Meal Ideas for Sick family member

[fried_green_tomatoes]

I'm looking for meal ideas to take to my parents. My mom hurt her back and has been down for the count for several days. They have a microwave and a stove top but their oven doesn't work, and I'm pretty sure my daddy hasn't been near a stove in years.

I need some meal ideas that I could take that would feed two people and heat easily in the microwave.

So far I've thought of:

Loaded Potato Soup
Brocolli Cheese Soup
Chicken Pot Pie
Lasagna? but afraid the noodles might get too tough
Shepherd's pie?

I don't want to overwhelm them with food but they've been subsisting on canned soup, tv dinners and fast food.

 

[CakePoet]

Well anything can be thawed in a microwave. Make portion boxes. If you make mash, add a egg yolk and it microwaves better.

My husband have in his lunch box today, beerstew with potatoes and tomorrow there is Salisbury steak meatballs with mash.

 

[CWS4322]

I'm looking for meal ideas to take to my parents. My mom hurt her back and has been down for the count for several days. They have a microwave and a stove top but their oven doesn't work, and I'm pretty sure my daddy hasn't been near a stove in years.

I need some meal ideas that I could take that would feed two people and heat easily in the microwave.

So far I've thought of:

Loaded Potato Soup
Brocolli Cheese Soup
Chicken Pot Pie
Lasagna? but afraid the noodles might get too tough
Shepherd's pie?

I don't want to overwhelm them with food but they've been subsisting on canned soup, tv dinners and fast food.

Beef stroganoff, spaghetti sauce, chili wildrice hotdish...I have been caring for my bedridden Mom since May of 2016, but have been dealing with the menu issue since 2008--I would leave soups, etc., in the freezer when I would spend time with them. I am guessing your mom was the one in charge of the kitchen. When my Mom was still able to put things in the oven, etc., I would take chicken breasts and marinate them, freeze them, and leave instructions on how to cook them.

I went through my Mom's recipe box and would make things she would make. Not how I cook, but those were dishes that they would (and still will) eat.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

I'm looking for meal ideas to take to my parents. My mom hurt her back and has been down for the count for several days. They have a microwave and a stove top but their oven doesn't work, and I'm pretty sure my daddy hasn't been near a stove in years...

Ouch! I feel sorry for your Mom. Himself has gone through two back issue episodes over the years and it's not fun. I hope your Mom feels better soon.

As far as the "tough noodle" with lasagna, they shouldn't get tough if the lasagna is microwaved at a lower power like 50%. As long as a food is fully cooked and from the fridge, I never reheat anything above 60% - ever. More like 40%, and 50% when my "5" button still worked...

You might consider making:
- macaroni and ground beef with a tomato base
- macaroni and cheese
- sauteed chicken and mushrooms in a lemon-butter sauce ~ your Dad could make a rice packet like something from Knorr or Uncle Ben's as the side

Good luck caring for your folks. I'm sure if you need more advise CWS can give you much information since she's become a whiz at it.

 

[Farmer Jon]

Soups can easily be frozen in serving size containers. Chicken noodle, chili, ham and bean.

 

[medtran49]

Meatloaf portioned in slices will reheat well.

When it was just DD and me when she was still pretty young, I'd make 2-3 things on the weekend like chili, ground beef stroganoff, chicken and yellow rice, ground beef vege soup, Mexican ground beef and veges and we'd mix them up during the week so we wouldn't have the same thing every night.

The Mexican g. beef, veges and rice was a Minute Rice recipe, but I've adapated it to regular rice. Brown a pound or so of g. beef, add some chopped onions, cook until softened, add some chopped garlic and cook for another minute or so. Add S and P to taste, add chile powder to taste. Drain liquid from a can of chopped tomatos into a measuring cup, add tomatoes to g. beef mixture. Add a cup of converted rice to pan, stir. Add liquid to measuring cup to make 2 cups, add to pan, bring to boil, turn down to simmer and cover. Cook for about 5 minutes then add a 1/2 bag to a bag (depending on how far you want to stretch meat, it's a budget meal too) of frozen mixed veges. Cover pan and cook for another 15-20 minutes until veges and rice are done.

We still eat this every now and again. It's not pretty, but it's quick, simple to make, and nutritious, and we nearly always have the ingredients in the house.

Edited to add, I now use g. Round or g. Sirloin so there's not so much grease and what there is gets soaked up by the rice.

 

[Just Cooking]

Beef stroganoff, spaghetti sauce, chili wildrice hotdish...I have been caring for my bedridden Mom since May of 2016, but have been dealing with the menu issue since 2008--I would leave soups, etc., in the freezer when I would spend time with them. I am guessing your mom was the one in charge of the kitchen. When my Mom was still able to put things in the oven, etc., I would take chicken breasts and marinate them, freeze them, and leave instructions on how to cook them.

I went through my Mom's recipe box and would make things she would make. Not how I cook, but those were dishes that they would (and still will) eat.

I commend you for that in bold...
It is very important to serve what the person you are caring for likes.. I learned that caring for both my mom and my wife when they became disabled..

Ross

 

[tenspeed]

Reheated leftovers are a common lunch item here. Things that reheat well include most slow cooker dishes, as they usually contain enough liquid to keep things moist. A lot of stir fries include sauce, and mixing the rice in before refrigerating keeps it from clumping together. Cooked spaghetti noodles mixed with tomato meat sauce reheats very well. American chop suey (goulash, Johnny Marzetti, or whatever the local name is) is an option. Actually just about any pasta and sauce dish reheats well, as long as you mix the pasta with the sauce.

Grilled burgers reheat quite well. Marinated and grilled b/s chicken thighs also reheat quite well. Chicken breasts get kind of rubbery if they're not in a sauce.

Stuffed bell peppers reheat well, but they need to be microwaved more slowly (50% power in2 minute cycles, resting a minute or so between cycles to allow them to be heated to the center). Cutting them in half helps. I've reheated mashed potatoes and used the tomato sauce for the gravy, and they come out pretty good. I use the same intermittent cycle for lasagna, but I generally cut it in smaller pieces and rotate them on the dish.

Potato salads and cole slaw keep for a few days. Green salad also keep for a few days, just avoid cucumbers and avocados, as they deteriorate quickly. Baked beans are just fine reheated.

 

[Janet H]

Baked potatoes stuffed with chili, beef stew or broccoli and cheddar are lovely. You can prebake the potatoes and slit open. Put them in a bowl and add chili or chopped broccoli and butter. Cover and chill or freeze. They can microwave and then top with cheddar.

How about some rice and then a chicken/gravy with mixed veggie pour over? Sort of like chicken pot pie filling over rice. It would reheat well in a microwave and can be dished up in single servings.

 

[caseydog]

Meatloaf is easy to reheat. Pasta and sauce reheats well, and pasta salads don't need to be heated, and makes a nice light lunch. Black bean soup can be poured over some Minute Rice microwave rice, which is actually quite good. Actually, anything normally served over rice can be served over that microwave rice.

Lasagna reheats very well in a microwave oven.

If I think of anything else, I'll post it.

CD

 

[CWS4322]

I commend you for that in bold...
It is very important to serve what the person you are caring for likes.. I learned that caring for both my mom and my wife when they became disabled..

Ross

So very frigging true. You realize at some point in life, there are a whole lot of things that don't matter. My Dad would eat spaghetti or chili every day. My Mom can't digest either. And I refuse to be a short-order cook. What I cook for the Elders is not necessarily what I would cook for me, but the goal is to cook something that both of them will eat. Because my Mom had a stroke, I focus on things she can eat with her fingers (meatballs, chicken cut in "cubes", etc.) This is so not about me and it took me 3 months to convince my Dad that it didn't matter if Mom ate with her fingers. I gave myself a pat on the back when Mom weighed in 7 lb heavier than she was in August 2016. She is still 10 lb lighter than she was when she walked into the hospital in January 2016.

 

[CWS4322]

I commend you for that in bold...
It is very important to serve what the person you are caring for likes.. I learned that caring for both my mom and my wife when they became disabled..

Ross

Yup. Not about me.Thank you.

 

[Just Cooking]

Yup. Not about me.Thank you.