Those trusty 10 cent bags of Ramen noodles. They have seen many a college student or others on a budget get through-without costing a lot of dough.

Still, they can get pretty old pretty fast. That is, unless you find some creative ways to dress them up and even turn them into health food!

Below are some recipe ideas that are so good, you might even want to serve them to your mom:

Shrimp Ramen Stir-Fry Pan Noodles

The beauty thing about this one is that a version of this dish is actually served in Asian restaurants. You may not even know you're eating Ramen.

Cook a shrimp flavored packet of noodles as usual for two minutes or however long it takes for them to be done. Drain and set aside. Stir-fry 8-10 thawed, medium size or large shrimp in olive oil, until tender, adding seasonings of your choice, and ½ to ¾ of the shrimp Ramen flavor packet.

Some seasonings I've tried are curry, garlic and sea salt, plus chives for a little additional flavor and to add color to the dish.

Add a couple vegetables of your choice, such as julienned red pepper-either bell pepper, or for those with more adventurous taste buds, a cayenne pepper. I have also used bean sprouts, water chestnuts, and bok choy. Stir-fry the vegetables until tender crisp, and coated with seasonings.

Add the drained ramen noodles. Mix together the entire mixture until everything is coated with oil and seasonings, and ‘fried,' which basically means, looking like take-out Chinese fried rice or noodles-a little browned, but only just barely.

Simple ‘Gourmet' Pork Ramen Noodle Soup

This is a very simple variation on the traditional Ramen soup, but just these little additives make a great deal of difference.

Cook the pork Ramen as usual. Drain enough water off so that you have enough for a personal bowl of soup, or two bowls-whatever you intend. While the water is still hot, add a tablespoon or so of extra virgin olive oil (yeah, EVOO) and stir, plus the pork Ramen packet (pork Ramen flavoring is close to their best-rich in flavor and not artificial). Use ½ or ¾ of the packet if you want to cut down on sodium.

Add fresh chopped chives or, alternately, dried chives to the soup. You will be surprised at how good this is. The olive oil and chives add just the right alteration of taste, and make for a great, light bowl of noodle soup.

Chicken Side Dish Noodles

Cook a chicken flavored Ramen noodle pack as usual and drain. In a separate stir-fry pan, cook up some vegetables of your choice. Some good choices for this dish include small florets of broccoli, cauliflower; small slices of carrots cut diagonally, and diced mushrooms. Use olive oil again, or a healthy cooking oil of your choice. Add your spices. Good choices for this can be rosemary, basil, oregano, parsley, Italian seasoning mix, or Mrs. Dash's.

Stir in ½ to a full packet of the chicken Ramen seasoning mix, coating the vegetables. When they are tender, add the Ramen, and stir everything until it is all covered in the seasoning.

Serve alongside baked or grilled chicken breast for a full course dinner, all food groups represented!