For Students on a Budget:
3 Simple Recipes Under 50 Kroner
Norway IS expensive, but there are ways to spend less on food and not starve ;)
Here are three delicious meals I invented to cut my expenses on food.
6 Tips to Help You Cook
- Buying food in bulk is the ultimate way of saving money, and it works like a clock in Norway.
- Taking advantage of special offers and discounts is highly encouraged, too!
- Always set your control switch on 4-5 out of 9—otherwise your food will burn.
- Don’t buy salt, pepper, herbs and oil—most likely you already have them in the kitchen of your student house.
- When it comes to lunch, always cook more than you can eat in one day—you can eat the leftovers tomorrow, they will be as good as new. And you won’t have to cook every day!
- Shop at Grunerløkka for vegetables, but be careful: sometimes they can rot very quickly. Sometimes it is safer to buy at your local supermarket, albeit pricier.
Breakfast: Scrambled Eggs with Lefse and Cheese
How long it takes:
20 minutes
What you need:
Total price: 115.70 NOK, I will eat all this in one week, which makes it 16,50 NOK per day.
- 2 eggs — KIWI sells 18 eggs per package under the Eldorado brand for 39 NOK;
- 1/2 carrot — KIWI sells 750g for 22.90 NOK, it is approximately 8-10 carrots;
- 1/4 red onion — KIWI sells 2 onions for 16.90 NOK;
- 2 lefser — REMA 1000 sells Viking-lomper, 8 pieces in a package for 12 NOK;
- 2 slices of favorite cheese — mine is NORVEGIA for 24,90 NOK, pre-sliced;
- 2 tablespoons of oil;
- salt, black pepper.
How to cook:
While your pan is being preheated (don’t forget to add oil!), wash and chop your carrot and onion into small cubes. Once the pan is hot enough, throw the vegetables in it and add a pinch of salt and black pepper. Mix everything well and lower the temperature of your oven—you don’t want your food to burn, right?
While your vegetables are being cooked, whip two eggs in a small bowl. Add a little salt, maybe some spices (dry garlic does wonders!). Once your vegetables are soft enough, pour your eggs on top. Wait 3-5 seconds and use your paddle to scramble the eggs. Stir them for 2-3 minutes, depending on how you like you eggs: soft and tender or whippy.
Once your eggs are done, switch the stove off and let them sit for a couple of minutes. Meanwhile, take your lefse, put a slice of cheese on top of each, and roll them into two tubes—not too tight, not too loose. Microwave them on a flat plate for approximately one minute. Once they are hot and ready, put you eggs on the same plate and dig in!
Lunch: Chicken with Carrots and Rice
How long it takes:
40 minutes
What you need:
Total price: 155.8 (since I already have carrots) NOK, I will eat all this in one month, which makes it 5.20 NOK per day.
- 2-3 chicken breasts — REMA 1000 sells 1kg for 119,90 NOK quite often (special offer);
- 1 glass of rice — buy 2kg package at KIWI for 35.90 NOK;
- 1 carrot;
- 2 tablespoons of oil;
- salt, black pepper;
- herbs (rosemary works best).
How to cook:
Put your chicken breasts in a large bowl. Add a little salt, pepper and herbs. Mix everything well and let the seasoning sit for 10 minutes.
Add oil to your pan and start preheating. Wash your carrot, cut it in two halves and chop it into thin strips—they will cook better. Once your pan is hot enough, put the carrots in, add some salt and black pepper, stir every 1-2 minutes.
Once your carrots soften, put chicken on top and fry it for 3 minutes, then flip and fry on the other side for another 3 minutes. Add water to the bowl, where you seasoned your chicken so that you don’t throw out any seasoning, and when the chicken is fried on both sides, pour the water in the pan—make sure it covers all the breasts. Put the lid on top of the pan but let some of the steam come out on one of the sides—otherwise you will create a lot of mess.
Cook chicken in water for 10 minutes on one side, then flip and cook for another 10 minutes. You may pour some additional water—if you do, then add a little salt and pepper. While your chicken is being cooked, boil water in a pot and prepare your rice.
Once the food is ready, put it on the plate and pour some of the broth from the pan on the rice. Yummy!
Dinner: Pasta with Cream and Cheese Sauce
How long it takes:
15-20 minutes
What you need:
Total price: 102.4 NOK, I will eat all this in one week, which makes it 14.60 NOK per day.
- spaghetti — REMA 1000 sells 1kg for 19 NOK;
- cheese — if you have a cheese grater at home, then you are lucky—buy the biggest block and you will have cheese for 3-months! (if you don’t, then REMA 1000 sells 450g packages of grated cheese for 43.50 NOK);
- 1,5dl of cream — I buy 7dl at REMA 1000 for 39.90 NOK;
- pepper, salt.
How to cook:
Put two pots on the stove. The first one is for spaghetti—cook them the way you usually do.
The second pot is for the sauce. Pour your cream in it and start cooking on a low temperature—just to warm it up. Once it is warm, add grated cheese—as much as you want and like. Stir slowly to mix the cream and the cheese. Add a little salt, but be careful, your cheese may be salty already. Add pepper and keep stirring for 5 minutes, until the sauce is thick and sticky.
When your spaghetti is cooked, add 3-4 tablespoons of pasta water in the sauce and stir again. Pour the rest of the water in the sink—you don’t need it anymore. Put the pasta in the pit with the sauce, mix everything and keep stirring for another 5 minutes.
Once the dish is cooked, put it on a plate and decorate with additional pepper. Enjoy!
