Hospital food

[Chef Munky]

Sorry to hear about your friend Charlie.You're a cool buddy to go out of your way to not only visit him but to also go that extra mile to bring some comfort food to him.You are so on my Christmas card list.Congratulations!

Reading that you cook after work.It has to be simple.But good.
Here's my suggestion for what it's worth.

Waffles...See? Simple.Easy on you to.
The things you can do with that gadget is amazing.
The best thing is you know what he likes.Waffles are easy to package up for transport.

I've looked up some recipes for the waffle iron.
Maybe their is something you can try out or do it up your own way.
I saw a few I'd like to try.They looked really appealing and tasty.

27 Ingenious Things You Can Make in a Waffle Maker (Besides Waffles) | Greatist

 

[Janet H]

Strata w. some sundried tomatoes, cheese and spinach or herbs, fried potatoes or bread and fruit. Breakfast Strata Recipes - Allrecipes.com

Quiche - any flavor you like, salad, fruit.

Minestrone soup (homemade and do ahead), bread and a shredded carrot-raisin salad (also do ahead)

Veggie pot stickers (buy frozen) seared and then placed in a bowl of chicken broth and shredded chicken. Again, you could cook a whole chicken (soup style) one night and save the stock and meat. Then the next night do a quick assembly. Serve it with a shredded lettuce and pineapple salad and a fortune cookie.

Chicken pot pie (use chicken from boil above and make ahead) pickled beets and cucs, watermelon cubes with fresh mint leaves and lime juice spritz

Spanikopita (could get frozen), herbed rice, tzatziki (Plain yogurt and shredded cucumber) and a greek-ish salad

Grilled salmon, roasted reds (wedge em in quarters and toss with italian dressing; bake at 400 - this goes fast), Sliced tomatoes and cucumbers

Brownies with walnuts and dusted w/ sugar
Fortune cookies
Baklava
fresh berries
Pie slice
stuffed dates
Halvah

 

[CharlieD]

No, he lives in the Twin Cities.

Hi, can I talk to you privately, please? I cannot send you a private message thru this site.

 

[CharlieD]

I do not deserve all the credit, I am the only one of group of friends.

 

[Cheryl J]

I'm sorry to hear of your friend who is hospitalized, Charlie. Sure hope he recovers soon and is able to come home. There are lots of good ideas here. I'm sure he really appreciates you and your friends who are trying to make his stay a little more pleasant - food is such a good place to start.

 

[Breathing Couch]

Aren't you a good friend !!!

 

[CharlieD]

I hope I am


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[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Charlie, though I'm not entirely familiar with all things Kosher, I have to believe that legumes are a fairly common food item. Beans of all kinds, and lentils, with rice, and flavorings of herbs and spices opens up a world of tasty meals. Eggs are allowed as well, meaning soups, souffles, Quiche, and such things, not to mention pancakes (either yours or mine, both good). Poached, broiled, baked and fried fish dishes, in seasoned bread crumbs could make for some fine dining as well.

What about gelatine dishes, such as aspic, or fruit-flavored gelatins, or even panacotta. And don't forget the quickbreads, like zucchini bread, banana bread, apple bread, doughnuts, etc. Then there are all the yeast breads and pastries, and the steam raised pastries such as eclairs, profiterols, jelly filled doughnuts, etc.

And speaking of legumes, when's the last time you made a delicious bean pie? I bet he'd eat that.

From there we can go to cookies (Hamentashen, anyone?)

Charlie, you're a pretty good cook and can make just about anything.

Hope I've given you some ideas.

Seeeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[CharlieD]

Thanks. Chief your suggestions are good. Not sure about legumes or rice. He is pretty weak now from chemo and radiation so he needs something light. I have been making fish and mashed potatoes. Speaking of pancakes, I have been making for Sunday breakfast. He loves it. Though he can't eat more than one. I made bagels the other day, hope he had a bagel with cream cheese and lox. I've been making light soups. Problem is that he is not in a good shape and doesn't want to eat same things. Well, he doesn't want to eat period. Ok. Thanks everyone.


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[Janet H]

How about some french toast? You can make this ahead and freeze - it reheats nicely in a toaster or microwave. You could top it with syrup and applesauce or sliced bananas or even some nice vanilla yogurt. Best of all it can be sliced into "fingers" and served to dip in syrup, applesauce, etc. which is nice for someone who is week - no fork holding.

 

[CharlieD]

Unfortunately there is no toaster or microwave. That would have been so much easier


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[Chef Munky]

Unfortunately there is no toaster or microwave. That would have been so much easier


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Make it before you leave.Wrap it in some foil.
If you have an empty spice container put the syrup in that.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

A good way to keep things hot is to wrap in foil, reflective side in. However, aluminum is a great conductor, and radiator of heat. So, after wrapping in foil, wrap in thick towels to trap radiated heat. Also, keeping such things as waffles or pancakes hot in a sealed pocket will cause the steam to make everything soft. Just saying.

Seeeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North

 

[Janet H]

You can also put hot things in a small cooler to retain heat - those insulated cooler bags work well for short periods. Place a bath towel in the bottom and then add a sealed quart jar that you have filled most of the way with super hot water. Place your wrapped hot food next to the jar and then fold the towel over all of it and close the cooler. Try to use a cooler that isn't much bigger that the stuff you put in it. This should stay fairly warm for up to an hour.

You could also use a brick that has been wrapped in foil and heated in the oven instead of the jar of hot water but the heating take a little longer...

 

[CharlieD]

You can also put hot things in a small cooler to retain heat - those insulated cooler bags work well for short periods. Place a bath towel in the bottom and then add a sealed quart jar that you have filled most of the way with super hot water. Place your wrapped hot food next to the jar and then fold the towel over all of it and close the cooler. Try to use a cooler that isn't much bigger that the stuff you put in it. This should stay fairly warm for up to an hour.



You could also use a brick that has been wrapped in foil and heated in the oven instead of the jar of hot water but the heating take a little longer...

That what I was pretty much doing. OK, make sure everything is hot. Wrap, run!

 

[Caslon]

That what I was pretty much doing. OK, make sure everything is hot. Wrap, run!

I think they sell large heating pouches that you can plug into your cars cigarette lighter too. Like the ones pizza places use for delivery. They also sell simple insulated pouches that would help keep the food warm on the drive over.

 

[Kayelle]

Unfortunately there is no toaster or microwave. That would have been so much easier


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Charlie, are you sure there's not a microwave that can be used in the floor nurses station? Every nurses station in our local hospital has one, and I've never been turned down when I've asked to use it.

 

[Janet H]

OK - next idea...

Lentil soup (homemade) - Do ahead and pack in a thermos.
Bread. Lovely fresh bread, rolls or savory muffins - buy.
Salad. Plate of sliced cukes and tomatoes - peel the tomatoes. These are in season now and would be wonderful with a little oil and vinegar.

For dessert a fruit crisp from apples or berries. You can make this ahead as well in generous single serving size container and top it with some whipped cream (get the canned stuff....) or nice dollop of vanilla yogurt

 

[AnthonyJ]

Charlie, are you sure there's not a microwave that can be used in the floor nurses station? Every nurses station in our local hospital has one, and I've never been turned down when I've asked to use it.

I second this. I've worked in hospitals for the last ten years and there is ALWAYS a microwave available.

I also love this thread cause hospital food is horribad...

I can get a breakfast equal to 6-8 scrambled eggs and 4 pieces of bacon for 2 bucks and lunch costs 3. I said something to the director in jest one day about organic and she said, "Everything I serve is organic."

I'm a huge proponent of eating for health and have seen improvements in my own since changing my food sources, so what you are doing for your friend is a great thing. I skipped over a few pages of this thread, so if I repeat ideas, I apologize.

I like the lentil soup idea, recently became a fan of them. Not sure what his tastes are, but sauerkraut is amazing on many levels. It's all about feeding the right internal bacteria so they can help fix you up. Also, not sure of the reasons, and won't pry, but, protein, protein, protein. Best thing when you need to heal up. Hard boiled eggs are easy and portable. Shakes are good as well, I personally try to avoid the sugary ones. The shakes the normally have at hospitals are loaded with sugar.

I completely agree with him not wanting to eat the same things over and over. I'm in the same boat with an experiment I'm doing right now with slow carb. I wish you both the best of luck and a speedy recovery.

 

[CharlieD]

With much sadness I have to say that I no longer have to cook for my friend. He pas on this morning.