In Need of Quick Good Meals That Can Be Done One Handed

I will think about it - nothing comes to mind...

BUT - how about cooking in advance? You could make lasagne, meatballs, etc. save them in single serve portions and then just microwave to reheat.

Make 2 weeks of dishes up and freeze them.

I bag up left over chicken, rice, and broccoli and freeze it. It is great to toss in the microwave some other time.

Potatoes don't freeze well.

I agree to start making and freezing meals..

And your son is old enough to get on a step stool to take it out of the freezer and place it in the microwave for you,.

Canned tomato soup was one of the first things I learned how to "cook".. We did not even have microwaves back then..

Then I learned to make a grilled cheese sandwich in a cast iron skillet..

Then I learned how to make a scrambled egg..

He will enjoy doing this for you.. Make it a project..

Microwave baked potatoes

Roast some chickens ahead of time and cut them into pieces, they will freeze great.

Freeze some meatballs.. good in sandwiches. with jarred sauce..

Order in, once a week.. pizza, Chinese food, whatever is around there. ..

Precook hamburger patties for hamburgers.

sausage wraps

Go to the frozen food section and see what is available..

You could also hire a teen, to go over 5 days a week for an hour or 2 to help with dinner or some light cleaning.. Pay them $8 - $10. an hour.

If they drive they could also run to the store for you.

Ask people you work with if they know a teen that might be interested.. Or call the neighborhood church and speak with the Youth Pastor.

It sounds like prepared meals, fresh fruit, nuts, power bars,microwave-able meals, frozen and carry out pizza are in your future.I hope you can find help. Might I suggest finding a place of worship you are comfortable in? A church family can be very supportive in many situations.; it sounds like you could use some help.

Bankart repair?

I didn't have any use of my shoulder for 2 months this fall (see previous haircut question, I lopped off about a foot and a half of hair, because I knew I wouldn't be able to take care of it), and then months 3, 4, 5, AND 6 I had very limited use, to "gets tired and painful" if used too much I am NOT doing ______ right now!

Honest to god... I mostly cooked out of my freezer and my phone (delivery) for those 6 months.

Some things I made up and froze in advance, most that I got from the store.

If "it" is too heavy... use smaller containers. Think cupcake pans or loaf pans instead of casseroles and baking dishes.

CHOP EVERYTHING NOW. Blanch and freeze... because it's beyond difficult to chop one handed. Things that you use &/or know you would want a lot (onions, garlic, etc.).

I also ate a LOT of Sammies. Sammies are infinte in their variety and are just SLOW to assemble with one had. Hot, cold, easy.

_______

Just a few more BTDT learn from my mistakes

If you don't have a dishwasher, accept that the 6 months it will take to be able to do dishes, is a drop in the bucket compared with all the trees your ordinarilly save by washing dishes and BUY PAPER PLATES, PLASTIC BOWLS, CUPS, AND SILVERWARE. (The plastic does recycle, btw.) Holding the scrubber in your useless arm, while you rotate the PLATE to clean it is just stupid. Comical... but stupid. Don't do it. Don't be me.

If you DO have a dishwasher, rock the paper and plastic for the first 6-8 weeks anyway. Why? Because you will be completely incapable of bending over without feeling like your eyeballs are going to explode and the whole world starts swimming with stars and blackness and you're praying to god not to pass out onto the floor... because getting back up just isn't going to happen.

Similarly... have your son do all the "ground" tasks (holding dustpans, pushing vacuums, etc.) because it's just not gonna happen.

Bras. You never realize how much you use your shoulders to put on your lingerie until you can't. I slept int he same bra for 3 weeks, because there was no way on earth I was going to be able to take it off to begin with, and then replacing it would qualify as a sainthood miracle. You know those 'bra top' camisoles with adjustable straps? You can STEP into those and pull them up, with one strap crazy long to fit over your arm without moving your arm. I highly recommend them.

One Hairy Situation.

You're not going to be able to shave or style your hair for a few weeks. I didn't care about me legs (winter), but would have waxed if it was summer. For my hair I cut it pixie short, and I ductaped my hairdryer to a rather sturdy lamp. ((I have curly hair, as in, need 2 hands... one for dryer, one for brush... to dry. If you have straight hair, count your blessings).

Most shoulder surgeries are outpatient these days. If you can, either stay inpatient to be looked after for a day or two OR make sure your son is being looked after by other people, and you looked in on from time to time ... because the first day or three you will be high and asleep.

2 months of acute recovery is a drop in the bucket in 18 years. Rock those movies and video games, mama.

Sounds like a fun 'teaching' time for your 6y. Nothing like learning to cook while helping mom.

Tacos
Turkey sandwiches
spaghetti
mac-n-cheese
hot dogs

dialing pizza :)

This is a perfect time to teach your 6 year old in the kitchen. I bet he will love it :) An easy one is using the bag of ceasar salad, we add the already cooked grilled perdue shortcuts. It is a quick chicken ceasar salad and yummy!

scrambled eggs (basic breakfast burritos), hotdogs, corndogs, not a lot of healthy ideas. Id probably be hitting up the frozen dinner section for a few months just for variety and ease.

Grilled cheese sandwiches :)

I don't have food suggestions other than to jokingly tell you to have your take away places on speed dial and freezer meals at the ready. Otherwise, ask a friend to help you cook meals in bulk on a Saturday or Sunday so you can reheat those meals during the week easily.

Consider your can opener and jar situations. I had one hand out of commission for six weeks and I couldn't open a single can with a can opener. Jars were equally hopeless. I got to know my neighbor very well. She would come over and open a bunch of cans at once while we shared a pot of tea. I suggest you walk around your kitchen and think about various tasks which you can do now but may not be able to do afterwards. Good luck.

Chili

Your 6 year old sounds like a great kid. Have him help you in the kitchen.
My son is 5, and ever since he was 4, he can actually make his own scrambled eggs, from start to finish, with my supervision. He can make his own cereal and sandwiches, pour and get his own drinks etc. If you teach your child how, they can.
I am sure, your 6 year old, will be willing to help.
Let him.
He will know Mommy needs to mend.
Talk with him about it and it can be a nice cooking "lesson" for him.

But yes, chili.
-Spaghetti
-Stir fry
Buy frozen mixed veggies, and use that (so you don't have to chop them), to make your stir fry etc.
-Buy meats already cut up. ie: beef stew meats etc.
-Pork cutlets that are cut thin. So it cooks faster.
- homemade soups. Again, using the frozen mixed veggies bag, so you don't have to chop up your own veggies

Also, buy pre-made meals you just have to heat up.
Costco, has many good ones.
It will be easier for you that way. It will be for 2 months after all.
Think of ways to circumvent the usual, cooking style you do.

All the best.

Oh My ! I would do some advance meal planning and preparation. Maybe some crockpot dishes you pretty much dump in ? I'll think about it and do some digging in my cookbooks : )

I have a kitchenaid mixer. It does all the heavy stirring for you and can do from wisking all the way to kneading bread. Just a thought. We bought our Kitchenaid mixer about 20 years ago and it has been a real good deal. Each of my kids has bought a kitchenaid mixer.

That being said, use a smaller casserole pan to do your casseroles so you can lift it. Make stuff in a crock pot and serve from the crock pot. You can put the empty crock pot on the table. Then fill it there and let it cook there. You can make bbq'd chicken, pulled pork, beef stew, chili, peach cobbler, Chocolate lava cake (a chocoholic's delight) and last but not least, Zina's Carmel Dumplings (Definately NOT least.)

Chocolate Lava Cake:
PREP TIME 20 Min
TOTAL TIME 3 Hr 20 Min
SERVINGS 8

Cake
1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® triple chocolate fudge cake mix 1 1/4 cups milk 1/2 cup vegetable oil 3 eggs
Topping
1 box (4-serving size) instant chocolate pudding and pie filling mix 2 cups milk 1 bag (12 oz) milk chocolate chips (2 cups)

1 Spray 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. In large bowl, beat Cake ingredients with electric mixer as directed on cake mix box. Pour into slow cooker.
2 In medium bowl, beat pudding mix and 2 cups milk with whisk as directed on box. Pour into slow cooker over cake batter. Do not mix. Sprinkle chocolate chips over top.
3 Cover; cook on Low heat setting 2 hours 30 minutes to 3 hours or until cake is set and pudding is beginning to bubble out of cake.

I've put my chicken chili on here several times. If you want that recipe, PM me.

Hope everything goes well with your operation. Good luck to you and yours.

I just tried this recipe the other day, and it was so easy and tastey!

It does take a crockpot though so I'd get that out before surgery and just leave it on my counter. Buy the crockpot liners for easy cleanup so you don't have to put the crockpot in the sink to wash it.

Chicken tacos

The recipe:
2 pounds of chicken
16 oz of your favorite salsa.

Put the raw chicken in the crockpot and stir in the salsa. Let it cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-6 hours. Around the 4 hour mark, shred the chicken with a fork and stir it together more. (Careful you don't poke holes in the liner or it'll leak and you'll have a messy crockpot to clean.)

Set out bowls of your favorite toppings: I did avocados, tomatoes, cheese and sour cream. You can either use hard shells or soft tortillas.

You need to get really close friends with your saute pan. I spent close to a year between casts and wraps that prevented me from using my right arm back when my kids were in elementary school. I learned to chop and drop so many variations of meat, veggie, and pasta in a saute pan that it is still one of my preferred ways to cook. For example, with one arm you can put a small pan of water on to boil some whole wheat pasta. Then you drop in some eggplant, squash and a can of tomatoes. Let them cook down while the pasta boils and then drain off the pasta (good thing it is just two of you so you can always use small skillets and pots) and add it to veggie mixture and stir in some parm or cream cheese or even a couple of spoons of sour cream so that you have a sauce. There you go! Start now before your surgery practicing using your saute pan. Once you get the hang of it, you can flip your food without stirring (just like the pros!) and if you have a good quality saute pan, it will be heavy enough to not slide if you need to stir but not so heavy you can't lift it. You should also think about what light weight foods you can cook on a cookie sheet. For example, 2 filets of fish weigh less than 1 pound and can cook in 20 min or less in a 400 degree oven. You can easily pick up that weight and get it in and out of the oven. Same thing goes for baking a piece of chicken. A portion is 6 to 8 ounces, so two portions is well under 1 pound. Chicken cooks nicely on a cookie sheet. The good news is that because it is summer you can probably get by with some salads if your son like salad. Make a spinach salad with a can of tuna and some chick peas sprinkled in. Or microwave bacon and put it on the salad. A small pot doesn't weight much, so you can boil eggs easily. With that saute pan you can make easy quesadillas, by putting the flour tortilla down, adding your filling, them folding over with a spatula. Easy! Microwave some soup and there is a meal. I could go on and on but I think you get the idea. Just start practicing now!

For my house that would mean lots of raman soup, hot dogs, corn dogs, mac n cheese, sandwiches and tv dinners. There are some things that you can prepair ahead of time but you would also have to have the freezer space for that.