For some reason I had always thought I would move my children into their college apartments. I remember my entire family taking me to college, helping me set up my dorm room and then driving away (okay that part may have been a little traumatizing with my brother waving and crying out the back window.) It seemed like a ritual, a rite of passage for motherhood and now I was going to miss it.
Looking at it realistically, my son had lived in a foreign country for the last two years without me ever setting up any of his apartments, many of which he occupied with scorpions, various rodents, mosquito nets, other 20 year-old boys and third-world conditions.. He had figured out the language, how to do laundry, shop, cook and basically keep himself alive so he surely could handle setting himself up in a college apartment right?
Other parts of this equation were logical and numerous as to why I really shouldn’t go, 1. There was no elevator and he would be living on the second floor. 2. My arms and hands wern’t very useful so there wasn’t a lot I could even organize or clean for him If I were sitting in a wheelchair. 3. There wasn’t enough room for a wheelchair in that small apartment. It wouldn’t even fit down the hallway to the bathroom. 4. Where he was moving was going to be hot and I don’t do hot! Any nerves that were working stop at 72 degrees and I go downhill from there. 5. How much time did he want to spend with his mother when he was going to college anyway? More than likely I would get there and he would be off with his friends. 6. It was going to cost me a lot of money to fly out and be useless. 7. There would be other mothers of roommates that could help with anything these first-year college students really needed. Even my mother was going to be in the area even though she lived 500 hundred miles away.
I think it was at that point that I realized it was me I felt bad for not him. Honestly, there are many children that go to college without their parents because it is cost prohibitive for them to travel and there are even more children that never are able to go to college. Despite my limitations my child was going to do just fine.
At this point I decided to do something with my time rather than feel bad I didn’t get to go. I decided I could make him menus, compile recipes and prepare shopping lists. Over the last 24 years I’d become very good at this.
Much to my surprise this ended up being a great help to rest of the family. I would have never guessed I would be sharing menus with my friends but hopefully it can save you some time as well.
MENU: 1st Semester 6 weeks
Remember as a roommate refrigerator space is limited! I encourage you to purchase a salad bar on campus everyday at lunch. It will be fresher, provide more variety, actually save you money because you won’t be throwing spoiled produce away and save you time as you can stay up on campus. If your campus doesn’t provide a salad bar in the Student Center check the dorm cafeterias or local grocery stores.
You’re also going to be eating leftovers and wanting to eat out with friends so feel free to adjust the days that you are cooking…that’s why there are blank days.
SHOPPING LIST:: 1st Semester – Sheet1.csv
RECIPES
Week 1
Shepherd’s Pie
Materials
- 1 lb hamburger
- ¼ cup diced dried onion
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 2 cups potato pearls
- 1 can green beans
- 2 cups cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Brown ground beef with salt pepper and onion.Place green beans and bottom of an 9 x 13 panLayer hamburger on top of green beansSpread cream of mushroom soup on top of hamburgerLayer mashed potatoes on top of cream soupLayer cheddar cheese on top of potatoesBake at 350 until cream of soup is Bubbly or cheese is bubbling
Cheddar Bacon Ranch Chicken Pasta
Materials
- 1 lb mostaccioli or other short pasta
- 6 TBSP crumbled bacon
- 1 TBSP butter
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into bite-size pieces
- 2 TBSP flour
- 1 paccket ranch dressing mix
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- 1. Cook pasta according to package directions in boiling salted water; drain, return to pot, and keep warm.
2. Meanwhile, cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Drain all but one tablespoon of bacon drippings from the pan.
3. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add the butter to the reserved bacon drippings, then add the chicken to the same skillet. Cook until tender, no longer pink, and slightly browned.
4. Sprinkle the flour and ranch dressing mix over the chicken, stirring to coat evenly. Stir in the milk, and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened and bubbly. Stir in the cheddar cheese and half of the reserved bacon; cook and stir until the cheese is melted. Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.
5. Add the cheese sauce to the reserved pasta
Tacos
Materials
- 2 lb hamburger When you buy a hamburger it list percentage of fat. The cheaper hamburger has more fat. The hamburger we get from the farm has almost no fat so you don't have to rinse it but if you buy cheap hamburger you're going to have to rinse the fat off. 80/20 is about as low as I would buy on your budget.
- 2 tsp dried onions or to taste
- 2 tsp salt or to taste
- 1 tsp pepper or to taste
- 1 can refried beans
- 1 can black olives
- 2 cups cheddar cheese
- 1 head lettuce
- 1 pkg tortillas
- salsa for topping
- sour cream for topping
Instructions
- Brown hamburger in Skillet. If you are training it ad onion salt and pepper after it has been rinsed you can also add taco seasoning if you prefer.
layer toppings as desired
Baked Potato Bar
Materials
- Baking potatoe As many as you need but they have to cook or an hour so I would put a couple in so you don't have to wait that long for them again or feed your roommates.
- sour cream
- salt & pepper
- 1 can chili
- bacon
- cheddar cheese
- canned brisket
- steamed brocoli
- butter
Instructions
- Wash potatoes, poke holes onto potatoes with a fork you can rubBaked potatoes in oven at 350-400 for an hour and a half or until you can poke a fork into the potato and it goes in easily.Toppings can include: cheese, butter, salt, pepper, sour cream, chili, broccoli, Bacon, salsa, ranch.
Week 2
Caramel Apple Pork Chops
Materials
- 4 boneless pork loin chops 3/4 inch thick
- Vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- salt & pepper
- 2 Barton apples (granny Smith, pink lady or Braeburn)
- 4 TBSP butter
Instructions
- Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Brush pork chops lightly with oil and cook for 5 to 6 minutes on each side or until evenly browned. Remove from the pan and keep warm.In small mixing bowl, combine brown sugar, cinnamon, not make and salt-and-pepper to taste.m Core Apple and slice and 1/2 inch wedges.Add butter to the skillet and sister in the apples and brown sugar mixture. Cover and cook over medium heat 3 to 4 minutes, just to tell the apples are tender. Remove the apples with a slotted spoon and arrange on top of the chops; Keeping warm.Continue cooking the mixture in the skillet, uncovered, and tell the sauce thickens slightly. Spoon the sauce over the apples and chops. Sprinkle with pecans. Makes 4 servings.
Sometimes I double this sauce because we love it so much.
Spaghetti
Materials
- 1 LB hamburge
- 1 can hunts 4 cheese sauce
- 1/2 box spagetti noodles
- parmesan cheese
Instructions
- brown hamburger, rinse and drain, seson with salt/pepper and dried onions
- boil water, add salt, add noodles, cook according to pkgadd hamburger to sauce and warm
Parmessan Bread
Materials
- slices bread
- 1.5 TBSP ranch dressing per slicee
- dried parmesan xheese
Instructions
- Toast slices of bread so they don't go soggy when you Royal them. Spread ranch dressing on one side of toasted bread. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, Broil in Oven until browned. Keep an eye on it or it will burn. If Browns were Broyles very fast!
Chicken Enchiladas
Materials
- 1 pkg tortillas I like corn but you can use flour
- 2 cans cream of chicken soup
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 can chopped green chilies
- 1 can black olives, slice them
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 4 green onions, chopped
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 cans cooked chicken
Instructions
- Combined soup, sour cream, Chilies, olives,3/4 Cup cheese, onion, and milk. Mix together and divide in half. In one half add chicken. Spread 3 tablespoons of mixture onto bottom of 9x13 casserole dish. Fill tortilla shells, Roll and place in casserole dish side-by-side. Spread the remaining half of the mixture on top of the role tortillas. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes.
French Dip Sandwhich
Materials
- bread or rolls
- 1 pkg Au jus
- 1 can brisket
- salt & pepper
- miracle whip
Instructions
- Heat the brisket in the microwave after salting and peppering and shredding it.If you're using bread toast it in the toaster. If you're using rolls broil them in the oven,,,watch carefully so you don't burn! Make the au jus according to the package directions. Lightly spread Miracle Whip on the bread and then put the meat on.
We usually eat this with a Salad and aside of french fries that you can bake in your oven found in the frozen section in the grocery store.
EmRee you are AMAZING! I love listening to you and reading your blogs. You are an inspiration to me especially since my body is slowing down, thank you JRA. I hope when the day comes that I’m unable to do as much as I’m used to doing that I will be able to be positive about life like you are! Thank you! Love you!❤️
BTW these recipes look AMAZING I’m definitely trying them. 😊
It’s a good thing we have eachother because it goes both ways!
Sweet!!! Ethan needs recipes!! This is perfect for him!!!
Please remind him when he’s done cooking we are close by and will feed him weekly.