Going Vegetarian.. Again, College Meal Ideas

The Boy passed the Grand Canyon today. Isn't it breathtaking? I've never been, but just looking at this photo Navid sent me makes me bow in amazement to the earth. This canyon is a work of art 17 million years in the making. Mankind can make great art, but his greatest art is in being able to replicate nature, no?

Call me a treehugger, but I'd love to minimize my impact on nature. Don't want to end up like those big'uns in Wall E who had to flee their whole planet. Meat's impact on the environment is my main motivation for going vegetarian. Of course it only lasted me all of 4 months... But I want to try again. My other motivations stem from not wanting to support companies that practice animal cruelty and from learning about how humans evolved on a diet that did not include a lot of meat.

This isn't something I'm going to start now. Probably near the end of this year I will. My mom just stocked up on an 8-pack of Spam from CostCo (I know! I know, Spam is like the worst "meat" ever). I also want to wait until I see what's up with my digestive system. I've been to the doctor's twice already and I have another appointment scheduled for August.

After my whole ordeal with the realtor yesterday, I went behind his back and talked directly to the property manager. :) I was able to get in touch with the owner, who will honor some of our requests, and we've decided to go for it! I will post more about it later.

Now that I've gotten the apartment, though, I am anticipating being VERY broke. Last year my housing allowance was well over my living costs (in San Antonio) and I had plenty extra money to go shopping with, spend on food, and put in my savings account. This year, the housing allowance should be the same but the rent is waaay up. My utilities will probably take up the rest of the housing allowance, leaving very little for food. So I've been dreaming up a few wallet friendly meals.

1. Kimchi Ramyun with Egg.
Ramen is already a college staple, but adding an egg in there boosts the protein. Right when the noodles are done boiling, I swirl in a beaten egg.

2. Spaghetti.
Served above with the Italian meatballs (recipe by VeganDad) I made during my vegetarian trial. They were MIGHTY delicious.

3. Macaroni and Cheese.
Yummy mixed with sliced hotdogs and a bunch of broccoli. Serve with string beans and carrots.

4. Oatmeal.
The slow cooked kind, drizzled with some honey and topped with fresh strawberries, blueberries, and/or bananas.

5. Baked Beans on Toast.
Maybe with a slice of ham or Spam underneath to up the nutritional content. Serve with string beans and creamed corn.

6. Scrambled Eggs/Omelet/Quiche.
Easy to make, and delicious with anything mixed inside, from ham/spam and cheese to spinach and mushrooms. Above is some low-fat cheddar cheese and spinach quiche I made last year.

Have anymore ideas? Maybe some vegetarian friendly ideas?

I can't wait until I have to subsist on a very frugal menu! Only because I long to be independent... My parents probably wouldn't let me eat such a sad diet and would give me money if I needed it. We'll see what happens.