Cooking one meal a day- I knew many girls who did not buy take out or eat out in restaurants ect but they cooked their own meals. They made REAL dinners and learned how to keep house ect. They were responsible to clean their areas (and no maids), cook, do laundry ect. Many girls knew that their credit card was only for emergencies and not for outings.
About shabbosim- many times girls went to American families who invited them, not always begging to go. sometimes they went to the people in charge of the seminaries. Sometimes they made it themselves or ate in seminary! There are seminaries where they had to eat in sem at least once a month (in shabbos)and they gave them 3 meals a day 6 days a week.
About placement-If we were placed somewhere where we felt that they did not have enough to feed their families, we were told to fill up on challah or eat when we got back to the dorm (if we were sleeping there) and we told the people in charge of placement about it (discreetly).