By Makaela Willis, Marketing & Owner Services Assistant
As the school year begins, we all need to plan and figure out just what we need or want for the upcoming school year, whether you are a college student or the parent of students going into their next year of grade school.
Typically, that means quick meals and snacks that can make snack time, lunch, and dinner so much easier on those busy days when we don’t have time to cook. Here at GreenTree we have a lot of options that make those weekday meals easy to prep for. As a college student, I have found myself relying on quite a few of the quick meals we carry at GreenTree. Sometimes, having the hot bar, salad bar, and a case full of all sorts of amazing foods means I don’t have to do anything but pick out my food and then eat. It makes lunch breaks and dinner easy!
In addition to great products that make mealtime quick and easy, if you are looking for budget friendly options, check out the affordable and satisfying mac and cheese and pasta and sauce combinations from Field Day. We have so many choices for what ever your mealtime needs are.
Not sure where to start?
Here are some ideas for great quick meals for both college students and busy families:
If you like Indian food with a fresh twist, try out Maya Kaimal! I personally love their “Everyday Dal”, it is so easy to make and even with rice it only takes about 20 minutes! (If you need rice even faster try the Tasty Bite 90 second rice packs.) You can serve their “Everyday Dal” and “Everyday Chana” that way or try soaking it up with pita bread! I really enjoy these, and a package shared over rice is perfect for 2 servings. For an easy way curry, try a Maya Kaimal curry-based simmer sauce mixed with your favorite veggies and proteins! If you want to learn more about Maya Kaimal and learn her story, click here!
If you have a hard time with picking one thing for dinner when one person wants enchiladas and the other wants mac & cheese look no further than Amy’s Kitchen. With soups, pizzas, and burritos (and more), if you can’t pick one meal, have each person pick out their favorite! Amy’s Kitchen also caters to special diets like vegan or gluten free. To learn more about Amy’s Kitchen and the family that can feed your family check out their website.
For our folks with gluten intolerance Feel Good Foods is the brand for you! They make quick and easy gluten free meals that you can just pop in the oven – everything from potstickers to calzones. If you want to be able to have foods that usually you can’t, Feel Good Food has you covered! To learn more about this company here is the link to their ‘about us’ page.
When it comes to snacks no one has better snacks then GreenTree! I may be biased, but I can find so many good options in almost every aisle of the store! We have Simple Mills crackers – a gluten free alternative to Cheese-its that’s so good I could eat a whole box on my own! There are treats from Annie’s, who wouldn’t love their cute and good for you fruit snacks or classic graham crackers? I loved the chocolate graham cracker bunnies when I was a kid. We even have a Michigan-made brand of granola bars called Junkless that would be a great addition to everyone’s lunch box. From jerky, to crackers, to hummus, we have so many snack options at GreenTree! Don’t forget to check out the deli cheese case for snacking cheeses like Belgioioso bites, Plant Based Babybels, and more.
When planning mealtimes and snacks it can be hard to find things that are both convenient and good for you. It is nice to know, as a college student who missed a lot of meals because of the cafeteria was closed, that ramen and microwavable food from the convenience store in the hall are no longer the only options for me. And as someone who came from an always busy family, we would have been a little less rushed if we had some of these options before. Let us help you optimize your time. Maybe you can even find the time to take a nap, or sit down for a few minutes, by making mealtime just a little easier!