Creating Delicious College Care Packages

Sending kids off to college can be a difficult experience for parents.Whether it be their first year, or last, the worry never leaves you.

With a new course load, extracurricular activities, hours of studying and more, there's not much time for students to meal prep. Plus, you can't be by their side 24/7 to make sure they're well-fed and eating right, but FoodSaver can help – with the meals at least.

Send a taste of home to campus! Whether it be some sweet treats or an entire meal, you can seal your kid's favorite food using the FoodSaver Vacuum Sealing System for them to eat next week or even next semester. Try adding this yummy chicken casserole recipe to your kid's care package!

Chicken Casserole

Ingredients

1 cup of bowtie pasta

3 tablespoons of olive oil

5 chicken tenderloins

1 tablespoon parsley, dried

3 tablespoons onion, minced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

1 can of cream of mushroom soup

2 cups of frozen vegetables

1 cup of breadcrumbs

1/4 cup of parmesan cheese, shredded

Directions

1. Heat your oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a baking dish with a light spray of cooking oil.

2. Cook the pasta according to the directions on the box.

3. In a skillet, heat the oil. Then, cook the chicken in a mixture of parsley, onion, garlic, salt and pepper until it is no longer pink in the middle.

4. In the baking dish, combine the soup, chicken, vegetables and pasta. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs and cheese on top.

5. Bake for 30 minutes, or until it is golden brown on top.

6. Allow the casserole to cool, then carefully transfer it to an appropriately sized vacuum seal bag. Use your FoodSaver Vacuum Sealing System to remove the air and freeze.

For those kids with a sweet tooth, a homemade cookie or brownie can be the perfect piece of home after a long week. Try these peanut butter chocolate drops!

Peanut Butter Chocolate Drops

Ingredients

1 cup of brown sugar, packed

1 cup of white sugar, and more to coat

1 cup of peanut butter

1 cup of shortening

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

1/4 cup of milk

2 eggs

1 teaspoon of salt

2 teaspoons of baking soda

3 1/2 cups of flour

18 ounces of chocolate drops

Directions

1. Heat your oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine the sugars, peanut butter and shortening until the ingredients form a consistently colored cream. Then, add in the vanilla, milk and eggs, stirring all the while.
3. Add the final ingredients: salt, baking soda and flour. Stir well.
4. Using a tablespoon, form the dough into balls. Roll each ball in white sugar and place on a lined baking tray approximately 1 inch apart.
5. Bake for 10 minutes. Upon removing the tray from the oven, press a chocolate drop into the center of each cookie.
6. Allow the cookies to cool before eating or vacuum sealing.

Once the cookies are cool, place them on parchment paper-covered cookie sheets and put them in the freezer until every cookie is frozen solid. Make sure the cookies aren't overlapping on the sheet, as this placement will cause them to stick together. When you're certain the baked goods are frozen, remove them from the sheets and vacuum seal the batch.

Worry a little less – and bring a bite of home to your loved ones wherever they are.