Food Preparation for Recovery from Surgery

[Smithy]

Face it: if you're the cook in the family and you're having surgery, or if you're the cook in the family and you'l be overseeing someone else's recovery, you'd better have the food prepared in advance. It had better be easy to reheat, serve and eat. It needs to be appetizing. It needs to be easy. Of course it has to meet dietary guidelines for recovery, and that's a wild card for purposes of this discussion.

 

We don't seem to have a dedicated topic for this purpose, although we have a couple of topics that are relevant:

Batch Cooking: One large batch, many small meals. Share your ideas!

 

...and this old one, which takes into account feeding the entire family but got to be rather specific about the surgery in question:

Food ideas for friends after major surgery?

 

What are some of your ideas for meal prep and serving when there simply won't be time or energy for cooking? Got any favorite recipes? If you've been through this, what worked and what wouldn't you recommend? 

 

Packaging ideas are also welcome.

Edited 13 hours ago by Smithy
Added a couple of sentences. (log)

[blue_dolphin]

My advice isn’t specifically about cooking but if I were having surgery, I would be setting up accounts with the grocery delivery and errand running services in my area and trying them out with simple orders. I’ve learned that being already sick or in recovery is not the time to set that stuff up.
No amount of advance planning can prepare for all eventualities so it’s wise to have some delivery options in your back pocket. Particularly pharmacy pickup or delivery options.

 

For yourself, make sure you’re set up with easily digestible options that might not be otherwise appealing but can get you through. I keep some of these on hand at all times.  I donate and rotate them out periodically. 

• Soft fruits: bananas, applesauce, avocado, pumpkin, canned fruit (packed in water not heavy syrup), and melons
• Steamed or boiled vegetables: carrots, green beans, potatoes, and squash 
• Low-fiber starches: white bread, white rice, saltine crackers, cream of wheat, instant oatmeal, and noodles
• Unseasoned skinless baked chicken or turkey, scrambled eggs, yogurt and kefir
• Drinks: bone broth, apple juice, coconut water, Pedialyte, weak tea

If you have friends or neighbors who want to help out with something like a meal train for you or your family, give some thought to how you’d like that to work from your end. People like to help and the more you can guide them, the better. Setting up a clear drop off spot, including a cooler can be a big help. 
 

[lemniscate]

17 minutes ago, blue_dolphin said:

My advice isn’t specifically about cooking but if I were having surgery, I would be setting up accounts with the grocery delivery and errand running services in my area and trying them out with simple orders. I’ve learned that being already sick or in recovery is not the time to set that stuff up.

 

Wise, wise words.   No way to say this any better.   This is the way.