Freezer meals for moderately disabled and very busy family

November 14, 2015 7:20 AM

I'm going to be cooking and freezing large quantities of meals for two family members (same household) who are undergoing medical difficulties. Suggestions needed!

Longish story short: mother-in-law and brother-in-law live together about 30 minutes away from us. MIL fell down some stairs on Halloween night and broke her ankle. Had surgery the following Tuesday. Went to a rehab facility after hospital discharge and will be coming home this Tuesday. BIL had emergency gallbladder surgery this past Sunday (I KNOW). He is home and will be able to care for MIL to a pretty decent extent, but does not cook. At all. MIL will not be able to cook or even spend much time out of her wheelchair for the foreseeable future. BIL will probably be going back to work in the next two weeks. My husband will be able to go and telecommute to work from their house if necessary (getting a visiting nurse, ramps being installed, etc.). He would prefer to not spend a lot of time preparing meals for them.

Okay. So, I have this entire weekend to prepare tons of food for them. I don't do this, though. I have frozen a beef stew or a spaghetti sauce here and there, but I mostly cook from scratch and there aren't many leftovers. I'm overwhelmed by recipes! I'll do a lasagna and a stew and probably a chili. What else can I do? I'm hoping to provide meals for the two of them (so not huge quantities) for the next two weeks and then probably repeating the process the weekend they run out.

Lay on me your most awesome freezer meals! They're not picky, they like spicy foods, no dietary restrictions that I'm aware of (BIL has been advised to add more leafy greens, veg, and fruit; we'll supplement the meals accordingly). It would be ideal to have very little additional preparation other than 'stick in the oven for X amount of minutes.'

Thanks!

posted by cooker girl to Food & Drink (22 answers total)

Meatballs!
posted by bq at 7:48 AM on November 14, 2015

Lasagne freezes and reheats well, as do all the other baked pastas. Cover and Bake has many good recipes in that vein (which is pretty much the opposite of adding more leafy greens).
posted by The corpse in the library at 7:58 AM on November 14, 2015

I freeze single serving dinners for myself all the time. Here are some of the most simple:
Sloppy joe meat mixture -- they'll just need to open a package of buns.
Spaghetti sauce--with or without meatballs--would just involve boiling up some pasta.
Most soups freeze well-especially non-cream-based soups which sometimes tend to separate after thawing. Maybe chicken noodle, beef veggie, beef and barley . . .
Tuna noodle casserole.
posted by bookmammal at 8:30 AM on November 14, 2015

This dal recipe is really great. It's simple, it freezes well, and just about everyone likes it, including a couple of people who didn't know they could like vegan food. I make a version with cauliflower and mustard greens that's really popular. I also chop up a couple of Fresno peppers to put in with the garlic. But like the recipe says, you can do whatever you want with it.

I do a lot of cooking for other people, and this was a dark horse candidate that ended up being a crowd favorite.
posted by ernielundquist at 8:34 AM on November 14, 2015 [3 favorites]

I can vouch for the Thai Chicken crockpot freezer meal over at the Mommy's Fabulous Finds blog. I hope this works.

I've also had good luck with throwing a couple cans of black beans, a jar of salsa, a cup of frozen corn, a squeeze of lime juice and a couple chicken breasts in a ziploc and freezing. Thaw it overnight in the fridge and crockpot it on low for 5-ish hours (depending on her crockpot obviously). You can also just throw this in a big stock pot and simmer on the stove instead.
posted by PorcineWithMe at 8:42 AM on November 14, 2015 [3 favorites]

I do enchiladas. Mix cooked chicken with sauteed sliced onions, bell peppers, beans, whatever. Mix with cheese and a jar of salsa. I spoon the mixture onto flour tortillas, roll them up and then freeze individually. These can then be put into a zip lock bag.

To cook, pull out however many rolls fit into a pan, defrost overnight in fridge, top with more salsa and grated cheese. Cook in 400 degree oven until cheese is melted and enchiladas are cooked through.

If you get a lot of chicken (or whatever meat) and lots of tortillas, you could elasily make 100+ tortilla rolls at a time. A serving is 3-4 per person.
posted by betsybetsy at 8:43 AM on November 14, 2015 [2 favorites]

Maybe these shortcuts are obvious, but at those Week or Month of Meals-type websites, they make the point that you can be efficient by cooking two or three pounds of ground beef at once, or by chopping five onions in the food processor that you will use for several recipes. (Chopping time is the same, but cleaning overhead is reduced.)

My relative who has gall bladder attacks needs to avoid high fat and high cholesterol foods, I think. Do you know if your relative will have dietary restrictions after surgery?
posted by puddledork at 8:51 AM on November 14, 2015

You could portion quick stir fry meals for the days your husband is there. Cut up beef, chicken or shrimp, put in a qt. freezer bag and spread it flat in the bag (defrosts faster flat). Another qt. bag has frozen veggies, and another has 2-3 cups cooked rice. Put all 3 bags in a gallon bag and DH can quickly defrost the meat in cool water and stir fry. Microwave the rice and ready to eat in 10 min. Add bottled stir fry sauce for flavor.

Burritos using any combo of meat, cheese, veggies freeze well. Could add some cooked Spanish style rice to the baking pan to make it complete.

You could cook up, drain and freeze ground beef or ground turkey and some diced onion to use for hambuger helper, sloppy joes, tacos or to add to jarred spaghetti sauce. Freeze it in qt. bags, 3/4-1 pound each or whatever you think would be best depending on if they're heavy meat eaters. Send DH with a supply of hamburger buns, jarred sloppy joes sauce, spaghetti sauce and dry pasta, taco shell and seasoning, etc. For all these, they can start with the meat frozen, even a non-cook can easily make them once a week.

Maybe make a list of meal suggestions and ask DH to put on fridge door, like-
Monday-sloppy joes, tater tots, frozen broccoli
Tuesday-chicken burritos, rice, frozen green beans, bag salad
Wed-salmon, rice pilaf, baked potatoes

It helps remind them to add some veggies to their meals, of course send plenty of frozen veggies with DH.

Make some tasty veggie side dishes and freeze.

Use foil pans, easy to cook for them and no dish to wash or worry about getting back your casserole dishes. Put notes on those items to put a cookie sheet under the foil casserole, don't want anyone getting burned by the pan collapsing, or for dinner to end up on the floor.

Make things in portions that allow for lunch for MIL the next day, but not necessarily that they're eating leftovers for dinner very often. Variety is important! So I'd suggest Mexican style one night, Italian the next, etc.

One night a week ask BIL to pick up a yummy take out meal on his way home from work. If you have to, look online for places on or near his commute and ask him specifically to go there. That way they have more choices and things to look forward to.
posted by RichardHenryYarbo at 8:52 AM on November 14, 2015

This is one of my favorite freezer safe things: vegan lentil sloppy joes.

I had emergency gall bladder surgery 2 months ago, and it took about a month for me to be able to go back to my regular way of eating. (in that I ate a lot less, with snacks throughout the day)

Good luck and I hope they heal fast!
posted by bibliogrrl at 8:56 AM on November 14, 2015

A variation of this recipe is easy and delicious. I add chorizo.
posted by DarlingBri at 9:10 AM on November 14, 2015 [1 favorite]

After I had a baby, someone brought me home made frozen burritos. They were individually wrapped in foil and I could just pop one in the (toaster) oven for an easy, single serving meal. They ones I had were beans, roasted yams, cheese, and some chipotle sauce/salsa. You could add meat of your choice. Also, things like muffins or cookies freeze well and are a nice treat.
posted by rozee at 9:16 AM on November 14, 2015 [3 favorites]

[prepare servings/items] and then freeze individually.

An easy way to do this is with parchment and dishes that fit in the freezer. I use a baking dish and a 1/4 sheet cooky tray and do this with cooked veg (to make my own freezer pour veg sacks) and individual servings.

The cooky tray sits atop the baking dish so I can do two batches at once. Might want to runout and get a couple bags of ice and a cooler so you can empty the freezer to maximize shelf space while initially portion freezing.
posted by tilde at 9:23 AM on November 14, 2015

I find frozen rice blends (like these) really useful. They are delicious, such a time saver, and not that expensive. If you have a Trader Joe's nearby they have some very nice ones that combine different grains into tasty blends.

I would fry up some ground meat, drain it, season it, cool it, and then put the ground meat of choice in a gallon freezer bag with a bag of the remade rice-veggie blend. If more vegetables are required, get frozen green beans or peas, carrots or other vegetables that don't freeze Into a lump)) and then pour more frozen veggies into bag. Freeze, transport to other freezer.

Instruct whomever is at the house to plop the whole thing into a baking dish with a little broth/water, sprinkle with grated cheese, then cook till bubbling. They could also cook on top of the stove, or microwave. One of the benefits of a store bought frozen rice/grain blend is that it reheats really well.

I wish you and your family the very best -- when I have had to cook lots of food in advance for freezing and the like I find that simpler is often better. I am sure your time will be at a premium.
posted by djinn dandy at 9:50 AM on November 14, 2015 [1 favorite]

Delicious, protein-packed, inexpensive and highly customizable Quinoa Bake.

You can customize the veggies and spices to make it Italian (mozzarella, oregano and basil), Greek (feta, lemon and oregano), Moroccan (Ras El Hanout), Japanese (soy, miso), etc.

Crispy Quinoa Bake

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa, uncooked
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 cups chicken stock
1 cup onion, diced (about 1 medium)
1//2 green pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup zucchini, cubed (about 2 small)
1 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 4 ounce can diced green chiles
1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup frozen corn
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 lime, juiced
Salt
2 cups shredded monterey jack cheese

Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.

Place the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and rinse throughly with cool water for at least two minutes. Drain. In a medium saucepan, heat 2 teaspoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the quinoa and cook, stirring, for about one minute. The quinoa should begin to dry out and pop a bit. Add the chicken stock. Stir and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to low and cook, covered, for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and peppers and cook, stirring occasionally until soft, about 7 minutes. Add garlic and zucchini and cook 3 more minutes.

Fluff the quinoa with a fork and place it in a large bowl or you can just throw it all into your baking pan. Add onion mixture, beans, green chiles, tomatoes, corn, cumin, oregano, chili powder, lime juice, and salt to taste. Mix thoroughly and transfer to prepared baking dish. Bake 30 minutes, top with cheese, and bake 10 minutes more or until melted and just beginning to brown.
posted by kinetic at 10:17 AM on November 14, 2015 [1 favorite]

One of the things I put in the freezer for myself are single-serve lunch bowls. I either use frozen meatballs or I cook up 1-2 pans worth of foolproof chicken breasts and put about half of one (~3-4oz cooked) diced in a freezer container with some mixture of green veg + legume-type thing + slightly undercooked rice or sliced/diced potatoes or quinoa, then add about an ounce of sauce.

Today I'm making a batch of broccoli + mushrooms + edamame with basmati rice (storebought basmati masala mix). I've got some bottled garlic lemon sauce I'll put on some, and probably teriyaki or peanut on the other.

Sometimes I make a big batch of palak paneer and make freezer meals with that and chicken and rice. Presumably your MIL is going to be feeding herself lunch, so you may want to make sure you portion whatever you give in both multiples of two and singles.

I also make breakfast bowls for the freezer. Scrambled eggs, sausage, some black beans, a little cheese and drizzle of salsa. Tip: the eggs always go a little watery after being frozen, but if you pack them on top of a bottom layer of rice or potatoes you barely notice. You can make quiche or fritatta, but I still recommend the rice trick.

It's going to be a while before she can cook again, so you may also want to plan to do this every other weekend or so for a while, and also don't be afraid to hit Costco or similar for lasagnas (availability varies but they sometimes have a two-pack of casserole-style eggplant parm that is so good) and other things your BIL can learn to read the instructions on. Cans of Chunky-type soup, tuna, protein bars, vegetable steamers, fish sticks, frozen meatballs are all good to have on hand for quick-assemble meals.

Also: sandwiches. It is a surprising amount of work to plan and supply 4-6 food servings a day, they can eat a sandwich now and then.
posted by Lyn Never at 10:19 AM on November 14, 2015

Also: if they don't have a rice cooker, get them the cheap one from Target (probably a sub-$20 Rival or Aroma). Write instructions/proportions on an index card and tape them on a cabinet door.
posted by Lyn Never at 10:21 AM on November 14, 2015

I have the Don't Panic Dinner's in the Freezer books. They have a ton of great recipes as well as really good tips on shopping, packing things, and freezing things.
posted by Green Eyed Monster at 10:29 AM on November 14, 2015

pumpkin chili

This recipe freezes beautifully. Feel free to add chick peas, black beans, ancho chili pepper, a heap of cilantro and some chopped butternut squash to the mix. Freeze in portion sized containers.

Buy 100% canned pumpkin, not the canned pumpkin pie mix with added spices and sugar.

Feel free to get a can of tomatos with chilis already added for easier prep.
posted by slateyness at 11:14 AM on November 14, 2015 [3 favorites]

To make it easier for everyone to get their vegetables, make a bunch of side dishes and freeze them into large two-people portions. Then they can either share one or make two different ones and have leftovers. Some ideas that freeze and reheat beautifully:

Slow cooked collard greens (the trick is to sautee onions in the bottom of the pot to get tons of flavor before adding your greens and liquid)
Roasted cauliflower with herby breadcrumbs
Beet wedges with rosemary and balsamic
Brussels sprouts with dried cranberries
Bell peppers with lime and cumin
Orange and maple braised carrots
Roasted broccoli with lots of garlic and chili flake
Braised red cabbage with carraway and beer
Practically any Indian vegetable curry except the ones heavy on eggplant, I find that does not freeze well

The more liquidy ones get thawed in a pot and simmered a bit, the rest are just oven on medium heat until heated through. Most of these will benefit from being reheated just because the flavors will have had time to meld.
posted by Mizu at 12:58 PM on November 14, 2015

Soups are really good, because most people with disabilities are light eaters.

I did this for my stepmother and dad, when she was very ill. I noticed that they really enjoyed the curries I made. They were mostly chicken or vegetarian. They cooked the rice themselves - which could be even easier if you by those uncle ben bags for them, but you can also cook and freeze the rice.

Short pasta, like penne, in a spicy tomato sauce, freeze relatively well. This includes minestrone, which is a very rich soup, almost a stew, with lots of pasta.

A more elaborate dish which freezes excellently is oxtail stew or soup.

Meatballs freeze very well, but they need some sort of starch and vegs to go with them. Are they able to boil potatoes and mix a salad?

Falafel and pita bread freeze well - can your husband bring the chopped lettuce, vegetables and yogurt-tahini dressing on a weekly basis? The vegs will keep for 2-3 days, so maybe your relatives could start the week with stuff that needs fresh vegs including good sandwiches, and then move on to stews, curries and soups at the end of the week.
posted by mumimor at 1:44 PM on November 14, 2015

When I'm in a new city and want an easy meal that doesn't require many ingredients or much work, here's one of my go-to recipes:

Curried chicken thighs with onion, tomato, and chutney

1 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. curry powder
1 large onion
1 can diced tomatoes (I use a large one; depends on how much you like tomatoes)
1/3 cup chutney (I use hot mango; Major Grey is also fine)
1.5 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
parsley or cilantro as garnish

Dice the onion. Place a medium saucepan (one with a lid) on medium heat. Add the flour and curry powder, and shake or stir until the curry gives off its aroma. Add the diced onion, canned diced tomatoes, and chutney. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chicken thighs, turn heat up, and bring to a boil again, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, 30-40 minutes or until the chicken thighs are tender. Serve with rice or a hearty bread to soak up the sauce (or potatoes, couscous, whatever!).

Makes 4 servings. May be doubled, tripled, quadrupled…. You could probably also finish it in a casserole in the oven (or in the saucepan, if it's ovenproof) after adding the chicken thighs. This freezes very well. The chutney and curry provide a lot of the complexity of the flavors, and some heat, so you could do it with chicken breasts instead of thighs if you want even less fat.
posted by brianogilvie at 2:05 PM on November 14, 2015 [1 favorite]

P.S. My recipe is courtesy of one of Gourmet magazine's quick recipe books (either Quick Kitchen or In Short Order; I no longer remember which, since I make it from memory). You can also add a bit of lemon juice along with the parsley or cilantro.
posted by brianogilvie at 2:06 PM on November 14, 2015