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One of the things that I do for convenience is to make a big pot of brown rice then freeze it in 1/2 cup portions, which is one serving. Then a portion can be microwaved and I have rice with my meal in 1 minute instead of the 45 minutes it takes to cook a pot of rice.
Cook it in broth for some prortien, or if he won't eat rice, package quinoa the same way.
Yeah, I do this too.
I think the first half of the trip is going to be testing his food boundaries. Sometimes he doesn't even know what he likes (I can just see his bewilderment at how to prounounce "quinoa"). And then the second half will be cooking and putting up meals. The plan is for me to come back in 6 months and repeat this, as well as reviewing his household paperwork. He won't let me near his investments, but at least I can make sure he's paying his bills and eating regularly.
I have a bunch of stuff I can think of off the top of my head, but I have absolutely NO idea if they would work as "freezer meals" like you're doing - I've only had to do that once, for my MIL, and she and I were a LOT alike, in that we thought gravies/sauces/cheeses etc. were the main basis for our own personal food pyramids. For her, I did about a zillion and one casseroles. Ok, more like 3/4 of a zillion - my SIL wasn't retired yet so she helped, but since I had been laid off I had the time (the gravy/sauce/cheese ratio for each was corrected to MIL standards by me.)
One thing I forgot, you can do pancakes, waffles, and French toast all fresh and then freeze them - they heat up beautifully in the toaster. If he will eat a couple of Brown and Serve or other sausages (heck - I think they make THAT precooked now too!) with it, it's a meal.
Spicy foods that can freeze well? Think chili, soups, Mexican chile verde or chile colorado, Mexican rice and beans.
We always have chicken legs and thighs that have been roasted, then individually frozen. Reheat with a salad or vegies and it makes a quick, easy and reasonably healthy lo carb lunch or dinner.
We love Marie Callendar pot pies, but they do have a creamy factor he might not like, and they're better heated in the oven. Super good and easy, though.
I need some ideas for freezer meals for my father. I like richer foods than he does, so I'm trying to modify my recipes and coming up with very little.
I'm planning to cook a bunch of freezer meals for him when I stay with him for a month in a few weeks. He's a health fanatic, but honestly, I think he takes it too far - at his age being obsessed with staying as thin as he is is courting trouble imho. I swear, it's like he's anorexic.
In any case, he hates sugar, doesn't really like things that are creamy or cheesy, is suspicious of salt and isn't a fan of carbs. He loves fish, vegetables of all kinds and spicy foods.
I'm thinking maybe some Asian-influenced dishes, but I'm having trouble coming up with something that would be easy to make in bulk. And I'd love something I could do in the crock pot.
All of the recipes in the cookbook have instructions for freezing and how to heat up again. Mostly the author is not a fan of microwaving the frozen meals but instead often you turn on the oven, put the frozen portion in, and after about 45 minutes it's ready.
LOL - he actually loves Minestrone! Soup is a good idea.
You said he is "suspicious of salt", so reduce the salt in any recipe of soup you make. If he wants more later, he can add it at the table.
Because he is so slender, a little more "stick-to-the-ribs" meals are in order. I would prefer casseroles (veggie casseroles that he likes) and stews to soup, so that he gets some more calories.
As another old guy, it occurs to me that maybe that's what he should be doing, if that's what he likes. Has he asked you to take on such a project?
That is a good point and there may also be a social aspect to Panera and Cracker Barrel. You could see what he enjoys eating at those places and copy it for an at home version to keep in the freezer. I always keep soups in the freezer, corn and potato chowder doesn't need cream to be good, tomato and spinach, add some white beans for protein.
Growing up my mom made swiss chard patties, basically chard and bisquick, I've changed them to shredded zucchini, squash, chard, spinach, broccoli, cauliflower whatever is in the fridge held together with some lemon zest, eggs a little flour to bind and baking powder, cook with a little olive oil until browned on both sides, cool and throw in a ziplock in the freezer for a quick bite.
Hi! I found an old thread that maybe you can get some ideas out of. I order my freezer containers from Amazon for both soup and meals. I will buy the tin foil type pans at the warehouse club.
I do a lot of cook ahead and freeze meals or foods like chicken, meatloaf and ground beef for all types of things like spaghetti sauce, chili, etc. I do a pulled pork in the slow cooker and then freeze it for portions for sandwiches. I also make sliders that can be frozen individually and then reheated one at a time. (these are awesome for lunch or dinner!). I also do breakfast sausage/egg/cheese cups in muffin tins also and freeze them.
I do chicken whether it is shredded or cubed and have it for soups, salads, enchiladas, chicken salad, bbq sandwiches of what have you.
I have tons of this type of thing including all types of soups.
It's such a great feeling to provide nourishing food. Good on you for doing this!
Beretta
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