The real question is being asked – will Norway really cost you an arm and a leg to visit? The answer is : depends on how you make it for yourself.  Our hostels offer you great kitchen facilities, it is only up to you if you will use them, but we offer you some tasty, fast and cheap solutions. If you’re traveling in pair or with more, this will get even easier!

General directions

Tip: Rema1000 and Kiwi are the most affordable grocery stores
Tip 2: Keep your eye on the products labeled as ‘’First price’’
Tip 3: Check or ask for the department of almost-expired food, they are normally 50% off and still have great quality
Tip 4: If the direction of your trip is Norway from Sweden, you might want to buy some groceries there, the difference in price can be enormous as well as the choice of products
Tip 5: A phone application  Toogoodtogo makes it possible to buy the food that would otherwise bi thrown away in the restaurants – for a symbolic price. Very recommended!

 

 

Salmon steaks and potatoes

 

Salmon is generally affordable in Norway and often discounted in the store; the most affordable is, however, the  steak bag you can find in the freezer.

 

• 750 g of First price frozen salmon steaks ( 6 €)
• Potatoes are normally between 1-2 € / kg.

 

Cut the potatoes into small pieces and put them in the oven (220 degrees); they are the best with a hint of olive oil.

20 minutes in, put the salmon steaks on a medium heated pan and let fry them on both sides.

Mind the bones in the steaks!

Total price per meal: up til 3€
Time of preparation: 30 minutes

 

The cult of tuna

Tuna is THE cheapest ingredient you will get here – you can use it for salad, sauces, pizzas or eat it with bread. The cheapest -and a very tasty one – is found in Rema100 – 60-80 cents. Keep that in mind!

The fact is, there are quite some frozen pizzas offered in the shops, but guess what. It might take you a little longer, but instead you will have the delicious pizza for half the price!
White flour (1,2 €),

• yeast (30 cents),
• sour cream/tomato sauce (around 1,5€),
• two cans of tuna (each cca 70 cents)
• some cheese (3 €).
• If you’re feeling experimental, add olives and/or corn; my favourite addition here is powdered garlic as well.

400 g of flour will do good for 2 pizzas – simply pour it in the bowl, add the yeast mixed in around 3 dcl of water, salt on the rim of a pile

if you can find some olive oil or butter, that’s also a nice addition.

Knit the dough until it is has the perfect gooey/firm balance – so it sticks at your finger but not too much. Let it rise until it doubles the volume and stretch it/roll it out. The dough should be around 5mm thick. Decorate it with your ingredients

put it in the hot oven (220 C) until the cheese starts getting slightly brown!

 

Total costs: 3€/meal
Time of preparation: 45 minutes – 1 hour (including the dough rising time)

 

Cheap chicken recipes

 

The following recipes are adjusted to the offer from Rema1000 store – 1,4 kg of chicken for 14 euros. If there is more of you, this will work very well, because you will not have a hard time wasting it. In case you are traveling as a pair or solo, there are a few inexpensive chicken options available

Simple chicken curry

I LOVE this recipe because it is so easy, yet it makes you look like a tryhard traveler who brags with its cooking skills. Yet actually it is super simple.

You will need:

• Chicken breast (13 eur at Rema100, but that is the huge 1,4 kg package)
• 4 onions (4 €)
• Curry spice (2 €)
• Two cans of coconut milk (2,4 €)
  Rice Rema1000 (1,5 €)

 

Together: cca 22 €/4 portions = cca 6 eur/meal
Time of preparation: 30-40 minutes
What you do is first to cook rice and then to start slicing onions and the 700g of meat.
Throw the onions in the pot and fry them for a few minutes with the curry spices.
Afterwards add the chicken, fry it until it is white.
Add the coconut milk and let the whole dish simmer for 10 minutes.

Add the salt and the here you go!

 

 

Chicken sour cream sauce

 

• Two onions (2 €)
• Garlic (fresh or powdered) (2 €)
• Sour cream (1,7 €)
• Paprika spice (2€)
• The remaining chicken and rice
  Optional: the chicken broth (2 €)

 

Fry the onions, paprika and garlic together. Add the pre-salted chicken and fry it until it turns a little brown.

Add the broth if you feel up for it
Add the sour cream and stir.

 

Picture source: bunnyswarmoven.net

8€/4 portions = 2€/meal
Time of preparation: 20 minutes

 

…and another chicken suggestion – puff pastry chicken rolls

 

Lightly fry the chicken and cover it on both sides with the sheets of puff pastry (available in Rema 1000 for cca 1,6 €). Put it in the oven on 180 degrees until the dough gets brown. Enjoy it with salad on the side 😊

Time of preparation: 35 minutes

 

Super fast experimental pasta & sugo

 

As students, we grow tiiiired of pasta with sugo (a prepared pasta sauce). That’s why we can just spice things up a bit!

Make a pasta/rice of your choice and simmer the simple tomato-with-basil-or-something sugo with the elements of your choice – and in Norway, there are several that are affordable! So spice it up! Canned corn, olives, tuna, chicken, carrots, minced meat…there is something that fits in your tomato sugo and it is most likely found in a -50% section. That way you find the nice price for the food and help with reducing the food waste!
My personal favourite: tuna, garlic powder and olives!

 

Approximate cost: 4€/meal
Time of preparation: 10 minutes

 

 

 

Hot dogs

Last but not least, the cheapest solution to make at home is simply to buy some kind of sausages (normally wiener) – these are the ‘’holiday food’’, making it sometimes 1,5 €/bag and you will not need much more than the piece of bread and some ketchup.  So I will resist the urge to write down a recipe

 

Total cost: 2,5 €/meal
Time of preparation: 10 minutes