AZHITW]

I remember Kraft M&C being 19¢ a box when I moved away from home in the late 60s! I never ate it at home, but my friend introduced me to it when we were roommates.

[@happysmith6666]

This is bringing up so many college memories. My roommate and I made “spaghetti sauce” out of tomato paste, water, and garlic powder, onion powder, and dried oregano. One year I had to feed myself and my puppy on $5 for a week. Luckily eggs were on sale that week. Pup and I ate plain scrambled eggs twice a day. We were delighted when I got paid so I could buy us some more food!

[@maggiepasour5705]

This is late but I’m on a frugal fit marathon. I am currently a senior in college and here are my go to meals. Boiled or scrambled eggs on toast. (You can scramble an egg in a mug and microwave it for a minute if you don’t have a stove) add salt and pepper, and it’s amazing Mac and cheese (I usually get Annie’s but I also sometimes get the 34 cent boxes at Walmart when I’m real short on money) I literally always have milk and butter so this is my lazy meal. Sometimes I eat it with chicken nuggets or bbq meatballs but mostly I just eat it by itself tbh BBQ meatballs and mashed potatoes. I have instant mashed potatoes and you can literally just throw the meatballs in the oven, air fryer or microwave with bbq sauce and grape jelly. It’s great, add caned green beans or steamed broccoli if you are craving a veggie Breakfast sandwiches, microwave one egg for a minute (add a slice of cheese for the last like 20 sec), get the already cooked bacon that you microwave and then toast an English muffin or bagel. It’s amazing Grits are a staple when I’m super low on money. I always eat it with eggs and toast and it’s very filling Pasta! I eat so much pasta. I have an apartment with a kitchen so I usually just make Alfredo sauce from scratch with chicken and broccoli. You can also use jarred pasta sauce Chicken Parmesan with frozen chicken nuggets. Just nuggets, sauce, and cheese; throw it in the oven, cook some noodles and there’s dinner. Cream of chicken soup pasta. Egg noodles, a can of cream of chicken soup and chicken if you have any. Serve it with a veggie Biscuit tacos. Brown hamburger meat, drain it, and add taco sauce. Bake biscuits on the bottom of a muffin tin to create cups. Put your meat in the biscuits and top it with cheese. Melt the cheese in the oven and it makes like 2-3 meals. (1 can of biscuits and 1 lb of hamburger meat)

[@rsislandcrafts]

When my husband and I were first together I made zatarains boxed rice meals a lot. Hubby loved the red beans and rice that they have. Very inexpensive and super easy to cook since everything came in the box. He also love mac-n-cheese with cooked ground beef mixed in. Cheap, easy and family friendly.

[@jocelynholmes]

I do the Parmesan pasta roni with imitation crab. I sauté the crab in some butter and make the pasta then add the crab in. Pretty darn good.

[@rocketsoccer1]

One of my favorite things to make in college was "burrito enchiladas" where I'd just take 4-6 of those frozen burritos, stick them in a casserole dish, and cover them in enchilada sauce I made from a budget bytes recipe (basically just 1 can of tomato paste with seasonings), sprinkle it with cheese, and bake it. It was so good! And I always had about half the enchilada sauce leftover so I could do it twice. I also did a similar thing with perogies where I'd make "pizza perogies". Put them in a casserole dish, cover them with a can of tomato sauce, and sprinkle cheese and bake them. Perogies are so yummy and where I live in Canada you can get a bag of 30 perogies for about $3.

[@MerryBee707]

Cocoa and toast was my favorite breakfast growing up. My mom would cut my toast into 3 "sticks" and I would dunk them in the hot chocolate. It gets soggy fast, so it's dunk and eat quickly. OMG it was the best!!!

[@annamyers9492]

I used to eat Top Ramen noodles and put frozen veggies in there while it cooked. Yumm!

[@Jen-Chapin]

We always put eggs in ours too!

[@happymama1015]

Yes eggs and spinach or kale!

[@MyMaxKitty]

Cocoa and toast!!! I used to eat that all the time in grade school. Dipping the buttery toast in the cocoa first is so good!!!

[@erincanezaro453]

I still will do it.

[@Gabrielle499]

Oatmeal with a spoonful of peanut butter & jam mixed in. 👍

[@MyMaxKitty]

... "and then my pants didn't fit anymore." It's funny because it's true!! I can SOOO relate.

[@Crackrzz]

The College 15 is real. I lived on my own and then sort of a housewife with my ex for a while, gained weight, lost it when I moved cities (breakups and working in child care helped with that), then gained it all back and then some when I met my husband 8 1/2 years ago.

[@erinj9642]

I joined the Army after high school. The first time I couldn't come home for Thanksgiving I was living off post (and newly married). I decided to cook my own turkey for the first time. I called my grandpa several times that day with questions. 😂🤣 I think he loved it though.

[@hannahkayee831]

Same!

[@jennifers6845]

Thank you for your service

[@elenawisniewski9171]

❤️

[@tonia.5861]

I remember those calls from my sons who both serve in the USMC.....you’re right in that I loved it❤️ Thank you for your service😊

[@laughingalltheway8399]

I can assure you that he loved it.

[@sapienveneficus]

This video is taking me back. To avoid having to wash a pan to make grilled cheese, my roommates and I would toast our bread in the toaster, place the cheese between the toasted slices, and then nuking the sandwich in the microwave. No pan needed. This was the height of college laziness. Oh, whoops, efficiency.

[@yvonnepalmquist8676]

😕 We weren't allowed open elements such as toasters or hot plates, but I do this now even, lol. Don't forget the butter! 😊😋

[@ThorneyRose]

My youngest son does his grilled cheese like that too!

[@smartin5888]

The knorr rice sides bring me back, too 🥰

[@HannahMattox]

👀👀 I got my my eyes out for Carolee in the comments 👀👀😂

[@aaronhudgens8345]

My mom worked nights when I was in high school so my brother and I took turns cooking. One of our regular dishes was Kraft Mac-n-cheese with hot dogs cut up into it.

[@susanma4899]

One of my favorite things is hot dogs or kielbasa cut up on top of a bowl of rice with mayo on top. But it has to be Kewpie mayo.

[@Crackrzz]

When I first lived on my own, I used to make a thing I called KD casserole (though, to be a casserole, I think it needs to be baked, but whatever). In Canada, Kraft Mac & Cheese is called Kraft Dinner, now shortened to KD. I would make a box of it or a store/generic cheaper brand, and add any frozen or canned veggies I had, and then a can of tuna, chicken, or ham. I did this with ramen too. Sometimes I made ramen spaghetti with a tomato sauce. I stopped for a while, and started doing it again more recently with cheese, milk, and sometimes ketchup. Another KZbin channel, Aaron & Claire, inspired me.

[@beckysorenson5527]

I used to eat it with tuna and peas.

[@TheTruthHurts6666]

When I was in college, I stir fried a lot of cheap veggies; I made large batches of them to eat throughout the week. I remember my first stir fry was Bell peppers and onions with oyster sauce. I ate it with rice and a fried egg. I learned to start cooking based on stir fries after that.

[@hannahkayee831]

Still sounds so good! Yummm! ❤

[@viviannichols3582]

Stir-fry is a great place to start. You can incorporate almost anything, and it’s a good lesson in how long it takes to cook different veggies. That was one of my early go-to’s as well.

[@cynthia-n9w]

I WISH I could perfect a good stir fry! I'm a pretty good cook and have tried to dupe abt 5 top-rated vids on YT with the 500 ingredients (lol) in Asian dishes. No dice. Some things are meant for take-out.

[@shelbysteip8801]

This was basically my go too! Mine was just a bag of frozen stir fry veggies, minute rice, and butter and salt and pepper! One bag of stir fry veggies was usually 2 meals (they were the little bags). A fried egg would have been a great addition (wish I had thought of that!). Minute rice was my best friend in uni.

[@ariellel6123]

@@shelbysteip8801 Hi where do you get stir fry veggies? I’m unable to consume soy very well lol. Anything I could use in place of soy sauce? I absolutely love minute rice!

[@BewitchedBeckatha]

Great meals! Most of my college experience, I lived in an apartment that didn't have a kitchen. We had a small room that we used as one, and just used the bathroom sink to get water, do dishes, etc. We had a microwave, crock pot, toaster oven and a hot plate, as well as a dorm-sized fridge. Therefore, I didn't have a lot of space for cold or frozen things, and we didn't have cabinets. I had some shelves I had thrown in there, and a table to put everything on. One of my favorite meals was tuna casserole. I'd put pasta and water in a plastic container in the microwave, and cook it till it was done. Then drain in bathroom sink. Then I'd add 2 cans of tuna, parmesan shaker cheese, garlic salt, and a can of peas. I'd snap the lid on and shake it. It made a good 4-6 meals, depending on how hungry I was.

[@omisuookami]

Lived in a apertment with 3 others going to university/collage. One day I wanted cinnamon rolls but only had cinnamon, sugar, butter and tortillas at home. So I buttered the tortillas and then springkled it with cinnamon and sugar and cooked it in the oven at 175°C (about 347°F) till golden on the top. It ended up as a favourite snack, especially with coffe or tea in the afternoon.

[@marvahinspace]

Broccoli pasta dish, everybody has finished their broccoli and still have some pasta left on their plates. Love it

[@silverbeowulf5601]

Makes me cry I love angel hair pasta...sooo 😋..broccoli is good but makes me sick...

[@amytinney3994]

Yes PLEASE do another week!! I would like to see how much you actually end up spending for a whole month!! I love your meal ideas and tips!?

[@Fiery154]

I bought the Michelina’s meals for $1 each. They usually have lots of extra sauce, so just put in extra minute rice or angel hair noodles and you can stretch it out a good deal for a more filling meal

[@tamarabunch7623]

Totally did this and the cheap pot pies too.

[@yvonnepalmquist8676]

@@tamarabunch7623 I had a BF that would buy the cheap pot pies and place them on a bed of rice. Really cheap meal that was super filling.

[@janeschmidt9611]

My mother didn’t like to cook so my favorite meal growing up was Dinty Moore stew with a can of refrigerated biscuits. We ate a lot of canned fruit and veggies and I actually liked canned spinach with butter! 🥰

[@pamgroom7117]

Ramen with a fried egg on top! Chicken pot pie! This video was nostalgic:)

[@erinkelly1312]

My college go to meal...store brand box of Mac and cheese with a can of drained tuna mixed in. I would add a bag of microwave steamer peas when I was feeling fancy!

[@WeberIMayRoam]

You are the ONLY other person I've seen who has said they've eaten this monstrosity. My mother LOVED that tuna mac and would give it to us on the weekends sometimes, as a "treat." I love her, so I'm not mad about it :)

[@susanprather5962]

@@WeberIMayRoam 😅🤣😂

[@zayahdreyfus7415]

I put this in the comments too !

[@jgjg3848]

"Feeling fancy" made me literally burst out laughing...not sure why. Just picturing you standing in front of your microwave in your fanciest clothes waiting for the peas to finish and then carrying them over to your candlelit formal table with your mac & cheese on your finest china.

[@queenvknight]

I cooked this a lot growing up! Especially with off brand mac and cheese 😅 glad to see someone else who ate this lol

[@Supernovaautographs]

When I was in college I would bring zip lock bags to the chow hall and fill them up for mid night study snacks

[@vaderladyl]

Some people do that at the all you can eat buffet

[@justinac2693]

My go to college meal was: microwave rice and then dumped a whole can of cream of chicken soup on top. Usually served with green beans

[@Gitanarosa]

That doesn’t sound bad

[@lifebeyondthesalary2458]

Yum

[@BewitchedBeckatha]

I made this frequently, with chicken and mushrooms added, as a young mom. It's delicious!

[@kathyfarmer1165]

My older brother makes that concoction! He calls it “glop.”

[@katej7135]

My favorite college meal (still love it).. microwave some potatoes, cut open and put canned black beans on top. Put any kind of cheese on top and microwave. Then pour hot sauce (probably stolen from a taco bell) all over it. FIESTA POTATOES!

[@samm3681]

That sounds like something I'd eat now, 20 years after college! Yum.

[@tammygawronski639]

I still eat this when I want a quick cheap healthy meal. I mix salsa in with the beans if I have it.

[@juliecortes8459]

Please do more of these videos! Specially suited for a college apartment:)

[@RTCPhotoWork]

The real theme of this video: Oh! This is still hot.

[@victoriameredith629]

Pretty much what I was thinking. Alternate title: Christine burns her tongue for 23 minutes. 🤣

[@blonderoast3032]

YAY college student stuff! Thank you! ***le broke community College girl trying to graduate in the spring*** Edit: toast tastes better cut into triangles. Edit 2.0: English muffins, a slice of cheese, microwave sausage patty (add an egg if you want.) ... toast yo muffin, then cook the sausage in the microwave. Assemble and enjoy! (Maybe nuke another few seconds to melt cheese.) Instant fettuccine pasta side, cooked chopped pork chop, sautéed brussels... mix together and yea. Yum. SO yum. Pancakes. You can make 100000 of them for like 4 bucks. Dried split peas, ham hock, chicken stock, chopped ham (steak, or sandwich is fine) carrots, celery, onions. (Ham and split pea soup. 10/10)

[@clairesteele7130]

Thanks for the recipes. I did the red bean stew tonight but added a tin of tomatoes to thicken it a little. It was amazing! So worth the time soaking and stewing.

[@cynthia-n9w]

I remember a house full of boys in college who all got scurvy bc they were eating Kraft Mac & Cheese + beer 24/7. No joke. (I think it started as a challenge and ended with malnutrition - LOL)

[@meljacques9349]

A guy I know got scurvy too he ate 2 minute noodles and energy drinks. It took ages to get a diagnosis because the doctor was like. Who TF gets scurvy these days????

[@kristysmith9723]

Yikes. And yet all you need to do is add a few healthy bits to that sort of pasta meal to balance it a bit. We lived witha guy who would add a handful of mixed frozen veggies to 2 minute noodles while they cooked, then a raw scrambled egg stirred in for the last 30-45 seconds. If it was for a main meal, he'd do 2 packs of noodles. Boom, balanced meal. He ate that frequently but changed it up with the variety of veg and flavour of noodles. I think he also had hot sauce on it.

[@alyssawilliams4715]

This is hilarious and I can totally see some guys we went to college with saying this.

[@vintagechick]

Graduated college in ‘86 Kraft mac & cheese was five for a dollar and we didn’t buy butter it was too expensive

[@sarascoggan3490]

How awful!

[@themagicknightress7132]

My dad’s college roommate introduced him to sausage Mac casserole. You make a box of Kraft macaroni and cheese with a roll of jimmy dean sausage (cooked separately and drained of excess fat) and a can of Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup then you bake it for 30 mins at 350 in a casserole dish and we serve it with 2 cans of del monte green beans. It’s probably my family’s favorite meal.

[@carrieburkel337]

I use potatoes in place of the mac, and put the green beans on top.

[@amomentwithauntmindydasilv6809]

Cream of anything other than mushroom for me thanks! LOL

[@themagicknightress7132]

@@amomentwithauntmindydasilv6809 my brother and i used to hate mushrooms (I grew out of it) but it was so good we did out best to ignore the little chunks haha

[@amomentwithauntmindydasilv6809]

Subscribed to your channel with thanks for the banter! 😁

[@jojodoto.9840]

Thank you for this video, Christine!! You look so beautiful as always!

[@FrugalFitMom]

Thank you so much!

[@juliefortier1305]

Ahhh! Thursday night Friends and ER...thanks for the walk down memory lane!

[@garmstrong4872]

1) homemade English muffin pizzas 2) cream of tomato soup + canned diced tomatoes + fresh basil

[@kendalldenney]

Toast w/ hot chocolate continues to be a favorite to this day. Moved up to sourdough and Stephens hot chocolate. Nom!

[@haylauryn]

I thought you were carolee at first! Darn! Haha

[@karynhoward1399]

Some of my College food: Rice + seasoned veggies, Rice + rice vinegar + drained can tuna rolled in seaweed wrapper =mock cheap sushi, Rice+ butter + soy sauce, Rice + canned chili stuffed into bell pepper, microwave potato + chili from can, mashed potatoes + ground beef + can of cream of mushroom soup for gravy, english muffin pizzas, top ramen with an egg cracked into it let set a few minutes until cooked to your liking, Top ramen + frozen veggies, Top ramen + chicken, egg salad with crackers, Rice a roni + drained tuna, Tuna fish salad with crackers, Pancakes + jam + cool whip, Yogurt + cool whip, Frozen cool whip+ banana + caramel sauce, Soft boiled eggs + crackers, Toasted english muffins + pb, Toasted english muffin + cream cheese, Cinnamon sugar toast, Hamburger made with an english muffin bun, French toast made with english muffins, I could never eat a whole loaf of bread before it went bad so I stuck to crackers, and english muffins during college. Almost everything was cooked in a toaster or microwave oven.

[@WeberIMayRoam]

I was married for most of my college life (yep, one of those weirdos), but some that I did: I could cook an entire Old El Paso taco dinner in the microwave (it wasn't amazing, but it was a taco) Ham steaks simmered with pineapple juice Totino's Pizza was a staple (please for the love of god, use the oven if you have one) Bagels topped with American Cheese Chicken & Yellow Rice - sauteed chicken in Vigo yellow rice (great for leftovers, and stretches the chicken) Sausage & Rice - Hillshire Farms Polish Kielbasa, sliced into coins and cooked in BBQ sauce, served over minute rice (I still make this and my college-age daughter loves it) No Salad Salad... This one is weird, and a holdover from being poor AND pregnant... Croutons, bacon bits, sliced cheese and salad dressing (I'd often do this at restaurants that had salad bars). No veggies. Nothing healthy. Just all the toppings.

[@marianegrete920]

Hi Mrs.Frugal Fit Mom! Thank You for these wonderful recipes! Now when My Grandsons are hungry l will make these! I like that there are more than one recipes! We are recovering pretty good from The COVID-19, it hit all of us in 3 different households, My Dad is 87 years young and he has it now, but he’s getting better! Stay Safe and Healthy and God Bless You and Your Beautiful Family and please say Hi to Your Beautiful Mom for Me!

[@dance31115]

As a current college student, I like to make meals that I have a bunch of leftovers for so I only have to "cook" one or two times a week. My favorites are chili (literally brown meat and dump cans into a pot), a taco mix (brown meat with and dump cans into a pot), and like shepards pie casserole. I am still afraid of cooking chicken though so I gotta get over that fear 😅

[@michellnielsen7451]

I'm in my 30's so not a college student at all, BUT! just a few years ago I finally ventured out of skinless-boneless chicken breast and tried chicken thighs 'cause they're cheaper. Now I'm mad no one told me you can't really over-cook thighs like you can easily do with breast. Good starter chicken, lol. Just a little bit of season salt and a few tbsp of oil until they're crispy done!

[@tay_dod]

Haha I’m not in college but I’m 23 and absolutely hate the process of cooking raw chicken. It gives me the creeps 😳🤣. If you have access to an instant pot, I’d recommend buying frozen chicken and just cooking from frozen. Makes life so much easier haha

[@kimbardgett5095]

@@tay_dod yep that's good for someone who doesn't like the feel of raw chicken .

[@Fiery154]

Try it! Gotta second the chicken thighs tip. Just put some garlic salt on the bad boys and put them in the oven at like 350. Line the pan in foil and turn up the sides a bit to make for easy clean up. Worst thing that could happen is that you waste $4. Good luck!

[@Mimi-vw9jh]

Yes! Chips and cheese, chimichangas, speghettios, ramen, tuna salad and crackers were my college staples

[@yoyohaness]

Lol this brought back memories. I used to eat this weird tuna salad my freshman year: canned tuna, Mayo, shredded cheddar cheese, sweet relish, salt and pep, and sun chips. Sometimes I’d crush up the chips and mix it in. Sometimes I’d dip my chips in the tuna salad. Sounds weird, but it was so good.

[@yvonnepalmquist8676]

That sounds yummy.

[@nicolemartin2152]

Lol the knorr packet, I used to throw the veggies in with the rice as it cooked and then also a can of drained chicken. Dinner done.

[@victoriameredith629]

I set up my seasoned rice to cook and topped it with a frozen pre-cooked chicken breast filet-like you get in a big bag from Sam’s Club. I liked the mesquite. By the time the rice was done, the chicken was thawed and heated through.

[@breannesimmons729]

I made the best “wrap” ever when I was in college! No, I did not partake in any maryjuwana 😂. I used a burrito tortilla, leftover sweet ham, Totinos queso dip, and microwaved it to warm it all, then tossed lettuce on afterward and it was sooooo good

[@JenninKanata]

We don't have Rice-A-Roni style pasta here we just have the Knorr side kicks. And even for those who can cook these type of meals are great to have when you don't want to cook. You can have cooked chicken in the fridge throw it in with some veggies maybe from a can or Frozen with a pasta sidekick and you've got a meal. We used to get those burritos as well when I was in college or when I was working cuz I traveled well I used to make them at home with tortillas refried beans and cheese and salsa wrap them up and throw them in the microwave for thirty seconds to a minute and they tasted great too. That's a cheap meal that can stretch for multiple days.

[@kaitlyncramer1163]

23 min video??? WOOHOO!!!! and you know I already hit that thumbs up button ;)

[@cynthia-n9w]

Right? I just do it on reflex now even bf watching (if I wait till the end YT goes onto the nxt one and I forget).

[@jessicamessicaYT]

The kids look so much like their dad, especially the boy in the Batman shirt. Beautiful family!

[@michelleconcannon7584]

I'm in love with your earrings during the red beans and rice segment!

[@yvonnepalmquist8676]

One of my college go-to meals when I just had the microwave was a potato, as it makes a great canvas for all sorts of things: Canned soups/stews, chili or chili beans; cheese; broccoli & sour cream; eggs & salsa; cottage cheese & tomatoes, etc. For vegetables I often went with lettuce and the standard raw vegetables like carrots, cucumbers, and celery for a simple salad, as they were the cheapest, too.

[@erinj9642]

We had baked potato bar for dinner last night.

[@yvonnepalmquist8676]

@@erinj9642 I'm sure Christine gets tired of the potato idea, but for the rest of us it sounds fantastic 🤣

[@FrugalFitMom]

Great tip!

[@meganvalek2690]

This was basically a whole video of Christine burning her mouth after telling us not to. Haha.

[@lziniti]

OMG, I love the reminiscing of Thursday night TV!!!!! Friends and Seinfeld and ER were a must! My dad would call me around 7:30 that evening to check in and remind me it was Seinfeld night, and then on our Sunday night phone calls, we would discuss and laugh over it.

[@marywatkins6798]

I lived a poor college student life, and I ate cheaply. Pancakes for lunch or dinner is great. Cheap and very filling. Eggs in any form. Potatoes in any form. Both cheap, nutritious, and filling. Grilled cheese.

[@coolnessnumber1]

When I was in national service and living in an apartment with 8!! other girls, I used to eat cereal in the morning, lunch at where I worked, and then for dinner usually scrambled eggs with cucumber and tomato salad and toast. Alternatively, I'd make pasta with a jar of sauce and melted cheese on top. Such nostalgia. So many eggs. So many cucumbers and tomatoes. I feel like I also ate a lot of tuna fish sandwiches, and when I wanted to splurge, I would buy soy/vegetarian patties and have those. Also, a LOT of grilled cheese. We had a sandwich press so I would just do it in these, with ketchup and cheese. I remember hating to cook in that kitchen because it was so cramped and it was never clean so I would use the microwave and the sandwich press and that was pretty much it. Also, so many leftovers that I would bring from my parents house after being home on the weekend. When I moved into my first studio apartment in college, I finally learned to cook rice and ate a ton of fried rice, stirfry with egg noodles or rice noodles, lots of pasta, lots of omelets, and I also got over my fear of raw chicken and started making chicken breast. I am so glad to have branched out since then....

[@KindaNewHere]

Thank you for the work you put in on this Channel

[@jeannemcmillintwinlakeses3767]

HA!!! A sliced up apple and peanut butter are one of may favs. I keep a jar of PB in my desk at school and all I have to do is slice up the apple before I leave for work One of the most filling/satisfying lunch's.

[@drewbabez7336]

Those chimichangas and burritos are bomb in the air fryer with sour cream, lettuce. Tomatoes, and salsa on top mmmmm

[@sherlynpatterson4304]

A frugal substitute for salsa and sour cream is Great Value's Chipotle Ranch dressing. A tablespoon or two goes a long way.

[@Oururbanhomestead1966]

It's funny how many memories involve food lol. Another great video ☺️

[@ciaravalenzuela2467]

I didn't go to college but I remember cooking like this in the early days of my marriage. I was in my 20's and broke lol.

[@littlesquirrel5007]

I have eaten red beans and rice once a week for ALMOST 45 years. Grandma made it on Mondays, mom did too, and seems I do now as well. It's great tasting, cheap , and feeds a ton of PEOPLE. Yummy.

[@hollypepen4012]

I definitely ate those little microwavable pizzas too! Along the lines of the last recipe, I loved spreading cream cheese on a tortilla with thin sliced deli ham and rolling those up for lunch. A favorite snack was pimento cheese with pita crackers :)

[@ashleychase8586]

Salads! Spinach, raisins, walnuts, carrots and raspberry dressing was my college go to lunch.

[@dance31115]

As a current college student, I really appreciate this one

[@jmj1546]

Please make more videos like this. I need more budget meal ideas for a family of 4. I'm still looking for a job with no luck so far. Here's a tip...try dipping your toast in the cocoa or coffee YUM!!!

[@francihenderson8526]

Also, I use the heck out of the Tony Cha Cha (that’s what my best friend, who happens to be cajun, calls it, lol). My new favorite way to use it is to mix it with olive oil and make a paste and smear all over a whole chicken before air frying it. The skin gets all crispy and tastes like cajun bacon. So good.

[@maryrobinson2911]

Love this video- blast from the past of college days and early marriage days- Cinnamon and sugar mixed together on top of buttered bread under the broiler- YUM. , box mac and cheese with the powder cheese, potatoes au gratin from the package- you know- the dehydrated potatoes and powder cheese- spaghetti with Ragu meat sauce- yes the jar with the meat inside- how far we've come

[@callmesister]

Microwave a potato, heat up a can of chili on the stove or in the microwave, top the potato with chili, cheese and a dalop of sour cream 😁 delicious

[@tamarabunch7623]

My college go to was a package of ramen, cooked and drained. Add ground beef, about half the seasoning packet and whatever vegetables I had on hand. The kicker was a dollop of mayonnaise on top. I ate so many of those. Special weekend meals, we would cook a box of Rice a Roni and stuff a whole chicken with it. We'd roast the chicken and then have a feast. My mom would make these killer protein bars and painstakingly wrap each one in wax paper. With marching band practice and football games 6 nights a week, I could never eat enough at mealtimes during the day with classes. I went through 2-4 cans of Instant Breakfast every day. Loved this video Christine!

[@alyssaanne4674]

One of my favorite lazy college meals was cooking spaghetti, and mixing it with some vegan cream cheese, garlic powder, maybe a few other spices, thinned out with some milk of sort (usually almond). but most importantly, lots of black pepper. And topped it off with bacon bits (which happen to be vegan actually). Sort of a lazy carbonara if you will

[@StacyBlack1970]

Oh my gosh!!! You just brought back so many memories for me with regards to the hot chocolate and buttered toast. I used to eat that ever morning in high school. I always dipped the toast in the hot chocolate which allowed the buttery to swirl into the drink. BEST MEMORY EVER!!! Thank you for that!

[@TheDailyConnoisseur]

I enjoyed this video, Christine. I basically ate ham sandwiches and giant chocolate chip cookies for four years when I was in college. I shudder to think about it now! haha ~ Jennifer

[@maciahlorang3436]

Thank you for this video!! Next year I will be off the meal plan and I am so thankful that I found you!!

[@lanasova89]

Not a college kid anymore, but honestly if I was I'd really appreciate these ideas.

[@Olliivviiaa6]

I’m a college student and just moved out of my mom’s house in September. These videos have made me feel so much better about stressing over meals!! Thank you!!

[@shannonmarie6381]

That's awesome! I remember Thursday nights 20 years ago!!! I would turn the ringers off on our house phones cause no one was gonna interrupt Friends and ER!

[@FrugalFitMom]

😍

[@clittle1807]

That second one was my go to for kids lunches, or after school snacks when my children were little.

[@karenminten6292]

So much ramen! Grilled cheese, tomato soup, microwaved hot dogs. I'm glad I've upped my game.

[@amandaglover8976]

My fave thing to do with refried beans is to make a “pizza”. Use the beans like sauce on a little pita wrap (or tortilla) and top with tomato, onion and cheese, jalapeños or a dash of hot sauce and put them under the grill to melt the cheese. I grill the bottom of whatever is the base while I’m chopping the fixings. It’s so tasty. Aussie swap of grill for broiler or whatever you call it. 😊

[@angilareddy6642]

I get so excited when I see you have a new vid🤗 you have an awesome aura! (LOL not a hippie) you r so inviting and informative to ALL ages! Keep up the good work! 👍TX!

[@cherishawilliams9644]

Wow!! You just brought many memories of a PERFECT Thursday night!! ER was my favorite show at the time. I had a late class and would RUN all the way to the dorm to watch and eat something very similar.

[@audreyfrench7129]

I'm in my last semester of college - this video was very informative lol. It's encouraging to see that you really didn't know how to cook in college and ate a lot of microwave pizzas. There's hope for me yet!

[@shelbysteip8801]

I have only ever met one person who could cook really well in college/uni and she took a gap year for this program where she had to cook dinner for about 10 people once a week, so she had a lot of practise before she got there. I'm sure you are doing great! :)

[@Brianna_Little_Apple_Mama]

My husband and I were married young too! We actually froze all our italian wedding food leftovers and ate that for seriously 4 or so months. We ate fettuccini Alfredo with chicken, chicken Parmesan and spaghetti and meatballs. We would also go to Albertsons and get the best deals we could find. Lots of chili dogs, Mac and cheese with tuna and peas, frozen chicken thighs, hamburger helper, and spaghetti with marinara. Also almost every Wednesday we would get KFC Texas two step: chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, cole slaw and a biscuit!

[@nvo265]

In my scrambled eggs, I add a slice of processed cheese and seasoned it with garlic salt. I like to fry a bit of ground beef and onion while my KD is cooking, once the KD is prepared according to the box, I mix in the ground beef again, seasoned with garlic salt. Cheap and filling meal.

[@battlearmanda]

My college meals: Top ramen with frozen veggies and hot sauce or terriyaki; bagged lettuces/salad mixes with crushed saltines and homemade dad's ranch; and lots of soups in the crock pot (usually broth, onion, celery, carrots, diced tomatoes and either beans, rice or pasta). I'd also the cheapy $1 frozen tv dinner meals quite a bit.

[@yvonnepalmquist8676]

The great thing about eggs is they can be made in the microwave. I even do this for a work lunch. They make special stoneware for it, but I also have one that is Nordic Ware that holds two eggs perfectly.

[@Crackrzz]

I find I get lazy and they blow up. Good thing I have a splatter lid. But it's happened after I take them out, so I've become a bit phobic. With a small pan, it doesn't take much longer to make on the stove. Well, boiled does do.

[@yvonnepalmquist8676]

@@Crackrzz You can prevent that by poking the yolk.

[@karengibbs7723]

We did a lot of “dippy stuff” 1 lb cooked hamburger, 1 can refried beans, 1 small can of salsa, dump it all together and mix. Eat with whatever chip you have. You can also sprinkle cheese on top. Another thing was instant mashed potatoes with corn or green beans. Lastly can chicken and instant white rice, use the juice from the chicken and add a bit of water. I ate a lot of baked potatoes as well. I did a lot of freezer veggies that could be microwaved. Just add as needed.

[@crystalwaldroff5097]

😂 Me thinking 'didn't she say she gained a bunch of weight in college?' Christine, "this was when I gained 30lbs in two months..." My husband and I lived together while still in college and we ate a lot of hot pockets 😂😂

[@Jen-Chapin]

Hahaha SAME. And the crappy totinos pizzas 🍕

[@phyllisstein1837]

I managed to read you comment in adult fashion then sang the ending like I'm the commercial. "Hot Pockets!"

[@crystalwaldroff5097]

@@phyllisstein1837 if you don't sing it are you really living? 😂

[@karenadams8439]

Chicken and dumplins meal kits, pasta sides, dollar tv dinners where mvp in college. Also, I love your earrings on your day two/second outfit!!

[@rosegroshek1218]

Love this and love when you remind us that you are a real person! lol. Any college student who says they eat kale and salads and organic groceries are either lying or living at their parents house and not paying for their own food during college.

[@amandaramsay5934]

I used to live off those rice packs! Love them.

[@Crackrzz]

Rice packs are life. I tend to get the more plain ones, and whole grain (harder to get these days, my favourite brand got scarce of that type).

[@katkarrier]

I moved out with my boyfriend at 20, and while I'd cooked some at home, I hadn't needed to fully survive lol so we literally lived on hamburger helper, chicken nuggets, lunchables. It was awful! 7 years later, he raves about my cooking 🥰

[@stowie5790]

For dinner tonight, I had a black bean and mozzarella cheese rolled in a flour tortilla. Love them! I open a can of black beans, rinse well and drain. Then I put them in a storage container and when I get hungry, I just put it all together and microwave it for 30 seconds. I’ve also used up extra shredded chicken too! Back when I was in college, we did not have microwave so everything was cooked...lots of Mac and Cheese! Due to my crazy schedule, I would have bagged popcorn and hot chocolate for breakfast, granola bar and soda for lunch and candy bar with another soda for dinner. It was almost 40 years ago and this brings up so many memories!