A College Kid's Guide to Microwave Meals

I've been meaning to lose some weight. Really, looking at pictures from high school depresses me in regards to my weight. I think every college girl goes through this. Well, recently, I can proudly and honestly say I've succeeded in doing that; unfortunately, it hasn't been through the means I entended. In fact, I should make a conscious effort to pay better attention to my health. You see, I haven't had much time for real food. Meals at the caf are history, at least right now.

Between a 10-15 hour on-campus job (doing Internet Communications work), an Internet Comm internship for Illinois Corn Marketing Board, and my free-lance video job, on top of class...where does food fit?

Well, there's one type of food that I know I can always have time/space/room for. It's easy to eat it in computer labs, classrooms, dining areas, and my dorm room. Microwave meals.

I've spent plenty of time reconnecting with this forgotten friend lately. If it weren't for microwaves, I probably wouldn't eat.

These used to be limited to frozen TV dinners and Spaghettios. No more! I do love Spaghettios, but sometimes you want something that feels more like "real" food. Well, here's my list of favorites. Most of these are straight forward and just require proper administration of water. They're in no particular order.

1. Easy Mac, and Easy Velveeta. These are both wonderful for different reasons. Easy Mac has that classic Mac-n-Cheese feel. Easy Velveeta has a richer, thicker sauce and shell-shaped noodles. I love both, separate but equal. What I also love about these is that you can add stuff. I've done some experimenting, and you can really customize this stuff. Adding veggies, meat (canned or pouched chicken is my favorite) and all types of seasonings. Garlic Easy Mac is surprisingly delicious! When I'm around the dorm room and have access to a fridge/freezer, I like to add fresh or frozen veggies (obviously microwave the frozen veggies) like broccoli.
2. Bowl Appetit. The ones I've tried have been pretty tasty, although they don't seem to microwave as smoothly as some. Part of this problem is probably that the sauce powder is pre-mixed with the noodles, so you don't have quite as much control.
3. Marie Callender's Home-Style Creations. I love these because of the quality. They're surprisingly tasty, and there are plenty of wonderful options to pick from. The idea here is that the carb product (noodles, rice, or stuffing) is microwaved with water and strained out separately. You then warm and add the sauce and meat product, which is in a separate container. I've eaten three or four of these in the last week and have been pleasantly surprised with the quality and taste each time.
4. Hormel ComplEATS. These are closer to the "TV Dinner" style. These highly-preserved meals aren't necessarily perfect, but they're better than nothing. They don't need refrigeration, and it's as easy as taking off the cardboard cover, stabbing the plastic top, and popping it in the microwave. My favorite is the Chicken and Dumpling, but I was definitely not expecting how good the Beef Roast and gravy meal was. You could tell it was real beef, which isn't always the case with microwave meals. The mashed potatoes were a little odd texture-wise, but I was still pleased. Other great options include a variety of stews and "homestyle" meals like Turkey and Stuffing and Chili.
5. Campbell's Healthy Choice Soup. If you can find it in the microwave-safe foam-and-plastic container, that's ideal. Because of the mixture of broth, veggies, and noodles, this is surprisingly filling and can tide you over for longer than you'd expect. You can also go with traditional Campbell's soups. The Healthy Choice selection is a little narrower, but is often lower in sodium and tends to have more "natural" ingredients and fewer preservatives. If you want more variety, just look at the Campbell's range as a whole, and not just the Healthy Choice products. (I know, most college kids are just happy to have food, regardless of this stuff. I just feel that some honesty is needed.)

I know these aren't really the ideal "healthy benefits" foods. They're food, though, and they're easy. They can be stashed in any purse, book bag, or computer bag fairly reliably. (I've never had one bust open in a bag...yet, knock on wood.) Most of these offer some sort of balance between carbs and protein, and some actually do have some nutritional content beyond calories.

The important thing to keep in mind that even if you can't get access to the healthiest food, you DO need to eat. College, work, and social lives at this stage in our lives...well, it's difficult. You'd be amazed where you can find random microwaves on college campuses. More than once, I've found the staff/faculty lounges late at night and used those. Many of our academic buildings have student lounges will microwaves. (My favorite is the Art and Design building, where I've pulled several all-nighters in the last few years. I once spent 12 hours straight working on a painting, with some down time during drying.)

So, there you have it. A poor, starving college kid's outlook on microwaveable food. They're cheap, they don't need refrigeration, and they will fill your tummy. With that out there, I need to head to one of my three jobs.

Good luck on finals, moving home, graduation, and the like. I know at my school, we're buckling down for the final weeks (which is incredibly stressful on a ten-week schedule), but everyone else is either finishing up or done.

A Full Intern is a Happy Intern

There's one dilemma that most "young professionals" face: food. Whether you're trying to survive on cafeteria fare and dorm room cooking, or you're struggling to keep yourself nourished on an unpaid internship, living in some apartment in the city, food can be an issue. Never fear, I've compiled a list of thrifty, tasty ideas. These "dishes" are a combination of my own ideas, suggestions from others in similar situations, and some creative searching.

Pouched/Canned Proteins

If you're completely against preservatives, pass on this section. If you're willing to deal with them for the sake of eating, stick around. Just about anything comes in a pouch or can anymore, although the most common ones are chicken and fish. They're also the most versatile. You can use them to make complete meals, or add them to your favorite microwavable goods to mix things up.

I love salmon in a pouch. Granted, it's no 5-star fillet, but some lemon juice and pepper can make it taste pretty snazzy.

Chicken, usually in a can, can be added to things like Bowl Appetit and Easy Mac dishes for a source of protein. Fish can be, too, but I'm picky and I think chicken goes better with this stuff. Yeah.

Also, BACON comes in a pouch now. I don't mean, like, tofu-shaped-and-seasoned-and-colored like bacon. I mean BACON. Pre-cooked bacon. It has to be refrigerated, yeah, but it's a fairly cheap (and convenient) way to add AWESOMENESS to your dish. (I'm a bacon-lover...I'm sorry if you're a vegetarian. Please don't be offended by my love of eating animals.)

Soups

I love Ramen noodles with a passion...they're actually my biggest comfort food. HOWEVER, if you have a little more wiggle room, I'd suggest "real soup." Soup is great because a little can go a long way; for most people, soup increases feelings of fullness where other foods may fall flat. It's because of the combination of liquid and solid. I really, really, really like Campbell's Select Harvest soups. Obviously, there's plenty of variety here.

Cans of soup are cheapest, but the microwavable bowls are pretty handy. I spend a lot of time eating my lunch at my desk (at both of my office jobs) and those are ideal. All I need to remember of my own is a spoon.

Hot Cereals

Buying in bulk is an option for these guys. I love Quaker's giant tubular oatmeal containers. If you want the cheapest option, buy big bags/boxes/tubes/whatever. If you want quick convenience, there's those little individual-serving pouches. Either way, the "just add water" prep methods for most hot cereals make them idea for fast-paced life. They're cheap, and very customizable. Fruit, raisins, CRAISINS (yum), nuts, brown sugar, honey, syrup...yeah, you can add whatever the heck you want to to these hot cereals. Mmmmm!

Obviously, this is just the tip of the ice berg. Duh. Food is full of millions of untapped options and ideas. The best idea? Just play around. Invent your own delicious dorm room delicacies. Fry up some cheap, intern-friendly inventions. Regardless of what your taste is (unless you're just snobby, but we all know you aren't, right?) there's plenty of inexpensive, flexible, tasty ideas for you to develop and pursue!