meals for elderly in-laws

[ProudGrandma]

My in-laws (mid 90's) still live in their home, but they are over 1000 miles from us.  We are going to visit for a few days between my daughter's wedding on the 31st of Dec and the first day of college for our oldest son.  Making meals is a difficult thing sometimes and they often go out or my father-in-law will go get food and bring it home.  

So, I am thinking that while we are there for a couple days, we will make some easy freezer meals that she can pull out whenever they need it. 

But, I am lacking ideas.  Please give me some ideas that would be easy to make and then easy for her to cook later.  It doesn't have to even be full meals...but maybe just meat. 

Thanks. 

 

[73349]

We freeze broth/soup in wide-mouth pint jars. They can be microwaved (with the lid off) and/or thawed in the fridge and heated in a saucepan.

You could also freeze, say, an 8x8" pan of baked ziti in meat sauce with instructions on how to bake.

 

[KatieJ]

Meatloaf or meatballs

mashed potatoes 

soups, what are their favorites?
tettrazinni

 Burritos…chicken and cheese, individually wrapped 

buy a small boneless ham and slice it thinly. Package and freeze in small portions. Thaw’s  quickly for a sandwich or add to eggs for breakfast.

pork chops, baked , masked sweet potatoes to go with the 

 

I might suggest rather than a whole casserole, buy those covered  meal prep  trays and freeze meals so they just have to pull out a container for each of them and not fish with sides or leftovers. 

 

Edited December 12, 2021 by KatieInMN

[TexasProud]

Ok, just a question. Will they actually cook what you bring?  My mom and step-dad just do not see leftovers. They will love what I fix and I leave it in the fridge and it is still there the next week, so I throw it out. If they get hungry, my step dad runs out to get fast food or sometimes Outback or something. My step-brother tried prepared meals. I threw most of them out. I have left stuff in the freezer like others are suggesting. Nope. 

So, are you sure they will eat what you leave?

[ProudGrandma]

13 minutes ago, KatieInMN said:

Meatloaf or meatballs

mashed potatoes 

soups, what are their favorites?
tettrazinni

 Burritos…chicken and cheese, individually wrapped 

buy a small boneless ham and slice it thinly. Package and freeze in small portions. Thaw’s  quickly for a sandwich or add to eggs for breakfast.

pork chops, baked , masked sweet potatoes to go with the 

 

I might suggest rather than a whole casserole, buy those covered  meal prep  trays and freeze meals so they just have to pull out a container for each of them and not fish with sides or leftovers. 

 

good idea on the meal prep trays.  I will look into that.  Also I like the ham idea.   If forgot to mention my father-in-law does not like pasta of any kind. 

[ProudGrandma]

10 minutes ago, TexasProud said:

Ok, just a question. Will they actually cook what you bring?  My mom and step-dad just do not see leftovers. They will love what I fix and I leave it in the fridge and it is still there the next week, so I throw it out. If they get hungry, my step dad runs out to get fast food or sometimes Outback or something. My step-brother tried prepared meals. I threw most of them out. I have left stuff in the freezer like others are suggesting. Nope. 

So, are you sure they will eat what you leave?

that is a super good question.  I believe, yes they will.  They have another friend who often brings food for them, but lately they have either been gone or sick, so the food isn't coming as often as it did.   But I am really glad you asked the question. 

[mmasc]

I’d make a pot of chili or soup and freeze it in 2-person servings. That way they only pull out enough for one meal, but will have several meals on hand. 
 

you can also do a crockpot of shredded chicken, beef, or pork and freeze it the same way. Super easy to pull out for a sandwich. 

[Bambam]

Not something you can make, but I have elderly relatives that visit the grocery stores deli/meal counter and gets a hot meal semi-regularly. 2 meat choices and several sides - one meal is enough for 2 elderly folks. Not as nutritious as homemade, but better than fast food. 

[DawnM]

I use these:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B079FYQNV6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I like them because the size allows easy stacking, no wasted space (like those divided containers) and usually feeds my dad 2 meals in one container.   

He just thaws in his fridge and then heats up.   These are dishwasher and microwave safe.

some ideas:

meatloaf and mashed potatoes

shredded chicken/rice/frozen veggies/some kind of sauce- layered

any kind of casserole

salmon/tilapia with rice and veggies

steak and twice baked potatoes

turkey/stuffing/gravy

 

Basically, I choose a starch (rice, potatoes, pasta, tortillas, stuffing, etc....)

Then I choose a meat (steak, beef, fish, chicken, turkey)

Then I choose a sauce to go with (Mexican, Indian, Italian, cream sauce, cheese sauce, broth)

And I sometimes add some veggies and sometimes have those separate (he doesn't mind a can)

 

[HomeAgain]

For all-in-one meals here, shepherd's pie, lasagna, potato soup, chili, and beef stew freeze well, especially in shallow tins.  Ds will happily reheat a tin of shepherd's pie for himself from the freezer.  If he liked chicken & dumplings I'd do that as well.

[mathnerd]

I would suggest that whatever you make, portion that out as 2 servings of each dish, put in ziplocks and freeze flat with labels. That way, they don't end up reheating a whole container of a single dish and are stuck with it for several meals.

I freeze nutritious vegetarian soups flat in quart sized ziplocks to  give to my elderly friend occasionally. It is best if it is defrosted in the fridge overnight and reheated though it can be put in a pan of warm water to thaw and then microwaved in a bowl. If you can freeze some rolls for them as well, they will have an easy meal to eat quickly.

Edited December 12, 2021 by mathnerd

[katilac]

Spaghetti sauce, with or without noodles (depending on level of pickiness plus whether they can easily cook fresh noodles). 

Chili. 

Soup. 

Baked mac and cheese, cut into smaller portions and wrapped in heavy duty foil. 

Cooked and portioned meat is a great idea if they still do some cooking. I do ground beef and chicken all the time for myself. My parents frequently cook a whole roast and then portion and freeze. You can also buy lots of cooked and prepped meat at the grocery store. The Jack Daniels line (pulled pork, beef, and chicken, beef brisket) is pretty decent. This, and some of the suggestions below, could help solve the ongoing problem, particularly if grocery delivery is available and you can make orders for them. 

An air fryer makes for very easy cooking of frozen convenience foods, if they can manage that. I have the Ninja 2-basket Foodi, and you need to plug it in, select air fryer (there are other options, we only use air fryer, lol), and adjust the temperature and time from the pre-sets by clicking a digital arrow. The baskets aren't very heavy, so it's easier than a big pot or something. 

If they like smoothies and can use a blender, you can prep them and store in the freezer for 3-4 months. A bullet-style blender will be much lighter than a regular blender, and will allow for making one smoothie at a time. 

Pancakes, waffles, and muffins! 

You can add a few of the higher-quality frozen meals from the store if time is limited, that they can just microwave. Go the the bougie grocery stores, they often have a bigger selection. Other frozen items that microwave pretty well: corn dogs, pizza rolls, chicken sandwiches on bun, hamburger on bun, all kinds of breakfast sandwiches. 

My parents are in their 80s. They freeze in single servings, so they can each pick what they want, when they want in. And check with them about portions, because what my parents view as a serving is a lot less than what I would view as a single serving. 

Check into Meals on Wheels also. Even if they don't qualify for the subsidized program, a lot of chapters will let you pay. 

[Frances]

Chicken pot pie. You can make and cook a big one and then portion out pieces to freeze or make small ones and freeze cooked or uncooked.

You could cook a turkey and then make several different meals to freeze in portions, e.g. turkey stew, turkey pot pie, turkey stuffing casserole, turkey with mashed potatoes and vegetables, etc.

Breakfast items such as waffles, pancakes, breakfast burritos, mini crustless quiches, etc are quick to make and freeze for reheating.

Lots of different hot sandwich combos can be made in advance, although I think some buns will hold up better for reheating than bread. For example, chicken bacon and cheese or roast beef and cheese. Whatever you think they would like best. Wrap in aluminum foil and put in freezer bags. They they can just pop directly into oven.

Then of course soups, chili, chicken noodle, tomato basil, etc. Not sure if soups with potatoes freeze well.

Edited December 12, 2021 by Frances