Please suggest goodies for my ill friend
July 14, 2010 5:49 PM Subscribe
I'm trying to find tasty treats for a gift basket for a friend with very strict (medically imposed) dietary restrictions.
My friend is quite ill, and his diet is extremely restrictive. Is there anything I can make or purchase that might serve as a goodie to put in the basket? I tried vegan food stores, but all their goodies are sweetened, and he can't eat anything sweet (no honey, molasses, sugar, etc. I am pretty sure that stevia is on the table, though)
Here is what he is allowed to eat:
- meat
- some veggies like boc choy and swiss chard
- fruit
- eggs
-lactose free milk
- pasta, flour, rice and potatoes without the skin
- olive oil
- nuts, almonds, everything except legumes and peanuts
He is pretty tired of almond butter, which he has eaten a lot of recently. His illness has made him very sensitive to spice, so anything hotter than 'mild' is out. Bonus points for anything that is likely to fatten him up, as he desperately needs the weight. Thanks!
My friend is quite ill, and his diet is extremely restrictive. Is there anything I can make or purchase that might serve as a goodie to put in the basket? I tried vegan food stores, but all their goodies are sweetened, and he can't eat anything sweet (no honey, molasses, sugar, etc. I am pretty sure that stevia is on the table, though)
Here is what he is allowed to eat:
- meat
- some veggies like boc choy and swiss chard
- fruit
- eggs
-lactose free milk
- pasta, flour, rice and potatoes without the skin
- olive oil
- nuts, almonds, everything except legumes and peanuts
He is pretty tired of almond butter, which he has eaten a lot of recently. His illness has made him very sensitive to spice, so anything hotter than 'mild' is out. Bonus points for anything that is likely to fatten him up, as he desperately needs the weight. Thanks!
Rice, leafy greens, olive oil: Dolmades (stuffed grape leaves)
posted by holterbarbour at 6:08 PM on July 14, 2010
posted by holterbarbour at 6:08 PM on July 14, 2010
What about summer sausage of some sort, salami, or some kind of cured ham, like prosciutto? Those are pretty calorie-dense, fall into the meat category, and don't have to be spicy.
If you cook, you could make him a sugar-free dessert using stevia or some other acceptable non-sugar sweetener.
posted by elpea at 6:11 PM on July 14, 2010
If you cook, you could make him a sugar-free dessert using stevia or some other acceptable non-sugar sweetener.
posted by elpea at 6:11 PM on July 14, 2010
These might work -- Brad's Raw Chips. Maybe some tamari almonds (available in most health food stores bulk foods area). Trader Joe's has some interesting dried fruits, if he is able to eat those (they are sweet, but you said he can eat fruit).
posted by chummie26 at 6:16 PM on July 14, 2010
posted by chummie26 at 6:16 PM on July 14, 2010
It sounds like fats are (largely) on the table, as are animal proteins, but sugars and veggie proteins are pretty well locked down? Sooo...
- Cheese in all its mystical glory - soft ones would be out, but hard cheeses are damned near lactose-free, IIRC.
- Risotto! Rice, meat broth, whatever seasonings he's allowed. Remarkably versatile.
- Cured meats (Trader Joe's breasola = divine)
- Little crustless quiches (prosciutto, chard and Asigao? Bacon and cheddar?).
- Minchee: ground beef sauteed in soy sauce (and sugar, usually - maybe use stevia or Splenda?) and mixed with baby boy choy. Soooo good.
- Bread pudding made with artificial sweeteners, baguette (made solely from flour, water, salt and yeast, if it's any good) and lactose-free dairy products (that'll put some meat on his bones real fast). Or a savory bread pudding (I like mine with mushrooms and goat Gouda).
- Whir up some lactose-free milk and fruit in the blender - possibly with some cashew butter for richness - and freeze in popsicle molds.
Any more info you can provide about his diet would be great... I love coming up with tasty dishes under Dogme 95-style restrictions. :-)
posted by julthumbscrew at 6:59 PM on July 14, 2010
- Cheese in all its mystical glory - soft ones would be out, but hard cheeses are damned near lactose-free, IIRC.
- Risotto! Rice, meat broth, whatever seasonings he's allowed. Remarkably versatile.
- Cured meats (Trader Joe's breasola = divine)
- Little crustless quiches (prosciutto, chard and Asigao? Bacon and cheddar?).
- Minchee: ground beef sauteed in soy sauce (and sugar, usually - maybe use stevia or Splenda?) and mixed with baby boy choy. Soooo good.
- Bread pudding made with artificial sweeteners, baguette (made solely from flour, water, salt and yeast, if it's any good) and lactose-free dairy products (that'll put some meat on his bones real fast). Or a savory bread pudding (I like mine with mushrooms and goat Gouda).
- Whir up some lactose-free milk and fruit in the blender - possibly with some cashew butter for richness - and freeze in popsicle molds.
Any more info you can provide about his diet would be great... I love coming up with tasty dishes under Dogme 95-style restrictions. :-)
posted by julthumbscrew at 6:59 PM on July 14, 2010
roasted nuts, trail mix, cured sausage, plantain chips, fruit leather, sweet potato chips, salsa (check ingredients), fresh fruit.
You want to search for Paleo diet for recipes (even though he can have some items more than Paleo).
posted by kch at 6:59 PM on July 14, 2010
You want to search for Paleo diet for recipes (even though he can have some items more than Paleo).
posted by kch at 6:59 PM on July 14, 2010
Larabars are snack bars made of fruit and nuts ground together, sometimes with other flavourings. There are lots of flavours, and many have really simple ingredients- for instance, the Cherry Pie flavour I linked contains only dates, almonds, and cherries.
posted by pseudostrabismus at 7:09 PM on July 14, 2010
posted by pseudostrabismus at 7:09 PM on July 14, 2010
Response by poster: Thanks for all the input so far. I'm asking detailed questions and will get back with specifics on diet resetrictions
posted by arnicae at 7:18 PM on July 14, 2010
posted by arnicae at 7:18 PM on July 14, 2010
What about dried meat jerky?
Aalso, mochi makes a great snack. it needs to be refrigerated, and baked before eating.
posted by annsunny at 7:42 PM on July 14, 2010
Aalso, mochi makes a great snack. it needs to be refrigerated, and baked before eating.
posted by annsunny at 7:42 PM on July 14, 2010
Summer sausage, slim jims, dried fruit? If he can have cheese, you can put together a very nice basket of shelf-stable meats, cheeses, and plain crackers. (In my house we call this "light supper.")
But definitely dried fruits, very snacky. You could put together a custom "trail mix" of dried fruits and true nuts (no peanuts) that he could snack on.
Also I think you should put bubbles in the basket, because blowing bubbles makes pretty much everything at least temporarily better.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 8:11 PM on July 14, 2010
But definitely dried fruits, very snacky. You could put together a custom "trail mix" of dried fruits and true nuts (no peanuts) that he could snack on.
Also I think you should put bubbles in the basket, because blowing bubbles makes pretty much everything at least temporarily better.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 8:11 PM on July 14, 2010
annsunny's idea of dried meat jerky is a good one. If you have time for mailorder, I've given Pop's Authentic as a gift with enthusiastic feedback, especially re: the bacon flavor.
Sounds like he could have pesto, and some fantastic bread to spread it on.
posted by lakeroon at 9:01 PM on July 14, 2010
Sounds like he could have pesto, and some fantastic bread to spread it on.
posted by lakeroon at 9:01 PM on July 14, 2010
I have made pretty good low sugar oatmeal cookies. (They have a Splenda taste to them, but are better than no cookies.) They contain whole wheat flour, oats, sugar-free chocolate chips, raisins, Splenda, sugar-free maple syrup, eggs, butter, baking soda, salt, and vanilla.
If he can eat those things, let me know and I'll post the recipe. Regular flour would be fine if whole wheat is out. If oats are out, there may be a sugar free chocolate chip cookie recipe out there, but I haven't tried that. I would put nuts in there, too, since he can have them. You could leave the raisins out if they're a problem.
posted by artychoke at 6:51 AM on July 15, 2010
If he can eat those things, let me know and I'll post the recipe. Regular flour would be fine if whole wheat is out. If oats are out, there may be a sugar free chocolate chip cookie recipe out there, but I haven't tried that. I would put nuts in there, too, since he can have them. You could leave the raisins out if they're a problem.
posted by artychoke at 6:51 AM on July 15, 2010
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posted by halogen at 6:03 PM on July 14, 2010