My mom is having surgery. I am going down to her house to clean as she hasn't been up to it lately and to cook a few meals for them to have in advance. They need to be easy (for me) and be able to last. I have a few in mind, but was wondering what would be quick and easy for me to make and stick in the freezer for them? Dad works full time, so this way he will not be worrying about her all the time either when he goes back to work.
my suggestion would be to freeze them in portions. Like if you make a lasagna (my go to freezer meal), freeze them in individual or dual portions to make it last longer for them.
Shepherd's pie
Lasagna
Taco fixinings (ground beef made ahead of time, supply shred cheese, tortillas)
Pre-cooked things, like
Lasagna
Meatballs for either Spaghetti, or Meatball Subs
Casseroles
Shredded Chicken for Salads, Sandwiches, Enchiladas.
Anything you can put in the crock pot.
I hope your Mom has a good, speedy recovery!
Easy Peasy Chicken and Dumplings
8 cups of chicken broth
one bag of frozen stew vegetables (it says stew veg. on the bag)
chicken (can be in a can, you cut it up whatever but canned is the easiest)
Heat to a boil.
Take one can or roll of biscuits (like the Pillsbury kind) and tear it up and place it on top of your soup.
Heat on low for about ten more minutes.
This tastes really good. We love it and your prep time is about 5 minutes.
I make a pasta that's really simple.
1 pound box pasta
1 jar red sauce of choice
1 jar alfredo sauce
8 oz mozzarella
cook pasta til al dente, drain
pour 1/2 cup red sauce into bottom of casserole dish
add pasta and the rest of the red sauce-you made need to stir a little to make sure all the pasta is coated
add alfredo sauce evenly over the top
sprinkle mozzarella evenly over the top
Bake in 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes or until golden. Once it cools you can single portion it and store it in the freezer. Warms up great in the microwave!
Meat loaf, chili and soups/stews reheat well. So does lasagne but it takes a bit more work. I would suggest buying Steamfresh (or any comparable brand) veggies that you microwave right in the pouch to accompany each meal-super easy. You can also buy partially baked bread loaves that they can pop in the oven for 10 minutes for fresh bread with each meal. I think the brand is San Luis brand but I'm not sure. I would be sure they have regular bread, butter, milk, juice/coffee/tea and/ or any other staples purchased for them ahead of time so there is no need for grocery shopping. Might consider doing their laundry while you are there cleaning so no one has to do laundry either for awhile. Best wishes to your mom for a speedy recovery!
Soups and chilis usually reheat really well =o)
Baked Ziti with mini meatballs.
Pulled beef/pork with BBQ sauce on buns.
Chicken stuffed shells.
Meatballs, sauce & buns.
Breaded chicken (use seasoned bread crumbs and add some parmesan cheese--yum!)
Fried chicken
Sides:
Potato casserole (cheese, sour cream, etc)
Stuffing
Frozen steamable veggies & rice.
Sweet of you. Ask mom for some suggestions... and then cook away.
