Ottakee Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 My friend's husband is currently in the hospital in ICU (transferred down here from where they live 6 hours away). She asked for help with meals as most of the extended family on both sides is in our area and the dads and kids are left home while her husband's sisters take turns up at the hospital with her. I need to bring a meal on Tuesday. It will be for 18 people and maybe up to 28 (one sister has 8 kids but they have extensive food allergies so not sure how we are handling that one yet) as well as 4-6 people up at the hospital ICU waiting room. Lasgna is taken for Wednesday. I am looking for ideas that are easy to transport, filling, can be fairly healthy, etc. The inlaws and all 3 sisters live within a 1/4 of a mile of each other so we might be dividing the meal into various homes or delivering to one home and having the family gather there to eat. 12+ of these are kids as well. Any ideas? So far I have thought of BBQs or chili dogs (having dh grills the dogs to give them better flavor). Any easy other ideas would be great, esp. if it travels well and reheats well as they might be eating in shifts, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MooCow Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 How about chili in a crock pot? with corn muffins on the side Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TXMomof4 Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 Chicken spagetti? Taco fixings? Enchiladas with beans and rice? ( homesick texan blog has a super good recipe that's fast and easy) ham, potatoes, green beans? Hope that gets some creative juices flowing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Excelsior! Academy Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 Think of things you might take to a potluck and see if it would translate to a large family. A hearty soup with salad and crusty bread would be a good choice. Mexican food is affordable and easy to transport. Mexican is generally easy to make gluten free and with a make your own option potential allergens can be avoided. A baked potato bar is good, too. Think outside of the box for cooking and transporting. A turkey roaster makes a good large crockpot substitute. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissKNG Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 Meat, cheese, condiments, chips and roll tray. Make up a large bowl or two of pasta salad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UrbanSue Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 I was also going to suggest chili. Lentil soup is great with some good bread and a huge, simple salad. Also, when I'm lazy I often do "enchilada casserole". There's no assembly so it is easier to produce in quantity. Cooked Rice, Cooked chicken, mix in sauce and green olives, top with cheese and bake until the cheese is bubbly. Bring with a salad. I don't know what you are up for but I often try to include or offer as an alternative, things like muffins or loaves of quick breads. Stuff that is not totally junky but also kind of a treat. Whenever I've had kids dinner has always been more than covered and what I always wish I had was quick snack to hand to the children. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
morgan Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 I guess it would depend on what the allergies are, but I vote for something in the crock pot (it's easy to transport and keep heated). I think soup, chili, or stew would be good choices. You could add some bread or rolls and have a meal. If that wont' work, how about a baked pasta and some salad. The salads could be those prepackaged "kits" with the dressings included. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twinmom Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 What about a big crockpot of slow cooked, shredded bbq pork butt, spooned out onto hamburger buns? A big salad in one of those foil pans, some bags of chips, some liters of soda...easy-peasy! Here's my favorite recipe: http://everydaypaleo.com/beyond-easy-pulled-pork/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted February 16, 2013 Author Share Posted February 16, 2013 Good ideas. Waiting to see what type of food others are bringing on Monday and Wednesday. The food allergies are extensive---wheat, corn, soy, dairy, corn, eggs, and others so likely we won't bring anything to them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lara in Colo Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 pulled pork sandwiches easy to make/transport/serve from a crockpot One crockpot can probably serve them all, if not, two will absolutely do the trick. take buns/chips/pickles in a grocery bag. easy cleanup for them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Excelsior! Academy Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 pulled pork sandwiches easy to make/transport/serve from a crockpot One crockpot can probably serve them all, if not, two will absolutely do the trick. take buns/chips/pickles in a grocery bag. easy cleanup for them I would definitely go for two with 28 people. Our family of 11 sometimes uses a turkey roaster in lieu of a 7qt crockpot. I know pork butt is pretty filling, but 2 large crockpots would ensure leftovers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twinmom Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 Good ideas. Waiting to see what type of food others are bringing on Monday and Wednesday. The food allergies are extensive---wheat, corn, soy, dairy, corn, eggs, and others so likely we won't bring anything to them. Look at Paleo recipes. They often avoid all of those items. Try this site (the one with the pulled pork recipe I listed before) for other recipe ideas| http://everydaypaleo.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unicorn. Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 A brisquet or ham, green beans, potato salad or salad, maybe a large container of fresh, cut up fruit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FaithManor Posted February 16, 2013 Share Posted February 16, 2013 Beef vegetable stew - two crockpots worth. Cubed round steak, browned and then slow roasted the night before. Toss into crockpot with drippings and broth. Add water and beef boullion (but, make sure you get something without food additives - no MSG the g is gluten, HFCS, hydroglized anything...you may need to go into a gluten free/healthfood section of the supermarket to find it. Chopped green beans, peas, diced celery and carrots, potatoes, and finely chopped leeks (gives a better flavor than regular white onions and is less likely to cause gas) - add all of it along with garlic and bay leaf. Cooked it down so it's a stew and provide rice to serve it over. Chances are, rice is the allowed grain for the family with wheat and corn allergies. Check the bag of rice to see if there are any warnings about wheat allergies. Usually, I can find a bag of rice, many times an organic one, that has not processed in a facility that does wheat and corn. grapes and orange slices and pineapple chunks Faith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted February 17, 2013 Share Posted February 17, 2013 Roasted chickens cut into pieces, mac n cheese, salad, and a bag of mixed fruit. That 'may' fill up most people and get you around food issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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