<p>Hello friends !
Long time no see…
DS is spending his March break in his dorm, while pursuing something he loves at a nearby airport.
Meal plan is suspended , he will need to cook for himself or just eat out.
I am looking for ideas of very simple but still healthy meals he can cook for himself.
I am a good cook that tends to cook from scratch and I am afraid that I might overwhelm him with my ideas 
So far I told him to purchase some eggs, pasta and a pasta sauce.
Any simple/very simple recipes would be greatly appreciated. </p>
<p>Does he have pots and pans? Hamburger. Pasta. Frozen veggies. Eggs.</p>
<p>Chicken noodle casserole was an old stand by when I was in college; Noodles (cooked of course), canned chicken, frozen peas, a can cream of chicken soup (just the can, don’t make it up as soup). Throw everything into a pan and heat in the oven. Don’t remember the quantities, but a little experimentation should get it right.</p>
<p>There is a common kitchen equipped quite well, so pots and frying pans are available.</p>
<p>Can he boil water, make pasta, open a can or jar of sauce, scramble eggs, make a sandwich? Is there a KITCHEN in the dorm? </p>
<p>ETA…it’s only a week. If he has a fridge, he can get cheese, crackers, some baby carrots, hummus, peanut butter/jelly, bread. He won’t starve. </p>
<p>Yes, there is a pretty well stocked kitchen 
I really would like him to enjoy the process.
Eggs, pasta and pasta sauce are what comes to my mind immediately. He has not cooked before, but now here is the opportunity :)</p>
<p>OK, moved to the coffee house, I can handle that :)</p>
<p>I think you are going to overwhelm him… it is a lot easier to teach them to cook while they are at home instead of away in a dorm. Honestly, if my kid were alone on campus for a week, my guess is that pita bread and hummus, fruit, cereal, a couple of cans of soup, and a pizza or two with leftovers stashed in the fridge would be the most likely diet. I honestly would let him figure it out himself unless he specifically asks for something from you. I might tell my kid I wouldn’t pay for them to eat out all week, but here is $X dollars for groceries and put three meals out on my credit card during the week.</p>
<p>Boil pasta and grill chicken breasts. Add a couple of jars of different sauces for the chicken (BBQ, Honey Dijon) 
Scrambled eggs, cereal, PB&J. It’s only a week. </p>
<p>Quesidillas – take a flour tortilla, spray with it some PAM, put it in the frying pan, top with shredded cheese, some chicken (the sliced cooked breast you can buy in the supermarket deli case works great here, no need to buy or cook chicken breast), veggies of his choice (onions, peppers, etc.), put another tortilla on top spray with PAM. Cook like you would a grilled cheese sandwich, eat with salsa.</p>
<p>Grilled cheese sandwiches – add tomato, or bacon, or a slice of deli ham, some mustard what ever sounds good to him.</p>
<p>Sloppy Joe’s. Brown some ground beef, add pre-made sauce, throw it on some buns. Pasta salad- use the Suddenly Salad boxed mix and add chicken. A rotisserie chicken from the grocery store should last a couple of meals. Mac & cheese with hot dogs. Sausage sandwich- brown onions and bell peppers in a skillet then add one of the gourmet sausages from the deli dept. (Chicken/Apple etc) . Great on a toasted roll. </p>
<p>My son survived all of last summer on pasta alfredo, pierogies and scrambled eggs, carrots and broccoli. He made himself a pb&J for lunch. It sounds like your son has everything he needs! </p>
<p>Order him the book Help, My Apartment Has a Kitchen! It will help him this one week and into the future. I taught my son to cook many of the basics above and then some, but he seemed to have forgotten it all when he left home. This book kept him from either starvation or all frozen foods.</p>
<p>Our S was overseas for fall semester and there was no meal plan with his housing. It was strictly eat out or fend for yourself. DW found him a small cookbook titled something along the lines of simple dishes for college kids (sorry - I don’t recall the specific title). That cookbook, along with some simple instructions, and within a week he was making pasta, grilled chicken breasts, chili, tacos, chicken parmagian, stir fry, and the basic noodle and egg dishes. (His prior cooking experience was limited to poached eggs, pizza and hot chocolate!) He actually was sending pictures of his culinary accomplishments home for approval. Needless to say, he stayed fed and didn’t lose any weight. In fact, when he returned to his main campus this spring, he dropped his meal plan and is cooking for himself. His girlfriend was more than impressed.</p>
<p>Am I the only one who wouldn’t let a child leave home without teaching them to cook? Seems like an essential life skill to me, and yes, I’d say that even if I had boys. My kids were making things like omlettes and kraft mac and cheese by about age 12, so hopefully a college student can figure that out. It’s not hard to make burgers either, just make sure he understands how to handle raw meat. The problem with tacos is that the food comes in units too much for one person and it doesn’t keep too well.</p>
<p>Mathyone, I am also astounded that a college aged male has never cooked, and can’t figure out how to survive for a week!#horriblepamperedboyproblems</p>
<p>My son is much more into cooking than my daughter and has been noticeably more involved lately, asking me how I do certain things. But, he is the observant planner. She likes delivery. </p>
<p>The internet is wonderful for recipes of whatever strikes one’s fancy. They are generally free and as simple or complicated as you like. For one week, most kids can even live on ramen and boiled frozen potstickers, my kids go-to standby. If there are other kids, they may take turns on meals, as to me, it’s more fun cooking for a dew people and see what they cook in return than many meals for one. The week will fly by! My brother got thru law school mostly in pizza and canned chili and rice. </p>
<p>Another way for your son to cope with the meal plan hiatus and possibly have fun with some male bonding is to have him and his friends find out whether there are any parties/conventions on/around campus and raid them for the free food. :D</p>
<p>More seriously, getting some bread, lettuce, tomatoes, cold cuts, tuna fish, mayo, or other preferred spread to make sandwiches is one easy standby. </p>
<p>Some HS classmates on other campuses also made it a point to stock up on crackers, SPAM, deviled ham, franks, or the like. :D</p>
<p>I liked taking the opportunity my meal plan offered to stock up on fruits by using my backpack…even if some priggish parents may not approve. :)</p>
<p>As an aside, some folks like to cook whereas others don’t…even if they’re good at it. One former supervisor and now friend is actually a great cook of various types of Chinese and American dishes. He just hates doing it and will only do it on special occasions when friends come over. </p>
<p>My kid likes to make stir fries. You can buy chicken tenderloins, stir fry vegetables in the frozen section or produce and buy bottled sauce in the Asian section. Makes a lot and is healthy. If he wants you can buy pizza shells and fixings but it is almost as cheap to get take out. </p>
<p>As most college kids know there is tons of take out around campus. Chinese food makes several meals. </p>