Freeze It!
I'm going to see my grandparents next weekend they are getting old so its harder and harder for them to cook. I was planning to make them a couple of dinners they can freeze and pull out and make. I need a good variety of recipes: entrees, sides, deserts, and different cuisines: italian, chinese, mexican. Any help is awesome thanks!
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11 Comments:
http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/freezer-friendly-foods?autonomy_kw=freeze
http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/recipe-collections-favorites/quick-easy/make-once-eat-twice-meals-10000001635983/index.html
both these recipe collections are good places to start
sustarz at 8:53PM on 10/26/09
I usually trust Martha Stewart, but on that link I will disagree with her on the vegetable chowder. Potatoes do not freeze well, especially if they are in soup or stew. They become soggy cotton balls. Inedible. If you want to make something with potatoes in it, leave them out of the dish for freezing and have your grandparents microwave a potato, chop it up, and add it when reheating the stew or whatever. Or make something that doesn't need potatoes.
You can use a drinking straw to suck out the air from freezer bags which goes a long way to preventing freezer burn. Label things with use-by dates and thawing and reheating instructions. One- or two-meal portions rather than an entire casserole dish.
Roasted chicken, shredded and packed with gravy makes a great open-faced sandwich on toast, over a baked potato, over a whole-grain Eggo, or over noodles (cooked, tossed with butter, frozen in a separate bag).
Muffins wrapped individually so they can pull out one or two at a time. Cookies in four-packs or brownies in small portions so they can cut and share.
zucchini at 10:17PM on 10/26/09
old people love apple sauce and it freezes well..... i'd go with chicken soup, vegetable beef soup, veggie soup.... easy to heat stuff. if it's too much trouble they won't do it. i cook for my aunt who lives alone... i usually do lots of soups, stews and turkey burgers (individually wrapped)...and i throw in a couple of stray pieces of lasagna.... it's got to be easy for them.
@zucchini - i agree with the potato chunks in soup, they do get like cotton balls... good comparison!
pooch at 10:49PM on 10/26/09
Quiche, It's easy to freeze, easy to defrost and easy to eat. And you can fill it with vegetables which will be good for them
smallblondemom at 9:32AM on 10/27/09
chili stands up really well in the freezer. just store in plastic containers, and then defrost in the refrigerator before you're ready to eat!
tracyh at 9:47AM on 10/27/09
Soup also freezes well. I usually make one large pot of vegetable soup every week, and we eat it for a couple of meals; the rest goes into a gallon-size freezer bag that I then flatten for easy storage.
Onepot at 10:53AM on 10/27/09
Soups, stews, chili and pasta dishes all work well.
I have done shepherd's pie filling in the past so that all that was necessary was to thaw the filling, put in a baking dish with fresh mashed potatoes on top (and those could come from a deli) and bake it.
Also, lasagna does really well.
Rolls, quick breads and muffins freeze well if properly wrapped.
arwenb at 11:25AM on 10/27/09
Soup
Stew
Lasagna
Chicken and rice
finsbigfan at 6:03PM on 10/27/09
-Salisbury steak with rice or noodles. Buttered carrot pennies. Small can of diced pears or jello cups.
-Pot roast, parsley buttered noodles, green beans. Small can of sliced peaches.
-Turkey or chicken, stuffing with gravy, rice pilaf, cranberry sauce. Pound cake slices.
-Mac & cheese. Spinach. Cherry tomatoes, grapes.
-Cabbage rolls. Creamed cucumbers.
-Meat loaf and gravy or meatballs with mushroom gravy. Mashed potatoes casserole. Hot vegetable.
-Beef stroganoff with buttered noodles, cauliflower puree, dessert.
-Beef pepper steak with rice. (beef with bell peppers, soy sauce and seasonings)
-Chicken parmesan, risotto
-Lemon peppered, baked chicken breasts, rice pilaf, peas and carrots
-Chicken marsala, pasta, corn or asparagus
-Braised lamb shanks, polenta,
-Chicken-broccoli casserole with rice. Copper pennies (carrots in sweet-sour tomato sauce)
-Chicken pot pies. Jello or pudding cups. Cookies.
-Tuna casserole. Buttered peas. Applesauce or jello.
-Manicotti, cannelloni or stuffed shells with tomato sauce. Simple salad or marinated vegeatble salad. Small rolls.
-Pancakes, fruit butter, yougurt. (pop frozen pancakes into the toaster)
-Quiches (vegetables, meats, cheese), fresh fruit
-Chop suey or stir fries with rice (many different types of stir fries, use ingredients, meats and vegtables they like.)
-Chicken florentine with rice, pickled beets, fruit cup
-Turkey tetrazinni, mushrooms, brussel sprouts with brown butter
-Baked penne or rigatoni with ricottta and red sauce, vegetable
-Baked tilapia with lemony hollandaise sauce, broccoli, rice pilaf
-Hearty soups, chowders
-Turkey burgers, caramelized onions, buns, coleslaw, chips, fruit
Nibbles- cheese cubes, cut up vegetables, fruit salad or fresh fruit, crackers, hard cooked and peeled eggs.
Milk, hot cocoa, yogurts, puddings, smoothies, calcium fortified orange juice--- calcium.
Dried fruits- apricots, prunes, figs, etc. Calorie and nutrition dense foods.
CJ McD at 6:51PM on 10/27/09
-Cheese tortellinin
-Eggplant parmesan
-Mild jambalaya
-Salmon cakes or tuna patties with bachemel sauce, peas and carrots, tater tots?
-King Ranch casserole
-Chili mac
-Swiss steak
-Swedish meatballs
-Pork stew
-Chicken or turkey ala king
-Chicken fried steak, gravy
-Stuffed potatoes
-Sweet potatoes
-Creamed meat-vegetable combos or biscuits, toast or rice
-Penne primavera, alfredo sauce
-Teriyaki pork and vegetables
-Perogis (meat, cheese or kraut fiiled)
-Breaded chicken or pork tenders
-Braised pork with sauer kraut, apple and onions, spatzle or dumplings
-Apple or prune stuffed pork tenderloin
-Glazed ham slices
-scalloped potatoes and ham
-au gratin potatoes
-roasted potatoes
-mild curries
-vegetable gratins
-BBQ chicken or pork, coleslaw, macaroni salad
-vegetables in cheese sauce
-creamed peas and carrots
-fritattas
-apple, sausage, sage stuffing
-baked beans
-brussel sprouts with bacon
-succotash
-butternut squash puree
-sweet sour cabbage
-braised cabbage with bacon
-muffins, corn bread, rolls
-baked salmon, herb and wild rice blend, green beans almondine
-biscuits and gravy
-stewed fruits
-stewed tomatoes
-cheese grits
-greens
-lentils or beans
-Spanish rice
-potato salad
-marinated sweet-sour tomato-bell pepper salad
-tuna salad or tuna-macaroni salad in lettuce cups
-coleslaws, broccoli slaws, carrot salads
-layered salads (mini 7 layer style)
Forgot to mention cottage cheese for calcium
custards, bread puddings, mousse, fruit & cream,
Use fresh herbs, toasted nuts and buttered bread crumbs to jazz up vegetable dishes.
Stir honey, jam or molasses into butter for toast, cornbread, biscuits
Stir herbs and mild garlic into butter for rolls breads
CJ McD at 7:28PM on 10/27/09
Hot shredded beef or pork (on buns or rolls)
Crock pot style dinners work well too.
Pasta salads
Macaroni casseroles
Sauerbraten
Stuffed green or red bell peppers
Also check make-ahead and freeze recipes. Lots of ideas online.
CJ McD at 7:36PM on 10/27/09