Freezer meals for college

Started by nonuteen, January 02, 2015, 11:19:16 PM

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nonuteen

We are making and stocking dd's freezer monthly for her dorm.  Her freezer is small:(  I am portioning in hefty freezer bags to conserve space.  If I can figure out how, I will post a picture.
She is sick of the staples already...
I have been making turkey/veggie lasagna
                                 chicken tortilla soup
                                 sausage and veggie rice
                                 many varieties of egg wraps (scrambled eggs with a variety of veggies and/or meat with cheese wrapped in mission tortilla)
                           

More ideas would be GREATLY appreciated!!!! I would make muffins but she is not a fan...

GoingNuts

I also send DS with stuff for his freezer.  He's in an off-campus apartment so has a bigger freezer and better reheating options, but some other things that freeze and reheat well are:

Chili
Pot Roast
Beef Stew
Split Pea Soup
Meat Balls

Really, anything with a lot of gravy and some fat will freeze and re-heat well.

Does she have any cooking options available to her so she could heat up a side dish or something to go with what you send?
"Speak out against the madness" - David Crosby
N.E. US

nonuteen

She only has a microwave.  We put everything in single serve hefty quart bags to lay flat to fit the most and then she transfers to a microwaveable bowl to reheat.  Not the best option but all she has this year and looks like next year will be the same...

CMdeux

Can she do Ling-Ling potstickers?  Those have good availability-- come in a resealable bag-- and are okay for both pn/tn/egg allergy.  Not sure about milk, and they do contain soy, wheat, and sesame.    I eat them though and I have a sfa.

They're not bad nutritionally, and might be something she could pick up when her freezer runs a bit low, or when she wants some variety.

If she isn't egg allergic, mini-quiches (done in jumbo muffin tins) are an option.

Resistance isn't futile.  It's voltage divided by current. 


Western U.S.

nameless

As an accommodation...can the residence hall director allow her a mini-freezer in addition to a dorm fridge? They make them the size of the smaller dorm fridges.

If you are stuck with that little bitty freezer space in a dorm-size fridge...I have no suggestions :(   

I hid a toaster oven, hot plate, and used my hot pot quite creatively when I was stuck in a dorm without a kitchen and a non-understanding food services place. 20+ years ago, food services had zero clue about food allergies.
40+ years dealing with:
Allergies: peanut, most treenuts, shrimp
New England

becca

Minestrone type soups freeze well too.  I make that for myself all the time.  Just tons of veggies, really, some sausage for flavor, beans. 

I do not make these myself, but I know one can make veggie burgers to freeze, from beans and rice as base ingredients.  That might nuke well to go on a bun or with a salad.
dd with peanut, tree nut and raw egg allergy

Macabre

Well, on that note, Morningstar Farms makes some really yummy veggie burgers.  DS likes the black bean, but they make so many others. THey come boxes with self-sealed individual portions.  We typically nuke them to cook them.  So easy.  And PF!
Me: Sesame, shellfish, chamomile, sage
DS: Peanuts

Janelle205

Pasta sauces - you can get a microwave pasta cooker and then add the sauce.  Since you would be freezing sauce only, it would take up less space.
Quesadillas - these can be microwaved or wrapped in foil and then heated with a clothes iron. You can do 'grilled' sandwiches in a foil packet with a clothes iron as well.
Chicken and noodles or chicken and dumplings.
Single servings of pulled pork/shredded chicken/shredded beef/sloppy joe - heat and then eat on safe bread or a bun.
Enchiladas
If you generally do a red sauce lasagna, a white sauce version can be a nice change
Portions of sliced grilled chicken or other protein that can be thawed in the fridge and then used to top a salad.

I'll keep thinking.  I've done a fair amount of this type of cooking between working at camps and needing quick food and preparing things before surgery.

nameless

40+ years dealing with:
Allergies: peanut, most treenuts, shrimp
New England

momma2boys

Cook up chicken breast and chop and freeze. She could then buy the steamer pouches of veggies or rice and mix in the chicken.
peanut, treenut, sesame
Northeast, US

momma2boys

Oh I also freeze my shredded bbq beef. You could freeze in individual portions.

Not a freezer meal, but would she drink smoothies?
peanut, treenut, sesame
Northeast, US

guess

#11
I need becca and Janelle to design a meal plan for me. A sort of paleo-esque top 8 friendly cookbook of make ahead items.

editing to add that I used to love cooking but food allergies wilted any joy that used to go with it. that and I'm actually back in college.

nonuteen

Thank you so much for the ideas.  Going to try the shredded beef, chicken and noodles and grilled chicken.   Already made our lasagna, egg wraps, and veggie rice staples.  Does anyone know if soup would be easy to pop out of a quart freezer bag?  All of the food has to lay flat to fit the most.   

Still trying to upload a picture of her freezer but it's not working!

Would love to be able to buy veggie burgers but she is soy allergic (although she has recently been able to tolerate some...yay!!!)

I also love the sloppy joe, bbq chicken type ideas. Would be very easy to heat up and make a sandwich.  I worry so much about her diet and lack of variety since moving to college.

nonuteen

Quote from: momma2boys on January 06, 2015, 08:31:53 PM
Oh I also freeze my shredded bbq beef. You could freeze in individual portions.

Not a freezer meal, but would she drink smoothies?

She originally took our magic bullet and planned to make lots of smoothies like she does at home but she hasn't used it because she is afraid it is too loud:(

nonuteen

#14
Quote from: nameless on January 06, 2015, 05:28:11 PM
http://allrecipes.com/howto/campus-cooking-the-advanced-course/

Thanks!  Janelle also mentioned the clothes iron idea!  Too funny!

ETA:  I would also like to mention that one of the biggest pains for her is dish washing with only her tiny bathroom sink but at least she has a sink and doesn't have to use the community one!

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