New vegetarian looking for meal ideas - on a tight budget.?

Question

So after doing some research and looking into things I've decided to go vegetarian. Thing is, I'm a college student on a very very tight budget in a college dorm with basically a microwave as my only cooking device and was wondering if there was a website or book (prefer available at a local library instead having to buy it =/ ) that could help me make this switch and still meet my budget, thanks for any help you can spare.

Answer 1

If you don't have access to a fridge/freezer you should definitely invest in a mini fridge, you can get one at Target for less than $100, or on Craig's List for cheaper.

Also, get a can opener, spoons, forks, and tupperware

All Canned Food is super cheap and can be cooked in the microwave, not in the can!:

*Pinto Beans, plain or in a burrito

*Black Beans, " "

*Vegetarian Refried Beans (taste the same they just aren't cooked with lard), you can use these in burritos or for nachos

*Vegetarian Baked Beans

*Vegetarian Chili

*Soups, I like Progresso: Lentil, Hearty Tomato, and Tomato Basil are all vegetarian

*Any vegetables, but I prefer fresh and even frozen is better than canned

Other Cheap Foods:

*Oatmeal (Can be cooked in microwave)

*Instant Mashed Potatoes (Can be cooked in microwave)

*Pasta (can be cooked in microwave)

*Bread

*Peanut Butter/Jelly

*Jars of spaghetti sauce (need a mini fridge b/c this lasts a single person a while)

*Fruits and vegetables in season, buy on sale produce

You should keep a meal plan at your college, you can always get salads and fresh fruits and vegetables with campus dining, plus a lot of the cooks are willing to help you out a little bit and can leave meat out.

Edit:

I almost forgot, Banquet meals!!  (you'll need a mini fridge that has a freezer, most have freezers that you can at least fit two banquet meals), these are so cheap and sometimes go on sale for 2 for $1, you can get maceroni and cheese, cheese enchiladas, ravioli and a few others, these are very convenient on busy nights.

Also, Tostino's pizzas, I'm sure your dorm has an oven/stove for students to use, and these are on sale frequently and so delicious!

Answer 2

Go to PETA.ORG they have a section for recipes

Also go to your local stores and you can find foods made by morning star they are affordable and very good.

I also make meatless hamburgers alot. I put the works on it just no meat. It is good.

Answer 3

yay! i am also a vegetarian college student (have been for 3 yrs now) and started while i still lived in the dorms.  i must let you know... it's pretty hard.  i tried the meal plans at school, but even though they say they cater to vegetarian diets... they rarely had anything i wasn't suspicious of having meat in it.

as for a book:  student's vegetarian cookbook revised by carole raymond is pretty good.  it's the first vegetarian cookbook i ever got and i still use it.  "quick, easy, cheap and tasty vegetarian recipes".  

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0...

you can get it on amazon for like $8, plus shipping.  it's $12.95 in the store.

you can cook alot of the recipes in it with a microwave.

second best bet?  try recipes online.  there are SO many out there.  try going here: http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes

i love that magazine and they have good recipes on their site.

what i eat the most though-- being a college student and most often too busy to prepare a meal, even if it's in a microwave... and i'm pretty lazy-- is morningstar farms products.  their faux lunch meats on a sandwich with the same things you'd eat with a meat sandwich... yum.  there are tons of brands and different selections.  you can get veggie cheese, veggie sausage, boca burgers, fake bacon, fake pepperoni, fake chicken patties (amaaazing, i actually just ate one :) ), smart dogs, vegetarian vegetable soup with some crackers... the list goes on for vegetarian products and they're not much more than food with meat in it.  my boyfriend actually prefers some of the vegetarian concoctions better than meat dinners and he has no intentions of turning vegetarian.

also, things that aren't made specifically for vegetarians can be really good... like 3 cheese lasagnas, broccoli & cheese hot pockets, etc.  just check the back of the box for meat products!  

what i'm hooked on lately?  ramen noodles!  i found a vegetarian one once, but not since.  if you can find the cups of already made in vegetable (check the label to make sure it's meatless), you can make it in the microwave.  i'm not sure about the regular noodles in the microwave, but if you can, get some vegetable cubes and pitch the little packet that comes with the noodles.  put a cube in right before the noodles and it's just as good as the meat kind.  fast and cheap.  a box of 6 cubes is like $2 at kroger and ramen noodles are dirt cheap no matter where you get them.

fast food is even a pretty easy option when you're on the go.  i've ordered just about everything on taco bell's menu with beans instead of meat.  you can do that anywhere.  and panera bread has an amazing vegetarian black bean soup that's to die for.  

congratulations on becoming vegetarian!!!  i did it for health reasons and will probably never turn back!  it's hard at first, especially with all the precautions you have to make... like making sure when you order something they actually got it right- no meat- before you dig in, and how hard it can be when you go to eat at friends' or family's places and you can't eat their food or they have to make something special... ouch.  it's tough sometimes, but it's worth it!!!

good luck with keeping it up and hope i could help!!

Answer 4

Having just a microwave must stink uber much!

Sorry.

There's lots of pre packaged meals that are really good but they are more on the expensive side.

I googled microwave vegetarian recipes and came up with this...

http://busycooks.about.com/od/savorypier...

Just stock up on fruits and veggies and nuts. They all do not have to be kept cold or really cooked.

Good luck in college!

And with being vegetarian!