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Cooking for Grandparents


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So my wife's Grandmother was just in the hospital for a serious bout of pneumonia. She's doing better but needs a lot of rest. We're going up to visit this weekend and are planning on doing a bunch of cooking and freezing of meals for the grandparents. They're very old school eaters (lots of meatloaf, pot roast, "spaghetti night", and the like) so nothing with fennel pollen. Oh and there have been some medication based hydration issues as well so one of the foods we'll make will be some kind of soup.

Looking for suggestions from anyone who's been cooking in a similar situation. We're looking for foods which are easily digestible, and easily reheatable/portioned. We were initially thinking about making "upscale mac and cheese", which has spinach and sun dried tomatoes in it but we were worried it might be a little too rich.

many thanks,

Ben

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So my wife's Grandmother was just in the hospital for a serious bout of pneumonia.  She's doing better but needs a lot of rest.  We're going up to visit this weekend and are planning on doing a bunch of cooking and freezing of meals for the grandparents.  They're very old school eaters (lots of meatloaf, pot roast, "spaghetti night", and the like) so nothing with fennel pollen.  Oh and there have been some medication based hydration issues as well so one of the foods we'll make will be some kind of soup.

Looking for suggestions from anyone who's been cooking in a similar situation.  We're looking for foods which are easily digestible, and easily reheatable/portioned.  We were initially thinking about making "upscale mac and cheese", which has spinach and sun dried tomatoes in it but we were worried it might be a little too rich.

many thanks,

Ben

What about risotto? You can put all kinds of nutritious goodies into it, and it keeps pretty well. You can re-heat it in individual oven-proof ramekins or bowls, which keeps it from getting too gloopy (don't re-heat in the microwave).

"We had dry martinis; great wing-shaped glasses of perfumed fire, tangy as the early morning air." - Elaine Dundy, The Dud Avocado

Queenie Takes Manhattan

eG Foodblogs: 2006 - 2007

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There are a few threads that might be of help... this one is about bringing food to the hospital, and this one is entitled Food for Mourning; I'm betting you'll find some good ideas in there, as they cover the issue of people on medication as well as stuff that freezes well. And there's another one along similar lines, but I can't seem to find it right now. If I do, I'll edit this post, but those should get you started!

Just keep in mind that freezing stuff in small portions is usually helpful to those who are recovering, esp older folks.

"I'm not eating it...my tongue is just looking at it!" --My then-3.5 year-old niece, who was NOT eating a piece of gum

"Wow--this is a fancy restaurant! They keep bringing us more water and we didn't even ask for it!" --My 5.75 year-old niece, about Bread Bar

"He's jumped the flounder, as you might say."

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Good luck. You are dealing with a great many more issues than it would appear at first glance.

I'd suggest you start by chatting up the grandparents, or, if that's not workable right now, whomever it is that currently either does most of their cooking, or knows them best.

You need to know if they can handle spicy foods. And by 'spicy,' I mean anything with flavor. Many older folks love spicy foods, but their digestive systems simply can no longer handle it. And many things you'd think are perfectly safe will give them indigestion. My father has always loved curries, barbecue, Mexican food, chili, raw onions in salads, etc. But he can no longer eat any of them.

Also, you'll probably need to cut back on the salt. It's quite possible that salt is completely out. Ask. And ask about any interaction with medications. A neighbor of my parents' recently brought over a grapefruit and avocado salad. My folks couldn't eat it because of the grapefruit, which interferes with their heart medicine.

Most oldsters with health issues are also trying hard to cut back on fats. They really love baked chicken, some plainly-cooked vegetables, a simply-dressed tossed salad. Mashed or baked potatoes (and skip any sort of fancy seasonings or your impressive chive and roquefort topping). That sort of thing.

This is actually what I do. Cook for the elderly. Day in and day out.

Good luck.

PS - of course, this all assumes that your grandparents ARE elderly. And not in their 50's or something.

In which case, nevermind.

I don't understand why rappers have to hunch over while they stomp around the stage hollering.  It hurts my back to watch them. On the other hand, I've been thinking that perhaps I should start a rap group here at the Old Folks' Home.  Most of us already walk like that.

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Soup, soup, and more soup. Usually, chicken noodle. Nothing fancy. They seem to like a lot of carbs but you have to figure out ways to get protein in. When I do chicken or pork, I use a grape or berry sauce to go with it because they like sweet but of course, you want to make it as healthy as possible. Risotto is a good idea if they've eaten it before. I find that they're a little suspicious of anything "unusual". Also, dividing things into small portions before you give it to them is good. You can buy those disposable containers right at your grocery store.

Good luck. It's a wonderful thing you're doing.

jb

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Good luck.  You are dealing with a great many more issues than it would appear at first glance.

I'd suggest you start by chatting up the grandparents, or, if that's not workable right now, whomever it is that currently either does most of their cooking, or knows them best.

Also, you'll probably need to cut back on the salt.  It's quite possible that salt is completely out.  Ask.  And ask about any interaction with medications.  A neighbor of my parents' recently brought over a grapefruit and avocado salad.  My folks couldn't eat it because of the grapefruit, which interferes with their heart medicine.

Most oldsters with health issues are also trying hard to cut back on fats.  They really love baked chicken, some plainly-cooked vegetables, a simply-dressed tossed salad.  Mashed or baked potatoes (and skip any sort of fancy seasonings or your impressive chive and roquefort topping).  That sort of thing.

PS - of course, this all assumes that your grandparents ARE elderly.  And not in their 50's or something.

In which case, nevermind.

Thanks all.

Jaymes,

It's always nice to read your responses (I've happily made several of your recipes posted on egullet, always with success). Talking to the elderly grandparents is somewhat out of the question as the parents have decided that this will be a surprise visit (which seems questionable, but they're my wife's parents so it's actually not questionable if you get my drift). Good to hear that about the grapefruit, I'll try to find out what type of medication they're on and go from there.

Thanks again everyone. I think risotto is out due to the fat content. I'm thinking a casserole and a soup is the way to go. since the soup will be chicken soup, any suggestions for a pork or beef casserole?

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Things that go over well here (retirement home) are salisbury steak, Stews, meatloaf, and chicken thighs in sauce.

If there are hydration issues, a stew would be great and can have lots of veg. You could even make and freeze some biscuits to go with. Or a nice thick pea soup with garlic bread.

Even some yogurt popsicles would be nice for the hot summer, plus sneak in some nutrition.

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I think casseroles are a great idea, but the type of casserole really would depend on their ages and likes/dislikes. Older people tend to think of casseroles as being creamy and might like anything held together with cream of mushroom soup such as a hamburger and rice casserole. Tuna casserole might be something that they would enjoy also.

I have frozen cooked pasta right in the sauce and it was good, and spaghetti sauce is a good place to hide veggies. American chop suey might be something they would enjoy that would freeze/reheat well. I freeze leftover beef stew with good results. Other thoughts are porcupine meatballs, hamburger soup, ham and potato casserole, beef stroganoff, goulash, and baked beans.

As suggested before, I would make small portions with the food as larger portions are intimidating. Unless needed for their diets, I wouldn't use low-fat ingredients either. Elderly people sometimes have small appetites, and getting some good calories into small portions can help.

Stock the freezer with individual serving items too like Dixie Cups ice cream. Popsicles are good for hydration too, and there are whole fruit ones that don't have added sugar.

Are you cooking bringing the food to them? That's what I used to do with my MIL because no matter how sick she was, she absolutely hated anyone going near her kitchen. If you are cooking in their kitchen, try not to look like everyone is taking over the kitchen if your wife's grandmother is possesive over it.

Tammy Olson aka "TPO"

The Practical Pantry

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I think casseroles are a great idea, but the type of casserole really would depend on their ages and likes/dislikes. Older people tend to think of casseroles as being creamy and might like anything held together with cream of mushroom soup such as a hamburger and rice casserole. Tuna casserole might be something that they would enjoy also.

Just beware that your typical canned soup has enough sodium in it to drop a bull moose dead in its tracks. There are some low-sodium versions of those cream-of-mumble soups available, though, so you can substitute those in the casseroles. Or you could make a white sauce from scratch, so you have ultimate control of the healthiness of its ingredients--though you might have to beware of that too, as some old-school eaters are so used to that canned-soup taste that a casserole made with a from-scratch sauce might actually taste "wrong" to them.

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Jaymes,

It's always nice to read your responses (I've happily made several of your recipes posted on egullet, always with success). 

Thanks. :blush:

How old are they? My parents are both in their 80's, so that might make a difference. But they've been like this for at least ten years.

I've read through the responses here, and have noticed several things that I like to make, but I have to be VERY careful about the spices. Soups, stews, goulash, pasta, baked beans, etc. If I add my usual compliment of spices to any of these dishes, I hear about it at the dinner table. And then later in the night, I can hear my father up rummaging around for the baking soda. And then the next morning, I hear all about what a rotten night he had. :laugh:

I think meatloaf is a great idea. You can bake up a nice big one, or even two. They'll be delicious, comforting, and a huge hit at the dinner. And afterwards, you can cut whatever is left into slices and wrap them individually and put them into the freezer. Leftover meatloaf is always handy. It heats up quickly and is good for sandwiches, as well. (Of course, I have to leave out the horseradish from my usual recipe. :cool: )

Roasts work well. I make beef and pork roasts a lot. Again, it's something where I can cut the leftovers into serving portions and individually freeze them. They're easy to wrap up into aluminum foil packets to reheat. With the pork roasts, my parents like applesauce, and baked sweet potatoes, and some sort of veggie. We eat a lot of squash this time of year.

You can buy bags of individually-frozen chicken breasts at Sam's and Costco, and poach or broil them. They keep in the freezer, and are easy to pull out one or two at a time. They go well with a lot of things. Ditto flash-frozen fish fillets. In addition to broiling them with a little wine and butter, you can drop them into fish stock and make wonderful quick fish soups and stews.

Two other things I cannot make enough of are corn pudding and seafoam salad.

The corn pudding tastes great, goes with many mains, is nutritious, and keeps nobody up at night, unless I add green chiles, which I finally have learned not to do. There are many versions of corn pudding. One of the easiest is "Jiffy Corn Pudding," which I've posted a recipe for somewhere on eGullet. All of the old folk seem to really love that.

And seafoam salad.

We do not have a history of congealed salads in my family. So I don't recall ever making this until I became responsible for my parents' meals. But now, it seems they absolutely love it. Who knows why. Tastes change. I make it at least several times a week. It keeps in the fridge, and they'll even have some for a light lunch. I like the fact that they are eating protein in the cottage cheese. The recipe calls for nuts, but I leave them out. Neither of my parents can easily chew nuts anymore.

There are many, many recipes for seafoam salad. This is the one I use.

Seafoam Salad

1 large box lime gelatin

1/2 C mayo or Miracle Whip

1 C cottage cheese

1 C canned, crushed pineapple (do not drain)

1/2 C chopped nuts

Dissolve gelatin in 2 C boiling water. Stir in 1 C ice cubes. When ice cubes melt, add mayo and stir until blended. Add remaining ingredients. Mix well. Chill until firm.

Oh. And if you really want to be a hero, bake a couple of pound cakes. Cut back on the sugar called for (I usually cut back at least 1/3). Wrap them well and put them into the freezer. They are great to slice for dessert, topped with some fresh fruit, and a little ice cream. Or even to toast and butter as an occasional treat with coffee in the mornings. It's a nice luxury, and not so bad for you as cake with some sort of heavy, sugary icing.

Edited by Jaymes (log)

I don't understand why rappers have to hunch over while they stomp around the stage hollering.  It hurts my back to watch them. On the other hand, I've been thinking that perhaps I should start a rap group here at the Old Folks' Home.  Most of us already walk like that.

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Soups are a wonderful thing. You mentioned chicken soup. I make chicken and rice for people who are sick or need tlc. Chicken and dumplings are also a good thing. Easy on the seasonings, but go back to the basic mirepoix, easy on the onion. If you are making chicken soup anyway, make a huge vat and use your own chicken broth in the dishes- less sodium and infinitely heathier. Beef and barley soup is another winner as are navy bean and split pea.

Pork chops are easy to cook ahead and stick in the freezer. Make sure they are not overcooked and they will reheat nicely. Mashed potatoes freeze well. Succotash does, too. Beef stroganoff and bourginon (sp) reheat well. I know most of these are winter dishes, but they are also hearty and calories-laden which is important for healing.

Best wishes.

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Homemade applesauce...use several apple varieties and you probably won't have to add any sugar at all. Puddings or custards would be good, very little sugar there but they won't freeze.

My grandparents liked canned tomatoes (their own canning) either plain or scalloped with bread cubes or croutons, a little sugar, maybe some thickening.

Bake the meatloaf in muffin pans. And bake some muffins in the pans too.

Ruth Dondanville aka "ruthcooks"

“Are you making a statement, or are you making dinner?” Mario Batali

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My grandmother is 95, as long as she can chew it, she will eat it. So most of the food has to be ultra tender (nice word for mushy). She usually eats pork fried rice, all types of soups (she especially like chicken, beef barley, eggdrop and splitpea), oatmeal, farina, grits, meatloaf, stewed beef, pork and chicken with stewed veggies (tomatoes, potatoes, carrots, peas), macaroni, beans, mashed potatoes, white bread. She also has an occasional beer. My mom bought some bottles of Boost, sort of like a chocolate shake (comes in other flavors too), with extra vitamins/protien and calories, I tried it, it tastes pretty good. The most important thing with my grandmother is hydration and calories, because she tends to eat small portions.

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