phaeton wrote:
>
> Hello..
>
> Starting the end of July, I will be returning to school.

Good for you. More power to you!

I've abandoned
> my original plan of working full-time and schooling full-time, as I'm no
> longer in my 20s. I will still be working 40 hours a week and going to
> school about 20 or so, however. It may turn out that a few days during
> the week will mean a full day from 7:00am to 10:45pm between the two,
> with few breaks in between.

BTDT. You will survive with a little selfdiscipline.


> I'm still learning to cook, but gone will be my luxury of spending a
> whole afternoon planning out an elaborate meal and merrily accomplishing
> it step-by-step. I will need to either be able to create things quickly
> on the spot, or do a 'set-and-forget' approach while I go study,
> hopefully with the end result being several days' worth of leftovers
> (eyes the slow-cooker).

And the microwave. And the freezer. And the toaster oven.

>
> The problem is that I don't want to eat crap. A frozen pizza here and
> there or a burger might do in a pinch, but I don't want to rely on
> 'convenience food' if I can help it. I need to keep my mind sharp, my
> body strong, and my money to buy books and girls. I mean... pens and
> paper.


LOL. There are priorities after all


>
> So I ask, what are some simple yet effective meal ideas that you enjoy
> or have enjoyed, or employed when time was scarce? Thanks for any input.
>
> -J

Keep plenty of decent bread, lettuce, tomatoes and cheese/lunchmeats for
sandwiches. Tortillas for quesadillas, which can contain a lot more than
cheese.Make soup/stew in the slow cooker and divide it up to reheat.

Casseroles and hotpots in the oven that can be frozen in portions. Roast
a chicken (or large chunk of pork etc) every couple of weeks. Tastes
good hot or cold.

I ate a lot of instant noodles as a student, but 'filled' with tofu,
meat/fish dumplings, vegetables etc. If you don't use the entire
powdered soup packet that comes with, it won't be such high sodium.

There are decent fishsticks on the market, not made with shredded fish.
Take minutes to cook.

Rice and stirfried something takes minutes.

>
> Also..... if I come across a brilliant 20-something student in Calculus
> or Trigonometry, how much study time could I buy from them with a good
> home-cooked meal?

Trade the cooking for tutoring :P