No time to cook? No problem. Cougar Eatz, a new program offered by Collin College Food Services, will begin offering heat-and-eat take home meals beginning this fall.
The meals will be offered in a variety of entrée and vegetable combinations, freshly prepared and changing weekly. Packaging will include microwave instructions in addition to nutritional and allergen information so customers will know exactly what they are getting.
“We are always looking to be innovative and if you go into grocery stores all over, this type of fresh, heat-and-eat meal is really the rage right now,” Regenia Phillips, director of auxiliary services for Collin College said. “People don’t have the time to cook and they want really good, chef-prepared foods.”
The department struck upon the idea as a way to fill a need for students in night and weekend classes, when the campus café hot stations aren’t open. Phillips said the meals will provide options for others as well, including faculty and staff who have access to refrigeration at work or students who live on campus in Plano. They just need access to a microwave to heat the meal.
“It’s all about convenience,” Chef Lazaro Contreras said. “It’s 2019, and we all have busy lives. I am a chef and sometimes when I get home, even I don’t have time to cook, so whatever makes it easier for students and employees is a great thing.”
Contreras, who is affectionately known as “Chef Laz,” said the meals are designed as healthy options that are quick and easy for customers to consume with fresh ingredients and fresh cuts of meat. Some of the offerings will include flank steak, chipotle chicken, cilantro-lime rice, and roasted vegetables.
“In a lot of the menu, we try to use gluten-free items that are in season,” he said. “In the summer, we’ll be using a lot of squash and in the fall, you’ll see some sweet potatoes. That way it is more affordable for the customers and for us.”
The meals will be sold in a price range from $5.99-$8.99. They will initially be offered at the cafés on Plano Campus (Spring Creek) and Frisco Campus (Preston Ridge), but the service may grow to include McKinney Campus (Central Park) depending on sales.
“We believe that once you’ve purchased it, you’ll come back to check out the variety of offerings each week,” Phillips said.