am i the only one really surprised a college kid will do that much cooking on his own???

even as a college kid who loved cooking, i almost never had the time or energy to do it. plus, with so many friends around, eating was a social time to meet up and go out.

meatballs! He can make as many as he wants, freeze a ton, etc. Easy to defrost.

For breakfast, or even lunch, omelettes are really easy - made them all the time in college. You're getting great protein, and other healthy items such as veggies can be added.

ITA with burrito, fried rice, and crockpot suggestions.
You can make breakfast burritos too - great for quick AM before class/on the way to class...
A crockpot will also give him access to stuff like beef stew, which is easy, flexible, and freezeable. Although, if he's a college boy, maybe "freezing the leftovers" isn't something we need to concern ourselves with.
If he learns how to properly roast and carve a whole chicken at that age he will be ahead of 99.9% of his friends and at some point, will seriously impress a girl
Rice cooker - can bulk anything up with rice. We used to add rice to one can of soup for 3 hungry college kids.

Teach him to make quick one-pot mac and cheese.

Fish or chicken with veggies in foil pocket with dried herbs, olive oil, bake in oven (400 for 25min usually works) Tons of variations. Rice cooker for rice, grains, quinoa, oatmeal, whatever--can leave on all day if you buy good one with keep warm setting. Foreman grill. Pork tenderloin already seasoned is easy to bake and slice for leftovers too (again, line with foil so no cleanup)

College can be busy, so I would work on things that are freeze-able, so he can do a batch on a weekend and have something fast during the week.

I recommend:

Burritos: buy a ton of large soft tortillas, fill with a combination of any or all of the following: Canned beans, rice, refried beans, ground beef, shredded chicken, shredded pork, cheese, sauteed onions, sauteed bell peppers, jalapenos, or anything else you can think of. Wrap the tortillas shut, then place wrapped-side-down in a large pan with a few inches of oil (on med-low) cook until crisp, turning half-way through. You can put these in ziplocs or wrap in saran-wrap and freeze, then take them out and microwave when you're ready to eat. A fast dinner anytime he likes.

I would also teach him to make fried rice. He can make big batches of rice and freeze a cup or two at a time, then make fried rice with leftover chicken or frozen soybeans for protein, and frozen veggies, eggs, and frozen rice. Heat it all in a big pan and it is a quick, easy meal.

Teach him how to make an omelet, and he'll have a method for 1001 variations. A good high-protein breakfast every weekend morning.

Anonymous wrote:Rotisserie chickens! They are usually very cheap and can be used a variety of ways. Eat straight with rice or pasta and a veg on the side the first night. Pull off/shred the left over chicken and either make a chicken salad (chicken, cut up grapes, walnuts, dried cranberries, celery, etc,, along with a little mayo) or put shredded chicken on a bun and top with BBQ sauce (serve with slaw - pre shredded cabbage mixed with a little vinegar and salt).

After taking off all the meat, throw the bones & the rest in a pot for an hour or two...
Viola -- instant chicken soup.
Add some veggies and some noodles -- its another meal.

The bones off the roast chicken really give depth to the flavor.

Rotisserie chickens! They are usually very cheap and can be used a variety of ways. Eat straight with rice or pasta and a veg on the side the first night. Pull off/shred the left over chicken and either make a chicken salad (chicken, cut up grapes, walnuts, dried cranberries, celery, etc,, along with a little mayo) or put shredded chicken on a bun and top with BBQ sauce (serve with slaw - pre shredded cabbage mixed with a little vinegar and salt).

EZ salmon:

Lightly oil a baking pan/dish, and put a salmon fillet in skin side down. Spread a thin coat of mayonnaise on top. Sprinkle with dill (or whatever other favorite herb--experiment). Bake at 350 until cooked through (15-20 minutes depending on thickness).


Also, get him a rice cooker. So easy. If he prefers brown rice to white (sounds like he eats healthy), increase the amount of water (2.5-to-1 ratio, instead of 2-to-1).

Ina garten roasted whole chicken. Can be eaten alone or with other stuff. Or get him a crockpot and show home how to put something like a pork butt in there to make pulled pork.

He'll be a sophomore in a university apartment with full kitchen. He plans to eat breakfast and dinner in his apartment and lunch on campus. His meals are almost always protein-heavy and must have some meat component.

Good for your son, in college I cooked spahgetti pretty much many, many, many weekend nights (I was on a weekdays only meal plan).

Is he living in a dorm? I don't recall people actually cooking there. I could be wrong though for most schools, but I know we never cooked freshman yr in the dorm

Looking for basic recipes-- your own or web site or cookbook recs. DS works out a lot and eats lots of food, heavy protein but not afraid of carbs. He's pretty good in the kitchen but needs to keep things simple as he does his own cooking. Thanks!