Best packaged rice dishes according to redditors

It's worth getting actual, authentic paella rice. Otherwise it's honestly not worth doing IMO.

I'd recommend you make a meal plan for the month with a series of planned short shopping lists. I'd also think you would want some nice air tight storage for dry goods. My suggestions are based on you being able to boil water. Shopping lists would involve foods that might go moldy if not rancid.

Carbs: Bean thread noodles, Quinoa, oven-ready lasagna, quick cook oats, wheat berry, those quick cook bags of pasta or noodles


Veg: Dehydrated refried beans, dried onion, Dried mushroom (I find them at the local asian grocery), canned tomato, canned green beans, canned beans, dry lentils

Other: Pasta sauce, hard cheese, nuts, Powder bouillon, powdered milk, oil, honey, peanut butter, maybe a can or two of spam or other tinned animal


Short shopping lists would include: Small amounts of bread rolls or tortillas, colorful veg, fruit, small amounts of fresh fish or meat, occasionally soft cheese.


Bean thread noodles just need to sit in boiled water to hydrate. Add some bouillon, a splash of oil and dehydrated veg and you have a pretty good soup. Add in a can of veg and it's starting to get more substantial. Add tinned turkey breast and you have a pretty hearty meal.


Quinoa cooks stupidly fast. It's something like 15 minutes. If you eat lots of red meat I would cook the quinoa during the time the meat is resting. Throw in a can on tomatoes and green beans with some salt and pepper. bam. If you're making fish set the fish right on top or the quinoa to steam. But quinoa is a complete protein on it's own so you can just make it it's own thing, add more fluid to the pot and cut in some fresh veg. Make a little stew.

If you rehydrate oven ready lasagna noodles in boiling water you can you can make little lasagna roll ups. fill it with soft cheese and softened fresh veg. Put it all in the pot and let it warm through. (this would work better with a campfire and in a dutch oven but idk who knows what you'll have access to.)

Quick oats plus powdered milk and some honey and nuts are like... what my childhood tasted like. Granted I was a weird kid and was a huge fan of instant oats + cold water = tasty chewy mess.

If you can soak wheat berries until they're soft the cook time is pretty quick. You could even like, soak them in the car for a few hours, drain them but leave them out so they can sprout a little and then cook them. You will have accidentally gained cred with a certain type of wholesome food nut. You know lentils, mungbeans and soy are other things that you can soak for a quick cook time, and taste pretty alright even after sprouting.


And of course if you're having a hard time with your cooker situation there's always good ole (whatever) in a tortilla/bread roll. I like the dehydrated refried beans because you can mix up as much as you want. You could use em as a scooping tool if you cook beans/lentils/whatever.

Is this what im looking for? Uncle Ben's Ready Rice: Whole Grain Brown Rice, Ready to Heat 8.8 Ounce,Pack of 6 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GBS8GVH/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_guGWDb8QNJHCD

I've had good luck with Knorr since they only require 7min cooking time. It's been a while since I've made one of these on a trip but I'd just experiment at home, use less water than indicated, and let it sit in the bag for 10min inside a cozy, see how it turns out, and adjust from there.

Mexican Lasagna

Ingredients:

• 2 Poblanos
  
  
• 1 Red Bell Pepper
  
  
• 1 Big Yellow Onion
  
  
• 4 cloves garlic
  
  
• 28 oz enchilada sauce
  
  
• 2 cans black beans
  
  
• 10 corn tortillas (do NOT use flour tortillas)
  
  
• 1 frozen bag of corn
  
  
• 8 oz shredded mexican cheese (you can bump this up to 16 for more awesome).
  
  
• 1/4 cup cut cilantro
  
  
  Optional
  
  
• Sour cream
  
  
• Avocado
  
• Shredded chicken, Al Pastor, any kind of meat.
  
  
  Instructions
  
  

1. For the casserole I cut up two poblanos, one red bell pepper, one big yellow onion, 4 cloves of garlic. I cooked down the onion for a bit, add salt, then poured on a 32 oz can of green enchilada sauce. Reduce that for a few minutes.
   
   
2. Open 2 cans of black beans and rinse / drain.
   
   
3. Meanwhile, cut up 10 corn tortillas into 1/6ths (shaped like your standard tortilla chip).
   
   
4. Spray a casserole dish with vegetable cooking spray.
   
   
5. Line bottom of casserole dish with a layer of tortillas. Top with cheese. If adding meat, add it now. Top with enchilada sauce / onion mixture. Top with black beans. Top that with pepper mix. Top that with frozen corn.
   
   
6. Repeat that layering another couple of times, finishing with a layer of tortillas and cheese.
   
   
7. When eating, add sour cream and avocado and lime slices to make your mouth happy.
   
   Note: This happens to be a vegetarian dish this time, but I usually make it with meat. Usually I'll pick up a rotisserie chicken from costco and use the meat from that for the casserole. Then I'll use the carcass to make very concentrated chicken stock, which I then use 16oz of chicken stock in place of half of the enchilada sauce.
   
   Rice
   
   I got lazy with the rice and used "La Preferida" instant rice and cooked it in some chicken stock. It's actually pretty delicious.
   
   

I was always wondering why my rice always comes out so mushy and paste like, kept thinking it was something I was doing wrong. Turns out that no, it's right (from what I understand reading here), just gotta let it sit for a day.

Should it be sitting in a fridge in a bowl covered with saran wrap, or just in a bowl in the fridge?

Edit: I tended to use rice like this because I don't know any better yet.

https://www.amazon.com/natural-Pei-Tien-Energy-Flavor/dp/B01GGVECYG

(but it's probably 2-3x the cost online versus your local Chinese grocery store)

You have my deepest sympathies. Like everyone else here I think the school is being ridiculous. However, in the meantime, Amazon is an excellent source for reasonably priced single serving prepackaged food in bulk. (I am assuming the teacher has access to a microwave since pasta was on the list. I am also assuming that eggs in pasta is not an issue since otherwise I have no idea where you are supposed to find pasta.)

Some possibilities and by the way the first one on the list is surprisingly good:

https://www.amazon.com/Pace-Ready-Meals-Santa-Style/dp/B016UB9JJK/ref=pd_bxgy_467_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B016UB9JJK&pd_rd_r=8b4ba56c-b8fc-11e8-ac55-834a4eb79bb6&pd_rd_w=OGW1B&pd_rd_wg=fECxM&pf_rd_i=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=6725dbd6-9917-451d-beba-16af7874e407&pf_rd_r=BDPX8NH9EH77SCJ6HXXA&pf_rd_s=desktop-dp-sims&pf_rd_t=40701&psc=1&refRID=BDPX8NH9EH77SCJ6HXXA

https://www.amazon.com/Barilla-Italian-Style-Entrees-Tomato-Basil/dp/B00X80345W/ref=sr_1_5_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1537026266&sr=8-5&fpw=pantry&keywords=single+serve+pasta

Go to the bottom of the above-listed Amazon page and look for the "customers who viewed this item also viewed" section. There are lots of good possibilities there.

It would probably be worth it to sign up for Amazon prime pantry if you are going to be doing this all year. Also, ask the teacher to make a list of other approved prepackaged foods that kids are bringing in so every single parent does not have to reinvent the wheel. Good luck.

edit: Sorry, forgot this was in your post --

>Since then the school has tightened the rules to basically be "unless it says it says explicitly to "not contain soy" it is treated as having soy".

Yeah, that is so beyond unreasonable that I can't even believe it. Even Amazon has practically zero options. Even things like tuna in water don't say soy free on the label. This is just absurd. Demand that the school assign this child a teacher's aide to prevent him from coming into contact with other children and that he eat at a separate table. While the school is required to provide reasonable accommodations to children with disabilities these restrictions on the entire class are far from reasonable. I also can't figure out why the kids are eating in the classroom. This seems like it would present a greater danger to the child than if they were eating in a different room.

I did rice with veggies, and sometimes a chicken for better part of a year. I stopped because my then-girlfriend would want detailed information about dinner. When I would say rice and veggies, she would chastise me. Been 3 years, cannot bring myself to make rice, more than one or two times a month. I sadly use Knorr rice sides instead, not bashing the Knorr product.

a good way to do it would be to replace chips with a healthier option, like whole grain pita with hummus. you could also order something like this and eat them as snacks when hungry. you'll slowly get used to less calories. quitting EVERYTHING cold turkey is the fastest but the most difficult option. can you ask your mom to buy you something like that at the store?

Korean markets sell microwavable rice. Pronounced "het-bon"

Can also be ordered from Amazon.

It goes without saying that you can get super creative with rice. Was a huge deal for me since it's a staple item and no stove in the dorms.

OMG did not know this existed, heavier yes, but for weekend hikes it's not that bad. Thank you for the suggestion.

https://www.amazon.com/Zatarains-Orleans-Style-Easy-Beans/dp/B00AHPVYHG/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=big-easy-red-beans-and-rice&qid=1554393619&s=gateway&sr=8-3&th=1

4.30/lb isn't absurd https://www.amazon.com/Calasparra-Rice-Paella-bag-Kg/dp/B0050ILG4Q

OG fancy rice at city market is 3.50+/lb

Seoul Asian Market and Cafe at 1005 Rittiman Rd #101, San Antonio, TX 78218 they sell microwavable sticky rice that is ready in 90 seconds. Or alternatively you can order the same thing on Amazon.

​

https://smile.amazon.com/CJ-Hetbahn-Cooked-Gluten-Free-Microwaveable/dp/B003U97L1Y/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=microwavable%2Brice&qid=1562383677&s=gateway&sr=8-3&th=1

​

Be sure to open a small opening in the package before microwaving. It comes out perfect every time.

If this is part of her CJ CheilJedang solo endorsement deal, one wonders what's next since from what I understand, it's a multi-brand food company. Dumplings? Tofu?
Cooked Rice? Prostate health supplement?

The possibilities abound~

Delicious dirty rice

As the person above said, rice and potatoes are definitely not fattening. It's more about portion-sizes and balancing them out with other proteins and veggies.

Brown rice (complex carb) instead of white would be an easy sub that will give you more fiber. Wild rice has a ton of nutrients as well but brown is significantly cheaper. There's also a new brand of microwaveable rice called "RightRice" that's a bit more expensive since you can't buy it in bulk ($12.99 for 3 packs) but it has incredible nutritional benefits. It's a combo of riced lentils, chickpeas, peas, and rice so it's like a carb, protein, and veggie all-in-one. The lemon pepper is my personal favorite.

Having sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes some nights will also give you different nutrients (note the word "different" because white potatoes have their own benefits).

You can also try pasta options with more protein. Chickpea is my personal favorite but I also like black bean, lentil, and edamame. If you want to just lower calories, brown rice pasta cooks super quickly, is lighter than typical wheat pasta, and generally is really cheap. A lot of stores are also starting to sell pre-made zucchini, squash, and sweet potato noodles if you want to incorporate more veggies.

As for your pasta sauce, I can't think of one that would be super unhealthy. Maybe throw in some veggies like spinach if you want but otherwise no problem.

Veganaise is always a questionable choice in my opinion just because the ingredients are pretty processed/not the best overall. A cashew-based sauce or avocado mayo would be the cheapest sub but if you don't want to do any kind of cooking, tahini would be the best. Guacamole and/or salsa would also be different flavors but great options.

If you can find instant rice it has good flavor, lightweight, and plenty of carbs. Instant mash is great but make sure you buy the mash with some sort of flavor or bring salt. Hot sauce is always a must

I recently took this guys buffalo/ranch chicken recipe.
https://youtu.be/nWGboCwVkmQ
And added it to the knorr rice dish https://www.amazon.com/Knorr-Flavor-Choose-Flavors-Cheddar/dp/B00QZZMMQY/ref=sr_1_1_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1501253903&sr=8-1&keywords=Knorr+queso

It actually came out really well. Brought a block of cheddar with me and some tortillas. Probably the best dehydrated tacos I've had on the trail yet.

This one's as easy as it gets. Add/alter spice to taste:

• In a large pot, melt a tablespoon of Earth Balance vegan butter over medium heat and add minced onions. At least sweat them for a few minutes, but it's best to caramelize them.
  
• Add minced fresh garlic and chopped pickled jalapenos, carrots, and celery, and sweat for another 2-4 minutes.
  
• Add 1 can of chili beans, one can of fire-roasted diced tomatoes (drained), and one can of sweet corn.
  
• Immediately add 4 cups of water and 1 tablespoon of Better than Bullion vegan soup base. Turn heat on high to bring to a boil and fully dissolve the soup base.
  
• Once dissolved, add Beyond Meat's Feisty Crumble (still frozen) and a packet of Saison Goya and reduce to a simmer for at least 30 minutes.
  
• Done.

This is absolutely horrifying.

Check out Korean microwaveable rice.

Very sticky white rice. It's wayyy more expensive than cooking your own rice, but some people seem to have rice PTSD, so I thought I'd just throw this out there.

https://www.amazon.com/CJ-Cooked-White-7-4-Ounce-Containers/dp/B003U97L1Y/ref=pd_lpo_vtph_325_bs_img_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=ZD7WP2EFF7H3ETM3NFFX

Found it!

I had a 3-cup (cooked) black and decker rice cooker that could go down to half a cup (raw) pretty reliably, though the bottom would sometimes be a bit crisp if I didn't turn in off right after the rice was finished. It was like $20 for the cooker, I think.

If you don't eat rice super often, maybe try these. The portion size is quite good, and so is the taste/consistency. I'm not sure about the starch issue though.

Easy to get off Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Al-Wadi-Gourmet-Stuffed-10-Ounce/dp/B001EO5WJA/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1407768069&sr=8-4&keywords=grape+leaves

Absolutely loved couscous with tuna, especially that yellowfin tuna in pouches. I usually threw in a tablespoon of olive oil in it as well.

Couscous: https://www.amazon.com/Near-East-Couscous-Parmesan-Cheese/dp/B000GZY94W
Tuna: http://starkist.com/products/yellowfin-tuna-in-extra-virgin-olive-oil

its my go-to camping meal now. Hope you enjoy

This is all you need.

Scope the reviews. They got me hooked!