What meals could I cook for an elderly person?

SunshineSmile

New member
My mum is 81 and finds it hard to cook for herself. I thought I would cook her some meals so I could freeze them or put them in the refridgerator for her so she can warm them up herself. Unfortunately she is afraid to use the oven (she had a bit of an accident) so heating up in the oven is out - as is using microwave as she hasn't got one and won't use one - so options are a bit limited but any advice/ideas/recipes you could give would be very much appreciated. Many thanks
Thanks for all your answers guys I'm getting some great ideas!
 
Well it does seem a bit limited.How about just buying her some pot noodles or some pasta meals,packet mash and things you can make with boiling water.Or is the kettle out of the question as well.
 
If she is just afraid of the oven, but not the Hob. you could make her some homemade soups or stews which she could freeze and then if she wants to eat them she only needs to put them into a pot and heat slowly until bubbly.
 
try not to cook meals that are too heavy,mash potatoes etc because if sh is sitting most of the day then it will just sit in her stomach and wont feel to comfortable soup is always quite good will heat her up and isn't very heavy and there are loads of different types to choose from.

EASY CHICKEN CASSEROLE
Dissolve a chicken bullion cube in 1 cup water. Reserve and refrigerate 1/2 of recipe's later.
Measure 1/2 cup brown rice in an individual-size, oven-proof dish. Pour the 1/2 cup chicken
bullion over the rice. Sprinkle with dehydrated onion flakes. Top with 1 piece of uncooked
chicken (breast or thigh works well). Top with 2 T. cream of mushroom soup. Cover with
alualuminiumil. Bake for 30 minutes at 350EF. Remove foil and continue baking until chicken is
browned. Serve with unsalted crackers or 1 slice of toasted whole wheat bread.
(Advantages for the elderly—this is a one-dish meal. Two recipes can be made and one frozen
for later use. The recipe uses an oven-refrigerator/freezer dish. If a piece of fresh fruit and a
glass of 1% milk is added to the menu a good nutritious low-fat, low-sugar, light fiber meal is
obtained.)

HAMBURGER STEW
(Serves 2)
1/2 pound lean ground beef
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1 celery stalk with leaves, chopped
1 potato, cubed, (peel or unpeeled)
1 garlic clove, sliced
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dash pepper
1 bay leaf
1 beef bouillon cube
2 cups water
Heat oil in saucepan.
Saute ground beef in oil until browned. Drain fat.
Add all other ingredients.
Bring to a boil, then simmer for one-half hour, adding water if needed.

TUNA CASSEROLE
(Serves 6)
3 ounces uncooked elbow macaroni
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
3/4 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
3 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon dill weed (optional)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup milk
1 cup cream-style cottage cheese
1 can (13 oz.) tuna, drained and flaked
1 can (4 oz.) mushrooms, drained
1/3 cup bread crumbs or croutons
Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain and reserve.
Melt butter or margarine in 2-quart casserole dish (in microwave 30 seconds). Stir in celery,
onion and green pepper. Microwave covered with plastic wrap on full power until tender, about
3 minutes.
Blend in flour, soy sauce, and spices. Stir in milk and cheese. Microwave uncovered on full
power, stirring after each minute, until mixture is thickened and bubbly (about 5 minutes).
Stir in reserved macaroni, tuna, and mushrooms. Microwave uncovered on full power, stirring
every 3 minutes until hot (about 6 minutes).
Sprinkle top with buttered bread crumbs or croutons. Let casserole stand uncovered 5 minutes
before serving.
This recipe will store well in the refrigerator or can be frozen in small portions for later use.
II-4-24
Resource for Option #3
SPAGHETTI
6 oz. spaghetti noodles
2 1/2 quarts water
1 Tbsp. salt
Mix salt with water and bring to a boil. Add spaghetti noodles and stir occasionally during
cooking. Cook just until tender, about 12 minutes.
SPAGHETTI SAUCE
1/3 lb. ground beef
1/2 tsp. onion powder or 2 tsp. onion flakes
1/2 clove garlic, chopped
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
6 oz. can tomato paste
3/4 c. water
1/2 tsp. salt or to taste
Brown ground beef with onions, garlic, and Italian Seasoning. Drain grease. Mix in tomato
paste and water. Let simmer 12 minutes. Place on spaghetti noodles and eat!

SPAGHETTI
6 oz. spaghetti noodles
2 1/2 quarts water
1 Tbsp. salt
Mix salt with water and bring to a boil. Add spaghetti noodles and stir occasionally during
cooking. Cook just until tender, about 12 minutes.
SPAGHETTI SAUCE
1/3 lb. ground beef
1/2 tsp. onion powder or 2 tsp. onion flakes
1/2 clove garlic, chopped
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
6 oz. can tomato paste
3/4 c. water
1/2 tsp. salt or to taste
Brown ground beef with onions, garlic, and Italian Seasoning. Drain grease. Mix in tomato
paste and water. Let simmer 12 minutes. Place on spaghetti noodles and eat!
GARLIC BREAD
4 Tbsp. margarine
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. dried parsley
4 slices of French bread
Mix margarine and garlic powder together. Spread on bread and then sprinkle with parsley.
Wrap in foil and bake at 350EF. for 10-15 minutes, until toasted.

hope some of these will help :)
 
If you are in the UK, have you heard of "Wiltshire Farm Foods" ?
They deliver frozen packs to customers and put them in the fridge. My Mum's cousin, Alice, now 103, discovered them a couple of years ago and she appears to enjoy them. I tried a couple and although they aren't "exciting" - just plain old English traditional meals, I would be happy to eat them if I couldn't cook for myself.
They can be heated in a microwave, oven or in a stove top gadget which they can provide (I think it's some kind of steamer). Alice got me to buy her a basic microwave oven and she uses that!
You see Wiltshire Farm Foods advertised in magazines like "Saga", but I think they have a web site so you can check them out and get some ideas of things to prepare yourself.
If you don't fancy going down that road,do the WRVS still do hot meals delivered to housebound people?
 
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