This discussion is now closed.
Check out other Related discussions
- Going back to uni always makes me want to lose weight
- Habits
- How do I glow up for uni? - Desperate help needed for an ugly girl
- What's a normal amount to think about calories/your weight?
- Periods and revision
- Losing weight
- Beauty Tips
- What are your opinions on this weight?
- can you tell me if I am too wild?? is my behavior normal and fun or just bad????????
- Want to lose weight but hate gym environment
- Pilates and other workouts
- How long can most people go without binging?
- Eduqas GCSE English Language Paper 2 (C700U20-1 ) - 6th June 2024 [Exam Chat]
- Family judge me for caring about my health
- Unlovable/ feeing ugly.
- More tired after drinking coffee / energy drinks
- Am I a bad person for lying this way or justified?
- What helped you lose weight other than the gym
- How to gain weight
- Calorie deficit
How to eat healthy at University anyone!?
ok so going to uni is a big thing we have to cook ourselves and because some of us(like myself) havent a clue im scared that i will just resort to good old microwave meals everynight...but i dont want to do that, so any ideas for meals-healthy, would be very appriciated! thanks 
Scroll to see replies
Reply 1
15
Salads
Stuffed Peppers
They're my main two healthy meals. It's easy enough to just boil veg to put with other meals though.
Stuffed Peppers
They're my main two healthy meals. It's easy enough to just boil veg to put with other meals though.
Reply 2
lol right you are 
xx
xxReply 3
13
Asda do pre-cooked noodles so you just warm them - makes a stir fry even quicker and its healthy
Reply 4
Don't. Eat. Ready. Meals. Very often anyway. Besides the fact that most of them are full of crap, they work out more expensive on the whole than buying fresh food and cooking. Do a weekly shop, get plenty of fruit, veg, lean meat, pasta, tinned tomatoes and herbs etc and you can cook pretty much anything you like. Last year my weekly shop cost £20 average, with maybe another five or ten pounds over the week if I wanted something specific or ran out of anything.
Oh, also, get a recipe book. My friend had one that we used all year; healthy, easy recipes, none of which took too much time to prepare
Oh, also, get a recipe book. My friend had one that we used all year; healthy, easy recipes, none of which took too much time to prepare
Reply 5
Rice/pasta/ other carbs etc are pretty cheap & make a good base for a meal.
Stir-fries are cheap and quick, just chop up your veg, make sure the pan is hot enough, add oil, veg and/or meat, maybe sauce (though watch the sugar & salt; I usually just add some fresh ginger, garlic, soy sauce and honey), and eat with noodles/rice.
Make things like chilli con carne or curry in large amounts, then freeze what you don't eat that day so it's there for those occasions when you get in and really can't be arsed cooking.
Eggs are good for omlettes/scrambled eggs/etc, they're pretty foolproof.
Porridge is good for breakfast (especially with honey and cinnamon...mmm...); oats are dead cheap, you won't get hungry mid-morning, you can microwave it in 3 mins and it's nice and warm if your heating is crap and dies mid-winter...
Say no to pot noodles.
Stir-fries are cheap and quick, just chop up your veg, make sure the pan is hot enough, add oil, veg and/or meat, maybe sauce (though watch the sugar & salt; I usually just add some fresh ginger, garlic, soy sauce and honey), and eat with noodles/rice.
Make things like chilli con carne or curry in large amounts, then freeze what you don't eat that day so it's there for those occasions when you get in and really can't be arsed cooking.
Eggs are good for omlettes/scrambled eggs/etc, they're pretty foolproof.
Porridge is good for breakfast (especially with honey and cinnamon...mmm...); oats are dead cheap, you won't get hungry mid-morning, you can microwave it in 3 mins and it's nice and warm if your heating is crap and dies mid-winter...
Say no to pot noodles.
Reply 6
pasta and cous cous salads!
1) boil pasta or cous cous
2) slice up some cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, etc.
3) if you eat meat/dairy: add cheese, sliced boiled eggs, ham, chicken slices, tuna, or bacon
4) mix all with the pasta or cous cous and add non-fat dressing
1) boil pasta or cous cous
2) slice up some cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, etc.
3) if you eat meat/dairy: add cheese, sliced boiled eggs, ham, chicken slices, tuna, or bacon
4) mix all with the pasta or cous cous and add non-fat dressing
Reply 7
Just thought: having a jar of pesto sauce in the fridge to mix with cooked pasta is a good standby dinner.
Jacket potatoes can be microwaved, served with tinned tuna, cheese, beans, leftovers, etc.
Jacket sweet potatoes are even nicer though...
Jacket potatoes can be microwaved, served with tinned tuna, cheese, beans, leftovers, etc.
Jacket sweet potatoes are even nicer though...
Reply 8
Salads! And if you like bread/pasta/rice then make sure everything is wholewheat - much healthier!
Reply 9
Firstly, not all microwavable meals are bad for you. There are some, which don't contain excess levels of sodium and fat - M and S 'Count on Us' ready meals are actually quite good for you. They have plethora of different cusines and meals, so you could leave a few in the fridge for those moments when you really can't be bothered to cook.
However I would try cook as much as possible - there are so many quick and easy meals it's unreal! Here are a few you could try:-
Bagel Pizzas
From experience one or two bagels should be adaquate. Anyway all you need to do is half the bagels, then lightly toast (under the grill). Add some passata/pizza topping/ketchup (if you're that way inclined) a bit of cheese and some vegetable or meaty toppings. Put back under the grill for a couple of minutes until the cheese has melted nicely.
Pasta
Forget buying pasta sauces (except maybe Pesto) as they are usually hugely expensive! Here are a few sauces you can try:
Tomato Sauce - Fry some onions and a bit of garlic till lightly brown, add some canned tomatoes or passata, salt, pepper, a cup of water and a very small amount of tomato paste to taste. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10/15 minutes.
You can add balsamic/red wine vinegar for a slightly tartness or Lea & Perrins.
Ragu/Bolgnese - Same as above but fry the minced meat first until browned.
Other Tomato Based Sauces - From that tomato base you can make loads of little modifications just by adding tuna, broccoli or whatever floats your boat really!
Carbonara - The carbonara is actually so unbelievably easy as long as you don't 'scramble the eggs'. To be honest you can't beat the traditional Italian recipe - nevermind all this cream nonsense, which is dirty English trick.
Anyway if you're just cooking for yourself, you'll only need 1 large egg beaten. Then into this beaten egg add a little bit of parmesan or pecorino and the pancetta or crispy bacon (you must fry that off first). That's the sauce done. Now, when you have boiled your pasta, drain it but leave a very small amount of cooking water still amongst the pasta, just enough so the pasta doesn't go claggy. So put the pasta back in the pan and take away from the heat. Then pour in the sauce and quickly toss the pasta - let the residual heat cook the sauce. Serve immediately.
Pasta Bake - Use the basic tomato sauce, spoon over the pre-boiled pasta (make sure the pasta is a little undercooked as it will go too soft otherwise) add breadcrumbs and cheese on top. Place in the oven for 10-15 minutes.
Stirfries
The key is to make sure you cut all your vegetable to appropriate sizes, so they will all be thoroughly cooked. However a lot of supermarkets do some ready to wok noodles and vegatable bags, which are very handy! As far as sauces, a drop of oyster or soy sauce flavour stirfries nicely.
Meat/Fish
There are so many nice, affordable cuts of meat/fish around it seems silly not to take advantage.
Bake in the bag - Lay out a large piece of tin foil. Take any flat fish you want, add lemon, parsley, a little white wine or chicken stock and a few of your favourite vegetables finely diced. Wrap the foil up to make a envelope (hence why you need a large amount of foil) and steam bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or till cooked.
Burgers - honestly burgers can be healthy! Personally, I use turkey mince when I make burgers as it is usually less fatty and tastes delicious. If you're just making it for yourself all you need to do is add a little beaten egg (really not much at all!!), lots of pepper and salt, a sprinkle of dry herbs and a few finely chopped onions/breadcrumbs (optional) to your turkey mince. Mix it into a ball, if it's too sloppy add a touch of flour and breadcumbs to compensate. Then under the grill or fried until full cooked through.
Salads
Salads really arn't too difficult. Just experiment with different leaves - rocket, spinach, iceberg; different toppings - cheeses, cold meats (parma ham), fruits (sliced peaches/apples).
Dressing admittedly can be slightly more tricky. If you're really stuck for ideas try this site: http://recipes2.alastra.com/salad-dressings/
Eggs
Again so much simple stuff do with eggs.
Omlettes - I'll explain the basic procedure, lest you're not sure. Beat 2 eggs with a fork add a drop of milk. Add oil or butter to the pan, med- high heat, wipe round to grease the pan and add a touch more. Pour the eggs in the pan, and quickly push the mixture from the outside to the middle to cook evenly. It should come to a 'wobbly' consistency. People have a tendency to cook their omelettes way too long till the eggs are like rubber - wierd!
Scrambled Eggs on Toasts - same as above but mix in the pan more vigarously to seperate. Then you can add to toasted bagels and load up with salad, ham and a hp sauce etc.
Additional
Don't be afraid of vegetables - nearly all vegatbles can be cooked easily in the microwave. Just add a little bit of water to cover and cook till tender. You can boil potatoes in about 6 minutes!
Infact things like Cauliflower cheese are so easy to make. All you need to do is parboil your cauliflower, make a white sauce, add cheese and place under the grill. The white sauce isn't too difficult - there are plenty of recipes out there. Personally I use a roux method.
Overall, cooking can be a simple as you want it to be - just relax and enjoy it!
However I would try cook as much as possible - there are so many quick and easy meals it's unreal! Here are a few you could try:-
Bagel Pizzas
From experience one or two bagels should be adaquate. Anyway all you need to do is half the bagels, then lightly toast (under the grill). Add some passata/pizza topping/ketchup (if you're that way inclined) a bit of cheese and some vegetable or meaty toppings. Put back under the grill for a couple of minutes until the cheese has melted nicely.
Pasta
Forget buying pasta sauces (except maybe Pesto) as they are usually hugely expensive! Here are a few sauces you can try:
Tomato Sauce - Fry some onions and a bit of garlic till lightly brown, add some canned tomatoes or passata, salt, pepper, a cup of water and a very small amount of tomato paste to taste. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10/15 minutes.
You can add balsamic/red wine vinegar for a slightly tartness or Lea & Perrins.
Ragu/Bolgnese - Same as above but fry the minced meat first until browned.
Other Tomato Based Sauces - From that tomato base you can make loads of little modifications just by adding tuna, broccoli or whatever floats your boat really!
Carbonara - The carbonara is actually so unbelievably easy as long as you don't 'scramble the eggs'. To be honest you can't beat the traditional Italian recipe - nevermind all this cream nonsense, which is dirty English trick.
Anyway if you're just cooking for yourself, you'll only need 1 large egg beaten. Then into this beaten egg add a little bit of parmesan or pecorino and the pancetta or crispy bacon (you must fry that off first). That's the sauce done. Now, when you have boiled your pasta, drain it but leave a very small amount of cooking water still amongst the pasta, just enough so the pasta doesn't go claggy. So put the pasta back in the pan and take away from the heat. Then pour in the sauce and quickly toss the pasta - let the residual heat cook the sauce. Serve immediately.
Pasta Bake - Use the basic tomato sauce, spoon over the pre-boiled pasta (make sure the pasta is a little undercooked as it will go too soft otherwise) add breadcrumbs and cheese on top. Place in the oven for 10-15 minutes.
Stirfries
The key is to make sure you cut all your vegetable to appropriate sizes, so they will all be thoroughly cooked. However a lot of supermarkets do some ready to wok noodles and vegatable bags, which are very handy! As far as sauces, a drop of oyster or soy sauce flavour stirfries nicely.
Meat/Fish
There are so many nice, affordable cuts of meat/fish around it seems silly not to take advantage.
Bake in the bag - Lay out a large piece of tin foil. Take any flat fish you want, add lemon, parsley, a little white wine or chicken stock and a few of your favourite vegetables finely diced. Wrap the foil up to make a envelope (hence why you need a large amount of foil) and steam bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or till cooked.
Burgers - honestly burgers can be healthy! Personally, I use turkey mince when I make burgers as it is usually less fatty and tastes delicious. If you're just making it for yourself all you need to do is add a little beaten egg (really not much at all!!), lots of pepper and salt, a sprinkle of dry herbs and a few finely chopped onions/breadcrumbs (optional) to your turkey mince. Mix it into a ball, if it's too sloppy add a touch of flour and breadcumbs to compensate. Then under the grill or fried until full cooked through.
Salads
Salads really arn't too difficult. Just experiment with different leaves - rocket, spinach, iceberg; different toppings - cheeses, cold meats (parma ham), fruits (sliced peaches/apples).
Dressing admittedly can be slightly more tricky. If you're really stuck for ideas try this site: http://recipes2.alastra.com/salad-dressings/
Eggs
Again so much simple stuff do with eggs.
Omlettes - I'll explain the basic procedure, lest you're not sure. Beat 2 eggs with a fork add a drop of milk. Add oil or butter to the pan, med- high heat, wipe round to grease the pan and add a touch more. Pour the eggs in the pan, and quickly push the mixture from the outside to the middle to cook evenly. It should come to a 'wobbly' consistency. People have a tendency to cook their omelettes way too long till the eggs are like rubber - wierd!
Scrambled Eggs on Toasts - same as above but mix in the pan more vigarously to seperate. Then you can add to toasted bagels and load up with salad, ham and a hp sauce etc.
Additional
Don't be afraid of vegetables - nearly all vegatbles can be cooked easily in the microwave. Just add a little bit of water to cover and cook till tender. You can boil potatoes in about 6 minutes!
Infact things like Cauliflower cheese are so easy to make. All you need to do is parboil your cauliflower, make a white sauce, add cheese and place under the grill. The white sauce isn't too difficult - there are plenty of recipes out there. Personally I use a roux method.
Overall, cooking can be a simple as you want it to be - just relax and enjoy it!
Reply 10
Thank you so much, I love your tips Andrew_2006! Will definitely try the sauces and the turkey burger
Reply 11
19
Well, I was going to write you a decent reply, but I think Andrew_2006 just pwned everyone here 
So just a few of my quick favourites:
Pasta + pesto + cheese
Stir fry
Boiled potatoes + veg + baked chicken or fish (wrap in tin foil, chuck in some herbs, salt, pepper and lemon juice, and cook until done! It's fine to peek inside the foil during cooking to see if it's done or not)
Brie, tomato and basil bread roll + yoghurt + water
So just a few of my quick favourites:
Pasta + pesto + cheese
Stir fry
Boiled potatoes + veg + baked chicken or fish (wrap in tin foil, chuck in some herbs, salt, pepper and lemon juice, and cook until done! It's fine to peek inside the foil during cooking to see if it's done or not)
Brie, tomato and basil bread roll + yoghurt + water
Reply 12
Chi*Chi
Thank you so much, I love your tips Andrew_2006! Will definitely try the sauces and the turkey burger
Glad you like them! Let me know how you get on.
If anyone wants any more recipes just tell me what you like and I'll start racking my brain!
Reply 13
Last night, I made a curry using a store-bought sauce. If you buy the "light" or "healthy" option, you'll save on a lot of fat and calories. Top up the flavor with spices of your own (better for you than cream!). I added lean turkey breast, spinach, and chickpeas. Eat that with some brown rice instead of naan or pilau rice.
I second the comment on burgers--a turkey burger, well seasoned, and eaten with a side of homemade baked sweet potato fries is a healthy meal option.
I second the comment on burgers--a turkey burger, well seasoned, and eaten with a side of homemade baked sweet potato fries is a healthy meal option.
Reply 14
15
shady lane
I second the comment on burgers--a turkey burger, well seasoned, and eaten with a side of homemade baked sweet potato fries is a healthy meal option.
Turkey is an underated meat (seriously!)... I know people assosiate it with Christmas and all the trimmings, but it's really lean and not too expensive.
Reply 15
cooking is a nice relief from the monotony of doing sod all for the best part of the day. Oversee yours fellow flat or housemates. Gradually glide in with helping them.
There are lots of books for student cooking that start really really really basic. You could get one of them. (I never ever used mine mind you). Another thing is to buy a sandwhich toaster. Simple things to use and you can vary all sorts of bread type products and bung on anything you like. (Having said that, I rarely used mine as well).
There are lots of books for student cooking that start really really really basic. You could get one of them. (I never ever used mine mind you). Another thing is to buy a sandwhich toaster. Simple things to use and you can vary all sorts of bread type products and bung on anything you like. (Having said that, I rarely used mine as well
).Reply 16
*River
Turkey is an underated meat (seriously!)... I know people assosiate it with Christmas and all the trimmings, but it's really lean and not too expensive.
I got a load last year when it was on offer at Tescos... aint too bad tbh. Not as good as chicken though... tends to be a bit tasteless IMO.
Reply 17
fresh tomato pasta sauce
heat up 2 table spoons of oil in a frying pan
add half a vubed (as small as possible) onion
keep mixing and stirring until they go brown.
add one tomato diced.
let it cook.
heat until steaming hot
put into a bowl and smoosh until you get a texture you want
add onto hot pasta
option- add cheese
costs about £1 in total to make.
heat up 2 table spoons of oil in a frying pan
add half a vubed (as small as possible) onion
keep mixing and stirring until they go brown.
add one tomato diced.
let it cook.
heat until steaming hot
put into a bowl and smoosh until you get a texture you want
add onto hot pasta
option- add cheese
costs about £1 in total to make.
Reply 18
don't get to eat healthy, damn catered accomodation 
Reply 19
19
herbal bug
fresh tomato pasta sauce
heat up 2 table spoons of oil in a frying pan
add half a vubed (as small as possible) onion
keep mixing and stirring until they go brown.
add one tomato diced.
let it cook.
heat until steaming hot
put into a bowl and smoosh until you get a texture you want
add onto hot pasta
option- add cheese
costs about £1 in total to make.
heat up 2 table spoons of oil in a frying pan
add half a vubed (as small as possible) onion
keep mixing and stirring until they go brown.
add one tomato diced.
let it cook.
heat until steaming hot
put into a bowl and smoosh until you get a texture you want
add onto hot pasta
option- add cheese
costs about £1 in total to make.
If you're feeling even cleverer you can skin the tomato first. Blanch it in boiling water for about 15 seconds and then lift it out using a slotted spoon. Peel the skin off the tomato using a knife. You should be able to handle it with your hands as the inside will still be cold and the outside will cool down quickly ;yes;
Related discussions
- Going back to uni always makes me want to lose weight
- Habits
- How do I glow up for uni? - Desperate help needed for an ugly girl
- What's a normal amount to think about calories/your weight?
- Periods and revision
- Losing weight
- Beauty Tips
- What are your opinions on this weight?
- can you tell me if I am too wild?? is my behavior normal and fun or just bad????????
- Want to lose weight but hate gym environment
- Pilates and other workouts
- How long can most people go without binging?
- Eduqas GCSE English Language Paper 2 (C700U20-1 ) - 6th June 2024 [Exam Chat]
- Family judge me for caring about my health
- Unlovable/ feeing ugly.
- More tired after drinking coffee / energy drinks
- Am I a bad person for lying this way or justified?
- What helped you lose weight other than the gym
- How to gain weight
- Calorie deficit
Latest
Trending
Last reply 1 day ago
What's Your Go-To Cheap Meal as a Student?Last reply 6 days ago
What food item are you currently craving?Last reply 1 week ago
TSR Rate My Plate: post a picture of your delicious food!Last reply 1 month ago
Which way round do you eat chocolate digestives?Last reply 1 month ago
what's your favourite ice cream brand?Last reply 2 months ago
how long can you leave cooked chicken out?Last reply 2 months ago
Favourite foods your grandmother madeLast reply 3 months ago
Coffee & Studying: A Perfect Match?
