<p>Mmm, Ramen, a quarter a pack, 3 times a day, only 75 cents. But 50%?!? sodium... And I read someone here attributed Maruchan's high sodium to headaches. So yeah, got any ideas on cheap food that's not torture? I think PBJ isn't too expensive, except it's PBJ. And that's all I got. Also, feel free to chime in with drink suggestions. I see Capri Sun is $2 for 10, 20 cents a pack...</p>
<p>what about those 100 calories pack? milk and cereal?</p>
<p>I have to second milk and cereal.</p>
<p>My understanding is that most of the sodium is in the broth, so you can avoid a lot of it by just not drinking the water.</p>
<p>Yeah. Cook the Ramen but dump the broth and add peas, carrots, mushrooms, meat or cubed tofu, etc. and you actually end up with a decently healthy and appetizing meal . . .</p>
<p>Some good cheap meals that you can make with just a fridge and microwave:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Kraft Mac & Cheese. Not Easy Mac, the real stuff. You can cook it in the microwave by adding 1 3/4 cups of water to the noodles and cooking uncovered for 5 minutes. Stir and cook another 5 1/2 minutes. Then add the 1/4 cup of milk and the cheese sauce. Buy your Mac & Cheese in the multi-pack, it's pretty cheap that way.</p></li>
<li><p>Peanut Butter & Jelly. A big jar of peanut butter and a big jar of jelly aren't overly expensive and should last you a good while. All you'll need is a loaf of your favorite bread every so often. I like mine on rye, personally, and recommend Beefsteak brand bread if you want a good rye. I also recommend a tall cool glass of milk with this.</p></li>
<li><p>Hot Dogs. Ball Park sells an eight pack of franks that are individually wrapped and easily microwavable. Each pack comes with a coupon for like 50 cents or so off your next purchase of them. Get the beef ones, they're a bit more expensive but taste better. Buns are pretty cheap in most areas and a jar of mustard should last you a good while as well.</p></li>
<li><p>Store Brand Frozen Veggies. I don't know how many of you like to snack on vegetables, especially cooked ones, but if you buy your store brand's frozen veggies you can get a good deal and can nuke them in the microwave.</p></li>
<li><p>Crackers and Peanut Butter. Saltine crackers (Premium, etc) aren't overly expensive and go nice with peanut butter. You can also get Ritz crackers for a bit more money. Alternately use cheese, get the block of cheese and cut it using a grapefruit knife.</p></li>
<li><p>Dunkaroos. 'Nuff said.</p></li>
<li><p>Cereal. It's already been said but I'll say it again. I keep a box of it next to my desk at most times. Cheerios are great right out of the box, and I personally like Wheaties this way as well. But a real treat is Shredded Wheat with peanut butter.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Also, if you really want to be cheap, ask for extra ketchup, mustard, mayo, napkins, straws, salt, etc whenever you go for fast food. Those napkins are really handy to have in your car.</p>
<p>Chunky Soup</p>
<p>^ I second that. Also a big fan of Campbell's condensed vegetarian vegetable.</p>
<p>There are some nicer brands of ramen out there which, if I recall correctly, do not cost much more than Maruchan. All-natural seaweed ramen tastes infinitely better than your typical Instant Lunch.</p>
<p>if you eat tuna, its always on sale.
pasta</p>
<p>DO you have a kitchen or just a microwave and mini fridge?</p>
<p>I'll add:
Healthy and cheap
Protein: eggs, canned beans Carbs: brown rice</p>
<p>For the super cheap:</p>
<p>rice in large bags</p>
<p>potatos on sale</p>
<p>learn to bake or get a breadmaker at a yard sale
(ingredients for a loaf of bread cost ~$0.25)</p>
<p>fruit from fruit stands or marked down in the grocery store
(freeze and make into smoothies w/ a little milk)
brown-ripe bananas make the sweetest smoothies w/ strawberries or peaches</p>
<p>get your macaroni and cheese powder in bulk (@coop-type store)
buy your macaroni in bulk. Cuts the cost in half.</p>
<p>To cheaply inprove your quality of eating:</p>
<p>Learn to cook sauces, soups, casseroles, indian food, mexican food.
Yum.</p>
<p>chicken piccata and veal parmigiana</p>
<p>Good thinking on the hot dogs:-)</p>
<p>Also, good on the dumping the broth. Usually, I dump half the broth after I cook so the top noodles won't burn me and I still have some to sip.</p>
<p>BTW, how much $ do you spend on eating per day/week/month or whatever?</p>
<p>Ooh, good idea on cheap fruits and smoothiess.</p>
<p>BTW, I bought a 25c single maruchan chicken noodle thing to try and save money compared to the 33c per unit cylinder packkk... Ack! No fake shrimp, carrots, corn, just noodles and broth o.o lol</p>
<p>Also, I just noticed that a Ramen only has 200 calories. Even though I'm just 110lbs, more calories=good!</p>
<p>AFPrep850: That **** is so unhealthy.
I mean peanut butter, jelly, cereal?
No wonder Americans are considered fat..</p>
<p>I have a couple of healthy and cheap suggestions:
Oat Meal with milk. Add jelly if you want to for flavor.
Pasta, Vegetable oil, tuna/chicken
a protein shake of eggs, milk, bananas, oat and something more for desired flavor.
Snacks would be nuts or sunflower seeds, they are healthy and nutricious.
Just don't eat too much salt. Sunflower seeds are really cheap, nuts might be a bit more expensive.</p>
<p>I'm not so much interested in healthy as I am in non toxic food (greasy, salty).</p>
<p>same here, i don't really care about getting fat. in fact, i need to gain weight, any more tips on making cheap, easy, tasty, healthy,high-calory meals.</p>
<p>Depending on where you live, it's not too late to start a garden and get yourself some inexpensive veggies for awhile. If you live in a city, there are often sites for community gardens.</p>
<p>I live in Downtown Atlanta, no garden, it's ok, nearby Publix and Kroger.</p>