15 Easy & Cheap Meals That Aren't Ramen

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Just because you're in college doesn't mean you need to eat like you are. Small budgets and a lack of resources can result in students thinking that they need to subsist on Cup o' Noodles and Easy Mac. That's not the case! There are plenty of ways to make delicious and cheap meals using what you have in your apartment already! For more recipes like these head to Brit + Co.

You may think living in a college dorm means the end of good cooking and a constant diet of bad cafeteria food and Pop Tarts, but if you’ve got a waffle maker, a microwave and a mug, you can turn into a pretty incredible home cook with the right recipes — and we have 25 of ‘em for you! Most of these dishes are ready within 10 minutes, making them perfect for whipping up in between classes or for late-night study breaks. From ramen hacks to meals in a mug, you’ll be blown away by the gourmet meals you can make right from your dorm room.

1. Ramen Stir Fry: Skip the flavor packet this time around and turn your attention to that super cheap, pre-measured serving of quick-cooking noodles that you can do anything with! The twirly ramen noodles are fun to eat, and you can throw all kinds of veggies and spices into them. (viaSoup Addict)

2. Mac in a Mug: It doesn’t come out of a box or use mysterious cheese powder, but it does taste amazing! Bonus: It makes only one serving, so the eating-all-five-servings temptation is eliminated. (via The Better Martha)

3. Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars: Granola bars are an absolute lifesaver when you’re in a rush, but why are those little bars so expensive? For the college student on a budget, try these super delicious bars that are healthy for you and made in the microwave! (via Bakerita)

4. Cocoa Mocha: If you don’t have a coffee maker, but you do have a microwave, then you can make this frothy, delicious coffee with instant coffee and hot chocolate. Naturally we topped our beverage with marshmallows. (via Brit + Co)

5. Waffle Maker Hash Browns: We had no idea there were so many uses for the waffle iron! Making hash browns in a waffle maker gives them the perfect amount of brown crispy goodness. (via Macheesmo)

6. Chocolate Muffin: If it’s called a muffin, we can eat it for breakfast, right? Right? (via Dessert With Benefits)

7. Eggs in a Nest: This healthy breakfast can literally be made in 30 seconds! You’ll be getting protein and some fiber if you use whole wheat bread, making this breakfast better than most of the greasy things available in the cafeteria. (via Brit + Co)

8. Mexican Corn in a Cup: Mexican corn is a fabulous combo of corn, a dash of cream, some cayenne pepper and lots of salty queso fresca. You could eat this on its own or nuke some quesadillas for a mini Mexicanfiesta! (via Little Inspiration)

9. Microwave Salmon: Don’t hate it until you’ve tried it! We think you’ll be amazed by how good this salmon dinner turns out even in a microwave. (via Savory Sweet Life)

10. Waffle Pizza: Don’t order in again. Pull out that waffle iron and try making a pizza crust! You could even have a mini pizza party with the roommates where everyone gets to pick a topping. (via Waffleizer)

11. Cinnamon Apple and Banana Oatmeal: Add fresh (easy) or frozen fruit (EASIER!) to your oatmeal to give it an extra boost. Plus, nothing is more warming than cinnamon oatmeal when that walk across the quad start to get chillier. (via Brit + Co)

12. Taco in a Bag: You can only eat at Taco Bell so many times before you start craving some homemade Mexican food. Try this easy “taco” that won’t even get any dishes dirty, making clean up a breeze. (via Betty Crocker)

13. Ramen Pad Thai: Get crazy with some Asian fusion and make pad Thai out of those old ramen noodles. Just add fish sauce, fresh lime and a handful of peanuts to the spice packet, and you’ve done some impressive ramen hacking. (via Serious Eats)

14. Falafel Waffles: These falafel-filled pita wedges are made in the waffle iron and make a great grab-and-go lunch for long days of classes. You can fill them with falafel and Greek yogurt and not worry about them dripping on your cute outfit like a traditional falafel wrap. (via Serious Eats)

15. 10 Minute Risotto Cups: Forget standing over a stove for an hour, these delicious dinners are made in the microwave in less time than it takes to agree on what to watch on Netflix tonight. We tried a couple different flavor combos like butternut squash + sage and bacon + kale. (via Brit + Co)

National Chuck Wagon Championship Cook Off

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Starting September 11th through the 13th you can experience the National Chuck Wagon Championship Cook-Off right here in Lubbock! Winners of the competition can win prizes upwards of $10,000! Only a limited number of tickets are available to the public so make sure you get yours early and fast before they run out. For more information head to Everything Lubbock.

The National Cowboy Symposium & Celebration hosts the National Chuck Wagon Championship Cook-Off in Lubbock, Texas, September 12th, 2015. The full Symposium is held September 11-12-13th at the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center and Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts.

The annual Cook-Off boasts one of the largest chuck wagon gatherings in the nation, with wagon crews competing trophy buckles, cash awards, and prizes of over $10,000. Each wagon is required to prepare a complete meal of chicken fried steak, pinto beans, potatoes, fruit cobbler and bread. The cooking competition team consists of one head cook, one assistant cook, and two helpers. The head cook is responsible for appropriate equipment and wagon authenticity, meal preparation, and cleanliness of the wagon camp area. Judges’ scores are compiled to award winners in each of five divisions: Bread, Meat, Potatoes, Beans, Dessert and Overall High Food Point. Wagons are also judged on the camp and wagon authenticity and prizes are awarded in the Ranch Wagon and Trail Wagon divisions.

A limited number of meal tickets are available for the public to enjoy the same competition prepared meals on Saturday, September 12th. Advance purchase is highly recommended. Tickets may be purchased online in the NCSC Store and mail-in order forms may also be found on the web site atwww.cowboy.org .

The purpose of the Symposium is to celebrate, preserve and pass along our western heritage and cowboy culture for those who know and love it, and for those who have never known it before to learn from and enjoy it as well. To carry out these goals, the event schedule includes musical entertainers, poetry and storytelling, western writer’s panel, horse handling demonstrations, Farrier Demonstrations, a horse parade, chuck wagon cook-off, and exhibits of western artworks and merchandise. The event features award winning entertainers like Cowboy Celtic, Pipp Gillette, and Craig Carter along with many other talented performers.

The 27th Annual event includes exhibit spaces filled with western art and goods, chuck wagons and special presenters on “The Influence of Celtic Cultures on the American West.”

One of the largest events annually held in Lubbock, the Symposium draws visitors from 20-30 states and multiple nations, and people from more than 30 nations have attended in the previous twenty-one years.

The event has activities for the entire family! Show goers will be able pick and choose from a full schedule of entertainers, western programs, and activities each day of the event. A schedule of events and ticket information may be found on the official web site at www.cowboy.org. All-inclusive, one-price, “Wrangler Pass” and “Rustler Pass” admission tickets are available prior to the event. The Wrangler passes allow admission and meals for all three days and the Rustler pass is an all-inclusive one day pass for Friday or Saturday. Individual tickets may be purchased in advance through the office, on the web site, or in person upon arrival at the event.

The show is open to the public Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, September 11-12-13th at the Lubbock Memorial Civic Center, 1501 Mac Davis Lane (6th Street), and Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts, 511 avenue K in Lubbock, Texas.

(News release from The National Cowboy Symposium & Celebration)

College Apartment Essentials

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Living on your own in a college apartment is exciting! It’s your first real taste of freedom without an RA to supervise you day and night like in your dorm room. Decorating your first apartment however, can be difficult. You’re still unsure of what exactly you need and you don’t have much money to spend. According to Gina-Alyse, these are the essential things that everyone needs in their college apartment.

Freshman year of college, I couldn’t wait to have my own kitchen and my own apartment. Having an apartment, even an on-campus apartment, opens you up to what life is like living away from home. You have the option to cook for yourself, decorate a larger space, host more guests and take on more responsibility. I love how my apartment felt more like home, and I love living with my closest friends! After living in the apartment for a semester, I am now so excited to decorate my space and make the most out of living in an apartment so close to my classes and activities! If you are moving into an apartment, I hope to help you all too with making decisions about your space too!

For the Kitchen:

1. Pampered Chef Micro-Cooker: This Micro-Cooker does WONDERS for dorm room food creations. Microwave soups, vegetables, pasta, mac & cheese, chicken, rice, leftovers or anything you can imagine! In your apartment, it is so easy to microwave anything in here for quick, on-the-go meals.

2. Extra cups and dishes for guests: Now that you have an apartment, take advantage of having guests over and entertaining by making dinner together or doing theme nights. Always make sure you have extra dishes around.

3. Take-out menus: For those nights you don’t feel like cooking and would like to eat in!

4. Brita Water Filter: While this is personal preference, I’ve been loving my water pitcher for filling up my water bottle/tumblr everyday and making sure I’m drinking enough water.

5. Bags to carry groceries: Use some recyclable bags to carry groceries up the stairs of your apartment or across the parking lot. They are so much easier to use than the plastic kind and they are a greener option!

6. Blender: For making smoothies, milkshakes and other different sauces, salsa or food items! I have heard great things about the Nutribullet Blender, especially since it is a great size for living in a college apartment. For smoothies, I recommend the Smoothie Smart Blender. I’ve been using it for the past year and a half, and it’s been great for smoothies and soups. Plus, it is really budget-friendly!

7. Olive oil or coconut oil: use a healthier oil option for your cooking in your apartment. Coconut and olive oil are two good options!

8. Handy baking supplies: We keep a community baking cabinet in our apartment, which means that any one of my roommates can use the flour, sugar, vanilla, sprinkles, salt, etc. to bake cookies, cupcakes, etc. for events around campus.

9. Tumbler cup or reusable water bottle: These are perfect for on-the-go around campus and my go-to to saving plastic from using water bottles.

For your room:

10. Floor lamps + extra lighting: check to make sure there is enough light in your room! I had to buy a floor lamp to bring in some extra light for my room this year, and it was the best decision I made!

11. Command Hooks: These are so necessary in college, especially if you are living on campus and want to decorate your room to match your style!

12. Pictures of you and your college friends: Update your picture frames or your wall with more current pictures of you and your friends to remember your first years of college together.

13. Extra blankets + chairs: These come in handy in case you have out-of-town friends come to visit and stay in your apartment living room or if you have extra room to have guests over and hang out!

For apartment decoration:

14. More wall art! You will have extra wall space in your apartment with your living room, so make sure you collaborate with your roommates to spice up the walls. Because our walls were a little too white, we ended up making a 6′ x 3′ fabric wall art with supplies from Home Depot and the local craft store. It was very similar to this tutorial. As the year went on, we continued to add decorations to make the apartment feel more like home.

15. Fake flowers or fresh plants: This is a personal preference, but plants bring such life to a space!

16. Dry erase board for roommate messages: This has been such a good idea so far with communicating roommate messages and notes of inspiration! We keep ours right by the door so we see any notes we leave before or after class.

For excursions:

17. Sleeping bag: A sleeping bag comes in handy for sleepovers, camping trips, retreats and so many more things in college. If you have friends spend the night in your apartment, or if you just want to stay warm at night, a sleeping bag should be on your packing list!

For a healthy, clean apartment life:

18. Apartment cleaning schedule: Our apartment created a cleaning schedule, which listed who had each chore for the week. We included chores like emptying the dishwasher, taking out the trash, vacuuming, dusting and cleaning the kitchen floors and counters. This way, we all know who is responsible for each item every week and it keeps it more orderly and clean.

19. Extra Clorox wipes: We go through these so quickly and easily! I like to use them for cleaning nearly everything–you never know when you will need some.

Time To Move In

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It is almost time to come back to Texas Tech for the fall semester. Are you moving into ULofts Apartments for the first time? We can not wait until you can call ULofts home. Moving into your first off campus apartment can be terrifying and exciting. Here are a few tips from USA Today to make your transition a little easier.

1. Grocery shop in bulk. Buy a bunch of meats, separate them and freeze them so you’ll have dinner ideas prepared.

2. Get to know your neighbors.

3. Make a Google doc with your roommates to document who’s bringing what so you don’t all show up on move-in day with duplicate items.

4. Your parents will probably get you a bunch of cleaning supplies for your apartment — use them.

5. Remember what grocery items you bought. And if something of yours goes missing, don’t be afraid to nicely confront your roommates about it.

6. Don’t forget to pay your rent — those late fees can be a killer.

7. Call your apartment complex prior to move-in and ask if there’s anything that doesn’t come with the apartment that you might need to purchase individually, such as a shower rod, router, nightstand, etc.

8. Buy a mattress pad.

9. Utilize your kitchen.

10. If you throw a house-warming party or kickback at your place, be prepared to clean up the leftover mess.

11. Decorate!

12. Off-campus living means no RA’s checking in on you every few days. Be sure to use your freedom wisely.

13. Always make sure you have food at your place.

14. Lock your bedroom door before leaving your apartment.

15. Don’t share your WiFi password with too many people.

16. Don’t forget to change your local address to your new residency. I sometimes still get mail from the girl who lived in this apartment before me.

17. Utilize whatever facilities your complex has to offer — pool, gym, tanning beds.

18. Keeping a mini-fridge in your room isn’t such a bad investment.

19. If you plan on inviting more than three guests over, tell your roommates.