Freezer Friendly Meals For My Grandpa

[Lisa Shock]

Eventually, a vacuum sealer might be something to look into purchasing. The bags are tougher than storage bags, and food really does freeze better with one. Just avoid the super-cheap ones, their motors are too small. (I recommend the ones at about $150 or more.)

 

One trick I've done for years is I freeze liquids and generally wet things like stew, chili, indian foods, etc. in a square shaped container overnight and the next day pop out the frozen brick of food and vacuum seal it. These bricks stack well in the freezer, and I only need to own a couple of containers -containers aren't languishing in the freezer indefinitely. -I also do this with rice so as to make sure I do not crush it in the vacuum sealer.

 

BTW, I freeze rice in several sized portions: 2 servings, 1 serving, and about a ¼ cup. The small portion is to use as an add-in for soup, so I can have tomato soup (frozen plain) with rice, for example. Don't be afraid to give him meals that involve a couple of frozen components.

 

I don't have a microwave, so, I reheat in a saucepan on the stove and then plate the food. I have also used the slow cooker to reheat things.

 

Sometimes, I just make a soup or stew base (like onion gravy, I am a vegetarian) and freeze that. Later, I put the sauce in the slow cooker and add fresh veggies. I am wondering if there aren't occasions where you could do this, too. (you could have a base with meat)  Maybe with fresh veggies or frozen mixed veggies.

[Shelby]

Venison chili

 

Looks almost like the stew, but I swear it's chili

 

[Jaymes]

Venison chili

 

Looks almost like the stew, but I swear it's chili

 

 

That looks wonderful, Shelby.  And you are God's own angel for doing this for your grandpa.

 

Not only is the food going to be good, and helpful, but this gives him tremendous bragging creds when he's around his buddies.

 

Believe me, I know.

[Shelby]

Thanks, Jaymes, you've made my day 

 

I like knowing his freezer has some good stuff to eat in there.

[IndyRob]

In his later years, my father was quite proud to have discovered Betty Crocker Complete Cheese Garlic biscuit mix.  You just mix with water.  They were pretty good, actually and I think reminded him of the biscuits he'd get at Red Lobster.

 

More recently, I've found that baked biscuits freeze and revive quite well (sans outer crispness).  Just wrap one in paper towel and nuke for 15 seconds, then flip and give it another 10 seconds on the other side.  If desired, a brief stay in a toaster oven might revive the crisp, but I haven't tried that.  A regular oven may do both just as well.  Add a heated, fully cooked sausage patty for a breakfast biscuit.

Edited October 10, 2014 by IndyRob (log)

[JoNorvelleWalker]

Rather than frozen rice, how about a rice cooker?

[MelissaH]

Unless there's a good single-serving rice cooker available, I'd think frozen rice would be more efficient for someone who's feeding one at a time.

[Shelby]

Although a rice cooker is easy to use, it would be seen as very foreign to my Grandpa.  

[Jaymes]

A small one might be nice for a grandpa (or grandma) that eats a lot of rice. But had I given one to my dad, it just would have sat idle on the kitchen counter right next to the idle bread machine that he and my mom used all the time back when she was alive.

[Deryn]

I also cooked up, froze and delivered meals for my parents beginning in the 80s when my mother was ill with cancer, and then again a bit later when my father was getting much older but still lived at home alone. I probably did most of what others have suggested above, so I have no specific recipes to add but I always tried to vary the meals and make them as appetizing as possible. Also, because back then I found some relatively durable tv-dinner type containers, I would include a number of plainer (unembellished meat, starch, veg) type meals as well. I would deliver and pick up the containers from the last week's meals so my parents didn't have to cope with the washing up.

 

After Mom died, I was actually quite impressed with Dad's ability to cook healthy food for himself. He used a slow cooker and kept it going all the time adding fresh stuff to it every day. It was always hot but the contents varied by the day - soupy one day, stew-y the next, depending on what he added and how much liquid was in the pot. It also went from chicken based to beef based to lamb based over time it seemed. He had only one usable arm so peeling vegetables (especially potatoes) and cutting them to size was not easy for him - but he did it for years.

Edited October 11, 2014 by Deryn (log)

[BeeZee]

Unless there's a good single-serving rice cooker available, I'd think frozen rice would be more efficient for someone who's feeding one at a time.

they sell precooked rice cups that you just microwave to heat up, don't remember if it was Minute brand or Uncle Ben's, I have used them at work for lunch, quite acceptable. A little pricey, of course, you pay for the convenience, I only buy them if on sale.

[Kerry Beal]

I did the debate about a rice cooker for dad - there are lovely little ones available - but realized if he was no longer cooking other stuff for himself - he was unlikely to do the rice either.  

[Miraklegirl]

I occasionally cook for my husband's grandmother. She loves my quiche but has a really small appetite so I cook them in tart shells. I make her a few varieties like broccoli and cheese, mushroom, salami and onion and freeze them. She reheats in the microwave or toaster oven and likes that she can have flexibility in portioning- it's a too day, she eats two. Not such a good day- one is enough. I have also made muffin tin shepherds pie, individual slices of turkey meatloaf, blintzes, and battered and fried chicken pieces that she could add a sauce to if she feels like 'Chinese'. I also made a bread pudding- like a strata- in small portions that she liked, and there was tons of protein and veggies in there. She enjoyed mini sweet potato pies in tart shells as well. Good luck! (P.s I'm a big fan/lurker from the Dinner thread).

[Shelby]

I occasionally cook for my husband's grandmother. She loves my quiche but has a really small appetite so I cook them in tart shells. I make her a few varieties like broccoli and cheese, mushroom, salami and onion and freeze them. She reheats in the microwave or toaster oven and likes that she can have flexibility in portioning- it's a too day, she eats two. Not such a good day- one is enough. I have also made muffin tin shepherds pie, individual slices of turkey meatloaf, blintzes, and battered and fried chicken pieces that she could add a sauce to if she feels like 'Chinese'. I also made a bread pudding- like a strata- in small portions that she liked, and there was tons of protein and veggies in there. She enjoyed mini sweet potato pies in tart shells as well. Good luck! (P.s I'm a big fan/lurker from the Dinner thread).

Good ideas!  I hadn't thought about doing battered and fried chicken.  I think he would like that.  Thank you!

 

P.S.  I think you should de-lurk more often 

[Kerry Beal]

If he had a Cuisinart steam oven he could reheat that fried chicken good as new!

[TdeV]

Kerry, where do I find out about the freeze-drier?

 

One of my simple go-to's is to slow cook turkey drumsticks in nothing but mustard and maple syrup, not even any water. Absolutely delish and can easily be shredded.

 

My dad is 94 and likes his food plain, plain, plain, but I think I could feed this stuff to him, if I cut down a bit on the volume of mustard and maple syrup.

 

CatPoet, I'm too am interested in cabbage pudding!

[Kerry Beal]

Kerry, where do I find out about the freeze-drier?

 

One of my simple go-to's is to slow cook turkey drumsticks in nothing but mustard and maple syrup, not even any water. Absolutely delish and can easily be shredded.

 

My dad is 94 and likes his food plain, plain, plain, but I think I could feed this stuff to him, if I cut down a bit on the volume of mustard and maple syrup.

 

CatPoet, I'm too am interested in cabbage pudding!

Have you had a look at the freeze dryer thread here?

[Shelby]

Made a double batch of venison bierocks.  I have more filling so I'm making more this morning.  Guess that would make it a triple batch.  I am going to individually wrap them in foil and then vacuum pack them.

 

 

[Jaymes]

One of my simple go-to's is to slow cook turkey drumsticks in nothing but mustard and maple syrup, not even any water. Absolutely delish and can easily be shredded.

 

My dad is 94 and likes his food plain, plain, plain, but I think I could feed this stuff to him, if I cut down a bit on the volume of mustard and maple syrup.

How do you cook that turkey leg?

[TdeV]

How do you cook that turkey leg?

 

Hi Jaymes,

 

Turkey legs

Paint on mustard

Drizzle with maple syrup.

No water.

 

I've done this for years in the slow cooker, low heat. There's water in the turkey, after all, but not so much to dilute the sauces.  After 6-8 hours, absolutely delish.

 

Recently I did this "sous vide" for a couple of days and the mustard and maple syrup degraded, so not as good a method, methinks.

Edited November 4, 2014 by TdeV (log)

[MelissaH]

Have you ever tried this with honey rather than maple syrup? I like the general concept, but my husband isn't into maple.

[TdeV]

Have you ever tried this with honey rather than maple syrup? I like the general concept, but my husband isn't into maple.

 

Honey might work if you found some strongly flavoured stuff, I suppose. 'Course I happen to like maple

[Jaymes]

Hi Jaymes,

 

Turkey legs

Paint on mustard

Drizzle with maple syrup.

No water.

 

I've done this for years in the slow cooker, low heat. There's water in the turkey, after all, but not so much to dilute the sauces.  After 6-8 hours, absolutely delish.

 

Recently I did this "sous vide" for a couple of days and the mustard and maple syrup degraded, so not as good a method, methinks.

Thanks. Definitely going to do this.