Need easy meal to take to a woman who just had surgery and her husband...?

Question

The woman just had surgery and the husband has pretty severe Alzheimer's (they're both in their 70s, I'd guess), so I just need something that can be made in say a 8x8 or 9x13 pan, refrigerated, that they can put in the oven and forget about until the timer goes off. And that makes easy microwavable leftovers. Any ideas??

The woman just had surgery and the husband has pretty severe Alzheimer's (they're both in their 70s, I'd guess), so I just need something that can be made in say a 8x8 or 9x13 pan, refrigerated, that they can put in the oven and forget about until the timer goes off. And that makes easy microwavable leftovers. Any ideas??

Also forgot to mention that he's diabetic...

I wish we had a meals-on-wheels around here...but until then, I'm it! :-) Thanks so much for the great ideas. I sometimes get stuck on sloppy joes or something, and I just want them to be fed for a couple of weeks until she's feeling better!!! Thanks for the great ideas so far!!

Answer 1

What a sweet thing for you to do!

How about a pan of shepherd's pie? Brown up some ground beef in one pan. In another, you can saute some carrots, onions and celery in some butter. After they are sauted, sprinkle some flour over it. Then, pour in some beef broth (or water and beef bullion). Simmer that for a while. Then, dump in the browned ground beef, and add some worcestershire sauce (if you have it, sometimes I skip this). Smear some mashed potatoes over the top, and voila! 30-40 minutes at 375.

Or----tetrazini. Take some leftover chicken or turkey. Or, buy some ground turkey and brown it up. Boil some spaghetti noodles, or whatever noodles you like (but if it's spaghetti, break them in half). Set them aside. In a saucepan, melt some butter. Once it's melted, you could toss in a little garlic if you like. Sometimes I skip this if I'm too rushed to chop garlic. Sprinkle some flour in and whisk. Then, pour in some broth and some milk (there's no science to how much of each---you could even pour in a little white wine if you've got some around). Add your cooked poultry. Cook that together for a while---maybe 15 minutes. Then, spray your pan, and put the noodles in. Pour the sauce over the noodles. It should look like there is a little too much liquid (because some will cook off when you put it in the oven. Put it in the oven for about 20-30 minutes at about 375.

Or plain old lasagna.

You're a good neighbor (or granddaughter or whatever!)

Answer 2

It's so nice of you to do this! I would suggest getting some friends together and making up some dinners that can be frozen and popped in the oven. Some suggestions are lasagna, stuffed shells, chicken pot pie, meat loaf, and casseroles. I don't know where you live, but there is a place called Dream Dinners where you go and put dinners together in baking pans or ziplocs to store in the freezer. You might check their website www.dreamdinners.com and see if there is one near you. Good luck and God bless you!

Answer 3

lraditional Lasagna





Sauce:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 minced onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1 (28-ounce) can crushed Italian tomatoes
1 tablespoon oregano
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons Parmesan
Lasagna filling:
15 lasagna noodles
2 pounds ricotta
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan
1 pound mozzarella, grated
4 egg yolks


Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onions, garlic, and red pepper for 1 to 2 minutes. Do not let garlic brown. Add the tomatoes, oregano, and bay leaf to skillet. Let simmer until flavors blend, stirring occasionally every 1/2 hour. Stir in Parmesan, and remove bay leaf. Sauce is ready for lasagna to be made.
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large pot, boil water, and cook pasta close to al dente. In a large bowl combine the ricotta, salt, pepper, and Parmesan, and mix until well blended. Mix in egg yolks and set aside.

In a 13 by 9-inch baking dish, spread a thin layer of marinara sauce and cover with noodles. Spread a layer of ricotta cheese mixture over noodles. Top with mozzarella, another layer of sauce, and repeat. The third layer should be topped with sauce and mozzarella. Cover and bake for 40 minutes, remove cover and bake for an additional 25 minutes. Remove from oven, and let stand for 20 minutes.

To serve, cut into squares, and serve with drizzled marinara sauce.

Answer 4

Buy a Stoffer's frozen lasagna and take them a prepacked salad with a bottle of dressing, maybe a loaf of bread.

Stoffer's makes some great frozen meals, they have chicken Alfredo, escalloped chicken, enchiladas and they are really very good.

Answer 5

Lasanga, or you can do a chicken n rice casserole with cream of mushroom soup, and cream of chicken soup, spaghetti, you can put it in the 8x13 pan mixed together and put some cheese over the top, bake it for like 10 extra minutes just to melt the cheese. Either are good leftovers.

Answer 6

this is so yummy.and it sounds like you are a very nice person.god bless you


Chicken-Broccoli Au Gratin Casserole
1 lb bag frozen broccoli spears, cooked & drained
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and cup into bite size pieces
2 cans creamy chicken mushroom soup
1 Tbsp butter
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp curry
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
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Butter a 9x13" baking pan
Arrange cut-up broccoli on bottom
Top with chicken
Sprinkle cheese on top
Mix 2 cans of soup with mayonnaise, lemon juice and curry powder
Spread this over cheese
Top with bread crumbs
Bake at 350° for 45 minutes

Answer 7

Lasagne is a good bet .............
Pot stew and mash..........
Cheesy pasta .........
Layer potato's and mince alternately and cover with cheese sauce.

Alternatively Meals-on-Wheels would be a safer option till Mrs gets well enough to cope ............