Need SIMPLE Recipes for my Dad (widower)

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1

My mom died just over 18 months ago. This has left my dad on his own in the world of cooking.
He eats a lot of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, peanut butter and crackers, etc.
He uses my "from a can" spagetti sauce recipe and freezes portions of it so he can have a hot
meal at home during the week.
My request is that I'd like to provide him with a couple GOOD recipes for food he can QUICKLY and
EASILY make himself, portion out, and freeze.
He has a very intense workload and when he is neck deep in a project he doesn't really take care
of himself. This last project left him with an obstructed bowel that landed him in the ER via ambulance.
I'd like to help him incorporate healthful meals into his lifestyle that won't be too intimidating for him
to make for himself.
I was hoping you ladies would have some DELICIOUS (freeze-able) ideas to send my way to help my dad eat a
little more healthfully at home.

THANK YOU, in advance. =D

2

I don't like to cook, but I don't want to live on peanut butter either, so we eat a lot of Schwan's. They deliver to my house every other week. Maybe your dad would be interested in that. It's easy and much of it is pretty healthy. It's tasty, too!

3

Would you or someone be making these for him or is he cooking himself? Does he like to cook? He can make things in the crockpot. Beans, chicken, roast, chili, and spaghetti.

4

Hi,

I have a lot of crock pot recipes. They are simple and if he knows his workload will be heavy he can prep in the morning and have it ready when he wants. I will PM them to you.

5

I would also say that Schwan's home delivery is an option, as well as crock pot meals. Also, there are recipes for dishes on the packaging of the main ingredient in the recipe, i.e. baked ziti on the box of ziti. Something like that is really easy to make, with plenty of portions. He also needs to start choosing healthy things that require little or no prep work, like oatmeal for breakfast, packaged salad mixes, and fresh fruit and veggies.

I think there is also a cookbook out there called "A Man, A Can, and A Plan".

6

My dad is in the same situation as yours except my dad is able to cook a bit. Not a lot but a little. My mom passed in 2008. First of all, I'm sorry for yours and his loss. I know personally how you feel. I just wanted to share what my dad has started doing. He just recently purchased one of those foodsavor machines (seal a meal). On Sundays, my dad will make a lot of pork chops lets say and then he freezes them individually in one of the seal a meal bags. The machine withdraws all the air and makes it airtight so that way it will last longer in the freezer. You can freeze all kinds of stuff from dry food to wet. My husband uses ours all the time. He freezes chili, stew, all kinds of meats, etc. Maybe he can purchase one of those machines and you can help him create meals to freeze for him during the week. There are tons of cook books out there that are for beginners. It has worked for my dad pretty well. My mom was the one that did most of the cooking like yours did it sounds like. My dad has improved over time however, I do remember a time growing up when my mom had to go out of town for awhile and we were left home with dad. It was up to him to cook for all of us. Well, he never really cooked anything prior to this. He attempted to make sloppy joes from the can. You ask how can you mess up that, right? Well as I bit down into my sandwich, I realized he forgot the most important ingredient....the meat!! I was like dad, where's the beef?? LOL....to this day he hasn't lived that one down. But like I said, he's improved a lot. So there is hope for your dad. Good luck!

7

Sorry about your mom. :(
I'd get him a crock pot! He can throw frozen meatballs in there with sauce & eat on buns.
He can throw a roast, potatoes & carrots & onion, salt & pepper in there.
He can put a chuck roast in, shred it & add BBQ sauce, then make BBQ beef sammies.
Meat loaf?
Does he grill? He can grill chicken, fish, shrimp...

8

First of all... so sorry for your loss.

Have you tried having him look in the frozen foods section of his grocery store? There are many healthy selections he can get.

Stouffer's skillet meals. They come with everything in the bag. Vegetables, meat, and the sauce. All he has to do is dump it in a pan and cook.

Also Green Giant Steamers. LOVE these. Pop them in the microwave and BAM!! The vegetables come out perfect every time. They also have these in single servings.

Good luck!!

9

Hi Jaime,

When you cook dinner for your family save a portion, label and freeze it. If you see your Dad once a month then you can take them up in a cooler. If you can help him have one good meal per week this way then that would be great!

I drink a healthy meal replacement shake every morning. My Dad, who was 92 and lives alone, was not eating properly. I got him these shakes and it made a world of difference. He had one every morning to give him a good boost and then again for dinner maybe twice a week.

You have gotten some other good ideas, but I am going to remind you that this really is out of your control. Plus, for a man that has never cooked..... it's just tough.

When my Dad wasn't eating right this is what I told him. "Dad, I would imagine your goal is to be healthy and to live independently for as long as possible. If you do not eat right and end up in the hospital or passing out somewhere it will lessen your chances of independence. Please do your best to eat right." It really helped and that's when he started following some of my nutritional advice.

10

I am so sorry for the loss of your mother. It must be a big change of lifestyle for your father.
I am a big freezer meal person and am preparing a bunch of freezer meals that I got out of a Taste of Home catalog I picked up from the grocery store checkout stands. They were recipe cards you could tear out and I filed them. I have them scanned (3 to a page) if you want me to email them to you. Some of them require a little more spice than garlic, salt and pepper but not very much. I am always trying to find ones that are all the food groups in one so I can just pop them in the oven and be done. Here are some that are pretty easy to look up and try (I hope the links work):
go to: www.cooks.com and type in: make ahead meatballs

http://busycooks.about.com/od/precookedpoultryrecipes/r/chickenpotcasse.htm

http://busycooks.about.com/od/makeaheadrecipes/a/freezecasserole.htm?r=et

http://www.chiff.com/cooking/make-ahead.htm
(this one has several links included)

Good luck to you and your Dad.
Kristin

11

Get the book " Dont Panic, its in the freezer" It is a GREAT book with wonderful recipes. You can make them up for him, put them in the freezer, and all he has to do is bake/crockpot/stove etc. It gives options in the recipes for how to double, triple etc them so you could make them for your family too. Kill two birds with one stone.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0800730550/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0967537916&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1SB1CYQNYB82A0KAP202

12

One of the best books my mom ever got me was "Where's Mom Now That I Need Her?" It has a lot of basic recipes using "shortcuts" and that don't take much cooking skill.

I was thinking some kind of pasta casserole--cook up some extra pasta sauce & cook noodles a little less than the package directions. Mix some cooked meat (you can buy precooked, cubed, grilled chicken at Kroger in the freezer section), toss in some thawed (frozen) spinach, some cottage or ricotta cheese, slap in a pan & sprinkle w/ cheese, then

Bean burritos are easy. Cook up a big batch of rice & freeze in 1 or 2 cup portions. Open a can of black beans. Thaw rice & add beans. Sprinkle with taco seasoning (1T for mild flavor, or a half packet for a heavier flavor. Throw in a can of tomatoes (drained if he wants) or cup of salsa and some diced peppers & onions. Heat throw, until some of the liquid cooks off and serve w/ or without the tortilla (w/o is probably healthier), w/ or w/o shredded cheese & sour cream (we sub plain yogurt for the sour cream cuz' it's better for you).

Easy chicken soup: use precooked diced chicken or 1 can of cooked chicken (can find it in the same place as cans of tuna usually). 1 carton of low sodium broth. 1 package of egg noodles (they make whole wheat egg noodles now!). 1/2 bag of frozen diced carrots, and or chopped celery. Some Mrs. Dash. Cook noodles. While noodles are cooking, add the chicken, carrots, celery/onion/other veg to another pot & bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer. Drain noodles & add to pot of other ingredients. Spoon into bowls. Eat w/ a spinach salad.

Even though you live far away, you could cook up some batches of cooked meat before your next trip, and then help him throw together some casseroles for the freezer with the precooked meat. Or, when you're there, see if there is one of those places where you can make some meals to take for the freezer, with directions on how to cook it.

13

Taco Soup- so easy my bachelor brother can make it
1 lb hamburger browned
1 can Rotelle tomato sauce
1 can chicken broth
1 small can corn
1 can olives
1 can kidney beans
1 can pinto or black beans
1 package Taco seasoning

brown the hamburger throw everything in a big soup pot let simmer for about 30 minutes- top with crushed tortilla chips and cheese.

my boys will also use it as a dip for chips just add a lot of cheese to it.

14

My mom was a wonderful mom, but in my childhood i learned little more about cooking other then how to boil water, make boxed pasta, cook an egg, brown ground beef, and grill a sandwich. Most of the foods I made in college, had instructions printed on the packaging.

Finally I decide that if I wanted to feed my family I would HAVE to learn to cook, for real! I was also newly married and I got a look every time I made "cheeseburger macaroni" from my husband that read "again, really?"

I told my grandmother one time that I couldn't even grill a chicken breast, and I was terrified i would give our family food poisoning if I tried! I had some "standard" cookbooks, but even those were mostly over my head! (Plus I really was scared to death I would give us all salmonella- or set the kitchen on fire)

For Christmas I got a george foreman grill, some pots n' pans, an apron... and a children's cookbook! My grandmother told me that I had to start at the basics, and if a 10 year old can learn via a kid's cookbook... so could I! My "kid's" cookbook was this one: http://www.amazon.com/Chicken-Soup-Soul-Kids-Kitchen/dp/0757305792/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1301086057&sr=1-1-spell

I cooked almost every recipe in that cookbook, and then one day, I got up the nerve and whipped up a recipe from my still untouched "better homes and gardens cookbook!" And it was GOOD, and we didn't get food poisoning! Since then I have cooked like crazy, if I want a food, I go online or into my new STASH of cookbooks and I just do it!

So there is my advice- get him a children's cookbook, and let him start there. It won't take long and he can tackle casseroles... Any casserole can be portioned and frozen.

Also, if he has a slow cooker.... those recipes are usually "dump, wait, and eat" - he can make them, then freeze the unused potions, and reheat in the microwave. I love sandra lee's money saving meals (a food network show) and most of those recipes are SO easy! You can find her recipes here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/sandra-lee/index.html

My favorite there is Hawaiian pulled pork in particular: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sandra-lee/hawaiian-pulled-pork-sandwiches-recipe/index.html

Good Luck to your dad!
-Megan

15

When my dad was on his own he would do a lot of stir-frys or pasta and vegetable meals, then just add a roll or whatever he liked.
For a really quick meal....buy the grilled chicken strips in the cold meat section at the grocery store (usually made for salads), boil some penne pasta, add a garlic cream sauce, add carrots, broccoli, corn and peas. You really don't need a lot of seasoning...salt and pepper would be fine.
Does he like tuna? Tuna Noodle Casserole would be quick and easy and freezes well.
2 cans cream of mushroom + 2 (10 oz) cans of tuna + 4 cups egg noodles + 2 cups frozen peas + 1 cup milk....as a topping you can use bread crumbs, but I like crushed up potato chips.
Stuffed bell peppers freeze pretty well.
4 bell peppers (any color) + 1 lb ground beef + 1 1/2 cups cooked rice.
Most add onion, ketchup, garlic (powder is fine), canned tomatoes.
Drizzle with olive oil and bake at 350 for about 45 mins.
I also second the crock pot.
Hope this helps.

16

Get him a crock pot and a cookbook. There are a lot of things you can do minimally and you can freeze the leftovers for later. A few minutes in the morning and he can eat when he gets home and freeze/store the leftovers. Sometimes I just get a chunk of meat (like a roast or ribs) and add cut potatoes, onion, carrot, some random spices and a cup of water. Cook some rice later (or in the crock pot, depending...get him a rice cooker if he wants simplicity) and - dinner.

Another quick variant on spaghetti is to cook the spaghetti, drain, return to the pot, crack an egg or two into it, mix it up while the egg cooks, and toss some bacon bits or (better) crumbled/torn up bacon in it. Salad and/or garlic bread (both of which can come prepared and all he has to do is heat or put in a bowl and there's dinner. They now make precooked bacon that only needs a few seconds in the microwave, if he wants really easy.

17

I know they have a lot of places now where you can go and make your dinners up for the week. My parents did that for a while which was nice cause they got to dirty someone elses kitchen, plus there is someone there to help him. Then all he would have to do is re-heat. Maybe you could check into that. Dream Dinners is the name of one of them.

18

First of all, I'm sorry for you and your dad's loss

Maybe he could get some already cooked items. In most parts of Texas (although unfortunately not in North Texas) there is a grocery store called H.E.B. that sells several fully cooked items....chicken tenders, hamburger patties, grilled chicken breasts, meatballs, chopped beef and the list goes on and on. Basically the items are frozen and you just take them out and heat them in the microwave or oven and you are good to go. Pair them up with some salad mix from a bag.

My grandma is a great cook and loves to cook, but my grandpa passed away several years ago and now she is 93 so it is getting harder for her to cook meals just for one. Anyway, she has just started buying these items and it has made meals a lot simpler. Maybe some grocery stores in his area offer something similar?

19

How about wraps? Some chicken or beef or pork, lettuce, tomato, red pepper strips and some ranch dressing or something...really simple and very healthy.

You can also do simple salads and add some chicken or something for a bit of protein. We do lettuce with some carrots, tomatoes, sometimes celery. Then we top it with some bacon bits, fried onion toppers, or croutons, and then the chicken and a bit of Ranch dressing, which I make with lowfat mayo so it's not as bad. Chow mein noodles are nice for a crunch, too, but those aren't available here. But anyone can make up a salad...he can even get pre-packaged salad blend with the greens and the carrots in it. And he can put whatever he likes on it.

20

HI Jamie,

I have too many recipes for your dad to be able to share on this site. Therefore, please contact me directly at
[email protected]

quick sample recipe for salmon (If my Dad could do this so can yours!)

Take a average sized piece and place it upon a sheet of tin foil.
Smear a very small amount of butter or preferably canola based butter spread all over the top. Then smear 1/2 plus teaspoon of minced garlic over the top and lastly sprinkle some dill weed on top.
Wrpa the foil around the salmon doesn't have to be horribly tight, but secure so no juices run out.

Here's the easy part-----place the salmon package into the toaster oven, set the temp at 375 and allow it to cook for about 25-30 minutes. (If need be set on of those times that ring their ding loudly)
Remove from the toaster oven open it up, slide it onto a plate, w/or w/o juices and enjoy------perfect with a side salad, baked tater and some veggies or even a 1/2 can of drained peas or a 1/2 cup previously freshly frozen, thawed in the microwave and heated there too.