ISO FoodSaver menu ideas for college student

[ElGato27]

Recently bought a foodsaver in order to freeze meals for my son who is going away to college, ~100 miles from home. I should be able to make food runs to him every now and then.

Have been searching the internet for ideas and have come across a few, but looking for more ideas.

Was wondering what I might be able to cook and freeze using a foodsaver that could be microwaved for a quick meal?

Here is my list so far:

• Pastas
• Breads
• Meatloaf
• Mashed potatoes
• Soups and stews(freeze first and then seal)
• I grill quite a bit, grilled meat should work.

All ideas are appreciated. Don't know if I can throw a full meal in a bag and seal (protein + veggies).
Thank you.

-Dad

 

[Chef Munky]

Recently bought a foodsaver in order to freeze meals for my son who is going away to college, ~100 miles from home. I should be able to make food runs to him every now and then.

Have been searching the internet for ideas and have come across a few, but looking for more ideas.

Was wondering what I might be able to cook and freeze using a foodsaver that could be microwaved for a quick meal?

Here is my list so far:

• Pastas
• Breads
• Meatloaf
• Mashed potatoes
• Soups and stews(freeze first and then seal)
• I grill quite a bit, grilled meat should work.

All ideas are appreciated. Don't know if I can throw a full meal in a bag and seal (protein + veggies).
Thank you.

-Dad

Welcome to DC Elgato

What kind of refrigerator will your son have?
Will he be in a dorm or an apartment?
He has a microwave and a nice Dad that's a good start.

I wouldn't worry too much about mashed potatoes,veggies,pastas.
Those can be bought boxed,canned,frozen.

Beef Jerky, granola bars,trail mixes can be easily flavor sealed.

 

[ElGato27]

He's in an apartment with a full size refrigerator and a microwave. Last year he was a freshmen in a dorm with a cafeteria, didn't have to worry about food. A little different this year. Mostly dinner that I'm worried about. Prefer he didn't eat Taco Bell 7 night a week.

I've read the preferred way of heating these foodsaver bags is to simmer them in boiling water for ~10-15 minutes. Don't know if my son has that kind of patience. I believe they can also be opened up a little bit and microwaved.

Thank you.

Felix

 

[Dawgluver]

Welcome to DC!

Sliced baked ham, cooked pork chop, roast beef vac pack well. BBQ ribs would be good. Fresh produce like green beans, blanched, also freeze nicely. Apple sauce and apple butter work too. Freezer pickles with sliced cukes are a nice treat.

I agree with Munky, things like mashed potatoes in a pouch along with canned veggies are pretty easy.

 

[Chef Munky]

Knowing he has a fridge this year,boy does he have it made now!

I've made ahead a few meals and flavor sealed them.They worked out great.

Rotisserie Chicken

You Q, Tri-tips with grilled veggies, bell peppers and such were a hit here.Hassle free my sons ate well when I wasn't home.All they had to do is thaw in the fridge. Poke a hole in the bag and nuke a few minutes.

Toasted garlic bread.Is pretty good.I've learned to be careful on how I sealed it.The first time it was more of a flat bread. LOL!

Spaghetti and noodles.Yes he's going to have to wait for the pot to boil.Sorry...

Beef stew is good

Pulled pork is easy.Same with Brisket.He'd have a variety of bbq goodies

Burritos


Now that he has a kitchen.If you can go to good will and buy him a crock pot, cooking utensils.It's cheaper.

 

[Aunt Bea]

I would portion and freeze the things that you are preparing for your own dinner and when things start falling out of your freezer fill a cooler and ship them to your son.

American chop suey or goulash would be good if you slightly undercook the elbow macaroni and add some additional sauce to the packages.

Individual packets of sloppy joes or meatballs in sauce would be good for a hot sandwich.

Good luck!

 

[Dawgluver]

I need to fill a cooler with things that are falling out of my freezer and send them to your son!

 

[Aunt Bea]

I need to fill a cooler with things that are falling out of my freezer and send them to your son!

We could all send the kid a couple of mystery meals from our freezers!

 

[Dawgluver]

We could all send the kid a couple of mystery meals from our freezers!

I think we're on to something here, AB! Win-win!

 

[Dawgluver]

ElGato, anything that can be frozen and can stand up to suctioning will work great with the food saver. Aunt Bea's idea of saving some of your own meals and vac packing and freezing is a good one.

I have good success cutting a slit in the bag and nuking it.

 

[Zagut]

Casseroles/Hot Dish's work well.

Just about anything you can freeze will work.

I'm just one but I find it easier to cook larger batches and freeze the excess for later. It saves time and money.

Keep in mind that some things can be sealed and then frozen and others need to be frozen and then sealed.

I've frozen whole meals before and it works but found it better to freeze the components separately since reheating the different ingredients take different times and sometimes methods.

Is the microwave the only option available?
If it is then a simple hotplate or single burner heating device might be a good investment.

Try cooking as if he were still at home and simply seal and freeze or freeze and seal what you are having yourself for dinner. Keep in mind he still won't eat what he never did.

And don't worry too much about him eating Taco Bell seven nights a week.
I'm sure he'll change it up with McD's, Burger King, and the local Pizza & Beer joint.

Welcome to DC and I hope you and your son enjoy your experiments in how to best feed yourselves in a tasty and nutritious manner.

Keep us informed.

 

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

ALOHA ElGato, welcome!

Ah, grilled meats, don't forget the steak, a growing boys best friend.

I LOVE grilled veggies, and I agree with others here; do package them separately from the proteins and then, if your son thinks a little ahead, let them defrost in the `fridge while he's in class.

Fall/Winter is quickly approaching, do not forget some soups too.

What is it that you have planned already? That could help the group brainstorm.

I've never frozen mashed `taters before, how do they fare?

It sounds like he may be having loads of buddies over to eat your scrumptious food

 

[Dawgluver]

Another thought, how about egg casserole/fritatta/crustless quiche? You can make individual ones in a muffin tin or baking pan cut in squares, and use whatever meat, veg, and cheese you have. Bake and freeze, then bag and suction.

A few seconds in the microwave, et voila!

 

[ElGato27]

Thank you all for the great ideas, very much appreciated. Great to find a forum that has active and helpful members!


Thanks for the PM on college cooking, some of those should work well!!


Good to know that microwaving the bags works. Just don’t think he has the patience to bring water to a boil, turn it down to a simmer and drop the bags in for 15-20 minutes.


Good tip on sealing components separately, was wondering about that.


Thanks for the offers to share food, I’m sure he would eat everything. We’ve done some deep primitive camping, I know he can survive on filtered water and granola bars for days on end. I just want to make sure he’s well fed.


I guess I’ll be playing in the kitchen this Sunday.


Anyone ever freeze potato salad? My smoked brisket + potato salad usually turns out pretty darn good!


Thanks again.

 

[jabbur]

I don't have any ideas to add to the already impressive list of meals but since he's in an apartment, teach him to cook! He'll enjoy the distraction from studying to put together a meal every now and then. Of course he won't want to do it every day so your freezer meals will come in handy. My son got pretty good at cooking when he lived in an apartment during college and he also learned to budget his money better. When mom was shopping it had to be the national name brand products or he wouldn't eat them. When he was shopping, he quickly found the store brands were cheaper and every bit as good. Lots of life lessons to be learned!

 

[tenspeed]

You might want to put a rice cooker on the radar. I recently purchased one and am impressed with it - pretty much idiot proof. In reading up on the subject prior to making my purchase I learned that a lot of people steam vegetables along with the rice. Some even go so far as to add meat to the "one pot meal", but your grilled meats might be preferable. Roger Ebert (the film critic) likes his so much that he wrote a cookbook for rice cookers.

They're not expensive. Amazon's best seller is $30, and it comes with a steaming insert. Might be a better option than a crock pot, as the cooking cycle is usually in the 30 - 60 minute range, rather than hours for the crock pot.

 

[Caslon]

He could buy some fancy paper plates and cook up whatever and place it on the paper plates like a regular dinner, then, quick freeze the plate and shrinkwrap it with the Foodsaver. Meals that come to mind are things like spaghetti and meat sauce, a tuna casserole, roast beef slices with mashed potatoes and beans, beef stew, etc. He'll want to freeze the plate meals before shrinkwrapping them so any liquids don't get sucked up.

 

[ElGato27]

Finally tried out the foodsaver yesterday. Did some breakfast tacos, some red beans and rice and some grilled chicken and sausage. Figured he could open up a can of veggies on his own.

Found out I can't cut a straight line to save my life! And the red beans and rice was not as dry as I thought it was, sucked up some liquid, had to double seal that. Same with the grilled chicken, wrapping it in a paper towel helped.

My son is going to sample this next few days before he goes off to college.

Kinda a fun gadget..

Anybody know of a cheap source for these foodsaver rolls? I'm going through the sample roll pretty fast.

 

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

.... [snipped]

Kinda a fun gadget..

Anybody know of a cheap source for these foodsaver rolls? I'm going through the sample roll pretty fast.

I buy mine FoodSaver rolls at WalMart. I can't say that it's any cheaper than anywhere else, but I do know that it's less then ordering from the company.
I LOVE my Food Saver! I asked Santa to bring me a new one ( I left mine back home when we moved ) a few years back.
I've learned to freeze everything prior to sealing. I like throw-away deli containers for portioning. Those small ones are about one cup.

 

[Addie]

Recently bought a foodsaver in order to freeze meals for my son who is going away to college, ~100 miles from home. I should be able to make food runs to him every now and then.

Have been searching the Internet for ideas and have come across a few, but looking for more ideas.

Was wondering what I might be able to cook and freeze using a foodsaver that could be microwaved for a quick meal?

Here is my list so far:

• Pastas
• Breads
• Meatloaf
• Mashed potatoes
• Soups and stews(freeze first and then seal)
• I grill quite a bit, grilled meat should work.

All ideas are appreciated. Don't know if I can throw a full meal in a bag and seal (protein + veggies).
Thank you.

-Dad

Pasta dishes with very small meatballs. You can use jar sauce in a pinch.

Using a large bag, a piece of meatloaf with some gravy and a large helping of mashed taters and a small veggie such as peas mixed in with the taters.

Also take a look at Hungry Man Meals at your grocery store in the freezer section. You can get some ideas from them. Mac and cheese. And I don't mean the box kind with orange cheese. Cooked elbows with a can of cheese soup partially diluted with milk before mixing with elbows. The soup straight from the can will be too salty and will not be creamy enough to mix well with the elbows.

Or you can make American Chop Suey. Elbow macaroni with canned tomatoes broken up. Sauté a bit of hamburger and onions. I sometimes will add a half of green, yellow or orange pepper for color. Mix it all together, stirring well.

Any meal you can find in your grocer's freezer can be done at home. Just keep in mind that breaded products or foods do not do well in a microwave oven. Fried chicken with a batter will come out tough. But a nice chicken breast done on the grill and served with mashed taters and gravy along with a veggie will make a nice meal.

If you have a large ice cream scoop, you can make up a mess of mashed taters, scoop out a large scoop of taters and place on a piece of parchment paper. Freeze scoops as individual scoops to be placed in with the meat and veggie of choice. Make sure other components of the meal are also individually frozen like the taters. You can use sweet taters in place of your regular white ones. To save time, use already frozen veggies.

When you go to put the meal together, look at the food saver bag as the plate. Place a piece of meat, a scoop of taters and veggie into the bag. Seal.

Take a whole Saturday or Sunday to make up a plethora of sealed meals for your son. Nothing like a home cooked meal. And it will save your son a ton of money. You have a lucky son.