Healthy & cheap meals with only a kettle and microwave?

[Numbrrblox]

Hello all, please can you recommend recipes that can be cooked with a kettle and microwave? DS is moving into halls and catering is only two meals a day. He's a competent cook and does plenty of meals at home, but I'm looking for healthy, cheap things he can make once a day (sometimes lunch, sometimes tea) with no hob or oven. Thank you!

There's trying to find solutions together, and there's doing it for them. I'm amazed by parents that don't want to set their child up to be independent living away from them.

Air fryer?
If he only has a microwave then those pouches of lentils and beans in different sauces are very good these days. Merchant gourmet or the knock off ones. They do Thai curry flavour etc. those with some microwave rice would be good.

for kettle only I also used to cook those dried packs of ramen noodles that you soak in boiled water but add Sugarsnaps or edamame for extra fiber. Maybe could also add some cooked chicken.
Really though if he’s getting a cooked meal at college then some soup might be fine !

Is he likely to actually want healthy meals? This seems to be the occasion where most students would have a pot noodle, takeaway, rice pudding straight out of the tin, sandwiches, etc etc. Especially if he's had decent meals from catering for breakfast and lunch. This would be the cheapest way to do it, especially if it's already paid for - eat well then, so he'll want less later.

He could probably do lentil bolognese in the microwave using a can of green lentils and microwaving the spaghetti. Heinz do a jar sauce that's not UPF and often on offer.

Does he have access to a fridge (and freezer?).

Are you sure they are the only facilities for cooking? My grandsons were in catered halls but had pretty functional kitchens. Which meals will be provided, presumably the evening meal? If he is providing himself with breakfast or lunch either of those could be a cold meal - pastries, sandwiches, muesli or cereal. Instant porridge, cup a soup or noodles if he really wants something hot. He might be out at lunchtime anyway.

I volunteer for a foodbank and a lot of clients only have a kettle and microwave (some only have a kettle, some not even that) so we give them
instant noodles, instant mash, microwave rice sachets, tinned meat and fish, tinned or cup a soup, tinned stew or chilli con carne etc. Basically anything tinned or dried except pasta or tinned pie.

If he's being offered a cooked breakfast and a cooked evening meal then I think he should manage with a sandwich and some fruit mid day.

I was in Asda yesterday and slow cookers are not expensive .Lots of meals can be made in a slow cooker.

Yes, I bought a 'student special' slow cooker some years ago for something ridiculous like £8 - I see the same one is now £12. I don't use it that often but it's definitely worth having.

There’s a great book called meals in a mug and you make them all in the microwave. Puddings, mains snacks

I think I got that one from Wilko at least 15 years ago. It's still going strong.

People suggesting air fryer, soup makers and slow cookers should realise they won't be allowed to keep these in their rooms.

Just a warning before he buys any electric appliances. Would he need to check what is allowed? Plus a surge adapter/extension lead might be an idea. Toasters are notorious for setting off fire alarms and in a communal setting it might mean an evacuation or a possibility of a charge. When I worked in a care home the local fire engine/station were obliged to turn out for safety. It was multiple times a week as a dementia patient (under a dols) worked out how to lift the glass panel on the 'break here's box on wall. There was talk of them charging for each call out. Sorry, a bit off tangent but he might end up breaking his 'tenancy' rules. But a slow cooker or soup maker sounds least problematic.

It depends on the size of the pantry/tea kitchen. Some are big enough so private appliances like an air fryer can be kept. Otherwise he can keep it in his room as long as it's only used in the kitchen (friends had to do this to avoid others using an appliance bought to accommodate food issues).

Each uni has its own rules.

Veg in this instance means vegetables (e.g.potatoes, spinach,carrots, swedes, cabbage, broccoli) and fruits that are generally thought of as vegetables (e.g. peppers, tomatoes, aubergines, courgettes,sweetcorn) .

I don't have any recipes as such, but obvious balanced meals would be something like a baked potato topped with baked beans and served with lots of salad leaves.

Easy way to eat a swede or sweet potato is to cook it like a baked potato. With the swede, wash it , cut it into a large thick slice and prick it all over with a fork. ping it for about 3.5 minutes then leave it for 1min then turn it over and ping it another 3.5 minutes.
Tastes far nicer than you'd think and is filling.

Eggs aren't great cooked in a microwave but are edible. Look up how to boil as they can explode. Scrambled eggs or omelettes can be rubbery.

Balanced eating: Lots and lots of veg. Dark green if you can, a bit of colour too. Some protein and a little bit of grease (cheese or bacon). (Don't worry about carbs, they'll get eaten.)
Tinned beans and lentils are great - own brand ones are 28p - 45p.
Packs of grains like rice or pulses are expensive for what you get but aren't too bad.

A cheat meal might be something like

• a tin of soup with soaked soya chunks and a large handful of salad thrown in. This also works with pot noodle.
• rice, spinach, baked beans, some chilli sauce and a bit of cheese, could put it in wraps

For things like chilli sauce and spices, try the World Foods aisle not the regular aisles. Street greengrocers and shops are cheaper but wash the fruit and veg.

Thank you so much, everyone, these are all so helpful. He will have a toaster, yes, but can’t bring any extra gadgets because, as a PP suggested, there are various safety issues with everyone bringing unchecked items to plug in the (tiny) kitchenette.

But he’ll try a lot of these recipes and meal plans. I’m hoping that he’ll get his main nutrition from the two meals they serve daily, but when it’s cold and dark and he’s been playing sport, he may well still want something hot and filling that isn’t a takeaway (he’s on a tight budget). Thank you all again

@Numbrrblox ,buy a good microwave cookbook. If he gets two square meals a day, he can probably get by with toast as a snack.

When I was in my first year, all we had was a hob and a kettle. I learnt pretty quickly. Milk was in a polythene bag hanging out of the window (south facing window, so I didn't bother).
The hall evening meal was usually something beige like chips, beans and sweetcorn for the vegetarians.
I hope it has improved since then.

I'd recommend he takes care to eat fruit and veg, and take a multivit multimin.
I doubt they make up for a poor diet, but you never know.
Best wishes.

Are you sure that there is no kitchen facilities within the accommodation? at my DDs uni catered is weekdays only but each flat had a small kitchen with oven/hob/freezer etc not as big as the self catered blocks but enough for smaller amounts of cooking

I can't guarantee that these are healthy balanced meals, and I've not tried any yet.
30 Microwave Dorm Meals for One (Cooking in Minutes)
25+ Easy Microwave recipes - Student Eats
Guide to Microwaving Veggies | Knorr UK

He could also have breakfast in his accommodation some days so he could have lunch and dinner in the canteen.
Breakfast would be easy - microwave porridge, fruit and yoghurt, cereal etc.

It's a shame they haven't got a toaster but they set fire alarms off a lot so it makes sense they don't.

You can make porridge with boiling water. Put rolled oats in a mug, add boiling water, leave to cool a bit (at least 5 mins) and eat it. It's a lot tastier than it sounds.

Can you buy him an electric hob (one or two). Or a microwave oven.

Plus a countertop fan/ventilator - one you bring on camping trips!